Dull Desktop? Install ‘Picture of the Day’ App on Ubuntu
Ubuntu users can enjoy a fresh new desktop wallpaper each and every day with this new app, which sources backgrounds from Bing, Wikimedia, and NASA.
#News #Bing #EyeCandy
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/04/ubuntu-picture-of-the-day-app
DeaDBeeF 1.10 Release Brings New Features
A new version of DeaDBeeF music player is out, bringing some cool features, FFmpeg 7 support, and a flurry of bug fixes to long-time fans. The popularity of traditional desktop music player apps has dipped considerably since the arrival of music streaming services like Spotify, which give users on-demand (and often free) access to a far larger catalogue of artists, albums and releases. Still, many people (myself included) have libraries filled with MP3 and other audio files, and do enjoy listening them. I’d wager most such users have (by now) settled on their preferred local music player; for many, that 
#News #AppUpdates #Deadbeef #MusicPlayers
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/04/deadbeef-1-10-release-brings-new-features
Linux App Release Roundup (March 2025)
March was another stellar month for Linux software updates, with big improvements to essential privacy tools like KeePassXC, creative apps such as Shotcut and DigiKam, and many more — updates that didn’t warrant dedicated articles on this blog. Why? Well, sometimes it’s an update making small changes hat it’s hard to say much1 about. Other times I’m just deathly late to hearing about it (which is why new tips via the contact form are super appreciated – you help me catch the things I miss). For those of us on fixed-release Linux distributions like Ubuntu, even small app updates can
#News #AppUpdates #Blender #Crossover #Lrr #Shotcut
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/linux-app-release-roundup-march-2025
Firefox 137 Released with Tab Groups, Address Bar Revamp + More
Tab grouping is the latest big-ticket feature to be added to Mozilla Firefox, which sees a new stable release roll out from today. Last month’s Firefox 136 update delivered long-requested support for vertical tabs, a redesigned sidebar experience giving easy access to existing and new features (including online AI chatbots), and flipped the switch on AMD video hardware decoding for Linux users. Firefox 137 is an equally big update, bringing tab grouping, a revamped search bar, and a host of other changes. Let’s take a look. Firefox 137: New Features Tab Grouping Firefox 137 brings Tab Groups to users on the stable
#News #AppUpdates #Firefox #Hevc
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/04/firefox-137-new-features
Ubuntu 25.10 Codename Revealed – Or is a Prank?
Will Ubuntu 25.10 be codenamed the Quizzical Quokka? It’s an adjective + animal moniker Canonical’s marketing team tersely tweeted earlier today—sans context—but, importantly, today is April 1, aka April’s Fools Day, aka the day when companies, teams, and unpaid marketing interns spam the web with try-hard lolslop. Ubuntu 25.10 could well be Quizzical Quokka, but it may not be — if it isn’t, it ought to be. The ‘Quizzical’ portion would be a playful, it slightly odd adjective to go with since it can be confused, baffled, perplexed – not terms which best denote a dependable operating system! Quizzical can,
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/04/ubuntu-25-10-q-codename-maybe
Developer Revives Iconic Desktop Weather App for Linux
An iconic desktop weather app from Linux’s past has just blown in — yes, Typhoon is back! Typhoon’s conceit is simple: display current conditions at a location plus a 4 day forecast on a customisable coloured background. Weather data is via Open-Meteo, the open source meteorological API other Linux weather apps use. Long long-time OMG! Ubuntu readers may just about recall that Typhoon was forked from an older app called Stormcloud, the latter being the best-selling app on Ubuntu for 6 consecutive months (in the era when paid apps were sold in Software Center). Development on Typhoon dried up a
#News #AppUpdates #Stormcloud #Typhoon #Weather
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/developer-revives-iconic-desktop-weather-app-for-linux
Tiling Shell GNOME Extension Update Adds New Features
An update to Tiling Shell, the efficient window snapping extension for GNOME Shell, is rolling out with some appreciable enhancements. Its nifty ‘Windows Suggestions’ feature, which makes it easy to tile your other open windows to remaining spaces in a layout, is now available when using the Snap Assistant. The option has to be manually enabled, but once done: As a reminder for those less-familia with this extension, Tiling Shell offers lots of different ways to tile windows besides the slide-in Windows 11-esque) ‘Snap Assistant’ drop zone demoed above. You can tile windows using (custom) keyboard shortcuts; a combination of
#News #AppUpdates #GnomeExtensions #TilingShell
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/tiling-shell-gnome-extension-update-adds-new-features
Ubuntu Fixes Wi-Fi Connection Fail at Login Screen
Ubuntu users frustrated by the inability to connect to a new password-protected Wi-Fi network at the login screen will be pleased to know a fix is rolling out. This particular bug affects users of both Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Ubuntu 24.10. When trying to join a wireless network at the login screen (GDM) which requires a password, the password input prompt never appears and the connection fails. Why does—soon to be ‘did’—connecting to a wifi network at the Ubuntu login screen fail? Canonical software engineer (and the original bug reporter) Bartosz Woronicz explains: "The log-in screen [in Ubuntu] is implemented
#News #BugFixes #Gdm #Ubuntu24_04Lts #Ubuntu24_10
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/ubuntu-fix-wifi-connecting-login-screen
Ubuntu 25.04: The Best New Features
The upcoming Ubuntu 25.04 release is set to ship with a plethora of new features, UI improvements and core changes that will be worth upgrading for. In this post, I run through the best new features Ubuntu 25.04 ‘Plucky Puffin’ has to offer. If you don’t plan to test the beta—out today—you can look forward to trying all of the things pin-pointed below in April when the final, stable release arrives. From notification grouping and digital ‘wellbeing’ tools to new features in the OS installer and a performance-focused Linux kernel, there’s a lot to see — here’s what makes the
#News #Feature #Ubuntu25_04
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/ubuntu-25-04-new-features
Ubuntu 25.04 Beta is Now Available to Download
If you’ve been pining to sample the Plucky Puffin, now’s the time: the Ubuntu 25.04 beta downloads are out! Ubuntu 25.04 beta lands ahead of the planned stable release on Thursday April 17, 2025. As a beta, the purpose is to let folks like you and I muck in to test it out, check it works with hardware, and report any bugs, breakages, or big issues so they can be fixed post-haste! Ubuntu 25.04 is a short-term release supported for 9 months — Ubuntu LTS releases are supported for a minimum of 5 years — but Ubuntu 25.10 is released
#News #DistroRelease #Ubuntu25_04
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/ubuntu-25-04-beta-download
Vivaldi Browser Adds Integrated Proton VPN
The Vivaldi web browser is famed for offering a plethora of options, settings and features that cater to all kinds of use-cases and needs — today it added a new one: an integrated VPN. Proton VPN for Vivaldi is exactly what it says it is: Proton VPN in Vivaldi – as in, baked in so there’s no need to download an app, install a web extension, or configure anything on a system level. It’s there, in the browser, ready to work when/if you want it. A couple of other web browsers include a built-in VPN (like Opera) or have a
#News #AppUpdates #ProtonAg #Vivaldi #Vpn
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/vivaldi-browser-now-includes-built-in-proton-vpn
Zorin OS 17.3 Released with New Default Browser
The new Zorin OS 17.3 release is available to download and it includes a number of major changes – like a new default web browser. Based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Linux kernel 6.8, Zorin OS 17.3 offers “new features, strengthens your privacy, and enhances the entire user experience,” according to its developers. For a closer look at those features, privacy changes, and UX enhancements, read on. Zorin OS’s New Default Web Browser Zorin OS 17.3 makes a huge change to its choice of default web browser, hitherto Mozilla Firefox. But no more. The distro cites Mozilla’s “recent policy changes”
#News #Brave #Distros #ZorinOs
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/zorin-os-17-3-released-with-new-default-browser
Extension Manager Update Brings UI Buffs, Support for GNOME 48
If you’re an avid user of GNOME Shell extensions then a) you’re in good company, and b) you’ll be familiar with Matt Jakeman’s terrific Extension Manager app since it makes finding, installing and managing GNOME extensions terrifically easy. This week Extension Manager received a small-ish update. I was going to cover the changes in my next Linux Release Roundup at the end of the month, but with GNOME 48 out—cue the “does my favourite extension still work” panic—it feels fitting to let the update stand in a solo spotlight. Especially since Extension Manager‘s Flatpak build now depends on the GNOME
#News #AppUpdates #GnomeExtensions
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/extension-manager-update-brings-ui-buffs-support-for-gnome-48
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released, Delivers Big Boosts to Linux Gaming
Linux Kernel 6.14 has arrived, bringing a clutch of changes to make your computer run more efficiently and more securely than before. Interestingly, Linux 6.14 is one the smallest kernel updates in terms of commits (not lines of code) for some time. It is also the kernel version that will be included in Ubuntu 25.04, released next month. Announcing the promotion to stable on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) Linus Torvalds notes that the release arrives one day later than expected because of …Well, I’ll let him explain: “So it’s early Monday morning (well – early for me, I’m
#News #Ai/Ml #Amd #LinuxKernel #Ubuntu25_04 #Wine
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/linux-kernel-6-14-released-delivers-big-boosts-to-linux-gaming
Ubuntu Adds Official Support for NVIDIA Jetson AI Modules
Canonical has announced that it now ‘officially supports’ Ubuntu on NVIDIA Jetson, a series of computing modules designed for AI and machine learning applications. The General Availability (GA) of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS for the NVIDIA Jetson Orin brings “optimized performance, out-of-the-box compatibility, and an easy pathway to high-performance AI solutions for AI developers everywhere“, say Canonical. Offering Ubuntu certified images for cutting-edge hardware is something Canonical has been ramping up, and doing so for NVIDIA Jetson modules should provide a lure to developers wanting to leverage them for edge AI, robotics and other uses. Our collaboration with NVIDIA represents a
#Hardware #News #Ai/Ml #Nvidia #UbuntuCore
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/ubuntu-announces-official-support-for-nvidia-jetson-ai-modules
Miracle-WM 0.5 Released with Assorted Improvements
A new version of Miracle-WM, the Mir-based tiling window manager developed by Canonical engineer Matthew Kosarek is out, the first update to be released this year. Miracle-WM 0.5 adds a number of new features, compatibility enhancements, and (at long last) introduces a couple of animations (remember: Miracle-WM wants to be a ‘flashy’ tiling WM like WHICH and animations, ever optional, ofc, help live up to that). Miracle-WM 0.5 changes at-a-glance: On the bug-fixes side: Plus more – see the Miracle-WM GitHub for a comprehensive list of all the bugs, changes, and refactoring that has gone into shaping the latest release.
#News #Mir #Miracle-Wm #Tiling
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/miracle-wm-0-5-released-with-assorted-improvements
Calibre Ebook Manager Improves Support for Kobo E-Readers
A new version of Calibre, the Swiss-army knife for e-book management is out, and it brings some notable new features for e-bookworms to dig into. Calibre 8.0.1 boasts improved support for Kobo e-readers, with Calibre now equipped to natively edit, view and convert Kobo’s proprietary KEPUB file format to regular EPUB files for reading on non-Kobo devices and apps (like Calibre itself). Additionally, users of Kobo devices can now use Calibre to convert EPUB to KEPUB automatically when sending books across, saving time and hassle of first converting and then sending. I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of KEPUB before writing
#News #AppUpdates #Calibre #Ebooks #Kobo
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/calibre-update-convert-kobo-kepub-files
elementary OS 8.1 Brings Bug Fixes, New Kernel + More
Didn’t get around to trying last year’s elementary OS 8.0 release? No bother as elementary OS 8.1 arrived this week, providing an opportune jumping-on point for new users. Based atop the recent Ubuntu 24.04.2 release, elementary OS 8.1 is powered by Linux kernel 6.11, Mesa , etc. The kernel uplift also remedies a number of annoying issues which had affected those using the distro on AMD hardware. Foundational fittings aside, elementary devs also sort of fixed, fine-tuned and finessed many of the apps, tools, and home-grown technologies the distro ships with. “We’ve been hard at work this winter addressing issues
#News #Distros #Elementary
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/elementary-os-8-1-brings-bug-fixes-new-kernel-more
GNOME 48 Released, This is What’s New
Aloha, GNOME 48 — a new version of the GNOME desktop environment is out with a swathe of new features, UI buffs, and technical integrations that will have plenty of folks clamouring to upgrade. The latest version of the ever-evolving desktop environment will ship out-of-the-box in several upcoming Linux distros releases, including Fedora 42 and Ubuntu 25.04, whilst users of rolling release distros may get it sooner. GNOME 48 is the the sort of update users of propriety OSes long for: it’s not screaming for attention with pointless gimmicks, but focused on improving users’ daily workflow with conscientious, considered changes. In
#News #Gnome
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/gnome-48-best-new-features
Vivaldi 7.2 Released with Speed Improvements + More
A big Vivaldi web browser update is rolling out with a set of appreciable improvements long-time users will like, and would-be users may be tempted to try. Vivaldi 7.2 amps up its address bar logic to proffer more relevant results, faster. Search suggestions and search accuracy have been tweaked so that “finding what you need feels seamless”, according to Vivaldi Technologies’ CEO Jon von Tetzchner. Sticking with the speed theme, Vivaldi 7.2 is said to load pages faster—up to 2x as fast for some—thanks to some nifty optimised connection handling work on the backend that reduces latency on domain lookup.
#News #AppUpdates #Vivaldi #WebBrowsers
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/vivaldi-7-2-release-whats-new
