Ubuntu users can enjoy a fresh new desktop wallpaper each and every day with this new app, which sources backgrounds from Bing, Wikimedia, and NASA.

You're reading Dull Desktop? Install ‘Picture of the Day’ App on Ubuntu, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

A new version of DeaDBeeF music player is out with some cool features, FFMPEG 7 support, and a flurry of bug fixes sure to appease long-time fans of this tool. Admittedly, the popularity of traditional desktop music player apps like this one has dipped considerably since the arrival of music streaming services like Spotify. They give on-demand (and often free) access to expansive music catalogues. Still, many people (myself included) continue to maintain music libraries filled with MP3s etc. I’d wager most such users have (by now) settled on a preferred music client; for many, that choice is DeaDBeeF. I […]

You're reading DeaDBeeF 1.10 Release Brings New Features, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Tab grouping is the latest big-ticket feature addition to get added to Mozilla Firefox, which sees a new stable release roll out from today. Last month’s Firefox 136 update delivered long-requested support for vertical tabs, a redesigned sidebar experience giving easy access to existing and new features (including online AI chatbots), and flipped the switch on AMD video hardware decoding for Linux users. Firefox 137 is an equally big update, adding tab grouping, an enhanced address bar experience with new features, and a clutch of smaller changes, including HEVC support for Linux For a closer look at the changes, read on. Firefox […]

You're reading Firefox 137 Released with Address Bar Revamp & Tab Groups, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Will Ubuntu 25.10 be codenamed the Quizzical Quokka? It’s an adjective + animal moniker Canonical’s marketing team tersely tweeted today—sans context—but as today is April 1 (aka April’s Fools Day, aka the day when companies, teams, and unpaid marketing interns spam the web with try-hard lolslop)… I’m questioning it. Ubuntu 25.10 could well be a Quizzical Quokka, but it also may not be — and if it isn’t, should it? The ‘Quizzical’ element is a playful if slightly odd adjective to roll with. It means confused, baffled, perplexed – terms that don’t describe a dependable operating system like Ubuntu particularly […]

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March was another stellar month for Linux software updates, with big improvements to essential privacy tools like KeePassXC, creative apps such as Shotcut and DigiKam, and many more — updates that didn’t warrant dedicated articles on this blog. Why? ..Well, sometimes it’s an update making small changes hat it’s hard to say much1 about. Other times I’m just deathly late to hearing about it (which is why new tips via the contact form are super appreciated – you help me catch the things I miss). For those of us on fixed-release Linux distributions like Ubuntu, even small app updates can […]

You're reading Linux App Release Roundup (March 2025), a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

An iconic desktop weather app from Linux’s past has just blown in — yes, Typhoon is back! Typhoon’s conceit is simple: display current conditions at a location plus a 4 day forecast on a customisable coloured background. Long long-time OMG! Ubuntu readers may just about recall that Typhoon is a fork of an older app called Stormcloud. Between 2012 and 2013, Stormcloud was one of the best-selling apps on Ubuntu – topping the download chart for 6 consecutive months! Sadly, development on Typhoon dried up not long after it launched, with its dev unable to weather changes to its backend […]

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A new update to Tiling Shell, an efficient window snapping extension for GNOME Shell, is rolling out this weekend with a few appreciable enhancements in tow. For example, its nifty ‘Windows Suggestions’ feature, which makes it easy to tile your other open windows to remaining spaces in a layout, can now be enabled for use with the Snap Assistant. If turned on, tiling a window to a layout using the slide-in drop-zone widget will let you select open window it faster to fill the remaining spaces with other open apps, like so: In this update, Windows Suggestions can be enabled […]

You're reading Tiling Shell GNOME Extension Update Adds New Features, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Ubuntu users frustrated by the inability to connect to a new password-protected Wi-Fi network at the login screen will be pleased to know a fix is rolling out. This particular bug affects users of both Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Ubuntu 24.10. When trying to join a wireless network at the login screen (GDM) which requires a password, the password input prompt never appears and the connection fails. Why does—soon to be ‘did’—connecting to a wifi network at the Ubuntu login screen fail? Canonical software engineer (and the original bug reporter) Bartosz Woronicz explains: "The log-in screen [in Ubuntu] is implemented […]

You're reading Ubuntu Fixes Wi-Fi Connection Fail at Login Screen, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

The upcoming Ubuntu 25.04 release brings a plethora of new features, UI tweaks and foundational changes that are worth upgrading for. In this post, I run through the best new features Ubuntu 25.04 ‘Plucky Puffin’ has tucked up under its wing. From notification grouping and digital ‘wellbeing’ tools to a more capable OS installer and performance-focused Linux kernel – there’s a lot to love about this release. If you don’t plan testing Ubuntu 25.04 beta—available now—you can look forward to trying all of the items spotlighted below in April, when Ubuntu 25.04 is released. Read on to find out what […]

You're reading Ubuntu 25.04: The Best New Features, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

If you’ve been pining to sample the Plucky Puffin, now’s the time: the Ubuntu 25.04 beta downloads are out! Ubuntu 25.04 beta lands ahead of the planned stable release on Thursday April 17, 2025. As a beta, the purpose is to let folks like you and I muck in to test it out, check it works with hardware, and report any bugs, breakages, or big issues so they can be looked into, worked on and fixed up in time for the release premiere next month. Ubuntu 25.04 is a short-term release supported for 9 months — Ubuntu LTS releases are […]

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The Vivaldi web browser is famed for offering a plethora of options, settings and features that cater to all kinds of use-cases and needs — today it added a new one: an integrated VPN. Proton VPN for Vivaldi is exactly what it says it is: Proton VPN in Vivaldi – as in, no need to download an app or configure anything on a system level since you click a button and, bam, it’s there in browser, ready to use when/if you need. Vivaldi isn’t blazing new ground here since other web browsers either include a built-in VPN (like Opera) or […]

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The new Zorin OS 17.3 release is available to download and it includes a number of major changes – like a new default web browser. Based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Linux kernel 6.8, Zorin OS 17.3 offers “new features, strengthens your privacy, and enhances the entire user experience,” according to its developers. For a closer look at those features, privacy changes, and UX enhancements, read on. Zorin OS’s New Default Web Browser Zorin OS 17.3 makes a huge change to its choice of default web browser, hitherto Mozilla Firefox. But no more. The distro cites Mozilla’s “recent policy changes” […]

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If you’re an avid user of GNOME Shell extensions then a) you’re in good company, and b) you’ll be familiar with Matt Jakeman’s terrific Extension Manager app since it makes finding, installing and managing GNOME extensions terrifically easy. This week Extension Manager received a small-ish update. I was going to cover the changes in my next Linux Release Roundup at the end of the month, but with GNOME 48 out—cue the “does my favourite extension still work” panic—it feels fitting to let the update stand in a solo spotlight. Especially since Extension Manager‘s Flatpak build now depends on the GNOME […]

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Linux Kernel 6.14 has arrived, bringing a clutch of changes to make your computer run more efficiently and more securely than before. Interestingly, Linux 6.14 is one the smallest kernel updates in terms of commits (not lines of code) for some time. It is also the kernel version that will be included in Ubuntu 25.04, released next month. Announcing the promotion to stable on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) Linus Torvalds explains why this release has landed a day later than expected “So it’s early Monday morning (well – early for me, I’m not really a morning person), and […]

You're reading Linux Kernel 6.14 Delivers Big Boost to Linux Gaming + More, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Canonical has announced that it now ‘officially supports’ Ubuntu on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin series of computing modules, designed for low-power AI and machine learning applications. The General Availability (GA) of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS for the NVIDIA Jetson Orin brings “optimized performance, out-of-the-box compatibility, and an easy pathway to high-performance AI solutions for AI developers everywhere“, say Canonical. Offering Ubuntu certified images for cutting-edge hardware is something Canonical has been ramping up, and doing so for NVIDIA Jetson modules should provide a lure to developers wanting to leverage them for edge AI, robotics and other uses. Our collaboration with NVIDIA […]

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A new version of Miracle-WM, the Mir-based tiling window manager developed by Canonical engineer Matthew Kosarek is out, the first update to be released this year. Miracle-WM 0.5 adds a number of new features, compatibility enhancements, and (at long last) introduces a couple of animations. Yes, animations—remember: Miracle-WM wants to be “a flashy, cozy tiling window manager that absolutely anyone can use, similar to hyprland but with less of a focus on expert users”. Frivolous though they are to some, animations will help realise that goal. Miracle-WM 0.5 changes at-a-glance: On the bug-fixes side: Plus more – see the Miracle-WM GitHub for a comprehensive […]

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A new version of Calibre, the Swiss-army knife for e-book management is out, and it brings some notable new features for e-bookworms to dig into. Calibre 8.0.1 boasts improved support for Kobo e-readers, with Calibre now equipped to natively edit, view and convert Kobo’s proprietary KEPUB file format to regular EPUB files for reading on non-Kobo devices and apps (like Calibre itself). Additionally, users of Kobo devices can now use Calibre to convert EPUB to KEPUB automatically when sending books across, saving time and hassle of first converting and then sending. I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of KEPUB before writing […]

You're reading Calibre Ebook Manager Improves Support for Kobo E-Readers, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Didn’t get around to trying last year’s elementary OS 8.0 release? No bother as elementary OS 8.0.1 arrived this week, providing an opportune jumping-on point for new users. Based atop the recent Ubuntu 24.04.2 release, elementary OS 8.1 is powered by Linux kernel 6.11, Mesa , etc. The kernel uplift may resolve some of the issues folks who’d tried the previous build with Linux kernel 6.8 had experience. Those (important) foundational fittings aside, elementary devs also spent time fixing, fine-tuning and finessing a few rough edges across the many apps, tools, and home-grown technologies the distro ships with, as elementary […]

You're reading elementary OS 8.0.1 Brings Bug Fixes, New Kernel + More, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Aloha, GNOME 48 — a new version of the GNOME desktop environment is out with a swathe of new features, UI buffs, and technical integrations that will have plenty of folks clamouring to upgrade. GNOME 48 focuses on improving our daily workflow through a set of conscientious, considered changes The latest version of the ever-evolving desktop environment will ship out-of-the-box in several upcoming Linux distros releases, including Fedora 42 and Ubuntu 25.04, whilst users of rolling release distros may get it sooner. GNOME 48 is the the sort of update users of propriety OSes long for: it’s not screaming for attention […]

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A big Vivaldi web browser update is rolling out with a set of appreciable improvements long-time users will like, and would-be users may be tempted to try. Vivaldi 7.2 amps up its address bar logic to proffer more relevant results, faster. Search suggestions and search accuracy have been tweaked so that “finding what you need feels seamless”, according to Vivaldi Technologies’ CEO Jon von Tetzchner. Sticking with the speed theme, Vivaldi 7.2 is said to load pages faster—up to 2x as fast for some—thanks to some nifty optimised connection handling work on the backend that reduces latency on domain lookup. […]

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