Linux Foundation & Google Form New Group to Manage Chromium
Google is teaming up with the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, Meta, and Opera to form a new Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers group. Members of the group, managed by the Linux Foundation, will work together, pool resources, talent, time, and expertise to improve, innovate, and accelerate development of the open-source Chromium codebase. Why the Linux Foundation? Google cites their “long established practices for open governance, prioritizing transparency, inclusivity, and community-driven development.” For its part, Google says it has no intention of reducing its contributions to Chromium (which made up roughly 94 percent of all commits to the codebase in 2024), but will 
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/supporters-of-chromium-based-browsers-linux-foundation
COSMIC Alpha 5 Brings Media Player App, User Account Editing + More
A big alpha update to System76’s COSMIC desktop environment is out, bringing new apps, more settings, and plenty of performance tuneups and pesky bug fixes. This is the 5th alpha preview of the Rust-based DE since August 2024. Further alphas are planned each month until all of features, capabilities, and options planned for the first ‘epoch’ release are in place, at which point beta testing will follow. Arriving with this alpha is a refreshed ISO of Pop!_OS 24.04 (Alpha), so users who want to check in on the progress being made can do so easily. As with previous COSMIC desktop
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/cosmic-desktop-alpha-5-new-media-player
Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB RAM Announced for $120
Raspberry Pi has today announced the launch of a Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB RAM. A engorged-memory model had been oft-rumoured since the launch of the raspberry Pi 5 in 2024 – and long-desired by fans of this particular single-board computer (SBC). The launch of the new Raspberry Pi CM5 late last year offers up to 16GB RAM whilst utilising the same underlying chipset as the Pi 5, all but confirming a bumper RAM revision for the full-size board was imminent. Why didn’t they launch a 16GB model right away? It’s only with last year’s minor revision to the Broadcom
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/raspberry-pi-5-16gb-ram-announced
Firefox 134 Brings Touch Hold Gestures to Linux, Ecosia Search + More
Mozilla Firefox 134 has landed, making the browser’s first release of the new year. It’s been a month since Firefox 133 delivered time-saving tab overview access, beefed up bounce tracking protection, finessed flaws with Flatpak file opening, and smoothed out issues causing slow DNS lookup/connection timings on 64-bit Linux distributions. Do the changes in Firefox 134 best those? Let’s take a look! Firefox 134: New Features Touch hold gestures on Linux On Linux, Firefox 134 supports touchpad hold gestures. This allows kinetic scrolling to be stopped simply by placing two fingers on the touchpad. If you ever scroll down a lengthy article
#News #AppUpdates #Firefox
Long-Time Ubuntu Contributor Steve Langasek Has Passed Away
Sad news from Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth today: longtime Ubuntu and Debian contributor Steve Langasek has passed away. In a touching post shared to the Ubuntu Discourse, Mark Shuttleworth carries word that “Steve passed away at the dawn of 2025. His time was short but remarkable. He will forever remain an inspiration.” “Judging by the outpouring of feelings this week, he is equally missed and mourned by colleagues and friends across the open source landscape, in particular in Ubuntu and Debian where he was a great mind, mentor and conscience.” As a former Debian and Ubuntu release manager, and a
#Community #News #Canonical
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/long-time-ubuntu-contributor-steve-langasek-has-passed-away
Want to Tweak Advanced Settings in GNOME? Try Refine
If you’ve ever played around with customising Ubuntu (or any GNOME Shell-based Linux distribution) you’ll have encountered GNOME Tweaks, an official app giving you GUI access to options, settings, and controls not otherwise exposed in the UI. In recent years, GNOME’s developers have begun migrating settings out of GNOME Tweaks and into the desktop proper — a move which refutes that oft-opined claim that GNOME only removes options, never adds them. But we (as users) can’t expect GNOME to cover and cater to every whim, want and wish. It pulls engineers and developers away from working on arguably more important
#News #Gnome
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/refine-advanced-tweak-tool-for-gnome
What Do You Want to See From Ubuntu in 2025?
A new year has started, and who knows what kind of innovations and improvements it holds for for Ubuntu, which remains the world’s most used desktop Linux operating system. We get 2 new releases of Ubuntu each year, one in April and one in October. Plus, new point releases of the latest long-term support release rolling up bug fixes, app updates, and back-porting newer Linux kernels and GPU drivers. So 2025 should be another golden year for Ubuntu, those of us using it, and the Linux and open-source community as a whole. Changes to Ubuntu in 2024 span a wide
#Opinion #Ubuntu25_04
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/01/what-do-you-want-to-see-from-ubuntu-in-2025
10 Cool Changes Ubuntu Received in 2024
As another year transitions from present to past, I want1 to recap the notable new features, changes, updates and innovations Ubuntu saw over the past 12 months. And there was a fair bit: we got a noble new long-term support release in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, as well as an opulent follow up in Ubuntu 24.10; we saw Canonical ensuring Ubuntu is at the forefront of next-gen tech, and even Snaps started to suck less! ;) For a round up of ten cool things Ubuntu got, did, or announced in 2024, and listed in no particular order, read on — just
#News #BestOf2024 #Ubuntu
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/10-cool-changes-in-ubuntu-2024
Kdenlive is Adding One of Final Cut Pro’s Best Features
Removing backgrounds from video in Kdenlive, the free, open-source video editor for Linux, macOS and Windows, is about to get a whole lot easier. This “modern background removal tool” uses object masks to automatically cut out the subject of a video clip — no green screen required! Real-time background removal features are increasingly common in video conferencing/chat apps like Slack. They allow a user to replace their actual backdrop (like a messy kitchen) with an alternative image or, sometimes, even a video clip. Video editors often have similar needs: they want to ‘cut out’ an object, item, person, or whatever
#News #Ai/Ml #AppUpdates #Kdenlive #QtApps #VideoEditors
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/kdenlive-automatic-object-masking-feature
Orbit is Mozilla’s AI Assistant Add-On for Firefox (Now in Beta)
Orbit by Mozilla is a new AI-powered assistant for the Firefox web browser that makes it easy to summarise web content as you browse, directly from the page you’re on. After all, why read an article to understand what it says when you can read an AI summary rephrasing it instead? ;) Joking aside, Mozilla’s AI assistant Orbit does things a bit differently. The add-on is currently in “beta” and available to install from the Firefox add-ons site. It works on Firefox for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is described thus: Orbit empowers you to stay informed and efficient by
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/orbit-by-mozilla-ai-assistant-firefox-extension
GNOME’s New Image Viewer is Add Image Editing Features
Loupe (aka Image Viewer) is GNOME’s modern successor to the venerable Eye of GNOME has picked up its first batch of image editing features. The features in question were only recently merged upstream, aren’t finished, and not yet included in a stable build. But they’re an interesting addition that furthers the likelihood that Loupe could become the default image viewer on Ubuntu. At present, Ubuntu continues to use Eye of GNOME as the default tool for opening and browsing image files on desktop, despite Loupe having officially replaced it upstream in the GNOME project as a GNOME Core app. Loupe
#News #Gnome #Gnome48 #ImageEditors #Loupe
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/loupe-image-viewer-adds-crop-features
New Open Source Terminal App Ghostty is One to Watch
We’re seeing something of a terminal emulator renaissance of late with the humble no-frills console being reimagined, rethought, and rewired to use GPU acceleration, containerised workflows, and (naturally) AI. Ghostty is a new, open-source and cross-platform terminal app created by Mitchell Hashimoto (the co-founder of HashiCorp). He says he “set out to build a terminal emulator that was fast, feature-rich, and had a platform-native GUI while still being cross-platform.” And based on the first release of Ghostty 1.0, which materialised over Christmas like a Dickensian spectre, he’s a fair way to achieving those aims! Having ‘platform-native GUI’ as a USP is
#News #Ghostty #TerminalApps #Zig
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/ghostty-terminal-linux-open-source-release
Want to See Pinned Ubuntu Dock Apps in the Application Grid?
You may have noticed (or not) that if an app is pinned to the Ubuntu Dock you don’t see a shortcut for it in the applications grid. This approach is by design to avoid duplication since the dock is always visible (by default) so those app shortcuts are always in reach – each app shortcut only shows once. Not everyone likes this behaviour, especially if Ubuntu Dock auto-hide is enabled. Naturally, there are 3rd-party GNOME Shell extensions one can install to make sure all apps show in the main applications grid irrespective of whether they’re pinned to Ubuntu Dock (or
#News #GnomeExtensions
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/keep-pinned-apps-in-application-grid-gnome-shell
How to Hide Ubuntu Pro Updates in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Ubuntu Pro is an optional security feature that Ubuntu LTS users can enrol in to get critical updates for more than 25,000 packages that would otherwise sit unpatched. If you use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS you will have seen Ubuntu Pro security updates in Software Updater (or when running apt commands). And you will have noticed you can’t install those updates without having an Ubuntu Pro subscription. Businesses, or those with fleets of machines to manage, need to pay for an Ubuntu Pro/ESM plan, but Ubuntu Pro is entirely free for home users (on up to 5 computers) so the only
#HowTo #UbuntuPro
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/disable-ubuntu-pro-updates-in-software-updater
OpenShot Video Editor Puts Out an Effortless, Seamless, Etc Update
A new version of OpenShot video editor is out (a video editor which doesn’t have the best reputation for stability hence the nickname OpenShut). OpenShot—though more accurately, ChatGPT or similar—claim “OpenShot 3.3 is here to transform your editing experience! This release is as powerful as it is beautiful Take your video editing to the next level with OpenShot 3.3. Download it now and see the difference”. The headline new feature in OpenShot 3.3 is a new default theme. This, according to GPT/OpenShot, provides a “modern editing experience”. While the new theme looks better, it doesn’t affect a ‘modern editing
#News
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/12/openshot-3-3-video-editor-release
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
