Fossery Tech  5h ago

This week's Linux and FOSS news:

LINUX NEWS

elementaryOS dev announces to comply with California law to avoid fines:
https://mastodon.online/@danirabbit/116250765623660340
(I mean, losing a source of income is a valid concern on her part, but it doesn't justify that she risks the privacy of the users. Even though she says in a reply that asking for ID is different, I wouldn't be so sure at this point that she won't consider implementing that too, just to stay in business)

Fedora Project Leader Suggests Linux Distros Could Adopt Apple's Age Verification API:
https://itsfoss.com/news/fedora-leader-suggests-age-verification-api/
(Adopting a big tech corp's API? What the hell did he smoke? It's even worse than the Systemd stuff. I already had some trust issues with Fedora, but now it becomes pretty obvious, that they shouldn't be trusted)

Devuan rejects compliance:
https://xcancel.com/jaromil/status/2034694340249821329
(Now this is great to see. I'm considering getting away from Systemd due to their attitude to comply, Devuan is the primary distro I consider, because it would let me keep the Debian base but get rid of Systemd at the same time)

Slackware also rejects compliance:
https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/how-is-ab-1043-going-to-impact-slackware-4175762747/page15.html#post6626190
(3 Systemd-free distros not complying at this point, there are quite a few distros to go to.)

And ZorinOS too:
https://forum.zorin.com/t/statement-about-age-verification-laws/61052
(A really good summary of this whole age nonsense, a worthy read)

And MX Linux also joins the camp:
https://mxlinux.org/blog/mx-news-week-ending-march-28-2026/

Kicksecure/Whonix changes plan, "unlikely" to comply, after user backlash:
https://www.kicksecure.com/wiki/Age-api#status

Inside the Systemd Age Verification Debate: Developer Responds to Criticism:
https://itsfoss.com/dylan-taylor-systemd-controversy/
(I think he isn't the one to blame here, but rather the Systemd project. If he didn't do it, someone else would do it. That's what we get from a corporate-backed project I guess. Harrassing him won't do anything, it's just naive, childish behavior.)

Someone Forked Systemd to Strip Out Its Age Verification Support:
https://itsfoss.com/news/systemd-fork-strips-out-age-verification/

(more Linux and FOSS news in comments)

#News #Linux #LinuxNews #AgeVerification #elementaryOS #Devuan #ZorinOS #Whonix #Systemd

Danielle Foré (@[email protected])

When you tell me to just not implement age declaration, do you understand you’re asking me to risk thousands of dollars in fines? Which means realistically the only way for me to not follow the law is to close my business and stop making elementary OS. Do you think it makes sense for me to decide to have no income right now in the middle of massive tech layoffs in a purely symbolic act of protest? Do you really fully understand this is what you’re asking of me?

Mastodon
Show threadFossery Tech  5h ago

(more Linux news in original post)

Ubuntu 26.10 could drop btrfs, ZFS and LUKS support from GRUB:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/ubuntu-grub-secure-boot-luks-changes
(Why don't they drop Snap too to protect user's security? Snap Store also has malware lol)

Ubuntu’s Security Center app adds Ubuntu Pro settings:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/ubuntu-security-center-ubuntu-pro

Ubuntu 26.04 Beta is now available to download:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/ubuntu-26-04-beta-is-now-available-to-download

Ubuntu Maker Canonical Joins The Rust Foundation:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Canonical-Joins-Rust-Foundation

Fedora 45 Aims For IPv6-Mostly Support Out-Of-The-Box:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fedora-45-IPv6-Mostly

Fedora 45 Plan Approved For Web Frontend To Linux's "Blue Screen of Death" DRM Panic:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fedora-45-To-Get-DRM-Panic-Web

openSUSE Releases Agama 19 Installer with Many New Features and Improvements:
https://9to5linux.com/opensuse-releases-agama-19-installer-with-many-new-features-and-improvements

Kali Linux 2026.1 Is Out with New Default Theme, New Tools, and BackTrack Mode:
https://9to5linux.com/kali-linux-2026-1-is-out-with-new-default-theme-new-tools-and-backtrack-mode

KaOS Linux 2026.03 Is Out with Linux 6.19, More systemd Components Removed:
https://9to5linux.com/kaos-linux-2026-03-is-out-with-linux-6-19-more-systemd-components-removed

Tails 7.6 Privacy-Focused Linux Distro Released with Automatic Tor Bridges:
https://9to5linux.com/tails-7-6-privacy-focused-linux-distro-released-with-automatic-tor-bridges

SystemRescue 13 Released with Linux Kernel 6.18 LTS, GParted 1.8.1, and More:
https://9to5linux.com/systemrescue-13-released-with-linux-kernel-6-18-lts-gparted-1-8-1-and-more

KDE Plasma 6.7 Addresses 5 Year Old Request For Easier Microphone Testing:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/KDE-Plasma-6.7-Microphone

KDE's KWin Compositor Lands First Step Toward Vulkan Support:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/KDE-KWin-Vulkan-First-Step

GNOME Foundation Announces Fellowship Program:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/GNOME-Fellowship-Program

Gedit Aims For More Frequent Releases, Bans AI / LLM Contributions:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Gedit-50-Released

Introducing Duranium: a more reliable postmarketOS:
https://postmarketos.org/blog/2026/03/17/introducing-duranium/

New postmarketOS installations now by default use sudo-rs instead of doas:
https://postmarketos.org/edge/2026/03/18/sudo-rs-instead-of-doas/

(More Linux and FOSS news in comments)

#WeeklyNews #News #Linux #LinuxNews #Ubuntu #Fedora #openSUSE #KaliLinux #KaOS #Tails #TailsOS #SystemRescue #KDE #KDEPlasma #KWin #GNOME #Gedit #Duranium #postmarketOS #LinuxDesktop #DesktopLinux #DesktopEnvironment #LinuxMobile #MobileLinux #DistributionRelease #DistroRelease #FosseryTech

Ubuntu 26.10 could drop btrfs, ZFS and LUKS support from GRUB - OMG! Ubuntu

Ubuntu engineers are debating ways to reduce the number of features present in the signed version of GRUB, the boot loader used on systems with Secure

OMG! Ubuntu
Show threadFossery Tech  5h ago

(more Linux news in previous posts)

Proton Experimental brings fixes for Crimson Desert, Steam Overlay with EA games, Death Stranding 2:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/proton-experimental-brings-fixes-for-crimson-desert-steam-overlay-with-ea-games-death-stranding-2/

GE-Proton 10-34 brings fixes for God of War Ragnarök, Assassin's Creed, Final Fantasy XIV:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/ge-proton-10-34-brings-fixes-for-god-of-war-ragnarok-assassins-creed-final-fantasy-xiv/

D7VK version 1.6 gets improved vertex processing and VSync handling:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/d7vk-version-1-6-gets-improved-vertex-processing-and-vsync-handling/

Pine64 teases PineTime Pro with AMOLED, GPS and ‘custom’ chip:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/pine64-tease-pinetime-pro-smartwatch

GTK3 Toolkit Winding Down To One Release Per Year:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/GTK3-Annual-Release-Cadence

Qt 6.11 Toolkit Released With "The Same 3D Capabilities As A Game Engine":
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Qt-6.11-Toolkit

wlroots 0.20 Released,Sway 1.12-rc1 Available For Testing With Color Management:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/wlroots-0.20-Sway-1.12-rc1

Fish 4.6 Shell Brings Support For Recent systemd Environment Variables:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Fish-4.6-Released

GStreamer 1.30 to Support HDR10+ Metadata Parsing from H.265 & AV1 Bitstreams:
https://9to5linux.com/gstreamer-1-30-to-support-hdr10-metadata-parsing-from-h-265-av1-bitstreams

Mesa 26.0 Will Make It In Time For The Fedora 44 Release:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Mesa-26.0-For-Fedora-44

NVIDIA 595 Linux Graphics Driver Released as Latest Production Branch Version:
https://9to5linux.com/nvidia-595-linux-graphics-driver-released-as-latest-production-branch-version

Electron's Investment Into Good Wayland Support:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Electron-Good-Wayland-Support

(FOSS news in comments)

#WeeklyNews #News #Linux #LinuxNews #Proton #ProtonExperimental #GEProton #D7VK #Pine64 #PineTime #PineTimePro #GTK #GTK3 #Qt #wlroots #FishShell #GStreamer #Mesa #NVIDIA #NVIDIADriver #Electron #Smartwatch #LinuxSmartwatch #FosseryTech

Proton Experimental brings fixes for Crimson Desert, Steam Overlay with EA games, Death Stranding 2

Valve just pushed out another excellent update for Proton Experimental - further improving Windows games running on Linux / SteamOS.

GamingOnLinux
Show threadFossery Tech  

(Linux news in previous posts)

FOSS NEWS

GrapheneOS says it won't comply with age verification laws & will stay available worldwide:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/grapheneos-says-it-won-t-comply-with-age-verification-laws-and-will-stay-available-worldwide/

FreeDOS reacts to age verification laws, considering the exclusion of Californian users, similar to MidnightBSD:
https://sourceforge.net/p/freedos/mailman/freedos-devel/thread/trinity-ea582184-aa57-47fe-a9ca-1eaf3c3e7066-1772568482107%40trinity-msg-rest-gmx-mailcom-live-66f5884f57-86bbb/
(An older post, but I discovered it now through Whonix's post, so I include it here.)

Firefox 149 Web Browser Is Now Available for Download, This Is What's New:
https://9to5linux.com/firefox-149-web-browser-is-now-available-for-download-this-is-whats-new

Firefox 150 Promises Support for the GTK Emoji Picker on Linux, Beta Out Now:
https://9to5linux.com/firefox-150-promises-support-for-the-gtk-emoji-picker-on-linux-beta-out-now

Floorp v12.11.0: now supports Chrome Extensions & fixes key bugs:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/floorp-v12-11-0-now-supports-chrome-extensions-and-fixes-key-bugs/

Thunderbird 149 Email Client Enables Exporting of Selected Address Book Cards:
https://9to5linux.com/thunderbird-149-email-client-enables-exporting-of-selected-address-book-cards

Matrix 1.18 adds policy servers, invite blocking and safety API updates:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/matrix-1-18-adds-policy-servers-invite-blocking-and-safety-api-updates/

Mullvad Browser Alpha adopts Firefox Rapid Release and adds Linux ARM support:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/mullvad-browser-alpha-adopts-firefox-rapid-release-and-adds-linux-arm-support/

Linkwarden 2.14 adds improved team collaboration, tag pagination, and faster & enhanced UI:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/linkwarden-2-14-adds-improved-team-collaboration-tag-pagination-and-faster-and-enhanced-ui/

Funkwhale 2.0 debuts API v2, new responsive UI, ListenBrainz sync and multi-artist support:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/funkwhale-2-0-debuts-api-v2-new-responsive-ui-listenbrainz-sync-and-multi-artist-support/

Monado becomes the open source foundation for various OpenXR (VR) vendors:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/monado-becomes-the-open-source-foundation-for-various-openxr-vr-vendors/

Unvanquished 0.56 Released With More Renderer Improvements, OpenMP Added To Engine:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Unvanquished-0.56

Thief-like open source game project The Dark Mod 2.14 released:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/thief-like-open-source-game-project-the-dark-mod-2-14-released/

Infinity Engine open source remake GemRB 0.9.5 gets Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition playable:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/infinity-engine-open-source-remake-gemrb-0-9-5-gets-baldurs-gate-ii-enhanced-edition-playable/

(more FOSS news in comments)

#WeeklyNews #OpenSource #FOSSNews #FOSS #OpenSourceNews #News #GrapheneOS #FreeDOS #AgeVerification #Firefox #Firefox149 #FirefoxBeta #Floorp #Thunderbird #Matrix #MullvadBrowser #Linkwarden #Funkwhale #Monado #Unvanquished #TheDarkMod #GemRB #BaldursGate #WebBrowser #Browser #Game #FOSSGame #FOSSGaming #OpenXR #Email #EmailClient #FosseryTech

GrapheneOS says it won't comply with age verification laws & will stay available worldwide

GrapheneOS refuses to comply with regulations requiring age data collection, prioritizing privacy over regional laws. This stance aligns with criticisms of mandatory OS-level age verification and appeals to privacy-focused users.

AlternativeTo
7:17amWeb
Show threadFossery Tech  5h ago

(more Linux and FOSS news in previous posts of thread)

Krita 5.3.0 (and 6.0) Released with Wayland Color Management Support, Fully Revamped Text Handling, etc.:
https://krita.org/en/posts/2026/krita-5.3.0-released/
https://9to5linux.com/krita-6-0-digital-painting-app-released-with-wayland-color-management-support
(Having the ability to write text directly on the canvas is great, I've been waiting for this a long time, I found it quite annoying with my auto-tiling setup that a separate text window popped next to the main window, and I couldn't see the full canvas.)

GIMP 3.2.2 Released with Various Improvements and UI/UX Updates:
https://9to5linux.com/gimp-3-2-2-released-with-various-improvements-and-ui-ux-updates

LibreOffice 26.2.2 Open-Source Office Suite Released with More Than 80 Bug Fixes:
https://9to5linux.com/libreoffice-26-2-2-open-source-office-suite-released-with-more-than-80-bug-fixes

Calibre 9.6 Adds New Card-Based View of Full-Text Search Results with Book Covers:
https://9to5linux.com/calibre-9-6-adds-new-card-based-view-of-full-text-search-results-with-book-covers
(I recently downloaded Calibre to read an ebook for a university assignment, I really like its customizability, that I can set text width, number of columns, panels to show, etc. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's bundled with a full-blown ebook manager and ebook editor, while all I need is just a simple ebook reader, idk why it has to pull all that extra stuff if I download the reader (at least on Debian))

AMD Introduces GAIA Agent UI For Privacy-First Web App For Local AI Agents:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/AMD-GAIA-0.17-Agent-UI

FreeCAD 1.1 Released with Improved Wayland Support, New Tools, and More:
https://9to5linux.com/freecad-1-1-released-with-improved-wayland-support-new-tools-and-more

Mixxx 2.5.6 Open-Source DJ App Improves Controller Mapping Support and Effects:
https://9to5linux.com/mixxx-2-5-6-open-source-dj-app-improves-controller-mapping-support-and-effects

Swift 6.3 introduces the first official Android SDK and improved C interoperability:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2026/3/swift-6-3-introduces-the-first-official-android-sdk-and-improved-c-interoperability/

#WeeklyNews #OpenSource #FOSSNews #OpenSourceNews #FOSS #News #Krita #GIMP #LibreOffice #AgenticAI #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Calibre #FreeCAD #Mixxx #Swift #ContentCreation #Graphics #OfficeSuite #Ebook #EbookManager #Programming #Development #CAD #Design #FosseryTech

Krita 5.3.0 Released!

Today is the simultaneous release of Krita 5.3.0 and Krita 6.0.0! Depending which version of Qt and KDE Frameworks you build, the same source will result in one of the other. Both versions are almost functionally identical, with 6.0.0 having more Wayland functionality.

Krita
Show threadAthanasius4h ago

@fosserytech Re: Calibre ... I'm in the opposite opinion. I use calibre simply for loading up ebooks so as to strip DRM, and don't use its reader at all. For me the reader is the irrelevancy.

(In fact, the way I run calibre, in its own account via `ssh -X calibre@<host>` the reader doesn't work... something to do with systemd/xdg-desktop-portal not liking that.)