Open Source

Made by a fan of Rebecca Black, the Debian-based distribution simply called "RebeccaBlackOS" is a beta-stage live Linux with a login manager for Wayland, Qt 6, and only 64-bit support (the versions previously released, which arrived with Qt 5, supported 32-bit platforms as well).

Focused on delivering an easy initial setup and post-install configuration, IPFire is a Linux distro designed for firewalls. Version 2.29 Core 187 comes with an additional layer of protection against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. This capability is useful in high-bandwidth and cloud deployment scenarios.

CheckMag Looking for something to do this weekend? These three modern remakes slap much-needed coats of paint on older PC games. These are essentially engine rebuilds that add modern features to the classic titles while staying true to the original games' feel and intention. The best part: they're all completely free.

The highly anticipated Cosmic desktop environment has finally launched in alpha version alongside the Pop!_OS 24.04 alpha. The new Linux desktop environment is also available for Arch, Fedora, NixOS, and Serpent OS, with plans for openSUSE and Redox OS launches underway.

The UCIe Consortium has released UCIe 2.0, introducing key enhancements to the Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express specification. The new version adds support for standardized manageability, testability, and 3D packaging, further advancing the chipset ecosystem.

With a focus on minimalism and performance, Serpent OS aims to help users get the most out of their hardware and streamline their workflow. The release comes four years after Ikey Doherty announced he would be working on a new Linux distro. Despite some problems in development, Serpent OS has made it to the pre-alpha stage and is now available to download. 

A recent review tested the performance of AMD's new Ryzen AI 9 365 processor and its Radeon 880M iGPU in Ubuntu 24.04 on Linux kernel 6.10 and Windows 11 and found that the CPU and iGPU combination performed better under Linux in most scenarios. The biggest surprise comes from GPU benchmarks, where Linux often beat Windows by up to 50%.

CheckMag I spoke with Brian R Lyons of TMNA Toyota Motor Corp North America about the implementation of Linux in Toyota and Lexus infotainment systems. Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) is a version of Linux being used by several automotive manufacturers.

It looks like System76's exciting new Rust-based Cosmic DE will get an official Fedora spin in the upcoming Fedora 42, potentially giving Linux users with bleeding-edge hardware an official way to try Cosmic. Fedora Linux operates on a semi-rolling release, but it is often regarded as a stable base for those looking for up-to-date software and hardware support.

The first Release Candidate for the next version of the Linux Kernel (Kernel 6.11-rc1) is now available. The candidate includes support for wireless drivers on Qualcomm chips (specifically the Snapdragon X1 platform) and features for virtualization.

Codenamed "Wilma" and to be supported until 2029, Linux Mint 22 comes with multiple software updates, including the Linux kernel 6.8, themes with GTK4 support alongside multiple visual changes across the entire system, HiDPI in the boot sequence, Plymouth, and Slick-Greeter. Hexchat has been replaced with the Matrix chat network.

Based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and available in no less than ten editions, Ubuntu Pack 24.04 is now out. This distro comes with a universal VLC player, a comprehensive set of media codecs, and support for running Windows apps. The list of preinstalled apps includes Inkscape, XnView, Peazip, Firefox, Veracrypt, and more.

Meta has unveiled its biggest, smartest, most-neutered Llama 3.1 405B AI for royalty-free use. The 750 GB, 405 billion parameter large language model (LLM) is one of the biggest ever released and performs competitively with flagship competitors Anthropic Claude 3.5 Sonnet and OpenAI GPT-4o.

Available in its current form since early August 2007, MidnightBSD started as a FreeBSD fork in 2005. Version 3.2.0 brings the Ravenports integrated system, which allows you to build packages of complex software, including private repositories for targeted use. The default desktop environment remains Xfce.

Asus ROG XG Mobile interface is available on ROG Flow laptops and the ROG Ally gaming handheld, and it lets users get better gaming performance with an external GPU. However, Asus has a few graphics card options available, and the 2023 dock costs $2,000. Well, a hardware hacker has managed to bring expanded support with an open-source eGPU dock.

System76's long-awaited Cosmic desktop environment will officially ship with the Pop!_OS 24.04 alpha build, bringing with it a host of improvements to GPU compatibility and features. Despite it being an alpha build, System76 hopes for Cosmic and Pop!_OS 24.04 to be completely usable as a daily driver OS.

Available since July 10, 2022, Nobara Linux is a Fedora-based distro aimed at gamers and content creators. Yesterday, version 40 arrived with a completely remade updater, KDE 6.1.1, Gnome 46, as well as the Nvidia 555 drivers and much more. Five versions are available for download, including two made to look and feel like the Steam Deck.

With the popularity of LoRa radio communication growing, Meshtastic continues to upgrade its public MQTT server. July 15th is set to bring improved performance, security, and usability to devices using the default (PSK) Pre-Shared Key.

CheckMag You don’t have to invest in expensive hardware to run a home server. With Docker you can run containerised applications on almost anything including PCs, Macs, laptops and even a Raspberry Pi. Ideally it needs to be on 24/7 which makes the Raspberry Pi an excellent low power option. If you are curious about Docker, here are 3 of the best containers to get you started on low end hardware.

Capable of providing a fully-loaded Linux firewall solution that only requires a few clicks to secure a network, NethSecurity got an update with two major highlights. Version 8.1 comes with a user account manager in the web GUI, as well as a visual connection tracker.

Unleashed yesterday, Finnix 126 is built using the Linux kernel 6.8 (Debian 6.8.12-1, to be entirely accurate) and comes with several new packages, such as libc6-i386, features, as well as fixes and improvements. This release also includes a fix for the recently discovered OpenSSH CVE-2024-6387 vulnerability.

The Linux Mint development team has released the beta version of Linux Mint 22 for download, which for the first time is based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and comes with the Linux 6.8 kernel. In addition to the updated Cinnamon 6.2 desktop, MATE 1.26 and Xfce 4.18 are also available.

Manjaro Linux 24's third maintenance release, called "Wynsdey" and introduced earlier today, features Plasma 6 and version 6.9 of the Linux kernel. Each of the Manjaro editions available comes with updated desktops and visual traits, as well as under-the-hood fixes and optimizations.

CheckMag As technology users, we either knowingly or unknowingly hand over our data to large tech companies on a daily basis. In an attempt to get away from the overwatch of Google, I decided to try running a de-Googled phone. This is how it went.

As its fifth anniversary draws near, EndeavourOS gets a new update. Labeled 2024.06.25, this software refresh comes with Plasma 6.1 (both offline and live), Firefox 127.0.1-1, and Calamares 24.06.1.2-1, as well as a few fixes. Also, the r8168 legacy driver package has been removed in this update.

System76's Cosmic Linux desktop environment now has an official logo. The development team confirms that a first alpha version of the Rust-based desktop is planned for the end of July.

Deepin is one of the most popular AI-enabled Linux distros in the world. In this latest release, the developers give Deepin new powers such as additional fonts and video decoding improvements while keeping the spotlight on the custom desktop environment that has won so many hearts.

A Red Hat developer has shown the first images of what a Blue Screen of Death could look like under Linux in the event of a kernel error. The error screen does not necessarily have to be blue, as we know it from Windows.

The Linux desktop environment KDE Plasma has been updated to version 6.1, which includes an improved desktop editing mode and session recovery under Wayland. Remote desktop connections have also been simplified.

If you own a Framework Laptop 13, you can soon run it with a RISC-V mainboard. The DIY laptop maker has announced a collaboration with DeepComputing to bring a new motherboard with a StarFive JH7110 processor. It's a quad-core 64-bit chip with SiFive U74 cores, BXE-4-32 graphics, and a max speed of 1.5 GHz.

Taking its level of security one step further, Tails 6.4 comes with a random seed on the USB stick that strengthens all its cryptographic functions. Thanks to it, the Persistent Storage, Tor, or HTTPS are now more secure. Additionally, this new release comes with multiple minor tweaks and fixes.

Although it targets only Linux fans for the time being, postmarketOS continues to receive regular updates. Released yesterday, the latest one is labeled 24.06 and comes with support for more than 250 devices. Its highlights include KDE Plasma Mobile 6.0.5, GNOME Shell on Mobile 46_git20240610, Phosh 0.39, and much more.

Recycle instead of dispose: A detailed DIY guide shows how the smart speaker from Sonos can be brought back to life. Afterwards, it is also much more versatile, so it's actually upcycling.

Until next year's announced arrival of the Adaptable Linux Platform-based Leap 16, openSUSE Leap keeps moving forward with version 15.6. Released yesterday, it comes with maintenance and security updates guaranteed until the end of 2025, OpenSSL 3.1 as default, Podman 4.8, KDE Plasma 5.27.11, and more.

The Framework laptops are best known for their modular and repairable design. Now, the company has taken things to the next level by open-sourcing the 3D CAD files for its 16-inch laptop. This will enable users with 3D printers to make their own accessories.

Unleashed earlier today, Firefox 127.0 comes with enhanced screenshot capabilities that can also handle files rendered in the browser such as SVG or XML, HTTPS Media upgrades on HTTPS pages, improved support for DNS prefectching, authentication when firing up the built-in password manager, a Close duplicate tabs option, and more.

The MNT Pocket Reform is a particularly compact notebook that is now available. The system follows an open source approach and thus allows for extensive modification by users.

Unveiled at the end of last week, NixOS 24.05 comes with version 6.6 of the Linux kernel, Gnome 46 alongside KDE Plasma 6, as well as support for the Lomiri and Mate 1.28 desktops. Another highlight worth mentioning is the introduction of ztsd compression for firmware blogs.

Security and forensics-focused Kali Linux is back with bug updates and tweaks, as well as new tools and desktop updates. Released yesterday, Kali 2024.2 includes Gnome 46 and Xfce updates for Kali-Undercover and HiDPI, as well as no less than 18 new tools, including coercer, horst, netexec, and snort.

Unleashed yesterday, FreeBSD 14.1 is the second release of the stable/14 branch. Available for multiple architectures, from servers and desktops to embedded platforms, it comes with improvements to the sound subsystem, upgraded versions of OpenZFS, Clang/LLVM, OpenSSH, and more.

The worst results that a privacy check by Mozilla has ever produced. And it's not at all surprising that all the car manufacturers tested were criticized - some, fortunately, less so.

DARPA has released its deepfake detection tools developed in its Semantic Forensics program to counter AI threats. Nearly two dozen tools help detect deepfake photos and videos as well as AI-generated text and voice. Collaborative AI FORCE challenges released every four weeks encourage public researchers to help develop innovative solutions to the generative AI threat.

LineageOS 21 has launched for the repair-friendly Fairphone 5, making it yet another custom ROM to beat the original OEM to the Android 14 punch. Unlike most other Android makers, though, Fairphone welcomes bootloader unlocking and custom ROM support.

Modos has announced the pre-launch of its 13.3" e-ink Modos Paper Monitor with 60 Hz refresh rate. The main drawback of slow e-ink displays has been tackled with low-latency technology that enables smooth video playback. A separate Modos Development Kit with open-hardware and open-source software hackability will also be available.

Initially released at the end of April 1997, Winamp has been intermittently dormant for nearly a decade ever since. The latest stable release is one year old and carries the 5.9.2 version number. A new Winamp version, described as "the best player to listen to all types of audio," is set to arrive on the 1st of July.

Version 1.49 of the Eclipse Theia development platform has been released, with 53 pull requests incorporated into the update. New features include support for dev containers, a Docker image for the Theia IDE and the so-called Dirty Diff Peek View.

CheckMag Some might argue that YouTube adverts are getting ridiculous. With 2 ads often up to 20 seconds each at the start of a video and another one slapped in your face if you try to scrub through a section, it's no surprise that ad blockers are so popular. In response, Google is clamping down on their use by effectively ruining the experience, but there are still effective ways to bypass them.

The popular command line tool Neofetch has not been actively developed for several years, and the source code has now been archived on GitHub by programmer Dylan Araps. However, there are a number of alternatives for displaying your Linux system information in the terminal.

Gaming on Linux can be a little complicated, but the open-source community has put into the software surrounding the Linux gaming experience. Here is a pick of four of the best tools and software packages to make the most of your gaming hardware running on Linux.

Canonical has officially released Ubuntu 24.04, which will receive critical security updates for 5 years thanks to Long Term Support (LTS). In addition to the latest, slightly modified GNOME 46 desktop, Ubuntu 24.04 comes with the Linux 6.8 kernel.