(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

Firefox 147 Arrives with XDG Support on Linux, Auto-PiP + More:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/01/firefox-147-released

Odysee banned in the EU (among many other sites) for "spreading Russian propaganda":
https://www.europereloaded.com/from-sanctions-to-overblocking-a-personal-vodafoneziggo-case-study/
https://www.nlconnect.org/files/pages/2025/12/NLconnect-Reference-List-EU-Media-Sanctions-v-15-12-25.pdf
(Looks like the same nonsensical "we need to protect someone from something, so limit digital freedom of everyone" mindset, as with the age verification crap...)
(Yeah, just prevent regular users too from accessing the site who aren't even interested in that political crap. Good job, morons... What you'll do next? Block all decentralized platforms, because "freedom is dangerous to people", or what?)
(I usually avoid including political things in these weekly news posts, but I thought it must be included, because it can potentially affect everyone in the EU. I'm not affected yet, because so far Vodafone seems to be the only one blocking the site, I use a different ISP, but since it's a law, other ISPs will probably be forced to comply too (unless it will be handled as GDPR that they don't actually care who complies). VPN will probably be a solution to get around the ban, hopefully they won't ban that too, like the UK wants...)

Thunderbird 147.0: new folder path option & localization preferences added:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/1/thunderbird-147-0-new-folder-path-option-and-localization-preferences-added/

Joplin 3.5 refines Markdown editing, adds case insensitive tags & boosts syncing & sharing:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/1/joplin-3-5-refines-markdown-editing-adds-case-insensitive-tags-and-boosts-syncing-and-sharing/

OBS Studio 32.1 Beta is out with a new Audio Mixer, WebRTC Simulcast support and more:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/obs-studio-32-1-beta-is-out-with-a-new-audio-mixer-webrtc-simulcast-support-and-more/

NewPipe 0.28.1 update improves playback, metadata, and SoundCloud support:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/1/newpipe-0-28-1-update-improves-playback-metadata-and-soundcloud-support/

VLC adds native Arm support on Windows, improving playback on Snapdragon devices:
https://betanews.com/article/vlc-adds-native-arm-support-on-windows/

Shotcut 26.1 Beta Video Editor Adds New Hardware Decoder Options:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Shotcut-26.1-Beta

(more FOSS news in comment)

#WeeklyNews #OpenSource #FOSSNews #FOSS #Firefox #Odysee #Thunderbird #Joplin #OBS #OBSStudio #NewPipe #VLC #Shotcut #Browser #ContentCreation #WebBrowser #EmailClient #FosseryTech

(Linux news in previous posts of thread)

FOSS NEWS

PeerTube v8 launches with redesigned video player, collaborative channel management & more:
https://joinpeertube.org/news/release-8.0
(The new video player theme looks pretty nice imo, but I also like the option to change it back to the old theme, leaving users choice. YouTube can take notes lol (they probably won't))

Brave tests AI browsing mode with opt-in feature flag, isolated profile & other safeguards:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/12/brave-tests-ai-browsing-mode-with-opt-in-feature-flag-isolated-profile-and-other-safeguards/
(Hell nah, please stop cramming AI everywhere. We already have a standalone privacy respecting AI chat, Proton Lumo, for those who don't have the hardware to run powerful offline models, no need to be pushed outside regular AI chats.)

Firefox 146 Brings Full Fractional Scaling Support on Wayland:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/12/firefox-146-release-linux-fractional-scaling-support

Tor's Rust rewrite Arti 1.8.0 released with circuit timeout rework, arti hsc ctor-migrate command and more:
https://itsfoss.com/news/tor-rust-rewrite-progress/

Thunderbird 146 Update Migrates Logins to AES + More:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/12/thunderbird-146-login-migration

CoMaps adds updated OpenStreetMap data and Material 3 themes:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/12/comaps-adds-updated-openstreetmap-data-and-material-3-themes/

LibreOffice 26.2 Beta 1 Now Available For This Free Software Office Suite:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/LibreOffice-26.2-Beta-1

Linux Foundation's Newest Endeavor: The Agentic AI Foundation:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-Foundation-Agentic-AI
(Nope, I said, stop!)

Hurray! This German State Decides to Save €15 Million Each Year By Kicking Out Microsoft for Open Source:
https://itsfoss.com/news/german-state-ditch-microsoft/

(more FOSS news in comment)

#WeeklyNews #OpenSource #FOSSNews #FOSS #PeerTube #Brave #Firefox #Tor #Arti #Thunderbird #CoMaps #LibreOffice #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AgenticAI #AgenticAIFoundation #Fediverse #Fedi #Browser #WebBrowser #Email #EmailClient #Maps #OfficeSuite #FosseryTech