FOSS Roundup #7 – M1, Gaming, Docs, and More!
This week's roundup features the first alpha release of Asahi Linux, Microsoft looking to bring more games to the Steam Deck, and more!
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FOSS Roundup #7 – M1, Gaming, Docs, and More!
It’s been another exciting week in the Linux landscape, with Linux support arriving for the M1 and gaming on Linux continuing to expand thanks to the Steam Deck. Around Xubuntu, docs are done, and AppImage continues to be supported. As usual, Xfce has a few new releases as well. All this and more in this week’s FOSS Roundup!
The first Asahi Linux alpha release arrives
The first release of Asahi Linux, the first distribution for M1-powered Macs, has been made available. There are still many missing features, but even just getting here is incredible. This team has made so much progress in a very short time. Interestingly, Apple has, at the same time, been quietly enabling features to support booting Linux on the M1 Macs.
Microsoft is working to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to Steam Deck
Working closely with Valve, Microsoft has prepared a beta version of the Microsoft Edge browser that brings the cloud gaming service to Linux and the Steam Deck. A handful of Microsoft-published verified titles are also available on Steam.
The new Xubuntu Documentation is finally ready
After nearly two years, the newly rewritten Xubuntu Documentation is ready to be reviewed, merged, and published. Together with another Xubuntu Team member, I worked with members of the community to document Xubuntu’s user experience more completely. The most painful part of it all was converting to DocBook, our native documentation format. This part is now complete.
It's finally done. 🎉 https://t.co/k7a2bP6sYH https://t.co/jinkuoI6ZV
I'm so tired of working with Docbook. pic.twitter.com/k0rmta101k
— Sean Davis 🦣 @bluesabre@floss.social (@bluesabredavis) March 19, 2022
Supporting AppImage on Xubuntu
While installing Xubuntu 22.04 on my main machine for testing, I found that it could no longer open software distributed with AppImage. This includes .run and .AppImage files that you might find online, like DaVinci Resolve or Cryptomator. The missing piece was the libfuse2 package, which was no longer pulled in as a dependency in 22.04. As of today’s daily ISO, this issue should be resolved for Xubuntu and Ubuntu Studio.
http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs/pool/universe/x/xubuntu-meta/xubuntu-meta_2.240/changelog
This week’s Xfce releases
libxfce4ui 4.17.5 was released this week, including several bug fixes and enabling Mousepad to use the XfceShortcutsEditor. Sounds like some nice new features are on their way.
Orage 4.16.0, previously unmaintained and archived, has now been ported to GTK 3 and is once again an active Xfce project. The Orage panel plugin has been discontinued, but the standalone calendar application will be supported going forward.
What I’m working on…
With the documentation updates nearly out of the way and bug lists cleaned up, I hope to start working on bug fixes and more testing this week. We’ve also nearly completed voting on the 22.04 Xubuntu Wallpaper contest, with 3 clearly identified winners and three we’re sorting out. Look for more news early this week.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider sending me a tip! I’ve added links to GitHub Sponsors, Ko-Fi, and Patreon to the Donate page on my website.
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week with some new and exciting Xfce and Xubuntu updates! Have a great week, and stay safe out there!
FOSS Roundup #6 – Where have all the good bugs gone?
This week's roundup features another Linux vulnerability, Xfce's acceptance into the Google Summer of Code program, and spring cleaning!
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FOSS Roundup #6 – Where have all the good bugs gone?
Welcome to the sixth edition of my Weekly FOSS Roundup! I’ve been hard at it this week, cleaning up Xubuntu bugs and hacking on docs. A new Linux vulnerability, “Dirty Pipe,” was announced. And Xfce has been accepted into the 2022 Google Summer of Code program. What a week!
Dirty Pipe Linux Vulnerability Discovered
A new Linux vulnerability that allows attackers to overwrite read-only files, including immutable files and those on read-only Btrfs snapshots. Kernel versions 5.10.102, 5.15.25, and 5.16.11 have already been patched. Update your machines now!
Xfce Accepted into Google Summer of Code 2022
Xfce will again participate in the Google Summer of Code (abbreviated “GSoC”) in 2022. GSoC is a program focused on attracting new contributors to open-source software development through a 12-plus-week mentorship program.
Submissions for the 22.04 Xubuntu Wallpaper Contest are Now Closed
After receiving a fantastic 126 submissions from numerous contributors, the 22.04 Xubuntu Wallpaper Contest is now closed for additional submissions. The Xubuntu Team will begin the voting process, with expected results within the next two weeks.
Submissions for the 22.04 Xubuntu Wallpaper Contest are now closed! We received 126 submissions, and will now begin the voting process. Look forward to news of the winning entries in the near future. In the meantime, you can browse the entries here: https://t.co/HamoGf1sQp
— Xubuntu (@Xubuntu) March 13, 2022
This Week’s Xfce Releases
Xfce Screenshooter 1.9.10 features a handful of fixes and now uses symbolic icons for the interface. This means the application will automatically look better regardless of using a dark or light GTK theme.
Xubuntu Bug Spring Cleaning
I’m unsure what prompted me, but I got into a cleaning mood this week. I started the long and arduous task of cleaning up Xubuntu’s bug reports. After starting with nearly 2,000 bug reports that affect Xubuntu and its related packages, I’ve reduced this list to a (still large) 1,584 bugs! There’s still lots of work and probably a hundred or more bugs that could be cleaned up or de-duplicated.
My first pass is finally done. Down from nearly 2,000 bugs to 1,584! What remains now are bugs that are reported or confirmed for 20.04+. I also didn't touch blueman, onboard, synaptic, or the Mate apps.
Next steps: Triage in 22.04, tag duplicates, and report bugs upstream. pic.twitter.com/omNBENUNan
— Sean Davis 🦣 @bluesabre@floss.social (@bluesabredavis) March 11, 2022
Making Strides with Xubuntu Documentation
I had a really productive week with the Xubuntu Documentation, getting the to-do list down to just two more chapters. I need to go through and clean up some of the formatting and tag usage, but we should be ready to merge this week! The latest documentation has been built here.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider sending me a tip! I’ve added links to GitHub Sponsors, Ko-Fi, and Patreon to the Donate page on my website.
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week with some new and exciting Xfce and Xubuntu updates! Have a great week, and stay safe out there!
FOSS Roundup #5 – Time to Test (Ubuntu Flavors)
This week's roundup features the Xubuntu 22.04 wallpaper contest, the Ubuntu Testing Week until March 10, and Linux Mint switching to Blueman.
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FOSS Roundup #5 – Time to Test (Ubuntu Flavors)
Welcome to the fifth edition of my Weekly FOSS Roundup! We’re halfway through the Ubuntu Testing Week (March 3-10), and it’s time to start getting involved. In other news, the Xubuntu Wallpaper contest is ongoing, and there are some updates around Bluetooth and Xfce. Here’s the latest!
The Xubuntu 22.04 Wallpaper Contest Continues
The Xubuntu 22.04 Wallpaper Contest is progressing smoothly. So far, we’ve already had 77 quality submissions from numerous contributors. Submissions are open through March 12, so it’s not too late to submit your own. Keep your submissions coming!
Ubuntu Testing Week March 3-10
The next LTS release of Ubuntu and its many flavors will be released in less than two months. Feature Freeze is behind us, so there is no better time to get started with testing. Please help make this another dependable release by taking time to test and report any bugs you find.
Linux Mint is Switching to the Blueman Bluetooth Manager
Linux Mint has been using its own Blueberry application to manage Bluetooth devices for several years now. Later this year, it looks like they’ll be switching to Blueman, the same utility found in Xubuntu and several other Linux distributions. Their move will no doubt have a positive impact on any other Blueman-using distros.
This Week’s Xfce Releases
The 0.9.2 release of the Xfce Terminal is a release candidate for the upcoming 1.0.0 release. It includes several improvements and bug fixes. Take it for a test drive to help identify and eliminate the remaining bugs!
Xfdashboard provides a GNOME Shell-like experience for Xfce. The new 0.9.90 release is a release candidate for the upcoming 1.0.0 release. If you’re a fan of GNOME Shell’s behavior but prefer to stick with Xfce, Xfdashboard is worth a look.
The Xfce Diskperf (Disk Performance) plugin displays instant disk and partition performance in the panel. The 2.7.0 release features various usability and feature improvements.
What I’m working on…
This week I spent extra time working on the Xubuntu Documentation updates. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 have been converted to Docbook, leaving only 8 chapters to go. I’ve got a pretty good flow for converting them now; it depends on having a solid, uninterrupted 20-30 minutes to migrate a single chapter.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider sending me a tip! I’ve added links to GitHub Sponsors, Ko-Fi, and Patreon to the Donate page on my website.
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week with some new and exciting Xfce and Xubuntu updates! Have a great week, and stay safe out there!
FOSS Roundup #4 – The Steamy Update
This week's roundup features the release of the Steam Deck, an immutable Xfce distribution, the Xubuntu 22.04 wallpaper contest, and more!
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FOSS Roundup #4 – The Steamy Update
It’s the fourth edition of my Weekly FOSS Roundup! This week’s hottest news is the Steam Deck, an Arch-based handheld Linux gaming console. If that’s too hot, cool down with the OSTree-based XfIce desktop. Once you’re comfortable, send the Xubuntu team your best wallpaper for a chance to be included in the 22.04 release. Let’s get to it!
Steam Deck Released
Valve’s Steam Deck has finally been released. It runs Steam OS, based on Arch, with a KDE desktop. Hundreds of games are supported via Steam Proton. As more games become verified on the Deck, they’ll be supported on nearly any Linux distribution!
An OSTree-based Xfce desktop has arrived
Based on Fedora, the “XfIce” desktop is an immutable base operating system running Xfce. Immutable Linux distributions have gained popularity quickly, and now Xfce can be used with them.
The Xubuntu 22.04 Wallpaper Contest is Live
For every LTS release, Xubuntu holds a wallpaper contest for the community to submit their finest work for inclusion in the ISO release. The 22.04 contest is live until midnight March 13th (2022-03-13 00:00:00). There have already been 12 submissions! Send us yours!
A new guide for installing Xubuntu on the Raspberry Pi
One of the most popular articles on my website is a guide for installing Xubuntu 19.10 on the Raspberry Pi. This article is obsolete as I’ve published a new, in-depth how-to for the current supported and development releases. Check it out!
What I’m working on…
Last week I rolled out my new website. This week, I did some scans and found that I had a lot of broken links (bad migrations, services going away, the introduction of the Xfce GitLab, and deprecation of the Xfce build bot). Those have now been resolved, so any article you read on my site should take you to the right places. Here’s a relevant and time-appropriate goodie that would have been lost to time if not for archive.org…
Today, I am back to working on the Xubuntu documentation updates. There are only a few completed chapters left and a handful of chapters that we started updating a couple of years ago but stopped due to time conflicts (and, to some extent, probably burnout). That said, with the existing completed content, I may be able to wrap it as early as this week!
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider sending me a tip! I’ve added links to GitHub Sponsors, Ko-Fi, and Patreon to the Donate page on my website.
See you next week with some more Linux and Open Source news!
Catfish 1.4.12 Released
Welcome to 2020! Let's ring in the new year with a brand new Catfish release.
What's New
Wayland Support
Catfish 1.4.12 adds support for running on Wayland. Before now, there were some X-specific dependencies related to handling display sizes. These have now been resolved, and Catfish should run smoothly and consistently everywhere.
Dialog Improvements
All dialogs now utilize client-side decorations (CSD) and are modal. The main window will continue to respect the window layout setting introduced in the 1.4.10 release.
I also applied a number of fixes to the new Preferences and Search Index dialogs, so they should behave more consistently and work well with keyboard navigation.
Release Process Updates
I've improved the release process to make it easier for maintainers and to ensure builds are free of temporary files. This helps ensure a faster delivery to package maintainers, and therefore to distributions.
Translation Updates
Albanian, Catalan, Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Galician, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian Bokmål, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish
Downloads
$ md5sum catfish-1.4.12.tar.bz2
9aad6a0bc695ec8793d4294880974cb2
$ sha1sum catfish-1.4.12.tar.bz2
4e78e291a2f17c85122a85049bdc837b49afdd66
$ sha256sum catfish-1.4.12.tar.bz2
c3fb30e02b217752aa493b49769be1a5fc2adde70b22aef381e6c67d5227134aCatfish 1.4.12 will be included in Xubuntu 20.04 "Focal Fossa", available in April.
Catfish 1.4.12 Released
Catfish 1.4.12 has been released! The new release introduces an increasingly important feature: support for the Wayland display server.
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