Bah Hum-bugfix – it’s the Christmas Update to Calibre!
In deep mid-winter nothing beats curling up with a good book, in-front of a roaring fire – the crackle of all the unwanted Christmas tat your nearest and dearest bought you chars, melts, and burns providing a warm aural soundtrack. Thankfully, not everyone’s feeling as seasonably irascible as I am – like the folks behind open-source ebook reader, manager, and converter Calibre. They’ve hand-wrapped a bug-fix update to help tide us over the festive season. Hurrah! As gifts that arrive in late December go, Calibre 7.23 is a modest one: more ‘last-minute box of chocs’ than something you really wanted 
#News #AppUpdates #Calibre
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/calibre-christmas-update-bug-fixes
Canonical and Intel Announce New GPU Drivers Preview
Canonical and Intel have announced they’re making it easier for Ubuntu users to get cutting-edge drivers for Intel’s newest discrete GPUs. The effort brings “ray tracing and improved machine learning performance” for Intel Arc B580 and B570 “Battlemage” discrete GPUs to users on Ubuntu 24.10, building on that releases’ preexisting support for Intel Core Ultra Xe2 iGPUs. “For the past decade, Ubuntu has been one of the first distributions to enable the latest Intel architectures. Building upon this strong collaboration, Intel and Canonical are excited to announce the availability of an Ubuntu graphics preview for [24.10]”, they say. Users with
#News #GraphicsDrivers #Intel #Ubuntu24_10
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/ubuntu-intel-battlemage-gpu-driver-preview
Kdenlive Update Adds New Subtitle Tools, Effects + More
A sizeable update to the free, open-source video editor Kdenlive is now available to download. Kdenlive 24.12 arrives stuffed like a seasonal bird with bug fixes, performance tweaks, and usability enhancements. Additionally, the editor’s developers have removed support for Qt5 so that, as of this release, it is entirely Qt6. Subtitling gets a big boost with the arrival of Advanced SubStation Alpha (ASS) subtitle support. The key benefit of these subtitles (I’ll swerve calling them ASS) is greater customisation, including things like text strokes, drop shadows, margins, and even effects like masking. A new Subtitle Manager makes editing, ordering, and
#News #AppUpdates #Kdenlive
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/kdenlive-adds-improved-subtitle-tools-new-effects-more
Mozilla Revenue Jumped in 2023, But Search Deal Cash Fell
Mozilla’s overall revenue saw a sizeable boost in 2023, despite a drop in income from its lucrative search engine deals. According to its latest financial report, Mozilla’s revenue in 2023 hit $653 million (US), up from $593 million in 2022. The cause of the increase? Not any flashy new products, services, or deals – just ol’ fashioned interest and dividends (~$47 million) and returns on its investments (~$24 million). In fact, Mozilla’s income from search engine deals actually fell by $15 million in 2023. Revenue from ads, sponsored links, and its own product subscriptions (like Pocket) also dipped by $9
#News #Mozilla
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/mozilla-financial-report-2023-revenue-increase
VMware Workstation Pro Update Brings Linux Fixes
Broadcom has released updates for VMware Workstation Pro for Windows and Linux, the first to arrive since the software became entirely free to use. Earlier this year, Broadcom made VMware Workstation Pro and its Mac equivalent Fusion Pro free for personal usage, and later for commercial usage. Anyone can download and install VMware’s desktop virtualisation software to use for whatever they want. — Assuming they have the patience to wade through rerouting links, portals, checkboxes, and dense documentation sites to locate the actual download. A blog post from a VMware team member walks through the 11 step (!) process. As
#News #AppUpdates #VirtualMachines #Vmware
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/vmware-workstation-pro-update-linux-fixes
Ubuntu Adds Support for 118 New Emoji
A paint splatter, super-tired face, and a harp are among new emoji users of Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 LTS will be able to see and type after installing an update to the Noto Color Emoji font. Ubuntu, which has shipped this font by default since 2017, and has packaged and released an updated version containing the 8 new emoji added as part of the Unicode 16.0 standard. Unicode 16.0 went live in September and adds a total of 5185 new characters, including 7 new emoji code points and 1 new emoji sequence (to create the official flag of the Island of Sark).
#News #Emoji #Fonts #Unicode
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/ubuntu-update-support-for-emoji-16-0
Linux Mastodon App Tuba Adds Post Scheduling, Drafts + More
A new version of Tuba, the open-source Mastodon client for Linux desktops, is out – and it’s a whopper! Tuba 0.9.0 delivers a wide array of new features, enhancements, and general finesse touching nearly every aspect of the client’s top-tier Fediverse experience. Chief among the highlights for is the addition of support for scheduled and draft posts. Posts can be scheduled from the composer, and a list of scheduled (not yet shared) posts can be accessed from a new sidebar entry, where scheduled posts and be edited/amended. With no official draft posts API to use, Tuba instead uses scheduled posts
#News #AppUpdates #Mastodon #Tuba
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/linux-mastodon-client-tuba-update-drafts
Xfce 4.20 Released, This is What’s New
Christmas has arrived early for fans of the Xfce desktop environment with the release of a major new version. Two years in development, Xfce 4.20 is the latest stable release of this lightweight desktop environment. A clutch of new features, visual changes, and a sizeable set of foundational prep work furthering its support for Wayland is included. A slate of bug fixes, code cleanups, and performance tweaks also make it in, making Xfce 4.20 a worthwhile upgrade over the Xfce 4.18 release from 2022. Note: some of the changes mentioned below will familiar to those using Xubuntu 24.10. This is because
#News #Xfce
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/xfce-4-20-released-this-is-whats-new
New Version of Mir-Based Tiling Window Manager Miracle-WM Out
A new version of Miracle-wm, a Mir-based tiling window manager, is out. Miracle-wm 0.4 continues to make inroads in fleshing out its support for i3 IPC, vital work needed to make sure popular tools like waybar, nwg-shell, etc work well as well here as they do in Sway, i3, hyprland, et al. Workspace improvements aplenty make it in, also. Workspaces can be assigned names and those names relayed to shell components, while new commands make it easier for users to change workspaces and/or move containers to workspaces. And there’s been a big focus on addressing ‘issues around stability and performance’
#News #Miracle-Wm
Linux Mint 22.1 Beta is Now Available to Download
A beta version of Linux Mint 22.1 “Xia” is now officially available to download, ahead of an anticipated stable release at the end of December. Linux Mint 22.1 is an in-series update to Linux Mint 22, released earlier back in July. It continues to be based on Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS, and is powered by the Linux 6.8 kernel (with new kernel versions coming as part of Ubuntu’s HWE). But there are substantive changes elsewhere, not least to the default Cinnamon desktop environment, underlying package management tools, and burgeoning compatibility with the Wayland display server. For a look at this beta
#News #Cinnamon #DistroRelease #LinuxMint
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/linux-mint-22-1-beta-download
Advanced Weather Companion GNOME Shell Extension
macOS 15.2 is rolling out today (December 11), and my tech feeds are hyped with its highlights. Among the (non-AI) changes I spotted: the option to display weather info in the menu bar – native, built-in, ready to go. Seeing a “news peg” (as they’re called), I figured I’d use that as motivation to get around to writing about Advanced Weather Companion, yet-another GNOME Shell weather extension that shows temperature and current conditions in the top bar. It’s been in my bookmarks for a while but …Well, I’ll come to that. Advanced Weather Companion doesn’t do anything existing weather add-ons
#News #GnomeExtensions #Weather
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/advanced-weather-gnome-shell-extension
Tiling Shell Extension Gains Smart Border Radius Detection
Fresh off of adding support for automatic window snapping, the developers behind GNOME Shell’s most configurable and feature-packed window tiling extension are back with another update. Tiling Shell v15.1 introduces support for smart border radius. This is one a small sounding feature but it has a big impact on the way borders (which are an optional feature) are drawn around focused application windows, either in tiled mode or when free-floating on he desktop: Domenico Ferraro, the chief developer of the extension, explains the impetus: “In GNOME, different windows may have different border radius. Drawing a border around the focused window
#News #GnomeExtensions #TilingShell
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/tiling-shell-extension-border-radius
PlayStation 3 Emulator RPCS3 Now Supports Raspberry Pi 5
RPCS3 is an open-source emulator (and debugger) for the Sony PlayStation 3, making it possible for users to play and debug PlayStation 3 games on non-PS3 hardware, like Intel/AMD desktop PCs and laptops running Windows, macOS, or Linux. Now, RPCS3 is available for the Raspberry Pi 5 too. A major new version of of RPCS3 was released this week adding native ARM64 support for Linux, macOS on Apple Silicon, and (although not ready yet) Windows on ARM. “How far can we challenge the limits of emulating the console known for being the most resource demanding to emulate still 18 years
#News #Gaming #Playstation3 #RaspberryPi
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/playstation-3-emulator-rpcs3-now-supports-raspberry-pi-5
Raspberry Pi 500 & Official 15.6 Monitor Announced
Raspberry Pi today announced the Raspberry Pi 500, an updated version of its keyboard PC, this one powered by the Raspberry Pi 5. And it’s also announced a device many won’t have expected: an official monitor! This year, Raspberry Pi has announced 20+ new or updated products, ranging from hardware add-ons like HATs and AI camera, to official SD cards and SSDs, to new devices like the Compute Module 5 and Pico 2 – and more! Is there anything left to announce?! Well, rumour has it: yes! While company may be done for this year, something new is expected to
#Hardware #News #RaspberryPi
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/raspberry-pi-500-official-monitor-announced
OBS Studio Update Adds New Features, Drops 22.04 Support
For high-quality screen recording and streaming few apps comes close to the power and versatility as the cross-platform and open-source OBS Studio – and a new version is out. OBS Studio 31.0 intros a slate of new features and capabilities. Among them, the long-awaited addition of preview scrollbars, making it easier to move around previews without needing to hold the spacebar and click, and a zoom/scale indicator so users can tell when the viewpoint is zoomed/moved. Elsewhere, OBS Studio 31.0 adds a new background blur filter – but it only works on systems equipped with a compatible NVIDIA RTX GPU
#News #AppUpdates #Gaming #ObsStudio #Ubuntu22_04Lts
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/obs-studio-31-background-blur-feature
Linux 6.12 Kernel Confirmed as Long-Term Support
Last month’s Linux 6.12 kernel was a big update filled with new features, hardware support, and performance tune-ups. Now, it’s just gotten even sweeter: it’s an LTS! Those au fait with kernel development won’t be surprised by this news since, typically, the final stable Linux kernel release of the year becomes an LTS. But nothing is ever official until it’s official — and now it’s official! Kernel dev Greg Kroah-Hartman confirmed Linux 6.12’s LTS status in a message on the Linux Kernel mailing list (LKML) about an older kernel version, stating his sufficiently succinct style: Anyway, please move off to
#News #LinuxKernel
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/linux-6-12-kernel-is-long-term-support
COSMIC Alpha 4 Adds New Settings, Variable Refresh Rate Support
Development on COSMIC, a new open-source desktop environment created by developers a Linux-based hardware company System76, continues at pace, with a 4th alpha now available. System76 said new alpha releases of the COSMIC DE would roughly appear once a month (give or take), a cadence that enables them flesh out the features planned for its first stable release and get feedback from users, developers, and distribution packagers. Alongside the new alpha is a freshly-spun ISO of Pop!_OS 24.04 (Alpha), making it easy to check out the changes for yourself on a spare partition, USB drive, or virtual machine. But the
#News #CosmicDe #System76
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/cosmic-desktop-alpha-4-changes
Mozilla Formally Unveils its Rawr-Some New Logo
Mozilla has finally announced its new branding, describing its first refresh in over a decade as not merely ‘a facelift’ but an effort to lay the foundation for the company’s next 25 years. Now, if you read this blog regularly you’ll already know what the Mozilla’s new branding looks like. I first reported on it back in August, and then again in October when a reader tipped me to the design agency Mozilla had contracted to undertake the work and I shared some of the cool animated mascot art created for it. As may be clear by this point: I
#News #Mozilla
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/mozilla-new-brand-identity-unveiled
How to Enable Tab Groups in Firefox
Among the new features Mozilla is working on for Firefox are tab groups, a nifty productivity feature already present in many other web browsers, including Google Chrome and Vivaldi. This isn’t news, of course. Mozilla laid out the major new features it was bringing to users earlier this year. Other long-requested features including a native profile management system, vertical tabs option, and a revamped URL bar thing. Firefox tab groups isn’t yet ready for prime time, but if you’re using the latest stable version (Firefox 133 at the time I write this) you can manually activate tab groups to try
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/how-to-enable-firefox-tab-groups
Flexbar Brings Apple’s Touch Bar Back from the Dead
A new crowdfunding project aims to revive the (oft-derided) MacBook Pro Touch Bar, this time as a standalone device that work with Windows, macOS and, potentially, Linux too. It’s called Flexbar, and it’s currently asking for cash on Kickstarter. Now, I don’t like writing about crowdfunding projects generally. If I do, they need to offer something novel, or have a track record. Flexbar is novel, but the campaign has a few red flags that make me suspicious it will ever exist – more on that in a mo’. If you’re don’t know your Apple from your Orange Pis, the Touch
#Hardware #News #Crowdfunding #Kickstarter #Touchscreen
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/flexbar-macbook-pro-touch-bar-standalone
