Thunderbird Will Move to Monthly Updates from March 2025
The Thunderbird email client is making its monthly ‘release channel’ builds the default download starting in March. “We’re excited to announce that starting with the 135.0 release in March 2025, the Thunderbird Release channel will be the default download,” Corey Bryant, manager of Thunderbird Release Operations, shares in an update on the project’s discussion hub. Right now, users who visit the Thunderbird website and hit the giant download get the latest Extended Support Release (ESR) build by default. It gets one major feature update a year plus smaller bug fix and security updates issued in-between. The version of Thunderbird Ubuntu 
#News #Thunderbird
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/thunderbird-release-channel-becomes-default-march
Ubuntu Dev Discussion Will Move to Matrix in March
It’s confirmed: Ubuntu is switching to Matrix as the primary platform for real-time development communications involving the distro. From March, Matrix will replace IRC as the place where critical Ubuntu development conversations, requests, meetings, and other vital chatter must take place. Developers asked to ensure they have a presence on the platform so they are reachable. Only the current #ubuntu-devel and #ubuntu-release Libera IRC channels are moving to Matrix, but other Ubuntu development-related channels can choose to move – officially, since some groups already prefer Matrix over their IRC channels. As a result, any major requests to/of the key Ubuntu
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/ubuntu-dev-matrix-move-confirmed
Pinta 3.0 Beta Released with New GTK4/Libadwaita UI
A new beta release of open source graphics editing app Pinta is available for testing. Pinta 3.0 (beta) gives fans of this cross-platform raster image editor, which is directly inspired by the iconic Paint.NET Windows app, an early opportunity to try out the changes it brings — and there’s a fair few! The most impactful change in Pinta 3.0 is the most obvious one: it’s revamped UI. Newly ported to GTK4 and libadwaita, Pinta 3.0 swaps a traditional window frame and text-based menu bar for a button-based header bar. Long-time users may find themselves taking a bit of time to
#News #AppUpdates #Beta #ImageEditors #Libadwaita #Pinta
Google Has Open-Source the Pebble Smartwatch OS – And a New Model is Coming
Did you ever own (or covet) one of those e-ink Pebble smartwatches of yore? Well, good news: Google has open-sourced the PebbleOS operating system it ran on (minus some vital proprietary bits like the Bluetooth stack), having acquired Pebble’s assets when buying Fitbit in 2021 (Fitbit bought Pebble for its IP in 2016). This means anyone—even you!—can use PebbleOS to use/build a smartwatch — albeit with a few hurdles in the way given Google had to (understandably) remove proprietary parts, like system fonts, Bluetooth stack, heart-rate sensor driver, etc, from the code. What made Google open source the Pebble OS
#Hardware #News #Pebble #Smartwatch
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/google-open-sources-pebble-smartwatch-os-new-watch-planned
Varia Download Manager Adds yt-dlp Support
A new version of the Varia download manager was released at the weekend – an update described by its developers as probably the “biggest since the first release”. I’ve written about Varia before and, as I said then, I appreciate that the idea of using a dedicated download manager app on the desktop isn’t as obvious today as it was a decade ago. Most people have fast internet connections, meaning even large downloads complete in seconds, and the built-in download tools in web-browsers are sufficient. Plus, we all tend to use streaming media services these days thus negating the need
#News #AppUpdates #DownloadManager #Varia
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/varia-download-manager-adds-yt-dlp-support
Ubuntu 24.04.2 Arrives Feb 13 with Linux Kernel 6.11
Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS is scheduled for release on February 13th – in time for Valentines Day, aww. Canonical’s Florent Jacquet shares the date on the Ubuntu Developer mailing list today along with a note to developers to be mindful of their package uploads to noble in the coming weeks. As a result, if you’re using the latest long-term support release you may notice a slightly drop-off in the number of non-essential updates Software Updater bugs you to install between now and February 13. This allow devs to create a snapshot and test it properly. Ubuntu point releases rarely bring new
#News #PointReleases #Ubuntu24_04Lts
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/ubuntu-24-04-2-release-date
Vivaldi 7.1 Delivers Speed Dial Buffs, New Search Engine
Vivaldi web browser has just released its first major update of the year – a corker it is, too! Fans of the Chromium-based browser—though Vivaldi Technologies doesn’t appear to be part of the new Linux Foundation-led Supporters of Chromium Browsers project—will discover a bunch of improvements to the Dashboard feature Vivaldi 7.0 delivered. A new weather widget can be added to see current conditions and hourly and weekly weather forecasts for custom locations, plus the ability to set a preferred temperate, precipitation and wind speed unit (celsius, mm, and mph ftw). Keeping things scandi-cool, the Norway-based browser makes use of
#News #AppUpdates #Vivaldi
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/vivaldi-7-1-browser-changes
Ignition is a Modern Startup Applications Utility for Linux
I won’t lie: it’s easy to add or remove startup apps, commands, and scripts in Ubuntu. Just open the Startup Applications tool, click ‘Add’, and away you go. But while Ubuntu’s utility is adequate, it’s not as user-friendly as similar tools available elsewhere. Sure, Startup Applications is equipped with the critical customisation fields a user will need to curate a set of software/services to start at login — SSH agent, VPN app, password manager, backup script, resolution tweaks, and so on — but it’s rather rote. Take the way you add an app to start at login: Ubuntu’s Startup Applications
#News #AppsOnFlathub #Libadwaita #Startup #SystemTools
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/ignition-startup-applications-app-linux-gtk
VirtualBox Update Adds Support for Linux Kernel 6.13
VirtualBox 7.1.6 is out, the third maintenance release to the VirtualBox 7.1 stable series first released in September of last year. Headline offering in this update is initial support for the recently released Linux kernel 6.13 in Linux Guest Additions, plus improved support for the Linux 6.4 kernel to fix graphics freezing when using VBoxVGA adapter, and Linux 6.12 fixes for vboxvideo. Linux guest screens no longer flicker when using VMSVGA graphics adapters, Windows 11 24H2 guests no longer throw BSODs, and entering a custom proxy server in a guest OSes’ settings does now take effect, which some will be
#News #AppUpdates #VirtualMachines #Virtualbox
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/virtualbox-7-1-6-update-changes
Wine 10.0 Released with New Drivers, Features & Changes
A cork has popped on a new stable release of Wine, the open-source compatibility layer that makes it possible to run Windows apps and games on Linux and macOS. Over 6 thousand changes were distilled in the Wine 10.0 release – changes collected, collated and curated during the past 12 months of Wine 9.x development releases. If you supped those dev cycle builds you’ll be familiar with the bulk of what’s new. Wine is not the ‘everyday essential’ it was in years past. Back then, web-based services weren’t as capable so folks were wedded to specific pieces of Windows software, making
#News #Wine
Ubuntu Devs Debate Switching Discussion from IRC to Matrix
Ubuntu is mulling a switch to Matrix from IRC to handle real-time development discussion. Canonical’s Robbie Bask has has begin a discussion on the Ubuntu Developer Mailing list regarding a potential switch in an effort to find consensus for or against such a move, but urges devs in favour not to abandon Ubuntu IRC channels just yet. “First let’s discuss, and if we decide to move, then we can pick a date to move the “official” place for realtime Ubuntu developer conversation,” he writes, adding that If Ubuntu’s development discussions — we’re talking discussions between approved Ubuntu developers, Canonical engineers,
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/ubuntu-devs-matrix-switch
Refine (Advanced GNOME Settings Apps) Adds More Options
A clutch of new customisation and configuration options were added to Refine, a GTK4/libadwaita app in the vein of GNOME Tweaks (but better), over the weekend. Refine is compelling due to its goal of offering the “convenience to add or remove options without touching a single line of source code” — though for a GUI option to exist it must be hooking into a variable within GNOME, i.e., it can’t magic up a toggle to make it rain glitter! A brief bit of turbulence ensnared those attempting to run the tool on Ubuntu after I covered it in early January
#News #AppUpdates #Refine #SystemTools
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/refine-advanced-gnome-settings-apps-adds-more-options
Linux Kernel 6.13 Brings Big Changes
The first new kernel release of the year has arrived — yes, Linux 6.13 has gone stable. Linux kernel 6.13 adds, as ever, a vast array of improvements, from an updated Raspberry Pi graphics driver promising speed gains, to lazy preemption logic, expanded Rust support and new drivers for a host of hardware, peripherals and digital doohickeys. Plus, as with all new kernel releases there’s ongoing work to support new and upcoming CPUs and GPUs from industry titans Intel and AMD. Linus Torvalds quietly confirmed the Linux 6.13 release in an email to the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML), noting that as
#News #LinuxKernel #RaspberryPi
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/linux-kernel-6-13-release-features
Linux Mint 22.1 Released, Here’s Everything New
A major new release of Linux Mint is now available to download. Linux Mint 22.1 is the first update in the Linux Mint 22.x series and, like that version, is built on top of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and uses Linux Kernel 6.8 (though the distro plans to release newer kernel updates more often by opting-in to the Ubuntu HWE). Being based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS means Linux Mint 22.1 receives on-going updates until July 2029. Though it features few foundational changes, Linux Mint 22.1 brings improvements to what sits on top – a new version of the Cinnamon desktop, Wayland-friendly features, new
#News #DistroRelease #LinuxMint
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/linux-mint-22-1-released-heres-everything-new
Ubuntu Patches Major Security Vulnerabilities in Rsync
Doing anything right now? Oh, you’re reading this – appreciated – but once you’re done go and install the pending update to Rsync, pushed out to all supported versions of Ubuntu desktop and server this week. Rsync is a command-line tool preinstalled in all versions and flavours of Ubuntu. It’s used for data-efficient copying and synchronising of files between locations, be it local or remote. You might not (knowingly) use it (it’s not a GUI app) it’s there, on your system. And the fact it’s there is important. This week, security researchers at Google disclosed major vulnerabilities in the Ubuntu
#News #AppUpdates #Canonical #Rsync #Security
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/rsync-secuity-bugs-ubuntu-updates
GNOME 48 Expands Core Apps With New Audio Player
When GNOME 48 is released in March it will debut with a brand-new audio player. Per a recent merge request, Decibels graduates from GNOME Incubator to GNOME Core Apps as part of GNOME 48, making the software something GNOME recommends downstream Linux distributions include to give users a fully-featured GNOME experience. You may be familiar with or even using Decibels already. I wrote about the app in late 2023, and it’s been available to install from Flathub for almost as long. For anyone not familiar with it, Decibels is a no-frills audio player designed for the GNOME desktop (but can
#News #AudioApps #Gnome48
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/gnome-48-new-audio-player
Flatpak 1.16 Improves USB Access, Wayland Integration & Accessibility
A new stable release of Flatpak is out with a wealth of improvements in tow. Flatpak 1.16.0 is the first stable release in the new 1.16.x series, coming more than two years after the Flatpak 1.14.x cycle began and containing features, fixes, and other work undertaken from the 1.15.x development releases. Such as? Well, the way that Flatpak apps access USB devices is improved in Flatpak 1.16.x thanks to a new input device permission. Developer Georges Basile Stavracas notes that this is “technically still a sandbox hole that should be treated with caution” but enables apps to purposefully limit the scope
#News #AppUpdates #Flatpak #Ppas
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/flatpak-1-16-released-new-features
Enlightenment 0.27 Released with Bug Fixes, New Modules
Enlightenment 0.27, released this week, brings a wealth of incremental improvements to users of this unique desktop environment. Though not as well known or widely used as GNOME, Xfce, KDE Plasma, et al, Enlightenment (often abbreviated as just ‘E’) differentiates itself through the use of Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL). An assembly of modules, Enlightenment offers a lightweight window manager, compositor, and desktop shell built using Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL), plus a small set of native EFL-based apps including a file manager, photo viewer, and terminal. Enlightenment’s aesthetics aren’t to everyone’s tastes (it’d be a boring world if it did; most
#News #DesktopEnvironments #Enlightenment
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/enlightenment-0-27-released
Tiling Shell’s Newest Feature Speeds Up Window Snapping
Window snapping GNOME extension Tiling Shell —not that you need an introduction to it by now— adds a nifty new feature in its latest update. Tiling Shell v16 introduces Windows Suggestions, a feature the add-on’s author described as being able to “provide intelligent recommendations for other windows to tile, making window management smoother and more intuitive.” Per the GIF below, placing a window in a tile using the tiling system results in on-screen suggestions for other windows to tile in the the remaining gaps. If too many windows are open (so suggestions don’t fit within the available space) it’s scrollable.
#News #GnomeExtensions #TilingShell
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/tiling-shell-extension-suggestions-feature
VLC Developers Working on AI-Powered Real-Time Subtitles
Real-time AI subtitling is in the works for VLC, the phenomenally popular open-source media player. VideoLAN, the non-profit in charge of VLC development, demoed automatic subtitle generation in VLC at CES 2025 (where not using AI made you stand out this year), and shared a clip of the feature in action (at their CES booth) on X last week. What’s interesting is that the feature doesn’t use a cloud service, logins, or internet connection. It runs offline with real-time translation support for more than 100 languages; can translate/display two languages at once; can ‘save’ translations to an SRT file. “VLC
#News #Ai/Ml #Vlc
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/vlc-demo-ai-real-time-subtitles-for-any-video
