Gaming-focused Nobara Project hits version 40 with KDE Plasma 6.1.1 and GNOME 46 in tow

Started by the creator of Proton-GE, the Linux distro known as Nobara (or "The Nobara Project") has been around for just two years, but it already has a larger team working on it and comes in no less than five flavors. Based on Fedora, Nobara is available in a custom-themed KDE version, known as the official release, alongside Gnome, KDE, and two Steam Deck-inspired releases, namely Steam-HTPC and Steam-Handheld. All can be downloaded from this page.

Released yesterday, Nobara 40 comes with an entirely remade update system, which is now available in the form of a Python GUI app that is better integrated with the Nobara package manager. Even more, the updater now provides a service that runs in the system tray to receive notifications. The updater's system tray icon can be hidden, and the update check interval is customizable. 

Other changes and updates include KDE Plasma 6.1.1, Gnome 46, and Mesa 24.1.3, as well as the Nvidia proprietary driver package labeled 555.58.02. The OBS Studio version included is 30.2.0, and the kernel has been updated to 6.8.12. Firefox is now the default browser once again. At the same time, LibreOffice returns to replace OnlyOffice to avoid the need of another external repository.

Those interested in the Linux world might want to check out Mark Reed's Linux: The Complete Linux Crash Course for Beginners - From Zero to Hero (2024), which comes for free with Kindle Unlimited ($5.99 to buy), but is also available in a paperback version, for $29.27.