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 […]
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” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
A few months back Firefox announced it was finally adding support for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) after years of ignoring its own user’s requests to do so. If you’re running a recent Firefox Nightly build, you can now flicking the switch on an experimental hidden flag — browser.taskbarTabs.enabled — in the about:config page to enable the feature (which Mozilla is calling Taskbar Tabs). Right now, enabling that flag won’t do anything (on any platform). But the fact the flag has been added ought to mean the feature itself isn’t too far behind. In anticipation, here’s a look at what we might […]
With Ubuntu 25.04 feature freeze now in effect the final licks of polish and paint have begun landing — including an update to Ubuntu’s Yaru theme. The Yaru theme is composed of a modified GTK4/libadwaita stylesheet, GNOME Shell theme, icon pack, and set of system sounds. With visual change and new features in GNOME 48 to account for, the design team working on Yaru have dutifully update the theme to accommodate. Most of the changes are subtle, but Yaru’s oversized icon bug I reported on last month? Fixes to address that issue have—hurrah—made it in. Thus, in 25.04 you might […]
A ‘fresh new look’ is heading to Bodhi Linux, the Ubuntu-based Linux distribution built around the Moksha desktop, a fork of Enlightenment 17. Noting that the look of recent releases has leaned towards the dark side—no, not that one, Darth—the team has decide to give the next release a lighter visual revamp by making a new theme, called Zenithal, default. “Zenithal, developed by Štefan Uram and based on the Ice theme by Simotek, introduces a polished light aesthetic that brings a fresh energy to Moksha. It also marks a first for Bodhi: windows and dialogs with rounded edges,” they say. Bodhi Linux’s […]
The default wallpaper for Ubuntu 25.04 ‘Plucky Puffin’ has been unveiled. Each new Ubuntu release bears a bespoke desktop background and animal mascot, and the upcoming release of the Plucky Puffin proves no exception. Ubuntu 25.04’s default wallpaper makes heavy use of the nautical motifs proffered by its codename animal (a puffin). Avian art is, as per, placed atop a purple gradient background1 with trademark polygonal edge detailing: The “colour” version above is the stock default, but there are 4 variants in total: colour, light, dimmed, and dark (used in dark mode). Users can set any of those as their […]
If you’re an Ubuntu 24.04 LTS user regularly experiencing issues with connecting to audio devices, there’s an important update to the Bluetooth stack rolling out this week. A slew of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS users complained that certain paired Bluetooth audio devices (mainly earbuds/phones) fail to reconnect after a system restart or suspend. Plus, for many noble users reporting bugs, even attempting to manually connect to a previously-paired device following a reboot or suspend fails to connect or stay connected thus requiring the need to remove and re-pair the device to work. —Until the next reboot/suspend. The cause? Based on an […]
Open source audio editor Audacity has issue a new patch release with a sizeable set of bug fixes, including an appreciable one for Ubuntu users using the official Audacity AppImage. Audacity 3.7.2, the second point update in the currently Audacity 3.7 series which debuted in October of last year, fixes FFmpeg loading in its official AppImage when run on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (and Linux distributions based off of it). Which is welcome. Elsewhere, Audacity’s noise reduction filter regains a “Residue” option thanks to a community contribution, and no longer screws up pasting content copied from a clip by offsetting its […]
A big update to the perennially popular GNOME Shell extension Dash to Panel is rolling out, including new settings to go from Dash to Panel to dock mode! Admittedly, that doesn’t sound like a new feature given that Dash to Panel is based on code from Dash to Dock. Yet, until now, those wanting the unified panel of Dash to Panel with the aesthetic of a dock… Had to make do with an inelegant fudge, or switch extension. No more; when whim and want demands a dynamic dock setup, Dash to Panel’s preferences area can help, making it easier to […]
Kagi, the company behind a paid, private search engine1 of the same name, has announced it’s bringing its Webkit-based Orion web browser to Linux. In a post on BlueSky, Kagi said: “We’re thrilled to announce that development of the Orion Browser for Linux has officially started!”. Orion is currently only available on macOS and iOS but was built to be better than Apple’s own Safari, and best Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and other browsers in many areas. Orion is a zero-telemetry browser; has built-in ad and tracking blocking; and reportedly offers lower memory usage, faster page speeds, and greater battery […]
An update to the Mutter display manager is primed to start rolling out to users of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (and 24.10) with a couple of much-needed touchscreen fixes in tow. Now, I don’t know how many of you use Ubuntu desktop on a touch-enabled device—not many, I’d wager. I do; I have a touchscreen laptop that runs Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. I often prod, poke, and push the screen a bit whilst using Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to do simple things like select menu items, close windows, scroll, etc – nothing I can’t do using the touchpad, it’s just easier to lift […]
