Open Source

Using the Linux kernel 6.8.12-4 as a stable default with 6.11 as an option, Proxmox Backup Server 3.3 sports ZFS 2.2.6 support and is based on the Debian 12.8 "Bookworm" release. The list of changes also includes removable datastores support, new change detection modes and push direction for remote sync jobs, and more.

Powered by an Ubuntu core and sporting a macOS-inspired design, elementary OS has just moved up to version 8. After 13 years of history, this Linux distro has received a new dock optimized for better multitasking and window management, as well as a new Wayland-powered Secure Session feature.

As Bluesky continues to gain traction as an alternative to X, easier ways of starting a conversation on the platform are popping up. Enter the Bluesky Comments extension for Chrome, which makes commenting on any web page possible.

Based on Debian 12.8 "Bookworm" and the Linux kernel 6.8.12-4 (with 6.11 as an option), Proxmox Virtual Environment 8.3 comes with multiple package updates, supporting QEMU 9.0.2, LXC 6.0.0, and ZFS 2.2.6. A new "Tag View" for the resource tree is also available, as well as Ceph Squid 19.2.0 support, faster container backups, and more.

Not long after its 18th anniversary, Oracle Linux is back with a new update, labeled 9.5. Java moves from OpenJDK 11 to OpenJDK 17, while .NET 9.0 comes with support for C#13 and F#9. Additionally, GCC Toolset 14 is available via the AppStream repository, not to mention the UEK and RHCK options.

After over 22 years in development, FreeCAD 1.0 is finally available, with the latest release bringing much-needed UI tweaks and a new assembly module. The development team says it is dedicated to improving the FreeCAD project, but that it has solved the last two major problems that held back the 1.0 release.

CheckMag The Epomaker TH40 is an excellent affordable entry to the 40% keyboard form factor, but in our recent review, we found that it was impossible to use with the out-of-the-box layers and key bindings. Here's how we set up and optimised the Epomaker TH40 for general use and typing.

Blender 4.3 has introduced a massive list of upgrades that impact almost every aspect of the popular open-source program. While the exact details of the update can quickly get technical, here are a few highlights.

Codenamed “Teal Serval” and available with the distributed kernel version 5.14.0-503.11.1.el9_5, AlmaLinux OS 9.5 comes with improved security, refined development tooling, as well as performance enhancements. The list of changes includes updated compilers, improved system monitoring, stronger cryptography, crypto-policies, and more.

The desktop-focused branch of the FreeBSD family, namely GhostBSD, has just moved up to version 24.10.1. This update fixes issues that occurred on some Legacy BIOS systems on boot while also delivering multiple driver updates and under-the-hood improvements. There is also support for watching Netflix in Chromium.

More than two months after the arrival of its predecessor, Q4OS 5.7 surfaces with Debian Bookworm 12.8-specific updates, improved hardware compatibility, an updated Q4OS software center, as well as the usual set of refreshed packages alongside Q4OS-exclusive visual refinements, under-the-hood fixes, and tweaks.

Often abbreviated to RHEL, Red Hat Enterprise Linux has just reached version number 9.5 after 24 years on the market. While continuing to provide fast, reliable, and affordable software services to enterprises, the latest update comes with improved file management capabilities, multiple package updates, and more.

Based on Arch Linux and featuring multiple desktop options with a BORE kernel which focuses on top performance and low latency, CachyOS is back with this year's 12th release. This update comes with improved gaming performance on both Nvidia and AMD hardware, latest Calamares version, improved Asus ROG Ally X support, and more.

The Mozilla Foundation has announced it has let go of 30% of its staff, eliminating its advocacy and global programs divisions. This marks the second round of 2024 layoffs for the company that dismissed 60 people in February 2024.

NethSecurity 8.3 is now available with a focus on new features for subscriptions and an improved user experience. This updated Linux firewall solution sports a centralized unit update management interface, comprehensive real-time and historical monitoring, a new NAT helper configuration page, and more.

Meta has announced that it is making its open-source LLM (Large Language Model) Llama accessible to U.S. government agencies and contractors for national security applications. The company is partnering with Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and others to make this happen.

Only available for 64-bit processors since mid-2020, Parted Magic has just received a new update. The latest version of this Slackware-based distro focused on data recovery and disk partitioning comes with Wine 9.0, ClamAV 1.4.1, LibreOffice 24.8.2, version 6.11 of the Linux kernel, and more.

Lime3DS and PabloMK7, two forks of the recently shut-down Citra emulator, have now also bitten the dust. However, there is a silver lining to the story, which could result in a new super-emulator, combining features from the past projects.

CheckMag Since dropping x86 in favour of ARM, Apple has more or less closed the door on native dual booting on its hardware. However, Asahi Linux, for some time, has offered native Fedora builds for Apple silicon Macs. The latest release now comes with an alpha build of their game playing toolkit, allowing you to install Steam and play a selection of games on your dual boot Apple silicon Mac.

Thanks to the move from KDE 5 to KDE 6, Br OS 24.10 has multiple visual changes when compared to its predecessor. The latest update to this Ubuntu-based Brazilian distro comes with Wayland set as default (Xorg still available as an alternative), and, similar to most recent Linux distro updates, it uses the 6.11.0 kernel.

Available since yesterday, Firefox 132.0 comes with Microsoft PlayReady encrypted media playback, which allows 4K UHD support on several streaming websites, as well as various security fixes, improvements to tracking protection, a broader color range, and more. Firefox ESR 115 and 128.x were also updated.

Keychron has updated its K3 mechanical keyboard with improved sound characteristics, Bluetooth 5.2, massive battery life upgrades, and QMK support for customisation on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Just as expected, Fedora 41 is finally here. Across various editions, the list of changes includes highlights such as GNOME 47 and KDE Plasma 6.2, the Mir and Wayland-based Miracle desktop environment in the new Fedora Miracle, new options for image mode, Secure Boot support for systems that require the Nvidia proprietary driver, and more.

Now recompiled in OpenEmbedded, EasyOS 6.4 remains labeled "an experimental Linux distribution" for the time being. This update launches with support for the Zig programming language, the version 6.6.58 kernel, new desktop icon themes, support for the WEBP image format in mtPaint, and more.

Beelink just announced that its Multi-Functional EX docking station for mini PCs is now open-source with free plans for anyone to use. Along with the announcement, Beelink published documentation to build the PCIe-enabled docking station. It hopes that access to the plans for the accessory will enrich the mini PC ecosystem.

The Video Game History Foundation was recently struck a massive blow when the US Copyright Office shot down its argument that game preservation is a valid reason to bypass DMCA protections. In response, the Video Game History Project called out "lobbying efforts by rightsholder groups" for "holding back progress." The VGHF sought to break copyright protections to allow libraries to digitally distribute out-of-print games.

The SteamOS 3.6.19 release adds more functionality to the Asus ROG Ally and moves the gyro controller driver into the kernel, outside of Steam's proprietary driver stack, suggesting that support for third-party gaming handhelds is inching closer to reality. At the same time, the Steam Deck OLED becomes more Windows-friendly.

Parrot OS is back with multiple improvements and updates, as well as a new launcher. Unleashed yesterday, version 6.2 of this Debian-based distro that targets ethical hackers brings forward Rocket, a launcher for Docker containers written entirely in Python, which uses a PyQt6 GUI and can also run on Windows and macOS machines.

While there are multiple guides on manually bypassing the TPM, Secure Boot, or processor compatibility checks performed when installing Windows 11, Flyby11 does everything automatically. With the help of this straightforward patcher, users with outdated hardware can effortlessly transition to Windows 11 24H2.

Covered by the terms of the Apache 2.0 license, the IBM Granite 3.0 family of AI models targets enterprise customers and provides top performance alongside (allegedly) the most comprehensive set of risk and harm detection capabilities on the market. Those interested can download the models from Hugging Face.

Less than two months since the release of version 1.6, PorteuX 1.7 arrives with several fixes, sub-500 MB ISOs, as well as updates to most of the seven desktop environments supported. The seven are GNOME, Cinnamon, KDE, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, and Xfce. The Linux kernel 6.11.4 is used for all these flavors.

CheckMag Nintendo has a long history of screwing over its fans, whether it’s releasing underpowered hardware, suing fan projects, shutting down services older consoles rely on, and constantly re-selling its back catalogue of games to people who have bought these same titles over and over. But where Ryujinx and Yuzu are concerned, it’s not hard to see why these projects got shut down.

The Ploopy Trackpad is a 3D printed trackpad with multi-touch gesture support and a high degree of customisability, thanks to its QMK firmware and 3D printed construction. All of the part files, QMK firmware, and build instructions are available online for free, but Ploopy also sells a $72.50 DIY build kit and a pre-assembled trackpad for $94.25

Based on the barely released Ubuntu 24.10, Voyager Live 24.10 comes to add a stylish twist to the live distro paradigm by combining GNOME and Xfce while including out-of-the-box visual elements and Conky widgets. This update includes the Linux kernel version 6.11 beneath a redesigned layout designed for both PCs and tablets.

Thanks to the kv4p HT project, radio hobbyists can now extend their phones functionally to include off-grid communication. The radio module, which costs only $35 to build, will allow operators to send SMS-like messages and communicate over long distances without the need for a cell tower.

Hailing from China, Pyramid Flow is an open-source AI model capable of creating virtual hi-resolution (768p) videos. According to the team behind it, this model can generate a five-second 384p video in less than a minute. The MIT License covers Pyramid Flow, which underwent training on open-source datasets.

Hailing from Germany and based on Arch Linux, Bluestar is a distro that comes in three editions (Desktop, Deskpro, and Developer) and has just been updated to version 6.11.3. The list of changes consists mostly of updated packages, as well as a series of tweaks and fixes.

The excruciatingly long road to the release of GIMP 3.0, along with its revolutionary new non-destructive editing features, is finally drawing to a close. The GIMP development team has announced that it only has eight bugs reports left to resolve before the first release candidate goes live.

Yesterday, Ubuntu 24.10 finally came out of beta. Codenamed "Oracular Oriole," it sports the latest kernel (version 6.11), expanded toolchains with versioned Rust and Java TCK, tighter security controls via improved permissions prompting, GNOME 47, support for OpenVEX and OSV vulnerability reporting, and more.

Released yesterday, Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 will receive nine months of support. This update focuses on refining the Budgie desktop while paving the way for Wayland. Consequently, the developers removed the X11 plank dock, defaulted the top bar to a dark theme, and added support for Apple HEIF image files.

In a recent performance review comparing Intel's Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200 series laptop processors on Linux and Windows 11, performance on Linux was consistently better across almost all benchmarks. Linux was on average 14% faster, and Blender 3D rendering and heavily multi-threaded workloads saw the biggest performance gap.

Boasting AI features and a focus on privacy and security, Gnoppix comes in both a community-supported free version (Core) and a Pro flavor that includes several premium features for a moderate fee. Based on Debian and Kali Linux, Gnoppix 24.10 comes with multiple updated packages, as well as various tweaks and fixes.

It looks like the promised SteamOS ISO release is closer than we might have thought. Valve's Gamescope microcompositor recently received support for the Asus ROG Ally and Ally X displays and making them fully compatible with the SteamOS overlay and refresh rate slider.

The 57th release of the open-source, security-focused OpenBSD operating system is now available and carries the 7.6 version label. Its highlights include support for the Milk-V Pioneer board and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, multiple tweaks and fixes, improved video acceleration support, and more.

CheckMag Google is notorious for tracking people across websites, and this extends to almost every service it offers, including Android and YouTube. If you are on a quest to escape Google's aggressive data practices, you might want to consider hosting your own YouTube front end. But how easy is it, and is it worth it?

Samsung has ported the Tizen OS to the open-source RISC-V CPU architecture. This brings developers one step closer to releasing Tizen smart devices on royalty-free CPUs. The company joined the RISE (RISC-V Software Ecosystem) open-software development project in 2023.

Lately, government agencies have been cracking down on privacy-oriented messaging services, leaving many with a sense of uncertainty surrounding their online privacy. Fortunately, SimpleX Chat has taken to solving this issue, and in his latest video, Mental Outlaw explores the unique privacy features that set SimpleX Chat apart.

Developer Gabriel Chua has released his answer to Google's increasingly popular PDF to podcast converter notebookLM. Open NotebookLM replicates Google's capabilities by combining various open-source models.

Less than four months after the arrival of version 24.0 "Wynsdey," Manjaro Linux 24.1 is ready to be unleashed. Dubbed "Xahea," the arrival of the updated is imminent, as today's stable refresh removes the kernel with version 6.9 alongside many other changes. The new ISOs are expected to come out soon.

Based on Manjaro and inspired by CrunchBang and taking advantage of a few BunsenLabs utilities, Mabox Linux comes with a lightweight, ready-to-use software environment that works great on old, slow computers. Using Openbox, tint2, and Jgmenu, it has just been updated to version 24.09.