(more Linux news in original post)

KDE Gear 25.04 released with improved Orca screen reader integration for Dolphin, support for navigating files with the arrow keys and selecting them using Enter, support for PGP/GPG-based signatures in Okular, additional token import options for Keysmith TOTP app, OpenTimelineIO import/export support and revamped audio waveform editor for Kdenlive, “Copy Link Address” context menu item and support for sorting rooms in the sidebar based on their most recent activity in NeoChat, option to save drafts of toots and schedule them to be sent later in Tokodon, websocket blocking for Falkon browser, and a lot more:
https://9to5linux.com/kde-gear-25-04-applications-suite-officially-released-heres-whats-new

LXQt 2.2 released with ability to set the default Wayland compositor and the screen locker by distribution or system-wide, improved support for multi-monitor setups by handling screens by names rather than numbers, other Wayland improvements, updates to PCManFM-Qt and QTerminal:
https://9to5linux.com/lxqt-2-2-desktop-environment-released-with-many-wayland-improvements

PipeWire 1.4.2 released with extra checks for MIDI to avoid 100% CPU usage on older kernels, support for using header metadata by default in the videoadapter plugin, improved pw-cat verbose sndfile format debug, etc.:
https://9to5linux.com/pipewire-1-4-2-adds-extra-midi-checks-to-avoid-100-cpu-usage-on-older-kernels

(FOSS news in comment)

FOSS NEWS

Mozilla launches Thundermail, a Gmail alternative email service with @thundermail email addresses, and Thunderbird Pro, which includes appointment scheduler, file sharing tools, and AI-powered features (Thunderbird Assist):
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/4/mozilla-launches-thundermail-its-open-source-gmail-alternative-and-thunderbird-pro-services/
(POV it will be killed off after a short time like other Mozilla products lol. There's already Proton Mail, a privacy-focused mail service from a company with a better track record, more than 100 million users, also Tuta for those who don't mind it not being fully FOSS, so I don't really think Thundermail has a shot here, but nice try regardless, at least they try to have some source of income other than Google.)

Firefox 137 released with HEVC playback support on Linux, ability to identify all links in PDF files and turn them into hyperlinks, new options in the Browser Layout section under General settings (vertical tabs, show sidebar); some progressively rolled out features: sign PDF documents, calculator feature for address bar (now you don't have to open the Console tab of dev tools for that lol), tab grouping:
https://9to5linux.com/mozilla-firefox-137-is-now-available-with-hevc-playback-support-on-linux

Firefox 138 beta available new contrast control (same colors for all websites) setting, support for copying links for background tabs using the tabstrip context menu on Linux and macOS, more tab grouping features, new “Report broken site” feature, etc.:

Midori browser gets new ad blocker (Astian Privacy, also available for other Firefox-based browsers), VPN service (utilizing WireGuard, with OpenVPN support planned), search engine AstianGO now has its own indexing:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/4/web-browser-midori-now-integrates-an-ad-blocker-a-vpn-service-and-an-update-search-engine/

Inkscape 1.4.1 released with new splash screen, close button added to welcome dialog, collapsible groups in more toolbars, bug fixes and improvements:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/04/inkscape-1-4-1-brings-snap-app-fixes-new-features

GIMP 3.2 will get support for more file formats, including JIF:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/4/gimp-3-2-will-prioritize-new-file-format-support-starting-from-jif/

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

Proton Drive and Docs get support for collaboration with users without Proton account:
https://proton.me/blog/improve-productivity-collaboration-proton-drive

Organic Maps migrates repos to their own Forgejo instance, because they got blocked by GitHub, because a dev was temporarily geolocated in a US-sanctioned region:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/organic-maps-migrates-to-forgejo-due-to-github-account-blocked-by-microsoft/
(Why does GitHub have to know the geolocation of their users in the first place? But at least the Organic Maps project has the capacity to self-host, they successfully took control into their own hands.)

ReactOS 0.4.15 released with kernel improvements, improved hardware support, support for additional audio formats, multiple output channels etc:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/reactos-the-open-source-windows-compatible-os-just-shipped-its-biggest-release-to-date/

MPV 0.40 released with native HDR support on Linux, Wayland color management protocol support, new script for video alignment and zooming, new selection menu when right-clicking common buttons etc:
https://9to5linux.com/mpv-0-40-open-source-video-player-released-with-native-hdr-support-on-linux

Shotcut 25.03 released with ‘Text style’ preset to the ‘Generate Text on Timeline’ function in Subtitles, ‘Copy Current’ and ‘Copy All’ options to Filters, vertical and horizontal parameters to the No Sync video filter, a ‘Toggle Filter Overlay’ option to the Player menu etc:
https://9to5linux.com/shotcut-25-03-open-source-video-editor-released-with-various-new-features

Ente Photos v1 released with encrypted data stored in three separate clouds, in three different locations; on-device search capabilities for people and objects in photos, ability to automatically highlight past special moments and important people, with a widget option to relive these memories directly from the home screen etc:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/ente-has-finally-released-the-v1-of-its-end-to-end-encrypted-photo-video-cloud-storage-app/

XZ Utils 5.8 released with performance boost for the liblzma compression library; new --no-sync option; xz, xzdec, and lzmainfo components updated to replace non-printable characters with question marks when printing messages (to prevent malicious filenames from sending escape sequences to a terminal) etc:
https://9to5linux.com/xz-utils-5-8-introduces-performance-improvements-in-the-lzma-lzma2-decoder

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

GIMP 3.0 released with refined GTK3 UI, improved color management, support for loading layers from TIFF files saved in the Autodesk Sketchbook format, support for 64 bits per pixel images for the BMP format, non-destructive editing improvements, updated GEGL and babl components and more:
https://9to5linux.com/gimp-3-0-image-editor-is-now-available-for-download-heres-whats-new
(Finally the meme is over!)

PeerTube 7.1 released with Podcast 2.0 support, hosting platform's address is highlighted for each video (can be clicked to view other videos hosted on that instance), option to verify channel with Mastodon account:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/peertube-7-1-brings-podcast-2-0-support-enhanced-identification-and-mastodon-verification/

Mastodon client Tusky 28 released with Android 15 support, edge-to-edge mode, more reliable push notifications, UI improvements, option to choose mute duration etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/mastodon-client-tusky-28-brings-android-15-support-improved-notifications-and-more/

Ghost publishing platform implement beta ActivityPub integration to join the Fediverse:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/publishing-platform-ghost-enters-the-fediverse-with-activitypub-integration-in-public-beta/

(New record! 3 Fediverse news in a post!)

Firefox Nightly build gets experimental browser.taskbarTabs.enabled flag in about:config, Mozilla plans to support Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) but with a different approach called "Taskbar Tabs":
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/firefox-nightly-supports-web-apps-taskbar-tabs

Blender 4.4 released with support for integer sockets in the compositor, a much more accurate Fast Gaussian mode of the Blur node, a revamped Glare node for greater control, support for rendering videos using the H.265/HEVC codec etc.:
https://9to5linux.com/blender-4-4-released-with-a-big-update-for-the-experimental-vulkan-backend

Git 2.49 released with faster packing, backfill historical blobs in partial clones and more:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/git-2-49-released-with-faster-packing-backfill-historical-blobs-in-partial-clones-and-more/

Zed gets native Git support in v0.177 release, via a new Git panel with commit, push, pull and stage options:
https://news.itsfoss.com/zed-git-support/

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

FreeBSD 13.5 released with updated packages, support for Purism keyboards with Coreboot and other improvements:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/freebsd-13-5-released-as-the-final-update-to-the-freebsd-13-series/

A Latvian film titled "Flow", made with Blender, won Oscar, beating Disney:
https://proton.me/blog/open-source-flow-oscar
(Now we have something to show for the elitist normies, who laugh at FOSS, think that only proprietary software can be good ️)

Bluesky adds support for uploading videos up to 3 minutes long, option to accept/reject chat requests from unknown users, support for muting account directly from a post etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/bluesky-now-lets-users-upload-videos-up-to-3-minutes-long-and-enhances-dm-spam-filtering/

Audacity 3.7.2 released with improvements for AppImage bundle for 22.04 LTS, option to turn off automatic tempo detection, new “get effects” button next to the ‘Upload Audio’ button, UUID instance support, bug fixes:
https://9to5linux.com/audacity-3-7-2-improves-the-linux-appimage-bundle-for-ubuntu-22-04-lts

Framework Mono 6.14 released as the first release under WineHQ, with native ARM64 support for macOS, System.Windows.Forms improvements, improved Clipboard and Drag and Drop features etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/framework-mono-6-14-released-with-native-arm64-support-and-stability-boosts-under-winehq/

Spotube 4.0 released with redesigned UI, support for yt-dlp and NewPipe, home screen widget support for Android, custom editable Piped and Invidious instance support, bug fixes:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/spotube-4-0-brings-a-redesigned-ui-and-other-improvements-to-this-free-spotify-client/

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

Firefox 136 released with vertical tabs, official ARM64 Linux binaries, hardware video decoding for AMD GPUs on Linux, new HTTPS-First behavior for upgrading page loads to HTTPS, support for copying PNG images out of the browser etc.:
https://9to5linux.com/mozilla-firefox-136-is-out-with-vertical-tabs-and-official-arm64-linux-binaries

Firefox 137 beta available with HEVC playback support on Linux, ability to identify all links in PDF documents and turn them into hyperlinks etc.:
https://9to5linux.com/firefox-137-enters-public-beta-testing-with-hevc-playback-support-on-linux

Thunderbird 136 released with dark mode toggle for messages, new Appearance setting to control message threading and sorting order globally, bug fixes and security patches:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/03/thunderbird-136-release-adds-new-appearance-controls

KeePassXC 2.7.10 released with support for importing passwords from Proton Pass (only unencrypted JSON files, no Passkeys currently), support for KeePass2 TOTP config settings, support for generating passphrases using a mix of uppercase and lowercase words ("MIXED case"), UI improvements etc.:
https://9to5linux.com/keepassxc-2-7-10-open-source-password-manager-brings-proton-pass-support

/e/OS 2.8 released with LineageOS 21 base, privacy policy linked in account manager, App Lounge gets a refined warning message for manual updates and a more readable format for F-Droid app descriptions, software updates, bug fixes:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/3/-e-os-2-8-released-with-improved-account-manager-smoother-app-lounge-and-bug-fixes/

Internxt Drive becomes the first cloud storage with post-quantum encryption:
https://news.itsfoss.com/internxt-drive-post-quantum-encryption/

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

Firefox receives new Terms of Use, Mozilla argues that it will offer users "more transparency" over their "rights and permissions", but its wording raises concerns, it only applies to the executable code though, so forks like LibreWolf probably won't be affected:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/02/mozilla-introducing-terms-of-use-to-firefox
(Mozilla going down the dark path even further, what a surprise...)

Mozilla confirms Firefox will keep supporting Manifest V2:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/firefox-confirms-support-for-manifest-v2-and-v3-extensions-contrasting-google-s-phase-out/
(The only thing they do right nowadays)

VLC project celebrates 20 years anniversary with a new “LUNAR TIME CAPSULE” where people can send their personal videos to the Moon, videos will be stored on microSD cards enclosed in a sealed titanium capsule:
https://news.itsfoss.com/vlc-moon-expedition/
(UFOs after watching the videos: oh this human breed is so dumb, they won't be a treat to us, they'll destroy themselves anyways, let's just leave them alone with their bs)

Nextcloud Hub 10 released with new AI agent for performing various tasks (creating calendar entries, reading messages, writing emails etc.) with the option to self-host AI agent:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/nextcloud-hub-10-launches-with-a-new-open-source-ai-agent-improved-file-management-and-more/
(Oh yeah now Nexcloud users will also be dumbed down by AI doing everything instead of them lol)

Luanti 5.11.0 released with in-game settings menu, touchscreen layout editor, more server list info in online server list etc.:
https://blog.luanti.org/2025/02/14/5.11.0-released/

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

Bluesky app 1.98 released with option to restrict post replies to followers, post search for individual profiles etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/bluesky-app-update-introduces-improved-interactivity-and-search-features/
(I've been considering to join Bluesky, but I don't know much about it outside the news about new features, will look into it when I'll have more time)

YouTube going desperate and cracking down on alt frontends took another victim, since Thursday evening (or afternoon?) FreeTube can't play any videos (live stream playback still works):
https://redlib.privacyredirect.com/r/degoogle/comments/1iu8d54/freetube_no_longer_works_and_devs_are_deleting/
(Devs said they are working on a fix, hopefully it will work. It would be really sad to see the most feature-rich YouTube client die off...)

PeaZip 10.3 released with better GNOME and KDE Plasma integration, ability to limit the max size for TAR archives, support saving the list of files and search results as CSV (with , and ; separator), TSV, or TXT etc.:
https://9to5linux.com/peazip-10-3-archive-manager-improves-integration-with-gnome-and-kde-plasma

Ente Photos 0.9.98 released with light mode, enhanced import, beta encrypted video streaming etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/ente-photos-0-9-98-light-mode-enhanced-import-and-encrypted-video-streaming-beta/

OpenProject 15.3 released with option to schedule recurring meetings, set up a meeting template, default view shows upcoming meetings categorized into Open and Planned:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/openproject-15-3-has-been-released-with-an-option-to-schedule-recurring-meetings/

(Linux news in original post)

FOSS NEWS

Mastodon plans to add quote post feature with user controls to allow/disallow quoting, notifications about quotes, ability to withdraw posts from quotes, report feature:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/mastodon-is-finally-planning-to-add-quote-posts-with-user-controls-and-safety-features/

GIMP 3.0 RC3 available with enhanced Wayland support, expanded file format support, GTK 3.24.48, new method for non-destructive filter stacking, AppImage support, Google Drive integration etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/gimp-3-0-rc3-introduces-stability-boost-enhanced-wayland-and-expanded-file-format-support/

Proton adds single sign-on (SSO) and password generator rules to Proton Pass:
https://proton.me/blog/business-sso

Proton Wallet is now available in the free plan:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/proton-wallet-now-available-for-everybody/

HandBrake 1.9.1 released with improved AV1 video decoding, improved support for SRT files with overlapping subtitles, various bug fixes:
https://9to5linux.com/handbrake-1-9-1-open-source-video-transcoder-improves-av1-video-decoding

Calibre 7.25 released with custom icons, import KFX files from 2024 Kindles utilizing the MTP protocol etc.:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/calibre-7-25-released-with-custom-icons-support-for-kfx-files-from-2024-kindles-and-more/

Post 4/4
(Linux news in previous posts)

OBS project threatens Fedora with legal action because the 3rd-party OBS Studio package in the Fedora Flatpak repo is broken, poorly maintained, users report issues to OBS instead of Fedora project because they think it's the official package, the Fedora project refused to do anything about it:
https://news.itsfoss.com/obs-studio-fedora-feud/
(This whole software distribution thing is pretty broken on Linux in general, it isn't just an issue the OBS Flatpak on Fedora. There should be some indication for the users if a package isn't maintained by the original devs, e.g. including "unofficial" in the package name. Flathub's approach to verify package maintainers is also pretty good approach. Of course this would be hard to implement in the whole Linux platform because of its fragmented nature but would be nice towards the devs of programs if they wouldn't need to deal with packaging issues they can do nothing about.)

openSUSE Tumbleweed ditches AppArmor for SELinux:
https://news.itsfoss.com/opensuse-ditches-apparmor/

Ubuntu 24.04.2 delayed to next week:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/02/ubuntu-24-04-second-point-release-delay

EndeavourOS Mercury available with Linux kernel 6.13, Xfce 4.20, KDE Plasma 6.2.5, DE sessions now use dark theme by default, Xfce theme is now closer to the default, GNOME session can automatcally set light/dark wallpapers, memory test for EFI systems on the live ISO, bug fixes:
https://9to5linux.com/arch-linux-based-endeavouros-mercury-lands-with-linux-kernel-6-13-and-xfce-4-20

Post 3/4

Asahi Linux founder Hector Martin resigns over kernel conflict, community putting too much pressure on him, burnout:
https://ostechnix.com/asahi-linux-founder-hector-martin-resigns-over-kernel-conflicts/
(Unfortunately this toxicity is pretty common nowadays in the Linux and FOSS community. All this political nonsense (making projects overly political, and on the on the other hand, abusing devs because of their political opinion), users taking things for granted, don't appreciating devs' hard work (don't forget that the vast majority of them do it in their spare time!), saying that this and that software sucks and nobody should use them (like many (or a few loud?) KDE users do with GNOME, or Arch fanboys with other distros) just because they personally don't like those software (if you're not one of them, cheers to you, otherwise please try to think with the head of the GNOME, Debian etc. devs, how do they feel when they see such toxicity). And no, I don't say that criticism shouldn't be expressed, but it should be constructive, and not like "this software sucks arse because only that other software satisfies my needs" or "these woke/Nazi devs should frick off")
(The Linux kernel project is a dumpsterfire these days, with C vs Rust wars and other nonsense, that doesn't help either)

Linux kernel 6.14 RC2 available with KVM improvements, file system updates, networking fixes, graphics (DRM) fixes, changes in Apple Silicon kernel maintenance:
https://ostechnix.com/linux-kernel-6-14-rc2-released/

Wine 10.1 released with root certificate fixes for Battle.net, Bluetooth driver enhancements, bug fixes:
https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/2/wine-10-1-brings-root-certificates-fixes-for-battle-net-and-bluetooth-driver-enhancements/

Post 2/4