Hello community, here we have another set of package updates. Since I’m still recovering from my move back to Europe from Asia, I might be less responsive on the forum. So lets test these packages thoroughly so we can do another stable branch snap.

Current Promotions

• Find out all about our current Gaming Laptop the Hero with Manjaro pre-installed from Spain!
• Protect your personal data, keep yourself safe with Surfshark VPN: See current promotion

Recent News

• Manjaro 25.0 Zetar released
• Manjaro Summit public Alpha now available
• As of Linux 6.13.12, the 6.13 series is now EOL (End Of Life). Please install 6.14 stable and/or 6.12 LTS (Long Term Support).

Valkey to replace Redis in the [extra] Repository (click for more details) Previous News Finding information easier about Manjaro (click for more details) Notable Package Updates

• Kernel updates
• Grub with CVE fixes
• Plasma 6.3.5
• Qemu 10.0.0

Additional Info Python 3.13 info (click for more details) Info about AUR packages (click for more details)

Get our latest daily developer images now from Github: Plasma, GNOME, XFCE. You can get the latest stable releases of Manjaro from CDN77.

Our current supported kernels

• linux54 5.4.293
• linux510 5.10.237
• linux515 5.15.182
• linux61 6.1.138
• linux66 6.6.90
• linux612 6.12.28
• linux613 6.13.12 [EOL]
• linux614 6.14.6
• linux615 6.15-rc5
• linux61-rt 6.1.134_rt51
• linux66-rt 6.6.87_rt54
• linux612-rt 6.12.16_rt9
• linux613-rt 6.13_rt5
• linux614-rt 6.14.0_rt3

Package Changes (Fri May 9 17:30:30 CEST 2025)

• testing core x86_64: 23 new and 23 removed package(s)
• testing extra x86_64: 1539 new and 1537 removed package(s)
• testing multilib x86_64: 3 new and 3 removed package(s)

A list of all package changes can be found here.

Click to view the poll.

Check if your mirror has already synced:

• Mirror-Check Service

8 posts - 8 participants

Read full topic

Ubuntu is one of the leading Linux distributions for RISC-V hardware thanks to Canonical’s strategic partnerships with companies like DeepComputing – who just announced a powerful new RISC-V AI PC running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. The DC-ROMA RISC-V AI PC—apologies for the caps, it’s how it’s stylised—is built around the company’s new RISC-V Mainboard II, which is designed for use in the Framework 13″ and 14.2″ laptops. Though designed for Framework laptops, owning one isn’t a requirement. A nifty enclosure allows this mainboard to be used as a regular PC you connect to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. The board itself […]

You're reading RISC-V AI PC Delivers 50 TOPS, Runs Ubuntu 24.04, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Roll credits on Totem, roll camera on Showtime — GNOME developers have officially cast a new video player in GNOME 49, out in September. Per an upstream merge, GNOME has formally replaced the aged GTK3 Totem video player with the newer, fresher and all-the-more modern GTK4/libadwaita app Showtime in its Core Apps1 lineup. Like its predecessor, Showtime’s user-facing name in GNOME 49 will be changed to the generic moniker of Video Player (I’d wager most of us will continue to call it by its codename, the same way we refer to Files as Nautilus). Showtime may be new in GNOME’s Core Apps, but it’s […]

You're reading GNOME Replace Totem Video Player with Showtime, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

The Wellbeing controls available in Ubuntu 25.04 make it easy to get periodic prompts to move your butt or look away from your screen — you might not want them enabled all the time, though. Wellbeing controls were one of the flagship features of GNOME 48. As well as screen time monitoring (with controls to set a screen time limit, and turn the display greyscale when it’s reached), you can enable reminders to take a break and move. Alerts telling you to get up and move may be helpful during the day, but at nighttime when you’re, say, engrossed in […]

You're reading Easily Toggle Ubuntu’s New Wellbeing Reminders On/Off, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

by George Whittaker

Ubuntu has long relied on APT and DEB packages for software management, with Snap becoming increasingly prevalent in recent releases. However, a third contender has risen to prominence in the Linux world: Flatpak. Designed as a universal software packaging and distribution framework, Flatpak offers a fresh, sandboxed approach to application management that works seamlessly across distributions. In this article, we’ll dive into how to manage software with Flatpak on Ubuntu, providing everything you need to get started, optimize your workflow, and compare it with existing solutions.

What is Flatpak?

Flatpak is a modern application packaging system developed by the Free Desktop Project. Its goal is to enable the distribution of desktop applications in a sandboxed environment, ensuring greater security, consistency, and compatibility across Linux distributions.

Key Benefits of Flatpak

• Cross-distribution compatibility: A single Flatpak package works on any Linux distribution with Flatpak support.

• Sandboxing: Applications run in isolation, reducing the risk of affecting or being affected by other software or the host system.

• Bundle dependencies: Flatpak packages include all necessary dependencies, reducing compatibility issues.

• Version control: Developers can ship and maintain multiple versions easily.

Limitations

• Storage overhead: Applications may use more disk space due to bundled runtimes.

• Redundancy: Ubuntu users already have Snap, which can lead to confusion or duplication.

Installing Flatpak on Ubuntu

Although Flatpak isn't pre-installed on Ubuntu, setting it up is straightforward.

Step 1: Install Flatpak

Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update sudo apt install flatpak

Step 2: Install GNOME Software Plugin (Optional)

To integrate Flatpak apps into the Ubuntu Software GUI:

sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

This step allows Flatpak apps to appear alongside APT and Snap apps in GNOME Software.

Step 3: Reboot or Log Out

Restart your session to apply system changes and enable Flatpak integration fully.

Adding the Flathub Repository

Most Flatpak applications are hosted on Flathub, the central repository for Flatpak packages.

To add Flathub:

Go to Full Article

More details on the makeup of the upcoming Linux Mint 22.2 release have been revealed, including its new codename (for those who track those). Linux Mint 22.2 (due to be released in late July or early August) has been officially named ‘Zara’, so continuing distro lead Clem’s codename convention of choosing female names in (somewhat) alphabetical order for each new version. I only say somewhat since Linux Mint 22.1 release was dubbed ‘Xia‘, while Linux Mint 22.2 jumps straight to ‘Zara’. Even with my lackadaisical attention to letter ordering, I know a ‘Y’ comes between ‘X’ and ‘Z’. Perhaps Clem […]

You're reading Linux Mint 22.2 Modernises its Default Theme, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Get early access to Ubuntu 25.10 'Questing Quokka' through official daily builds. Download, test and contribute to Ubuntu's development before its October release.

You're reading Ubuntu 25.10 Daily Builds Now Available to Download, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Raspberry Pi has reduced the price on all 4GB and 8GB Compute Module 4 boards by $5-10, making embedded projects more affordable to try out.

You're reading Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Gets a Price Cut, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

 

by Nawaz Abbasi

The Linux boot process is a sequence of events that initializes a Linux system from a powered-off state to a fully operational state. The knowledge of Linux boot process is essential when it comes to technical interviews, but sometimes it becomes difficult to remember or recall the key steps in the process. This article discusses a quick and easy way to remember it - Best Geeks Know It! Yes, you only need to remember that.

Best Geeks Know It -> B – G – K – I -> BIOS – GRUB – KERNEL – INIT

This BGKI acronym provides a high-level overview of the Linux boot process. Each step builds upon the previous one, gradually bringing the system to a fully operational state. Of course, there are more detailed processes within each step, but this simplified version should give you a good foundation for understanding and remembering the Linux boot sequence.

 

Here's a concise expansion of B-G-K-I:

B - BIOS/UEFI

• Performs Power-On Self-Test (POST)
• Checks hardware: CPU, RAM, storage
• Loads MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table)
• Transfers control to bootloader

G - GRUB

• Located in first 512 bytes of boot drive
• Reads /boot/grub/grub.conf
• Shows menu with kernel options
• Loads selected kernel + initramfs (temporary root filesystem) into RAM
• Passes boot parameters to kernel
• Can handle multiple OS boot options

K - KERNEL

• Decompresses itself into RAM
• Initializes hardware and drivers
• Mounts root filesystem, loads initramfs
• Sets up memory management
• Starts device detection
• Creates kernel threads

I - INIT (systemd in modern systems)

• PID 1 (first process)
• Reads /etc/inittab (traditional) or unit files (systemd)
• Sets default runlevel/target
• Starts essential services in order:
  • System services
  • Network services
  • Display manager
  • User interface (CLI/GUI)
• Reaches default target state

 

Key files to remember

/boot/grub/grub.conf  - GRUB configuration

/etc/systemd/system/  - systemd unit files

/etc/inittab                  - Init configuration (traditional)

Go to Full Article

Huawei has unwrapped its latest Linux notebook, the MateBook X Pro 2024 Linux Edition — alas, it’s only available in China. The Windows-free MateBook X Pro 2024 uses the same hardware as the Windows version, but clocks in at CN¥300 cheaper thank to a lack of Windows license fee and a government subsidy discounting tech that, from what I can gather, use a domestic OS. Chinese consumers can reportedly claim an extra discount of CN¥2000 on the purchase price as part of a national subsidy to promote usage of homegrown tech in general. With US sanctions in play, Microsoft is reportedly not […]

You're reading Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 (Linux Edition) Goes on Sale, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Hello community, here we have another set of package updates. Since I’m still recovering from my move back to Europe from Asia, I might be less responsive on the forum. So lets test these packages thoroughly so we can do another stable branch snap.

Current Promotions

• Find out all about our current Gaming Laptop the Hero with Manjaro pre-installed from Spain!
• Protect your personal data, keep yourself safe with Surfshark VPN: See current promotion

Recent News

• Manjaro 25.0 Zetar released
• Manjaro Summit public Alpha now available
• As of Linux 6.13.12, the 6.13 series is now EOL (End Of Life). Please install 6.14 stable and/or 6.12 LTS (Long Term Support).

Valkey to replace Redis in the [extra] Repository (click for more details) Previous News Finding information easier about Manjaro (click for more details) Notable Package Updates

• Kernel updates
  • including toolchain update
• Firefox 138.0.1
• Thunderbird 138.0
• Mesa 25.0.5
• Pamac 11.7.3
• Gstreamer 1.26.1
• GTK 4.18.5
• LibreOffice 25.2.3
• Wine 10.7

Additional Info Python 3.13 info (click for more details) Info about AUR packages (click for more details)

Get our latest daily developer images now from Github: Plasma, GNOME, XFCE. You can get the latest stable releases of Manjaro from CDN77.

Our current supported kernels

• linux54 5.4.293
• linux510 5.10.237
• linux515 5.15.181
• linux61 6.1.137
• linux66 6.6.89
• linux612 6.12.27
• linux613 6.13.12 [EOL]
• linux614 6.14.5
• linux615 6.15-rc5
• linux61-rt 6.1.134_rt51
• linux66-rt 6.6.87_rt54
• linux612-rt 6.12.16_rt9
• linux613-rt 6.13_rt5
• linux614-rt 6.14.0_rt3

Package Changes (Tue May 6 12:33:52 CEST 2025)

• testing core x86_64: 68 new and 68 removed package(s)
• testing extra x86_64: 2489 new and 2608 removed package(s)
• testing multilib x86_64: 39 new and 39 removed package(s)

A list of all package changes can be found here.

Click to view the poll.

Check if your mirror has already synced:

• Mirror-Check Service

11 posts - 9 participants

Read full topic

Open source system cleaning app BleachBit has put out its first major update in more than a year, adding improved cleaning capabilities, security fixes, and stability buffs. For the benefit of those with dusty memories, BleachBit is a free, open source system cleaner for Windows and Linux, written in Python and GTK 3. Similar to other apps of its type, BleachBit helps free up disk space by cleaning out caches, cookies, and other transient cruft. It can also delete files securely, wipe unallocated disk space, and squeeze Firefox and Chrome’s SQLite databases to improve performance. BleachBit 5.0, released this week, expands its […]

You're reading System Cleaner BleachBit Gets First ‘Major Update’ Since 2023, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Google’s search deal with Mozilla is such a sizeable portion of its overall income that without it, Firefox would struggle to compete – or even survive, say Mozilla. It’s no secret that Google has paid Mozilla handsomely for its search engine to be set default in the Firefox web browser for decades. Mozilla’s financial report for 2023 revealed that the amount of money accrued from its “search deals” that year made up roughly three quarters of its entire income (specific amounts and from whom is confidential; it’s lumped together). While that figure is a bit less than it used to be, […]

You're reading Google Search Deal Critical to Firefox’s Future, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Linux system monitoring app Mission Center has put out its first update in 6 months – and it’s a big one! Mission Center 1.0 adds new hardware tracking, UI tweaks, and refactors its backend to provide palapble performance improvements, boost the app’s responsiveness and minimise ‘time deviations between refresh cycles’. The latter may sound a tad dry on the ‘excitement’ scale but, arguably, it’s a big thing: a real-time monitoring app is used for, well, real-time monitoring and those tweaks ensure hardware and system process info shown is more precise. For a closer lookout the “visible” changes in this release, […]

You're reading Mission Center 1.0: New Features, Better Performance, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Hello community, here we have another set of package updates. Since I’m still recovering from my move back to Europe from Asia, I might be less responsive on the forum.

Current Promotions

• Find out all about our current Gaming Laptop the Hero with Manjaro pre-installed from Spain!
• Protect your personal data, keep yourself safe with Surfshark VPN: See current promotion

Recent News

• Manjaro 25.0 Zetar released
• Manjaro Summit public Alpha now available
• As of Linux 6.13.12, the 6.13 series is now EOL (End Of Life). Please install 6.14 stable and/or 6.12 LTS (Long Term Support).

Valkey to replace Redis in the [extra] Repository (click for more details) Previous News Finding information easier about Manjaro (click for more details) Notable Package Updates

• Kernel updates
  • including firmware updates
  • 6.5 RC and 6.4 RT series added
• GNOME 48.1
• Firefox 138.0
• Thunderbird 137.0.2
• NVIDIA 570.144
• KDE Gear 25.04
• KDE Frameworks 6.13.0
• Mesa 25.0.4
• LXQt 2.2.0
• COSMIC Alpha 7

Additional Info Python 3.13 info (click for more details) Info about AUR packages (click for more details)

Get our latest daily developer images now from Github: Plasma, GNOME, XFCE. You can get the latest stable releases of Manjaro from CDN77.

Our current supported kernels

• linux54 5.4.292
• linux510 5.10.236
• linux515 5.15.180
• linux61 6.1.135
• linux66 6.6.87
• linux612 6.12.25
• linux613 6.13.12 [EOL]
• linux614 6.14.4
• linux615 6.15-rc3
• linux61-rt 6.1.134_rt51
• linux66-rt 6.6.87_rt54
• linux612-rt 6.12.16_rt9
• linux613-rt 6.13_rt5
• linux614-rt 6.14.0_rt3

Package Changes (Sun Apr 27 09:11:49 CEST 2025)

• stable core x86_64: 76 new and 72 removed package(s)
• stable extra x86_64: 3743 new and 3704 removed package(s)
• stable multilib x86_64: 43 new and 43 removed package(s)

A list of all package changes can be found here.

Click to view the poll.

Check if your mirror has already synced:

• Mirror-Check Service

89 posts - 57 participants

Read full topic

If you use the Papirus icon theme on Ubuntu, you’ll be pleased to hear a new version is available to download. Frequent updates are a major reason why the Papirus icon set is so popular with Linux users. After all, it’s annoying to switch to a stylish icon set that doesn’t have icons for most of your apps, ruining the vibe. Not so with Papirus. It’s perpetually expanding its coverage through regular updates. Papirus’s second update this year adds 69 new icons—nice—and 18 updated ones. It also includes packaging and DE changes, and deprecates its ePapirus variants since elementaryOS 8 […]

You're reading Papirus Icon Set Update Adds New Icons, Plasma 6 Support, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Canonical has announced the first official Ubuntu desktop image for the Qualcomm DragonWing platform. A beta image of Ubuntu 24.04 desktop compatible with Qualcomm Dragonwing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors, and specifically tailored for the Qualcomm RB3 (Gen 2) Vision Kit and RB3 (Gen 2 Lite) Vision Kit is available for testing. Ubuntu 24.04 server images were previously available for the same model vision kits, so it’s the addition of desktop builds that is an interesting development. Canonical say marrying a full Ubuntu desktop experience married with “powerful AI acceleration with high-performance graphics” in the Dragonwing devices provides “a powerful development environment […]

You're reading Canonical Brings Ubuntu 24.04 to Qualcomm Dragonwing Vision Kit, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Development today opened on Ubuntu 25.10 “Questing Quokka”, the next short-term release of Ubuntu, due for release in October. Canonical engineer Utkarsh Gupta fired the figurative starting pistol for developers in a post to the Ubuntu mailing list, announcing the opening, and the enabling of auto-sync. “As usual, we expect a large influx of builds and autopkgtests in this initial period, which will cause delays. Please help fixing any breakage that occurs,” Gupta adds. It’s only been a couple of weeks since the Ubuntu 25.04 release, but the dedicated devs who spent 6 months diligently shaping that release don’t get much time […]

You're reading We’re Off — Ubuntu 25.10 Opens for Development, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

by George Whittaker Introduction

In a world teeming with Linux distributions — from Ubuntu to Arch, Debian to Fedora — the idea of building your own may seem daunting, if not redundant. Yet, for many technologists, enthusiasts, and developers, creating a custom Linux distribution isn't just an exercise in reinvention; it's an act of empowerment. Whether your goal is to tailor a lightweight OS for embedded devices, create a secure workstation, develop an education-focused system, or simply understand Linux more intimately, building your own distribution is one of the most fulfilling journeys in open-source computing.

This guide walks you through every stage of creating your own Linux distribution — from selecting core components to building, customizing, and distributing your personalized operating system.

Understanding the Basics What is a Linux Distribution?

A Linux distribution (or "distro") is a complete operating system built on the Linux kernel. It includes:

• Kernel – The core interface between hardware and software.

• Init System – Handles booting and service management (e.g., systemd, OpenRC).

• Userland Tools – Basic utilities from projects like GNU Coreutils and BusyBox.

• Package Manager – Tool to install, upgrade, and remove software (e.g., APT, Pacman, DNF).

• Optional GUI – A desktop environment or window manager (e.g., GNOME, XFCE, i3).

Why Create Your Own Distribution?

Reasons vary, but common motivations include:

• Learning – Deepen your understanding of system internals.

• Performance – Remove bloat for a leaner, faster system.

• Branding – Create a branded OS for an organization or product.

• Customization – Tailor software stacks for specific use-cases.

• Embedded Applications – Create firmware or OS images for hardware devices.

Planning Your Custom Linux Distro Define Your Goals

Start by asking:

• Who is the target user?

• What hardware should it support?

• Will it be a desktop, server, or headless system?

• Should it boot live or be installed?

Choose a Foundation

You can either:

• Build from scratch: Using projects like Linux From Scratch (LFS).

Go to Full Article