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(Two Column)
- [$] 2025 Linux and free software timeline
Last year werevived the tradition of publishing a timeline ofnotable events from the previous year. Since that seemed to go overwell, we decided we should continue the practice and look back on someof the most noteworthy events and releases of 2025.
- IPFire 2.29 Core Update 199 released
The IPFire project, anopen-source firewall Linux distribution, has released version2.29 - Core Update 199. Notable changes in this release include anupdate to Linux 6.12.58, support for WiFi 6 and 7 features onwireless access points, as well as native support for link-localdiscovery protocol (LLDP) and Cisco discovery protocol (CDP).
- Google will now only release Android source code twice a year (Android Authority)
Android Authority reportsthat Google will be reducing the frequency of releases of code to theAndroid Open Source Project to only twice per year.
A spokesperson for Google offered some additional context on this decision, stating that it helps simplify development, eliminates the complexity of managing multiple code branches, and allows them to deliver more stable and secure code to Android platform developers. The spokesperson also reiterated that Google's commitment to AOSP is unchanged and that this new release schedule helps the company build a more robust and secure foundation for the Android ecosystem.
The release schedule for security patches is unchanged.
- Security updates for Wednesday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (resource-agents, ruby:3.3, thunderbird, and xorg-x11-server), Fedora (libpcap), Red Hat (brotli), Slackware (libsodium), SUSE (dcmtk, govulncheck-vulndb, libpcap, mozjs60, qemu, rsync, and usbmuxd), and Ubuntu (glib2.0 and linux-raspi, linux-raspi-5.4).
- [$] Questions for the Technical Advisory Board
The nature and role of the Linux Foundation's Technical Advisory Board (TAB) isnot well-understood, thougha recent LWN article shed some light on itsrole andhistory. At the 2025Linux Plumbers Conference (LPC), the TAB held a question andanswer session to address whatever it was the community wanted to know(video).Those questions ended up covering the role of large language models in kerneldevelopment, what it is like to be on the TAB, how the TAB can help grease thewheels of corporate bureaucracy, and more.
- Manjaro 26.0 released
Version26.0 ("Anh-Linh") of the Arch-based Manjaro Linux distribution has beenreleased. Manjaro 26.0 includes Linux 6.18, GNOME 49,KDE Plasma 6.5, Xfce 4.20, and more.
- Security updates for Tuesday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (kernel, ruby, and thunderbird), Debian (libsodium and ruby-rmagick), Fedora (gnupg2 and proxychains-ng), Oracle (gcc-toolset-14-binutils, rsync, tar, and thunderbird), Red Hat (buildah, mariadb, mariadb10.11, podman, and tar), SUSE (alloy, apache2, buildah, erlang26, glib2, ImageMagick, kernel, libsoup, pgadmin4, python-tornado6, python3, python312, python313, qemu, webkit2gtk3, and xen), and Ubuntu (webkit2gtk).
- [$] Predictions for the new year
The calendar has flipped over to 2026; a new year has begun. That meansthe moment we all dread has arrived: it is time for LWN to put out a set oflame predictions for what may happen in the coming year. Needless to say,we do not know any more than anybody else, but that doesn't stop us frommaking authoritative-sounding pronouncements anyway.
- GNU ddrescue 1.30 released
Version 1.30 of the GNUddrescue data recovery tool has been released. Notable changes inthis release include improvements to automatic recovery of a drivewith a dead head, addition of a --no-sweep option to disablereading of skipped areas, and more.
- ADLINK Express-PTL and COM-HPC-mPTL pair Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors with Arc Xe3 graphics
ADLINK Technology has introduced the Express-PTL and COM-HPC-mPTL modules, built on Intel Core Ultra Processor Series 3 (Panther Lake-H), targeting edge AI, graphics-intensive, and general embedded systems that require high compute density, standards-based form factors, and long-term availability. Both modules are based on Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors featuring a hybrid CPU architecture with […]
- AAEON Reveals BOXER-8742AI Embedded AI Box PC Based on NVIDIA Jetson T4000
AAEON has outlined plans for the BOXER-8742AI, a fanless embedded AI box PC built around the NVIDIA Jetson T4000 module for edge AI deployments requiring high compute density and multi-sensor connectivity. The BOXER-8742AI is based on the NVIDIA Jetson T4000 module, which combines a 12-core Arm Neoverse-V3AE CPU with a Blackwell-architecture GPU featuring 1,536 CUDA […]
- First Look at Devuan GNU+Linux 6 “Excalibur” on Raspberry Pi 5
The community behind the Devuan GNU+Linux project has published Raspberry Pi images of the latest release, Devuan 6.1 (codename Excalibur), so I took it for a test drive on my Raspberry Pi 5 to give you guys a first look at what Devuan can do on the tiny single-board computer.
- EU Digital Laws Spark FOSS Liability Fears: The GNOPPIX Case and Wider Impacts
The European Union's ambitious digital regulatory agenda has positioned the bloc as a global leader in technology governance. From data protection to platform accountability, EU lawmakers have enacted sweeping legislation designed to make the digital ecosystem safer, more transparent, and more accountable. Yet for the free and open-source software (FOSS) community, these well-intentioned regulations have created an unexpected crisis of confidence, with volunteer developers and small projects increasingly questioning whether they can safely operate within EU jurisdiction. At the heart of this tension lies a fundamental mismatch: regulations designed to rein in Big Tech giants are being applied, or could be applied, to volunteer-driven projects with no legal departments, no compliance budgets, and no ability to absorb the risks that come with regulatory uncertainty. The result is a growing chorus of concern from open-source advocates who warn that the EU's regulatory framework could inadvertently chill the very innovation it seeks to protect.
- Dell Walks Back AI-First Messaging After Learning Consumers Don't Care
Dell's CES 2026 product briefing, PC Gamer writes, stood out from the relentless AI-focused presentations that have dominated tech events for years, as the company explicitly chose to downplay its AI messaging when announcing a refreshed XPS laptop lineup, new ultraslim and entry-level Alienware laptops, Area-51 desktop refreshes and several monitors. "One thing you'll notice is the message we delivered around our products was not AI-first," Dell head of product Kevin Terwilliger said during the presentation. "A bit of a shift from a year ago where we were all about the AI PC." The shift stems from Dell's observation that consumers simply aren't making purchasing decisions based on AI capabilities. "We're very focused on delivering upon the AI capabilities of a device -- in fact everything that we're announcing has an NPU in it -- but what we've learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is they're not buying based on AI," Terwilliger said. "In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- 'Everyone Hates OneDrive, Microsoft's Cloud App That Steals Then Deletes All Your Files'
Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service has drawn renewed criticism for a particularly frustrating behavior pattern that can leave users without access to their local files after the service automatically activates during Windows updates. Author Jason Pargin recently outlined the problem: Windows updates can enable OneDrive backup without any plain-language warning or opt-out option, and the service then quietly begins uploading the contents of a user's computer to Microsoft's servers. The trouble begins when users attempt to disable OneDrive Backup. According to Pargin, turning off the feature can result in local files being deleted, leaving behind only a desktop icon labeled "Where are my files?" Users can redownload their files from Microsoft's servers, but attempting to then delete Microsoft's copies triggers another deletion of the local files. The only workaround requires users to hunt down YouTube tutorials that walk through the steps, as the relevant options are buried in menus and none clearly describe their function in plain English. Pargin compared the experience to a ransomware attack.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Polymarket Refuses To Pay Bets That US Would 'Invade' Venezuela
Polymarket is disputing that the mission to capture Nicolas Maduro constituted an invasion and said it will only settle a prediction contract if the US military takes control of Venezuelan territory. From a report: The decision by the prediction market has angered gamblers and added to the controversy surrounding a successful wager on the timing of Maduro's capture that netted more than $400,000 in winnings for a mystery trader. The dispute over the definition of "invade" highlights just one of the controversies faced by the mostly unregulated industry. Polymarket -- which only recently gained regulatory approval to operate legally in the US -- says on its website that it will resolve the "Will the US invade Venezuela by ... ?" contract if the US "commences a military offensive intended to establish control over any portion of Venezuela" by one of three dates. "The resolution source for this market will be a consensus of credible sources," it adds. Prediction platforms such as Polymarket do not typically make directional wagers in their own markets. Rather, they act as an intermediary matching long and short positions and adjudicating the outcome of events, collecting a fee in the process.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- South Korea's President Identifies a New Enemy: Baldness
South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung asked at a televised policy meeting last month whether the country's state-run healthcare plan could cover hair-loss treatment, framing it as a question about whether hair loss qualifies as a disease. The health minister told Lee that baldness is generally considered an aesthetic problem and therefore covered out-of-pocket, but the 61-year-old president -- who himself has a full head of hair -- pushed back, arguing that young people experiencing thinning hair view their situation as a "matter of survival." The proposal has divided the country. South Korea is known for a cultural phenomenon called "lookism," where physical appearance carries significant weight in professional and social settings. The expression "your appearance is also a credential" is common, and nearly all job applications require a photograph, including those for part-time barista positions. Lee first made the pledge to cover hair-loss treatment during his unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign but dropped it when he ran again. He won a snap election in June and has now resurrected the idea as a way to appeal to younger voters who have grown more dissatisfied with him. The Korean Medical Association has called the proposal "questionable" given the health system's stretched finances. The health ministry is currently reviewing whether the treatments are appropriate for coverage. More than three in four South Koreans believe everyone has concerns about hair loss, according to a recent Embrain Trend Monitor poll.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Founder of Spyware Maker PcTattletale Pleads Guilty To Hacking, Advertising Surveillance Software
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The founder of a U.S.-based spyware company, whose surveillance products allowed customers to spy on the phones and computers of unsuspecting victims, pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to his long-running operation. pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming entered a guilty plea in a San Diego federal court on Tuesday to charges of computer hacking, the sale and advertising of surveillance software for unlawful uses, and conspiracy. The plea follows a multi-year investigation by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HSI began investigating pcTattletale in mid-2021 as part of a wider probe into the industry of consumer-grade surveillance software, also known as "stalkerware." This is the first successful U.S. federal prosecution of a stalkerware operator in more than a decade, following the 2014 indictment and subsequent guilty plea of the creator of a phone surveillance app called StealthGenie. Fleming's conviction could pave the way for further federal investigations and prosecutions against those operating spyware, but also those who simply advertise and sell covert surveillance software. HSI said that pcTattletale is one of several stalkerware websites under investigation.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Congressman Introduces Legislation To Criminalize Insider Trading On Prediction Markets
Ritchie Torres has introduced a bill to ban government officials from using insider information to trade on political prediction markets like Polymarket. The bill was prompted by reports that traders on Polymarket made large profits betting on Nicolas Maduro's removal, raising suspicions that some wagers were placed using material non-public information. "While such insider trading in capital markets is already illegal and often prosecuted by the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission, online prediction markets are far less regulated," notes Axios. From the report: Rep. Ritchie Torres' (D-N.Y.) three-page bill, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, is called the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026. It would ban federal elected officials, political appointees and bureaucrats from making insider trades on prediction sites sites such as Polymarket. Specifically, the bill prohibits such government officials from trading based on information that is not publicly available and that "a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision." [...] It's not clear if House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would put Torres' bill to a vote in the House or if President Trump would sign it. "We're looking at the specifics of the bill, but we already ban the activity it cites and are in support of means to prevent this type of activity," said Elisabeth Diana, a spokesperson for the prediction website Kalshi. Diana added that the "activity from the past few days" did not occur on their platform.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- An AI-Generated NWS Map Invented Fake Towns In Idaho
National Weather Service pulled an AI-generated forecast graphic after it hallucinated fake town names in Idaho. "The blunder -- not the first of its kind to be posted by the NWS in the past year -- comes as the agency experiments with a wide range of AI uses, from advanced forecasting to graphic design," reports the Washington Post. "Experts worry that without properly trained officials, mistakes could erode trust in the agency and the technology." From the report: At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Saturday's wind forecast for Camas Prairie, Idaho. "Hold onto your hats!" said a social media post from the local weather office in Missoula, Montana. "Orangeotild" had a 10 percent chance of high winds, while just south, "Whata Bod" would be spared larger gusts. The problem? Neither of those places exist. Nor do a handful of the other spots marked on the National Weather Service's forecast graphic, riddled with spelling and geographical errors that the agency confirmed were linked to the use of generative AI. NWS said AI is not commonly used for public-facing content, nor is its use prohibited. The agency said it is exploring ways to employ AI to inform the public and acknowledged mistakes have been made. "Recently, a local office used AI to create a base map to display forecast information, however the map inadvertently displayed illegible city names," said NWS spokeswoman Erica Grow Cei. "The map was quickly corrected and updated social media posts were distributed." A post with the inaccurate map was deleted Monday, the same day The Washington Post contacted officials with questions about the image.Cei added that "NWS is exploring strategic ways to continue optimizing our service delivery for Americans, including the implementation of AI where it makes sense. NWS will continue to carefully evaluate results in cases where AI is implemented to ensure accuracy and efficiency, and will discontinue use in scenarios where AI is not effective." A Nov. 25 tweet out of the Rapid City, South Dakota, office also had misspelled locations and the Google Gemini logo in its forecast. NWS did not confirm whether the Rapid City image was made with generative AI.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Creator of Claude Code Reveals His Workflow
Boris Cherny, the creator of Claude Code at Anthropic, revealed a deceptively simple workflow that uses parallel AI agents, verification loops, and shared memory to let one developer operate with the output of an entire engineering team. "I run 5 Claudes in parallel in my terminal," Cherny wrote. "I number my tabs 1-5, and use system notifications to know when a Claude needs input." He also runs "5-10 Claudes on claude.ai" in his browser, using a "teleport" command to hand off work between the web and his local machine. This validates the "do more with less" strategy Anthropic's President Daniela Amodei recently pitched during an interview with CNBC. VentureBeat reports: For the past week, the engineering community has been dissecting a thread on X from Boris Cherny, the creator and head of Claude Code at Anthropic. What began as a casual sharing of his personal terminal setup has spiraled into a viral manifesto on the future of software development, with industry insiders calling it a watershed moment for the startup. "If you're not reading the Claude Code best practices straight from its creator, you're behind as a programmer," wrote Jeff Tang, a prominent voice in the developer community. Kyle McNease, another industry observer, went further, declaring that with Cherny's "game-changing updates," Anthropic is "on fire," potentially facing "their ChatGPT moment." The excitement stems from a paradox: Cherny's workflow is surprisingly simple, yet it allows a single human to operate with the output capacity of a small engineering department. As one user noted on X after implementing Cherny's setup, the experience "feels more like Starcraft" than traditional coding -- a shift from typing syntax to commanding autonomous units.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Discord Files Confidentially For IPO
According to Bloomberg, Discord has confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO. Reuters reports: The U.S. IPO market regained momentum in 2025 after nearly three years of sluggish activity, but hopes for a stronger rebound were tempered by tariff-driven volatility, a prolonged government shutdown and a late-year selloff in artificial intelligence stocks. Discord, which was founded in 2015, offers voice, video and text chatting capabilities aimed at gamers and streamers. According to a statement in December, the platform has more than 200 million monthly users.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- NYC Wegmans Is Storing Biometric Data On Shoppers' Eyes, Voices and Faces
schwit1 shares a report from Gothamist: Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, according to new signage posted at the chain's Manhattan and Brooklyn locations earlier this month. Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to "protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees," according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot. The chain had initially said that the scanning system was only for a small group of employees and promised to delete any biometric data it collected from shoppers during the pilot rollout. The new notice makes no such assurances. Wegmans representatives did not reply to questions about how the data would be stored, why it changed its policy or if it would share the data with law enforcement.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Virginia's datacenter tax breaks cost state $1.6B in 2025
Trillion-dollar internet giants don't need freebies, watchdog warns, as giveaways double in a year
The US state of Virginia forfeited $1.6 billion in tax revenue through datacenter exemptions in fiscal 2025 – up 118 percent on the prior year – as the AI-driven construction boom accelerates.…
- Earlier Horizon rollout could widen net for quashed Post Office convictions
Committee told shifting timelines could alter automatic reversals in UK's historic Fujitsu computing scandal
The Post Office's Horizon computer system may have been deployed earlier than thought, potentially affecting which convictions get automatically quashed under legislation introduced to speed up justice in one of the biggest scandals in recent British history, MPs heard yesterday.…
- Jaguar Land Rover wholesale volumes plummet 43% in cyberattack aftermath
Production halts and supply-chain disruption left luxury automaker reeling in fiscal Q3
Brit luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover has reported devastating preliminary Q3 results that lay bare the cascading consequences of a crippling cyberattack, revealing wholesale volumes collapsed more than two-fifths year-on-year.…
- Recline of the machines: Terminator felled by dodgy battery
The rise will be postponed until you hit F1 to continue
Bork!Bork!Bork! The baddest of AI bad guys, the Terminator, has confirmed what the vast majority of IT professionals already know. The machines are not about to rise, not until they can deal with that pesky battery voltage.…
- UK to spend £23M on AI to tell benefit claimants where to go
Department for Work and Pensions lines up bot bouncers for one of Europe's largest call-handling systems
The UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to introduce a conversational AI platform it hopes will steer calls from citizens with queries about their benefits. The contract is worth up to £23 million.…
- Security: Why Linux Is Better Than Windows Or Mac OS
Linux is a free and open source operating system that was released in 1991 developed and released by Linus Torvalds. Since its release it has reached a user base that is greatly widespread worldwide. Linux users swear by the reliability and freedom that this operating system offers, especially when compared to its counterparts, windows and [0]
- Essential Software That Are Not Available On Linux OS
An operating system is essentially the most important component in a computer. It manages the different hardware and software components of a computer in the most effective way. There are different types of operating system and everything comes with their own set of programs and software. You cannot expect a Linux program to have all [0]
- Things You Never Knew About Your Operating System
The advent of computers has brought about a revolution in our daily life. From computers that were so huge to fit in a room, we have come a very long way to desktops and even palmtops. These machines have become our virtual lockers, and a life without these network machines have become unimaginable. Sending mails, [0]
- How To Fully Optimize Your Operating System
Computers and systems are tricky and complicated. If you lack a thorough knowledge or even basic knowledge of computers, you will often find yourself in a bind. You must understand that something as complicated as a computer requires constant care and constant cleaning up of junk files. Unless you put in the time to configure [0]
- The Top Problems With Major Operating Systems
There is no such system which does not give you any problems. Even if the system and the operating system of your system is easy to understand, there will be some times when certain problems will arise. Most of these problems are easy to handle and easy to get rid of. But you must be [0]
- 8 Benefits Of Linux OS
Linux is a small and a fast-growing operating system. However, we can’t term it as software yet. As discussed in the article about what can a Linux OS do Linux is a kernel. Now, kernels are used for software and programs. These kernels are used by the computer and can be used with various third-party software [0]
- Things Linux OS Can Do That Other OS Cant
What Is Linux OS? Linux, similar to U-bix is an operating system which can be used for various computers, hand held devices, embedded devices, etc. The reason why Linux operated system is preferred by many, is because it is easy to use and re-use. Linux based operating system is technically not an Operating System. Operating [0]
- Packagekit Interview
Packagekit aims to make the management of applications in the Linux and GNU systems. The main objective to remove the pains it takes to create a system. Along with this in an interview, Richard Hughes, the developer of Packagekit said that he aims to make the Linux systems just as powerful as the Windows or [0]
- What’s New in Ubuntu?
What Is Ubuntu? Ubuntu is open source software. It is useful for Linux based computers. The software is marketed by the Canonical Ltd., Ubuntu community. Ubuntu was first released in late October in 2004. The Ubuntu program uses Java, Python, C, C++ and C# programming languages. What Is New? The version 17.04 is now available here [0]
- Ext3 Reiserfs Xfs In Windows With Regards To Colinux
The problem with Windows is that there are various limitations to the computer and there is only so much you can do with it. You can access the Ext3 Reiserfs Xfs by using the coLinux tool. Download the tool from the official site or from the sourceforge site. Edit the connection to “TAP Win32 Adapter [0]
- Google takes next big leap in killing AOSP, significantly scales back AOSP contributions
About half a year ago, I wrote an article about persistent rumours Id heard from Android ROM projects that Google was intending to discontinue the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). AOSP has been gutted by Google over the years, with the company moving more and more parts of the operating system into closed-source, non-AOSP components, like Google Play Services. While you can technically still run bare AOSP if youre really hardcore, its simply unusable for 99% of smartphone users out there. Google quickly responded to these widespread rumours, stating that AOSP is not going away!, and a lot of people, clearly having learned nothing from human history, took this at face value and believed Google word-for-word. Since corporations cant be trusted and lying is their favourite activity, I drew a different conclusion at the time: This seems like a solid denial from Google, but it leaves a lot of room for Google to make a wide variety of changes to Android’s development and open source status without actually killing off AOSP entirely. Since Android is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, Google is free to make “Pixel Android” – its own Android variant – closed source, leaving AOSP up until that point available under the Apache 2.0 license. This is reminiscent of what Oracle did with Solaris. Of course, any modifications to the Linux kernel upon which Android is built will remain open source, since the Linux kernel is licensed under the GPLv2. If Google were indeed intending to do this, what could happen is that Google takes Android closed source from here on out, spinning off whatever remains of AOSP up until that point into a separate company or project, as potentially ordered during the antitrust case against Google in the United States. This would leave Google free to continue developing its own “Pixel Android” entirely as proprietary software – save for the Linux kernel – while leaving AOSP in the state it’s in right now outside of Google. This technically means “AOSP is not going away”, as Chau claims. ↫ Thom Holwerda at OSNews Ever since the claim that AOSP is not going away!, Google has taken numerous steps to further tighten the grip it has on Android, much to the detriment of both the Android Open Source Project and the various ROM makers that depend on it. Device-specific source code for Pixel devices is no longer being released, Google dabbled with developer certification even for developers outside of Google Play, and Google significantly scaled back the release of security patches to AOSP. And now its early 2026, and Google is about to take the next step in the slow killing of the Android Open Source Project. On the main page of the Android Open Source Project, theres now a new message: Effective in 2026, to align with our trunk stable development model and ensure platform stability for the ecosystem, we will publish source code to AOSP in Q2 and Q4. For building and contributing to AOSP, we recommend utilizing android-latest-release instead of aosp-main. The android-latest-release manifest branch will always reference the most recent release pushed to AOSP. This means that instead of four AOSP code releases every year, Google is now scaling back to just two every year. The gutting and eventual killing of AOSP has now reached the point where the open source nature of AOSP is effectively meaningless, and were yet a few more big steps closer to what I outlined above: eventually, Google will distance itself from AOSP entirely, focusing all of its efforts on Pixel Android alone without any code contributions to AOSP at all. If you still think AOSP is not going away!, youre delusional. OASP is already on life support, and with this latest move Google is firmly gripping the plug.
- Redox gets basic Linux DRM support
Since we moved to a new year, we also moved to a new month, and that means a new monthly report from Redox, the general purpose operating system written in Rust. The report obviously touches on the news we covered a few weeks ago that Redox now has the first tidbits of a modesetting driver for Intel hardware, but in addition to that, the project has also taken the first steps towards basic read-only APIs from Linux DRM, in order to use Linux graphics drivers. ARM64 now has dynamic linking support, POSIX compliance has been improved, and countless other improvements. Of course, theres also the usual massive list of bug fixes and minor changes to the kernel, relibc, drivers, and so on. I genuinely wish the Redox project another successful year. The team seems to have its head screwed on right, and is making considerable progress basically every month. I dont know what the end goal is, but the way things are looking right now, I wouldnt be surprised to see it come preinstalled on system76 laptops somewhere over the coming five years.
- Gentoo looks back on a successful 2025
Happy New Year 2026! Once again, a lot has happened in Gentoo over the past months. New developers, more binary packages, GnuPG alternatives support, Gentoo for WSL, improved Rust bootstrap, better NGINX packaging, … As always here we’re going to revisit all the exciting news from our favourite Linux distribution. ↫ Gentoos 2025 retrospective We dont talk about Gentoo very often, and I consider that a good thing. Gentoo is just Gentoo, doing its thing, seemingly unaffected by the shifting sands of any community or world events. Gentoo will always just be Gentoo, and were all better for it. The past year brought a ton of improvements to both Gentoo as a distribution and as a wider project and community. Because of Githubs insistence to shove AI! into everything, the project is currently moving to Codeberg instead, EAPI 9 has been approved and finalised, there are now weekly Gentoo images for WSL, the project welcomed several new developers, theyve got a second build server, and so much more. Sadly, the project did have to drop the hppa and sparc architectures down a peg due to a lack of hardware, which hurts my soul a tiny bit but is entirely understandable, of course. Gentoo is doing great, and I doubt itll ever not be doing great. Gentoo is just Gentoo.
- Box64 0.4.0 released
The new version brings a ton of new enhancements and fixes to all 3 supported platforms, with Steam running not only on Arm64, but also on RiSC-V and on Loongarch! And this is the Linux version of Steam, not the Windows one (but the Windows one works too if you really prefer that one). While Box32 (used to run Steam) is still experimental and unstable, stability did improve. Still, expect some crashes when downloading things with steam. And it’s not all, Battle.net is also getting stable, and some games are working too. Not all unfortunately, and your success might depend on your geographical region, as program versions might differ. At least, you can try it on ARM64 8 Loongarch. It’s still to be tested on RiSC-V. ↫ Box64 0.4.0 release announcement These are some major improvements to Box64, and impressive ones at that.
- Instead of fixing Windows, Microsoft tells users how to do menial cleanup of junk files
Ever noticed your computer acting sluggish or warning you about low storage? Temporary files could be the sneaky culprit. Windows creates these files while installing apps, loading web pages, or running updates. Left unchecked, they pile up and hog valuable space. Luckily, clearing them out is easier than cleaning your kitchen junk drawer. Let’s explore Storage Sense, Disk Cleanup, manual deletion, and a few bonus performance tips to keep your PC running like new. ↫ Microsoft Windows Learning Center You may think this is one of those junk SEO articles generated by AI! to trap Google searches, but no, this is published by Microsoft on Microsofts website. Instead of fixing the long-standing and well-known problems around Windows being absolutely terrible at keeping itself clean and functional over longer periods of time, the company figured itd be a better idea to just keep shoving that responsibility unto users instead. None of the tools mentioned in this article should need to be run or set up by users manually. A computer is supposed to make life less tedious, not more so, and I already have enough cleaning up and laundry to do out here in the real world, and I dont want to be bothered with it on my computer. Why on earth am I supposed to manually remove unnecessary Windows Update files? Why did Adobe installers leave about 15GB of old installers in some directory inside C:/Windows on my wifes computer that I had to remove using a third party tool? In what universe is this okay? Sometimes I wonder how much of our collective time is wasted just by dealing with Windows on a day-to-day basis in our society. Imagine the time we could reclaim and spend on our loved ones, families, and hobbies instead, if only Windows was developed by people with even a modicum of competency.
- The late arrival of 16-bit CP/M
The way the histories of CP/M, DOS, Microsoft, and the 8086 intertwine would be worthy of an amazing film if it wasnt for the fact it would be very hard to make it interesting screen material. Few OEMs were asking for an 8086 version of CP/M. One that did was SCP the same company that helped Microsoft design SoftCard. They needed a disk operating system for their 8086 board released in November 1979. In April 1980, after CP/M-86 was still nowhere to be seen, they lost patience and asked their young engineer Tim Paterson to develop a “quick and dirty” OS similar to CP/M that would hopefully boost the sales of their board. That little operating system, officially named 86-DOS, was eventually purchased by Microsoft and renamed MS-DOS. Paterson has stated on multiple occasions that he would never have begun developing it had CP/M‑86 been available on time. ↫ Nemanja Trifunovic Theres a ton more in this article about CP/M-86 and its gestation period, but this tangled little knot of coincidences always entertains me. It really couldve been CP/M, and it really couldve not been Microsoft. This industry is filled to the brim with interesting what-if stories that we barely regard as a worthy footnote, but few are as fascinating as what the world wouldve looked like had CP/M won out over DOS. The entire world wouldve been drastically different, and while nobody can say with a straight face it would be a better world, wed at least not have the spectres of MS-DOS haunting system administrators, developers, and users the world over. Of course, theyd be haunted by different spectres, but still.
- It’s hard to justify macOS Tahoes icons
Weve talked about just how bad Apples regular icons have become, but what about the various icons Apple now plasters all over its menus, buttons, and dialogs? Theyve gotten so, so much worse. In my opinion, Apple took on an impossible task: to add an icon to every menu item. There are just not enough good metaphors to do something like that. But even if there were, the premise itself is questionable: if everything has an icon, it doesn’t mean users will find what they are looking for faster. And even if the premise was solid, I still wish I could say: they did the best they could, given the goal. But that’s not true either: they did a poor job consistently applying the metaphors and designing the icons themselves. ↫ Nikita Prokopov The number of detailed examples in this article are heartbreaking. I just dont understand how anyone can look at even three of these and not immediately ring the alarm bells, slam the emergency brake, rush to Tim Cooks office. It further illustrates that no, the problem at Apple is not just one man, whether he be Jonathan Ive or Alan Dye or the next unfortunate bloke on the chopping block, but the institution as a whole. I have a feeling the kind of people who care about proper UI design have all left Apple by now. The institutional knowledge is gone. And that kind of knowledge is extremely difficult to get back.
- CheriBSD: FreeBSD for CHERI-enabled platforms
CheriBSD is a Capability Enabled, Unix-like Operating System that extends FreeBSD to take advantage of Capability Hardware on Arm’s Morello and CHERI-RISC-V platforms. CheriBSD implements memory protection and software compartmentalization features, and is developed by SRI International and the University of Cambridge. ↫ CheriBSD website This obviously raises the question what exactly is CHERI? The FreeBSD Foundation has an article about this from 2023 providing more details. CHERI extends existing architectures (Armv8-A, MIPS64 (retired), RISC-V, and x86_64 (in development)) with a new hardware type, the CHERI capability. In CHERI systems, all access to memory is via CHERI capabilities either explicitly via new instructions or implicitly via a Default Data Capability (DDC) and Program Counter Capability (PCC) used by instructions with integer arguments. Capabilities grant access to specific ranges of (virtual, or occasionally, physical) memory via a base and length, and can further restrict access with permissions, which are compressed into a 128-bit representation (64-bits for the address and 64-bits for the metadata). In memory and in registers, capabilities are protected by tags that are cleared when the capability data is modified by a non-capability instruction or if a capability instruction would increase the access the capability grants. Tags are stored separately from data and cannot be manipulated directly. ↫ Brooks Davis CheriBSD brings this capability to anyone with compatible hardware, providing access to about 10000 pre-built memory-safe packages alongside more than 260000 pre-built memory-unsafe packages, as well as fully memory-safe versions of the KDE desktop, bhyve, and a ton of others. You can use both types of packages alongside one another, theres a nice installer, and it basically seems like youre using regular FreeBSD, just with additional complications, the biggest of which is, of course, the limited hardware support. I have a feeling that if youre the kind of person to own CHERI-enabled hardware, youre most likely already aware of CheriBSD. Still, if this is something youre looking for, be aware that youre going ot need special hardware. Its also important to note that DTrace wont work on CheriBSD, and most optional modules, like firewall systems, dont work either.
- Microsoft quietly kills official way to activate Windows 11/10 without internet
Up until now, its always remained possible to activate Windows offline, by calling a phone number, going through a lengthy phase of entering digits on your phone dialpad, and carefully listening to and entering a string of numbers on the device youre trying to activate. For a while, even, this was, as far as I can tell, one of the easiest ways to fix activation issues caused by replacing one component too many, causing Windows activation to think you had a new machine. Phone activation was always remarkably more lenient and forgiving than online activation. Well, as part of Microsofts crusade to make Windows progressively more shit, it seems phone activation is going away. However, that seems to no longer work on Windows 11 or 10 or Windows 7 either, as another user Ben Kleinberg has documented on his YouTube channel. Now when trying to activate the OS by attempting to call the phone number for Microsoft Product Activation, an automated voice response says the following: Support for product activation has moved online. For the fastest and most convenient way to activate your product, please visit our online product activation portal at aka.ms/aoh! ↫ Sayan Sen at Neowin Theyre going after your local, non-online account, theyre going after offline activation whats next in line on the chopping block? Are they going to actively start blocking the various debloat tools that make Windows 11 at least slightly less of a block of concrete chained around your neck? Please switch to a real operating system.
- Desktop Classic System wants to bring some classic Mac OS to MATE and Debian
Desktop Classic System is an operating system based on Debian and a customized version of the MATE Desktop Environment that hearkens back to, but is not a direct copy of, the classic Mac OS. DCS seeks to provide and sometimes even improve upon the conceptual simplicity offered by the old Macintosh. ↫ Desktop Classic System website Im usually not particularly interested in reporting on random Linux distributions, but any one of them that defaults to a proper spatial file manager is one that I will highlight. Im not entirely sure if this is just a supported feature of MATEs file manager, or something more custom there are some patches to Caja here, as mentioned but spatial file managers are a dying breed and thats a shame. Theyre hard to implement and even harder to get right, which is probably why few people take on the challenge. Other than that, DCS isnt particularly revolutionary or special, but Id love for more Linux distributions to look back at what weve lost, and see if we can bring those things back.
- Top 6 B2B Software Comparison Websites for Software Vendors (2026)
by George Whittaker
As a software vendor, getting your product in front of the right audience is crucial. One of the best ways to reach business buyers is by leveraging B2B software comparison and review platforms. These websites attract millions of in-market software buyers who rely on peer reviews and ratings to make purchasing decisions. In fact, 88% of buyers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations [1]?. By listing your software on these platforms, you can gather authentic user feedback, build credibility, and dramatically improve your visibility to potential customers. Below we rank the top six B2B software comparison websites – and highlight what makes each one valuable for vendors looking to boost exposure and win more business. Now updated for 2026.
1. SourceForge
SourceForge tops our list as a powerhouse platform for software vendors. Why SourceForge? For starters, it boasts enormous traffic – over 20 million monthly visitors actively searching for software solutions [2]?. In fact, SourceForge drives more traffic than any other B2B software directory (often more than all other major sites combined!) [2]?. Semrush even estimates SourceForge's November 2025 traffic at 27.51 million visitors[3]?. This means listing your product here can put you in front of a vast pool of potential business buyers. SourceForge offers a complete business software and services comparison platform where buyers can find, compare, and review software. As the site itself says: “Selling software? You’re in the right place. We’ll help you reach millions of intent-driven software and IT buyers and influencers every day.” For a vendor, this translates into incredible visibility and lead generation opportunities.
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- Looking Ahead: What 2026 Holds for the Linux Ecosystem
by George Whittaker
Linux has always been more than just a kernel, it’s a living, breathing world of innovation, community collaboration, and divergent use cases. As we roll into 2026, the landscape is poised for exciting growth. From continuing evolution of core kernel infrastructure to newfound momentum in areas like gaming, AI-augmented tooling, hardware support and security, the coming year promises both refinement and transformation. Whether you’re a developer, system administrator, gamer, or casual user, here’s what you can expect from the Linux world in 2026.
1. Kernel Evolution: Performance, Security, and AI-Driven Behavior
The Linux kernel remains the beating heart of the OS. In 2026, we’ll likely see:
New Long-Term Support (LTS) Baselines: With releases like 6.18 already declared LTS and successor branches maturing, distributions will rally around kernels that offer both performance gains and security longevity.
AI-Driven Infrastructure: Kernel subsystems may start experimenting with machine-learning-informed scheduling, resource management, or dynamic power/performance tuning, not via heavy inference at runtime, but via control-plane advice integrated at build or boot time.
Security Innovation: Hardware vulnerabilities like VMScape and speculative execution side channels have taught us that kernel mitigations remain crucial. Expect continued work on microarchitecture hardening, pointer tagging, and improved isolation.
The overall trend points to a kernel that is both more performant and more robust, without compromising the modularity that makes Linux adaptable across systems from supercomputers to handhelds.
2. The Desktop Experience: Polished, Consistent, and Accessible
For desktop users, 2026 should bring visible improvements to everyday workflows:
Wayland Maturity: Wayland adoption continues to solidify across distributions, with fewer fallbacks to legacy X11 backends. Compositors and toolkits will refine scaling, multi-monitor behavior, and screen capture APIs.
Accessibility Gains: Distros will invest more in accessibility, bringing improved screen reader support, better keyboard navigation, and wide internationalization.
Distribution Diversity: More polished newcomers and revitalizations of existing distros will continue, especially projects aimed at lowering the barrier to entry for users migrating from Windows or macOS.
The promise here is a Linux desktop that feels friendly without diluting depth for advanced customization.
3. Cloud, Edge, and Server Infrastructure: Linux Everywhere
Linux powers the backbone of the modern server and cloud world. In 2026:
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- Top Linux Distributions for Beginners: Friendly, Stable, and Easy to Learn
by George Whittaker Introduction
Linux has long been known as the operating system of developers and power users, but today it’s far more accessible than ever before. Thanks to user-friendly distributions that prioritize simplicity, stability, and support, even someone who’s never used Linux can get up and running quickly. In this guide, we’ll explore some of the best Linux distributions (distros) for beginners, what sets them apart, and who each one is best suited for.
Whether you’re switching from Windows or macOS, using a PC for the first time, or simply curious about Linux, there’s a distro here that fits your comfort level and workflow.
1. Ubuntu: The Standard for New Users
Why it’s great: Ubuntu is one of the most recognizable Linux distributions, and for good reason. It offers a polished graphical interface, a massive community, and extensive documentation. If you’ve ever wanted a desktop that “just works,” Ubuntu delivers with minimal setup.
Key Features:
Intuitive GNOME desktop environment
Regular releases and a Long-Term Support (LTS) version with five years of updates
Large software repository and excellent hardware support
Strong community forums and extensive official documentation
Good for: Users completely new to Linux or those switching from Windows or macOS.
Best for: Desktops, laptops, beginners.
2. Linux Mint: Familiar Feel for Former Windows Users
Why it’s great: Linux Mint focuses on a familiar desktop experience. Its Cinnamon edition resembles the classic Windows layout, making the transition easier for users coming from that platform. Mint is stable, fast, and comes with many tools that simplify daily tasks.
Key Features:
Traditional desktop layout (like Windows)
Comes bundled with multimedia codecs and essential apps
Excellent performance on older hardware
Multiple desktop options (Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce)
Good for: Windows switchers looking for a gentle introduction.
Best for: Desktops, older machines, learners.
3. Zorin OS: A Windows-Like Experience With Style
Why it’s great: Zorin OS is designed with newcomers in mind. It’s polished, modern, and “comfortable” for users who may find traditional Linux desktops intimidating. Its interface can mimic Windows or macOS out of the box, and Zorin includes tools to effortlessly install popular applications.
Key Features:
Look-and-feel switcher (Windows, macOS styles)
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- What’s New in KDE Gear 25.12 — A Major Update for KDE Software
by George Whittaker Introduction
The KDE community has just published KDE Gear 25.12, the newest quarterly update to its suite of applications. This refresh brings a mix of enhancements, bug fixes, performance refinements, and new features across many popular KDE apps, from Dolphin file manager and Konsole terminal to Krita and Spectacle. With this release, KDE continues its tradition of incremental yet meaningful upgrades that make everyday use smoother and more productive.
KDE Gear updates are not limited to the KDE Plasma desktop; they also benefit users of other desktop environments who install KDE apps on their systems. Whether you’re running KDE on Linux, BSD, or even Windows via KDE Windows builds, Gear 25.12 delivers improvements worth checking out.
Highlights from KDE Gear 25.12Dolphin: Better File Browsing and Thumbnails
Dolphin, KDE’s file manager, receives several enhancements in this update:
Improved thumbnail generation for more file types, making previews quicker and more dependable.
UI polish in the sidebar for easier navigation between folders and mounted drives.
Better handling of network shares and remote locations, improving responsiveness and reducing hangs.
These changes combine to make everyday file exploration more responsive and visually informative.
Konsole: Productivity Boosts
The KDE terminal emulator, Konsole, gets attention too:
Search field improvements help you find text within long terminal scrollbacks faster and with fewer clicks.
Tab and session indicators are clearer, helping users manage multiple tabs or split views more easily.
Stability fixes reduce crashes in edge cases when closing multiple sessions at once.
For developers and power users who spend a lot of time in a terminal, these refinements are genuinely useful.
Krita: More Painting Power
Krita, KDE’s professional painting and illustration application, also benefits from this release:
Improvements to brush performance, reducing lag on large canvases and complex brush sets.
Better color management and palette handling, smoothing workflows for digital artists.
Fixes for certain configuration edge cases that previously caused settings not to persist across sessions.
Artists and digital illustrators should notice fewer interruptions and smoother performance when working on large projects.
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- Linux Kernel 5.4 Reaches End-of-Life: Time to Retire a Workhorse
by George Whittaker
One of the most widely deployed Linux kernels has officially reached the end of its lifecycle. The maintainers of the Linux kernel have confirmed that Linux 5.4, once a cornerstone of countless servers, desktops, and embedded devices, is now end-of-life (EOL). After years of long-term support, the branch has been retired and will no longer receive upstream fixes or security updates.
A Kernel Release That Defined a Generation of Linux Systems
When Linux 5.4 debuted, it made headlines for bringing native exFAT support, broader hardware compatibility, and performance improvements that many distributions quickly embraced. It became the foundation for major OS releases, including Ubuntu LTS, certain ChromeOS versions, Android kernels, and numerous appliance and IoT devices.
Its long support window made it a favorite for organizations seeking stability over bleeding-edge features.
What End-of-Life Actually Means
With the EOL announcement, the upstream kernel maintainers are officially done with version 5.4. That means:
No more security patches
No more bug fixes or performance updates
No regressions or vulnerabilities will be addressed
Some enterprise vendors may continue backporting patches privately, but the public upstream branch is now frozen. For most users, that makes 5.4 effectively unsafe to run.
Why This Matters for Users and Organizations
Many devices, especially embedded systems, tend to run kernels for much longer than desktops or servers. If those systems continue using 5.4, they now risk exposure to unpatched vulnerabilities.
Running an unsupported kernel can also create compliance issues for companies operating under strict security guidelines or certifications. Even home users running older LTS distributions may unknowingly remain on a kernel that’s no longer protected.
Upgrading Is the Clear Next Step
With 5.4 retired, users should begin planning an upgrade to a supported kernel line. Today’s active long-term support kernels include more modern branches such as 6.1, 6.6, and 6.8, which provide:
Better CPU and GPU support
Significant security improvements
Enhanced performance and energy efficiency
Longer future support windows
Before upgrading, organizations should test workloads, custom drivers, and hardware, especially with specialized or embedded deployments.
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- Linux Distros Designed for Former Windows Users Are Picking Up Steam
by George Whittaker
For years, Windows users frustrated with constant changes, aggressive updates, and growing system bloat have flirted with switching to Linux. But 2025 marks a noticeable shift: a new generation of Linux distributions built specifically for ex-Windows users is gaining real traction. One of the standout examples is Bazzite, a gaming-optimized Fedora-based distro that has quickly become a go-to choice for people abandoning Windows in favor of a cleaner, more customizable experience.
Why Many Windows Users Are Finally Jumping Ship
Microsoft’s ecosystem has been slowly pushing some users toward the exit. Hardware requirements for Windows 11 left millions of perfectly functional PCs behind. Ads on the Start menu and in system notifications have frustrated many. And for gamers, launcher problems, forced reboots and background processes that siphon resources have driven a search for alternatives.
Linux distributions have benefited from that frustration, especially those that focus on simplicity, performance and gaming readiness.
Gaming-First Distros Are Leading the Movement
Historically, switching to Linux meant sacrificing game compatibility. But with Valve’s Proton layer and Vulkan-based translation technologies, thousands of Windows games now run flawlessly, sometimes better than on Windows.
Distros targeting former Windows users are leaning into this new reality:
Seamless Steam integration
Automatic driver configuration for AMD, Intel and NVIDIA
Built-in performance overlays like MangoHUD
Proton GE and tools for modding or shader fixes
Support for HDR, VR and modern controller layouts
This means a new Linux user can install one of these distros and jump straight into gaming with almost no setup.
Bazzite: A Standout Alternative OS
Bazzite has become the poster child for this trend. Built on Fedora’s image-based system and the Universal Blue infrastructure, it offers an incredibly stable base that updates atomically, similar to SteamOS.
What makes Bazzite so attractive to Windows refugees?
Gaming-ready out of the box no tweaking, no driver hunts
Rock-solid performance thanks to an immutable system layout
Support for handheld PCs like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Legion Go
Friendly workflows that feel familiar to new Linux users
Customization without the risk of breaking the system
It’s no surprise that many “I switched to Linux!” posts now mention Bazzite as their distro of choice.
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- Linux Kernel 6.18 Is Out: What’s New and Important
by George Whittaker
The stable release of Linux Kernel 6.18 was officially tagged on November 30, 2025.
It’s expected to become this year’s major long-term support (LTS) kernel, something many users and distributions care about.
Here’s a breakdown of the most significant changes and improvements in this release:
Core Improvements: Performance, Memory, Infrastructure
The kernel’s memory allocation subsystem gets a major upgrade with “sheaves”, a per-CPU caching layer for slab allocations. This reduces locking overhead and speeds up memory allocation and freeing, improving overall system responsiveness.
A new device-mapper target dm-pcache arrives, enabling use of persistent memory (e.g. NVDIMM/CXL) as a cache layer for block devices, useful for systems with fast non-volatile memory, SSDs, or hybrid storage.
Overall memory management and swapping performance have been improved, which should help under memory pressure or heavy workloads.
Networking & Security Enhancements
Networking gets a boost: support for Accurate Explicit Congestion Notification (AccECN) in TCP, which can provide better congestion signals and more efficient network behaviour under load.
A new option for PSP-encrypted TCP connections has been added, a fresh attempt to push more secure transport-layer encryption (like a more efficient alternative to IPsec/TLS for some workloads) under kernel control.
The kernel now supports cryptographically signed BPF programs (eBPF), so BPF bytecode loaded at runtime can be verified for integrity. This is a noteworthy security hardening step.
The overall security infrastructure and auditing path, including multi-LSM (Linux Security Modules) support, has been refined, improving compatibility for setups using SELinux, AppArmor, or similar simultaneously.
Hardware, Drivers & Architecture Coverage
Kernel 6.18 brings enhanced hardware support: updated and new drivers for many platforms across architectures (x86_64, ARM, RISC-V, MIPS, etc.), including improvements for GPUs, CPU power management, storage controllers, and more.
In particular, support for newer SoCs, chipsets, and embedded-board device trees has been extended, beneficial for people using SBCs, ARM-based laptops/boards, or niche hardware.
For gaming rigs, laptops, and desktops alike: improvements to drivers, power-state management, and performance tuning may lead to better overall hardware efficiency.
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- Wine 10.19 Released: Game Changing Support for Windows Reparse Points on Linux
by George Whittaker Introduction
If you use Linux and occasionally run Windows applications, whether via native Wine or through gaming layers like Proton, you’ll appreciate what just dropped in Wine 10.19. Released November 14 2025, this version brings a major enhancement: official support for Windows reparse points, a filesystem feature many Windows apps rely on, and a host of other compatibility upgrades.
In simpler terms: Wine now understands more of the Windows filesystem semantics, which means fewer workarounds, better application compatibility, and smoother experiences for many games and tools previously finicky under Linux.
What Are Reparse Points & Why They MatterUnderstanding Reparse Points
On Windows, a reparse point is a filesystem object (file or directory) that carries additional data, often used for symbolic links, junctions, mount points, or other redirection features. When an application opens or queries a file, the OS may check the reparse tag to determine special behavior (for example “redirect this file open to this other path”).
Because many Windows apps, installers, games, DRM systems, file-managers, use reparse points for features like directory redirection, path abstractions, or filesystem overlays, lacking full support for them in Wine means those apps often misbehave.
What Wine 10.19 Adds
With Wine 10.19, support for these reparse point mechanisms has been implemented in key filesystem APIs: for example NtQueryDirectoryFile, GetFileInfo, file attribute tags, and DeleteFile/RemoveDirectory for reparse objects.
This means that in Wine 10.19:
Windows apps that create or manage symbolic links, directory junctions or mount-point style re-parsing will now function correctly in many more cases.
Installers or frameworks that rely on “when opening path X, redirect to path Y” will work with less tinkering.
Games or utilities that check for reparse tags or use directory redirections will have fewer “stuck” behaviors or missing files.
In effect, this is a step toward closer to native behavior for Windows file-system semantics under Linux.
Other Key Highlights in Wine 10.19
Beyond reparse points, the release brings several notable improvements:
Expanded support for WinRT exceptions (Windows Runtime error handling) meaning better compatibility for Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and newer Windows-based frameworks.
Refactoring of “Common Controls” (COMCTL32) following the version 5 vs version 6 split, which helps GUI applications that rely on older controls or expect mixed versions.
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- Firefox 145: A Major Release with 32-Bit Linux Support Dropped
by George Whittaker Introduction
Mozilla has rolled out Firefox 145, a significant update that brings a range of usability, security and privacy enhancements, while marking a clear turning point by discontinuing official support for 32-bit Linux systems. For users on older hardware or legacy distros, this change means it’s time to consider moving to a 64-bit environment or opting for a supported version.
Here’s a detailed look at what’s new, what’s changed, and what you need to know.
Major Changes in Firefox 145End of 32-Bit Linux Builds
One of the headline items in this release is Mozilla’s decision to stop building and distributing Firefox for 32-bit x86 Linux. As per their announcement:
“32-bit Linux (on x86) is no longer widely supported by the vast majority of Linux distributions, and maintaining Firefox on this platform has become increasingly difficult and unreliable.”
From Firefox 145 onward, only 64-bit (x86_64) and relevant 64-bit architectures (such as ARM64) will be officially supported. For those still running 32-bit Linux builds, Mozilla recommends migrating to 64-bit or switching to the Extended Support Release (ESR) branch (Firefox 140 ESR) which still supports 32-bit for a limited period.
Usability & Interface Enhancements
Firefox 145 brings several improvements designed to make everyday web browsing smoother and more flexible:
PDF viewer enhancements: You can now add, edit, and delete comments in PDFs, and a comments sidebar helps you easily navigate your annotations.
Tab-group preview: When you hover over the name of a collapsed tab group, a thumbnail preview of the tabs inside appears, helpful for reorganizing or returning to work.
Access saved passwords from the sidebar, without needing to open a new tab or window.
“Open links from apps next to your active tab” setting: When enabled, links opened from external applications insert next to your current tab instead of at the end of the tab bar.
Slight UI refinements: Buttons, input fields, tabs and other elements get more rounded edges, horizontal tabs are redesigned to align with vertical-tab aesthetics.
Privacy, Security & Under-the-Hood Upgrades
Mozilla has also doubled down on privacy and risk reduction:
Fingerprinting defenses: Firefox 145 introduces new anti-fingerprinting techniques that Mozilla estimates reduce the number of users identified as unique by nearly half when Private Browsing mode or Enhanced Tracking Protection (strict) is used.
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- MX Linux 25 ‘Infinity’ Arrives: Debian 13 ‘Trixie’ Base, Modern Tools & A Fresh Installer
by George Whittaker Introduction
The team behind MX Linux has just released version 25, carrying the codename “Infinity”, and it brings a significant upgrade by building upon the stable base of Debian 13 “Trixie”. Released on November 9, 2025, this edition doesn’t just refresh the desktop, it introduces modernized tooling, updated kernels, dual init-options, and installer enhancements aimed at both newcomers and long-time users.
In the sections that follow, we’ll walk through the key new features of MX Linux 25, what’s changed for each desktop edition, recommended upgrade or fresh-install paths, and why this release matters in the wider Linux-distribution ecosystem.
What’s New in MX Linux 25 “Infinity”
Here are the headline changes and improvements that define this release:
Debian 13 “Trixie” Base
By moving to Debian 13, Infinity inherits all the stability, security updates, and broader hardware support of the latest Debian stable release. The base system now aligns with Trixie’s libraries, kernels, and architecture support.
Kernel Choices & Hardware Support
The standard editions ship with the Linux 6.12 LTS kernel series, offering a solid baseline for most hardware.
For newer hardware or advanced users, the “AHS” (Advanced Hardware Support) variants and the KDE Plasma edition adopt a Liquorix-flavored Linux 6.16 (or 6.15 in some variants) kernel, maximizing performance and compatibility with cutting-edge setups.
Dual Init Option: systemd and SysVinit
Traditionally associated with lighter-weight init options, MX Linux now offers both systemd by default and SysVinit editions (particularly for Xfce and Fluxbox variants). This gives users the freedom to choose their init system preference without losing new features.
Updated Desktop Environments
Xfce edition: Ships with Xfce 4.20. Improvements include a revamped Whisker Menu, updated archive management tools (Engrampa replacing File Roller in some editions).
KDE Plasma edition: Uses KDE Plasma 6.3.6, defaults to Wayland for a modern session experience (with X11 still optionally available), adds root-actions and service menus to Dolphin, and switches TLP out for power-profiles-daemon to resolve power widget issues.
Fluxbox edition: Offers a more minimal, highly customizable environment: new panel layouts, updated “appfinder” configs for Rofi, toolbar changes and themes refined. Defaults the audio player to Audacious (instead of the older DeaDBeeF).
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