The Odd-Looking ‘App Center’ Icon in Ubuntu 23.10 is Being Fixed
About a week ago I noticed the icon for App Center (the Flutter-based software store-front that replaced Ubuntu Software in 23.10) had changed — and not for the better! At first I assumed it was a snafu caused by me. See, I only noticed the change when I was playing around with scaling options (I was seeing whether 200% scaling on my 2K laptop screen was as bad as I remembered, or if it was just me being a fop for fractional scaling). Anyway, it wasn’t a “me” thing. As App Center is a snap (snap-store ) it gets updated 
#News #AppCenter #Ubuntu23_10
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/03/ubuntu-app-center-wrong-icon-fix
It’s Game Over for Solitaire, Soduku et al in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Ubuntu developers have decided to drop games from the default installation image. Although Ubuntu 23.10 defaults to a minimal install with only core software essentials like a terminal and web browser, users are able to opt for a “full installation” which preinstalls more software, including a handful of basic GNOME games. In Ubuntu 23.10 the following four games are included: But in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS none are. For the Noble Numbat those games are no longer included in the full installation or present in the ISO (which includes all of the software used in a full install so that people
#News #Gaming #Ubuntu24_04Lts
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/ubuntu-24-04-drops-games
KDE Plasma 6.0 Has Arrived, This is What’s New
KDE Plasma 6 has arrived. The first stable release in an all-new series of the phenomenally popular Linux desktop environment is available to download. KDE Plasma 6 improves security, performance, usability, and hardware support Naturally, a major milestone such as this includes scores of changes, enhancements, and new features, the best of which I look at in this post. But I want to touch on the “intangible” changes too as KDE Plasma 6.0 upgrades its underlying application framework, Qt, to a major new version, and fully embraces the Wayland display server. “These under-the-hood upgrades benefit Plasma’s security, efficiency, and performance,
#News #KdeNeon #KdePlasma #QtApps
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/kde-plasma-6-0-new-features
This GNOME Extension Shows AirPods Battery Levels in Ubuntu
Do you use Apple AirPods or Beats wireless headphones with Ubuntu (or any Linux distribution using GNOME Shell) and want to be able to check battery levels on your desktop? Well, now you can! The new Airpod Battery Monitor GNOME Shell extension makes it easy to check the battery levels of your AirPods or Beats bluetooth headsets. Don’t See AirPods Battery Levels in Ubuntu? Apple’s wireless audio devices (including Beats, an Apple subsidiary) work “out of the box” in Ubuntu and other Linux distros) using the regular Bluetooth stack you won’t see any indication of their battery level. Not seeing
#News #Airpods #Apple #Bluetooth #GnomeExtensions
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/see-airpods-battery-levels-in-ubuntu
Warp, Rust-Based Terminal with AI, is Now Available on Linux
Linux developers have a new toy to play with, Warp. Warp is a closed-source terminal emulator built using the Rust programming language. It offers hardware acceleration, integrated AI, collaborative capabilities, and adopts a “blocks” based approach to commands that help set it apart from traditional terminal tools. Plus, when it comes to text input Warp functions more like an IDE or text editor, offering filtering and selections, cursor positioning (including multiple cursors), auto-complete, syntax highlighting, and a fair bit more. Previously a Mac-only app, Warp is now available for Linux distributions, including Ubuntu. At launch, Warp’s Linux app already offers
#News #Ai/Ml #DevTools #Rust #TerminalApps #Warp
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/warp-terminal-official-linux-release
CrossOver 24 Released with UI Buffs, Office 365 Installer Fixes
A new version of CrossOver is available that builds out on last month’s Wine 9.0 release. Created by CodeWeavers, a major contributor to Wine’s ongoing development, CrossOver is a commercial build of Wine with extra “goodies” included that make running Windows games and apps on Linux, Chrome OS and macOS that little bit sweeter. CrossOver 24 is the latest release, and the first based on Wine 9.0 (a huge release with over 7,000 changes). It also ship with Wine Mono 8.1.0, vkd3d 1.10, and MoltenVK 1.2.5 to ensure solid performance across multiple different operating systems. Additionally, CodeWeavers devs spent some
#News #AppUpdates #Crossover #Wine
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/crossover-24-released-run-office-365-linux
Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS is Available to Download
A new point release of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is available to download. Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS is the fourth point release and results in a brand-new installation image (ISO) that integrates all of the security patches, bug fixes, and software updates released since last August’s Ubuntu 22.04.3 image. Additionally, Ubuntu 22.04.4 ships atop a new hardware enablement stack (HWE) composed of Linux kernel 6.5 (bringing support for newer hardware, file system tweaks, and security updates) and Mesa 23.2.1 (offering improved graphics support). Package updates include Thunderbird 115.6, and Mozilla Firefox 122 (which will auto-update to the most recent release at the
#News #PointReleases #Ubuntu22_04Lts
Wunderlist Makers Pick Up Where They Left Off with New App Superlist
Remember Wunderlist? It was a popular, well-made, cloud-based to-do app/task manager free to use across all major mobile and desktop platforms, including Linux — until Microsoft bought it and eventually shut it down. Well, now it’s back — sort of. The makers of Wunderlist have launched a brand-new to-do app called Superlist. It’s easy to see Superlist as a spiritual successor to what went before. Its simple, streamlined design has a similar vibe, its feature set is suitably simple, and the service has a pricing structure that means regular folk like you and I can use the thing on all our
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/wunderlist-returns-as-superlist-more-or-less
Firefox 123 Delivers Better Linux Gamepad Support + More
A new stable version of the Mozilla Firefox web browser is available to download. Mozilla Firefox 123 buffs the browser’s privacy-respecting translation. When translating a web page the browser now also translates text shown in tooltips (i.e. titles) and placeholder text shown in form controls/fields/search boxes. A clutch of address bar settings are now listed in the Settings > Search section. From there, you can choose what kinds of results the address bar ‘suggests’ for queries, you enter, e.g., browsing history, bookmarks, open tabs, shortcuts, and search engines. Linux gamer? You’ll be pleased to hear Firefox 123 adopts evdev for
#News #AppUpdates #Firefox
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/mozilla-firefox-123-features
Miracle-WM: New Tiling Wayland Compositor Based on Mir
Fans of tiling window managers like i3, Sway, and Hyprland will be interested to hear there’s a new option in town called Miracle-WM. Created by Canonical engineer Matthew Kosarek, Miracle-WM is notable for being a Wayland compositor that is based on Mir. For those with long memories, Mir began life as a replacement for X. It was intended to become the default display server in Ubuntu desktop instead of Wayland. Controversy and acrimony ensued, then Canonical’s plans for Ubuntu changed, and so did the scope and purpose of Mir. Development on Mir continued and the project matured as it focused
#News #Mir #Tiling #Wayland
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/miracle-wm-tiling-wayland-compositor-mir
Leading Open-Source IRC Client Announces Final Release
Open-source, cross-platform IRC client HexChat has announced its final release. HexChat 2.16.2 arrives with a small selection of bug fixes and new features for its long-standing fans to enjoy, rounding out a near 12 years of continued development since starting life as a fork of XChat. “This will be the last release I make of HexChat,” app maintainer TingPing says in a blog post announcement. “The project has largely been unmaintained for years now and nobody else stepped up to do that work.” HexChat’s previous release was back in 2021, accompanied by a call for help to keep development of
#News #AppUpdates #Irc
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/hexchat-irc-client-final-release
GNOME Network Displays Adds Support for MICE, Chromecast
The latest version of the GNOME Network Displays app lets you stream your desktop to a wireless display using the Chromecast and Miracast over Infrastructure (MICE) protocols. Both features had been in development for a while and were long-standing requests from many in the community. To see both land in a recent release of GNOME Network Displays 0.9 is great news, and makes working with wireless displays a lot easier. MICE support has been tested to stream a GNOME desktop to an LG WebOS smart TV through ethernet and Wi-Fi over LAN rather than WiFi Direct. MICE works better with older
#News #AppUpdates #Chromecast #Miracast #Network #WirelessDisplay
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/gnome-network-displays-adds-support-for-mice-chromecast
elementary OS 8 Enters Early Access – Here’s What’s Planned
Sponsors of elementary OS now have early access to the next major version of the Ubuntu-based desktop Linux operating system. elementary OS 8 is the next major update, following on from this year’s elementary OS 7.x series. It is based on the packages from the Ubuntu 24.04 repositories, but as that release isn’t out until April a final release of elementary OS 8 will likely be early summer at the soonest. But as ever with elementary: there is no fixed release date until a release date is ready to be fixed in. With early access builds out, let’s look a
#News #Elementary
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/elementary-os-8-plans-early-access
Ubuntu 24.04 Refreshes the Desktop Installer [First Look]
As part of work on the upcoming Ubuntu 24.04 release Canonical’s engineers have been working on improving the Ubuntu installer — with “provisioning” a key aim. Now the Ubuntu desktop installer uses the same backend technology as Ubuntu Server Canonical would like to bring features coming used in server deployments to regular desktop users. It says it realised its “focus was too much” on the installer, and not on the “broader perspective”. Hence “evolving from installation to provisioning” Doing so is going to streamline their development process and make life easier for OEMs and others installing Ubuntu in managed environments.
#News #Development #Ubuntu24_04Lts
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/ubuntu-24-04-installer-redesign
ONLYOFFICE 8.0 Released with PDF Buffs, Support for RTL
Lots of new features, er feature in the latest update to ONLYOFFICE, the open-source productivity suite for Windows, macOS, and Linux. ONLYOFFICE 8.0 introduces RTL support, albeit as an opt-in, beta feature. When enabled it enables RTL text in the UI and support for bidirectional text input in text documents and presentations — though devs stress it’s partial support with known limitations. Plenty of PDF improvements are provided in this update. This version makes it possible to encrypt regular PDFs with passwords to prevent unauthorised access, and create fillable PDF forms (which can’t encrypted) from editable DOCXF templates. Anyone working with
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/onlyoffice-8-0-released-with-pdf-buffs-support-for-rtl
Ubuntu ‘Command Not Found’ Open to Exploit, Warn Experts
Researchers at Aqua Nautilus say they’ve identified a security issue with the way Ubuntu’s “command not found” feature works that attackers could exploit to trick users into installing malicious snaps. In a lengthy blog post detailing their investigation, the security outfit conclude that “the risk of attackers exploiting the ‘command-not-found’ utility to recommend their own malicious snap packages is a pressing concern”. “The true peril lies in the potential scope of this issue, with attackers capable of mimicking thousands of commands from widely-used packages,” adding “past instances of malicious packages appearing in the Snap Store highlight this issue.” What’s the
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/security-researchers-detail-ubuntu-security-flaw
Mozilla Announces Layoffs, Will Bring ‘Trustworthy’ AI to Firefox
Mozilla, makers of the Firefox web browser, is the latest tech company to announce layoffs. The non-profit says it is is scaling back development on a number of projects and, as a result, 60 team members (roughly 5% of its workforce) will lose their jobs. Among the project TechCrunch says Mozilla has earmarked for cutbacks is the paid-for Online Footprint Scrubber feature announced barely a week ago. Similarly, its VPN, Relay and privacy products and the Mozilla.social Mastodon instance will see reduced investment going forward (users of the latter needn’t panic as the instance isn’t being axed just undergoing what Mozilla
#News #Mozilla
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/mozilla-announces-layoffs-firefox-ai-plans
First Look at Ubuntu’s New ‘Desktop Security Center’
Ubuntu is working on a new Desktop Security Center tool that will make it easier for users to access many of the distro’s underlying security features. An early version of the Flutter-based app was made available to install from the Canonical Snap Store this week — but before anyone gets too excited I must stress it’s very much a WIP! Read on for a bit more detail on what this app is, the features Canonical plans to add, and how to install a preview version to try it out for yourself. Ubuntu Desktop Security Center Ubuntu offers a variety of
#News #Security #Snaps #Ubuntu24_04Lts
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/first-look-at-ubuntus-new-desktop-security-center
Collector is like a Linux Version of DropOver
If you’re looking for a way to more efficiently copy files on Linux, check out Collector. Collector gives you a temporary holding space on which you can drag and drop multiple files, paste clipboard content, and drop web links to images (e.g., Google Images). You can take your time gathering content, and preview and edit your ‘stash’ as you go. When ready you can drag all items out with a single click and drop them elsewhere. You could drop them to a folder on your file system, on to an app (if it supports opening them), or on to a
#Apps #Collector #Office&ProductivityApps
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/collector-app-like-dropover-for-linux
Firefox Devs Working on Tab Hover Previews
Tab previews are in the works for Mozilla Firefox. In current versions of the browser, hovering your mouse over a non-focused browser tab shows a small tooltip that displays the web page title — and that’s it. While this is handy, especially if you have a ton of open tabs (including many from the same site) and are able to read enough of the tab title to distinguish which tab is for which page, you may be more visually-orientated. Enter tab previews. In the latest Firefox 123 beta builds Mozilla devs have added a new flag. When this is enabled
#News #Firefox
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/firefox-devs-working-on-tab-hover-previews
