Michael:
[0:00] This week in Linux, we have a ton to talk about. First, we’re gonna be talking about building Linux from Scratch. I mean, not walking through that or anything. It’s the project called that. Also, the Xen project has a new version of their hypervisor out, and Mozilla is back in the news this week with the latest release of Firefox with 136. Plus, Linux Mint is talking about redesigning their Cinnamon app menu, and so much more, including, Microsoft is hanging up on Skype forever. All of this and more on This Week in Linux, the weekly news show that keeps you up to date with what’s going on in the Linux and Open Source world. So let’s jump right into Your Source for Linux GNews.

Michael:
[0:45] This episode of TWIL is sponsored by Sandfly Security. More on them later. Before we get started with the show this week, I want to quickly do some housekeeping, let you know about what’s happening on TuxDigital. We have so much cool stuff that happened this week.

Michael:
[0:57] You don’t want to miss it. So first of all, we have an interview on the Destination Linux podcast with Craig Rowland of Sandfly Security. And it’s very interesting. It’s a fascinating interview. We talk about cybersecurity. We talk about AI and security. We talk about Linux itself, whether we need antiviruses or all that sort of stuff, as well as so much more. It is a fantastic interview.

Michael:
[1:19] You do not want to miss this. So destinationlinux.net/409 to check that out. And also this week, I released some videos on this channel. So the first one is a reacting to PewDiePie. That’s, you know, if you don’t want to, if you’re not interested in PC building, it’s not really about Linux this time. I thought it was going to be. It’s not the beginning of the video. I do say that because I did put like a TLDR in the beginning. So it still might be fun to watch. But also, I made a video about how to rename files on Linux like a pro. This is also about organizing and decluttering your files on your system. So it might seem like you know how to do this, and you probably do in some ways. But there’s also a lot of cool tricks and tips that I put in here. So it’s more an advanced tutorial there, too. So you might still get benefits, even if you know the basics of renaming and all that.

Michael:
[2:12] Also, I did a video today that is about Flatpak, Snaps, and App Images, and it’s about answering the question, do we really need Universal App Formats? And I would give you a spoiler right now, but I want you to go watch it. So go check it out.

Michael:
[2:26] I have it linked in the show notes. And also, we have the TWIL 300 giveaway still going on. That’s going to be announced next week with the winner. Maybe not the name exactly, but we’re going to be announcing the winner has happened or whatever. So you have one more week to enter if you would like to do so thisweekinlinux.com/300 giveaway so again go to thisweekinlinux.com/300 giveaway and you can win this, $20 steam gift card $20 steam gift card and you can all you gotta do is sign up for the newsletter which you should want to do anyway because there’s so much great stuff in there i’m gonna be telling you about cool stuff that were happening in the TuxDigital network and stuff so So, you know, win-win for everybody, really.

Michael:
[3:13] Let’s get to the show. What if I told you that you could build your own Linux operating system entirely from scratch without pre-built distributions? There’s no package managers holding your hand. It’s just you, source code, and a detailed guide if you have a lot of time on your hands. Well, that’s exactly where Linux from Scratch comes in. And the latest release of LFS 12.3 is here. So let’s break it down. Linux from Scratch, or LFS, is a project that takes the idea of Linux customization to the extreme. Instead of downloading Ubuntu, Fedora, or Arch, you follow a guide, a book basically, building everything step-by-step, compiling software, and learning exactly what makes your system tick. And with the release of version 12.3, they’ve introduced some significant updates. First up, this release updates the core toolchain with BenUtils 2.44 and GLibC 2.41. If you’re new to this, think of the tool chain as the foundation. Without these updates, newer software wouldn’t even compile properly. The Linux kernel has also been bumped up to version 6.13.2, bringing better hardware support and optimizations. Security is a priority, of course. This update patches vulnerabilities in key packages like Jinja, Jinja 2, 3.1.5, Python 3.13.1, and Vim 9.1.1,166.

Michael:
[4:38] It’s okay to update to 9.2. It’s okay, people. Now, behind the scenes, LFS 12.3 saw 146 commits since the last release. And of course, you can access the latest LFS book online or download it for offline reading if you want to. Plus, if you want Systemd, there’s a separate version tailored just for that. If you ever wanted to truly understand Linux from the inside out, LFS is the ultiMATE learning tool. This isn’t about convenience. It’s about knowledge. It is far, far from convenient. The new updates make the process smoother, though, more secure and more up to date with the latest tech. And if you want more functionality, there’s also Beyond Linux from Scratch or BLFS to help you install everything from desktop environments to gaming tools like Steam and also Wine.

Michael:
[5:27] Also Linux from Scratch isn’t for the faint of heart so for a quick comparison for those who are not familiar or not quite sure if they want to try this or not let’s compare it to other distros, people say arch Linux and gen 2 are hard to install and that is certainly true especially on the gen 2 side arch has gotten a little bit easier thanks to the arch install tool but it’s still for beginners it’s still quite hard so when you first attempt them they can be a bit burdensome but Linux from Scratch takes that to a whole other level let’s do like a car comparison for example like most distributions would be like a regular car you go to the part the the dealership you drive it off the parking lot you’re good to go arch Linux is kind of like a kit car you buy all the parts and in a kit and they you know build it from there right and then gen 2 and slackware would be like you find the parts individually on your own to can you know like a schematic to put them all together with the blueprints and all that and then you build the car yourself and lfs is like well before you get the parts you have to manufacture them for your first and then you can build the car uh and all that so that’s it takes a while so like i said Linux from Scratch isn’t for the faint of heart but if you love the idea of total control of your os and or maybe just want to dive into the depths of learning Linux it might be worth checking out you will learn a lot and it will take a long time.

Michael:
[6:57] But it is still very cool. The Xen project just dropped its latest release of their hypervisor, hy-pervisor, with Xen 4.20, 4.20. And it’s packed with security upgrades, performance optimizations, and expanded processor support. But what does this all mean for enterprises, cloud providers, virtualization geeks, and the like? Let’s dive in. First up, hardware. Xen 4.20 brings support for AMD’s Zen 5 architecture covering Ryzen 9000, Ryzen AI 300, and the Epic 9005 series. This update ensures better performance and security, including mitigations for the SRSO, speculative execution vulnerability. And if you’re running AMD, this release is a game changer. Over on the Intel side of things, Xen now supports the page writing feature, making guest page table updates more efficient, bringing lower latency.

Michael:
[7:50] Better VM performance, and improved resource management. But not all Intel hardware made the cut. They actually decided to remove support for the aging Xeon Phi line of Intel products. And for the alternative architectures, there’s something big in this release, with Xen 4.20 introduces experimental support for ARM V8-R, and they also added support for LLC (Last Level Cache), not Limited Liability Company, Last Level Cache coloring for performance optimizations on the ARM architecture Xen 4.20 also improves device tree mapping and memory management on risk five. It’s still in its early days, but they’re also working on a more broader compatibility or various different architectures.

Michael:
[8:35] That’s uh in the future now let’s talk about security because you know if a hypervisor isn’t secure it’s not worth running so Xen 4.20 RAM sub security testing by enabling the undefined behavior sanitizer or UBSAN anyway across multiple architectures in GitLab CI plus mirs misra MISRA C compliance has been expanded with 90 enforced rules meaning stricter code quality and fewer vulnerabilities. The development process also saw some major contributions from AWS.

Michael:
[9:09] AMD, ARM, Citrix, and more demonstrating the industry’s continued investment in Open Source visualization, virtualization, and Open Source virtualization. And additionally, Xen 4.20 introduces performance boost for introspection tools, improved device pass through and new cache optimizations. So whether you’re running Xen in the cloud or on embedded devices,

Michael:
[9:31] or whatever else, This update makes it faster and more reliable. Firefox just dropped a huge update, and it’s got one of the most requested features ever, vertical tabs. Yep, they finally did it. It’s finally here, but that’s not all. There’s a brand new sidebar, AI chat integrations, and even hardware acceleration improvements for Linux users. And let’s be real, Mozilla could use a win right now. Last week’s controversial edition of a terms of use put them in a little bit of a hot water, even with some of their most loyal users. So does Firefox 136 bring enough to the table to make up for it?

Michael:
[10:08] Let’s find out. First up, the feature everyone’s been asking for, vertical tabs. If you’re the kind of person who has way too many tabs, I mean, no judgment, I do it as well, this is a game changer. All you have to do is right-click an empty space in the tab bar and hit turn on vertical tabs and then boom, that’s it. Your tabs are now stacked neatly on the left. By default, they’re in a favicon. on the favicon or favicon, whatever, only mode, but you hover over them and you will see a preview if you want to. And if you need more space, you can just drag the divider out to adjust. And they say that Mozilla’s early testings had people felt more organized when they were using vertical tabs for a few days and that sort of thing. So if your browser feels a little bit cluttered, then you can try this out and see if it helps. Now, vertical tabs also comes with a bonus, a redesigned sidebar. It’s got quick access to bookmarks, histories, sync tabs, and yes, even AI chatbots of your choice. If you’re using vertical tabs, the sidebar is enabled automatically, but you can also turn it on separately in the settings. And if you don’t like it on the left, no problem, you can move it to the right. Mozilla is giving you all the options there. Mozilla didn’t stop at just visual upgrades either. There’s also some solid performance and security improvements. Enhanced tracking protection in strict mode now lets you selectively unblock some social media embeds so if you’ve ever been annoyed by missing comment sections on a blog post like discus or discuss i’m not sure how you’re supposed to pronounce that.

Michael:
[11:35] You can finally do something about it and also HTTPS first mode is now default if a secure connection isn’t available it will fall back to http but it will by default do HTTPS and for Linux users there’s big news hardware video decoding is now enabled for amd gpus by default plus Firefox is finally offering official stable builds for ARM 64 Linux yes that means raspberry API users and ARM-based servers now get proper support. Oh, and if you’re copying images out of Firefox, it now prefers in PNG format to preserve transparency. It’s a small change, but a welcome change. So does Firefox 136 make up for Mozilla’s recent missteps? That’s up to you to decide. But one thing’s for sure, this is one of the biggest updates they’ve had in a while. A lot of the previous updates have been minor or even not much notable at all. But this one, there’s a lot of good stuff in here. Let me know in the comments are vertical tabs enough for you to keep Firefox?

Michael:
[12:35] Is it too little too late? Let me know. And if you’re interested in my take about what’s going on with Mozilla and the Firefox saga that has been happening for the past couple of weeks, then be sure to subscribe to the channel because I will be making a video about that very soon.

Michael:
[12:49] As Linux users, we know what’s up. Security is non-negotiable. But with threats getting smarter, your security needs to keep pace without dragging your system down, of course. And traditional agents, they slow you down, they leave blind spots. I mean, it’s time for a smarter approach. And that is why This Week in Linux is proud to be sponsored by Sandfly Security, the revolutionary agentless platform designed for Linux. Sandfly doesn’t just detect and respond, it revolutionizes security with SSH key tracking, password auditing, and drift detection, covering threats from every angle. Whether your systems are in the cloud, on-premises, or in embedded devices, Sandfly ensures they’re all secure without the headaches of agent-based solutions. Listen to what Ken Kleiner, the Senior Security Engineer at the University of Massachusetts has to say. He says that Sandfly is the first product I’ve seen that accurately and quickly detects thousands of signs of compromise on the Linux platform. Its unique method autoMATEs tasks which would be manually impossible. Automation is key with detection and Sandfly completely fits this and other requirements. If your organization is using Linux, this should be part of your cybersecurity tool set.

Michael:
[13:52] Experience security that’s not just effective, but gives you peace of mind. No agents, no downtime, just cutting edge protection. Dive into the future of Linux security at thisweekinlinux.com/sandfly. That’s thisweekinlinux.com/sandfly. And see how Sandfly can transform your security strategy. And if you’re fascinated by cybersecurity as much as I am, Go check out the interview we just had on Destination Linux with the CEO of Sandfly, who has an awesome story about how you got into Linux and in security. Very cool. Go check it out. DestinationLinux.net/409 for that interview. And also, if you’re interested, you can get a discount on the Home Edition because on the Destination Linux podcast interview, they announced that there’s a discount for viewers of the TuxDigital Network. So if you use destination50, you can get 50% off the home edition price. So if you’re interested in checking it out, go do that. Go to thisweekinlinux.com/sandfly and use destination50 to get that discount.

Michael:
[14:55] Linux Mint is shaking things up with a redesigned Cinnamon application menu, and it’s on the way. Plus, they revealed some interesting info for their download stats of each edition, which shows some surprising trends. And they issued a warning for Linux Mint users to update very soon for security reasons. So let’s start off with the critical issue first. On March 14th, 2025, a root certificate that Firefox relies on is set to expire. And if you’re running Firefox version 128 or older in Linux Mint, you could experience some serious problems. Think add-ons breaking, DRM protected media stopped playing.

Michael:
[15:31] Even issues with signed content. Not ideal. So to avoid this, make sure you update Firefox through the update manager. Just hit refresh and apply all updates. If you’re using an older discontinued version of Linux Mint, it might be time to fresh install to get the latest Firefox. Firefox 135.0.1 is available for across multiple different versions of Linux Mint releases, including emergency update was added to discontinued versions of Linux Mint, LMDE 5 and Linux Mint 19 and 19.1, etc. So if you are using older versions that are those, you can get the update, but you still might want to update anyway, because there’s many reasons to do that. New Cinnamon, new whatever.

Michael:
[16:15] Do that. Now onto something a bit more exciting. The Cinnamon desktop environment has some changes coming for the application menu. They’re redesigning it. This new design tweaks the layout to shrink the full applications list, allowing more room for pen folders and app titles. Plus the rounded corners bring better visual consistency with the rest of the desktop environment. You can check this out. this is a comparison about what it used to look like with what it looks like or will it what it will look like. So I guess now and what will be coming. And I think this is a much better improvement. The old version is OK. It’s not bad, but the new version is much better. So good job to the developer of that. I think this is a good improvement. So Cinnamon is still the most popular choice among Linux Mint users. It is like the flagship option. And according to the latest download stats Cinnamon accounts for about 60% of all downloads but Xfce and MATE are splitting the remaining 40% so each of them have a 20% usage meanwhile the LMDE edition or Mint’s Debian edition is surprisingly grabbing a significant amount of the downloads with 14%.

Michael:
[17:24] These numbers give us an interesting look at what users are choosing, but it’s not like it’s not these these don’t reflect the actual uses just as more of like just the reflection of the downloads and how many people download. So you could download one install one ISO and then use it multiple times. So there’s also many other reasons why it’s not super accurate, but it’s still interesting to see, you know, them highlighting the growth of the diversity between the Cinnamon version, the Ubuntu version, and the Debian version. It’s, you know, one more thing is that the Linux Mint team have completely rewritten and containerized the backend of their website. It’s a big change that makes maintenance and upgrades easier, but for users, it’s mostly invisible. The URLs remain the same and the experience is unchained, except now Stripe integration allows for smoother donation processing, and it makes it easier for them to maintain the website. As a longtime Linux user, and especially a very longtime surveyor of Linux news.

Michael:
[18:21] This is a good thing because I remember a while back when Linux Mint’s website got hacked and they injected some stuff into the ISO itself due to neglecting their website. And so while this might seem like a meh thing for some people, I think this is great news because it makes it easier for them to maintain and more importantly, hardens the security around it. If you’re a Linux Mint user, what do you think about the new Cinnamon app menu? And of course, let me know if you are going to be updating to this latest version if you haven’t already because the latest version of Linux man has been out for a little while and I’ve still see people using the previous version. I’m curious why you’re using a previous version versus the newest one. But of course, you still need to update your Firefox regardless of what version of mint you’re using.

Michael:
[19:05] So be sure to do that soon. Have you ever opened an email at night and been hit with a blinding white screen?

Michael:
[19:11] It’s the worst but if you’re a thunderbird user that is finally changing it’s thunderbird the Open Source email client that is one of the most popular clients that you could even try just rolled out a new update that makes your email experience smoother smarter and easier on the eyes and that’s just the start let’s break it down well the first thing to talk about we actually covered in a previous episode but i wanted to mention it because it’s very cool and it is important to the future of Thunderbird and that it is they have been moving to the monthly release cycle, which means you’ll get new features and fixes much faster than before. So what’s new with Thunderbird 136? Well, at first, this is proof that this new approach is paying off because we’re getting new features. And the first thing is messages are now automatically adjusting to dark mode. So no more jarring white backgrounds when you’re checking emails in bed. Plus also there’s a handy toggle right in the header if you want to switch it manually to dark mode, but very cool that you can switch it automatically. And another welcome change is that there’s new appearance settings in the UI. This lets you globally control message threading and sorting. So if you always want your new emails to be at the very bottom or at the very top, you can set it once and it applies everywhere.

Michael:
[20:29] Thank you. The amount of frustration. Thank you. And for those of you with high DPI displays, Thunderbird finally fixed that annoying issue where email addresses clicked in the header would show up off screen. Now they appear right where they should be. Of course, this release isn’t just about new features. Thunderbird 136 also packs a ton of fixes and improvements. And some of the big ones are deleting or detaching attachments in saved emails now actually works. Unified folders, which were previously a little buggy, are now way more reliable. IMAP users, new mail notifications are finally working as expected and many more. And let’s not forget security. This update includes a fresh batch of updates and patches to keep your email safe from newly discovered vulnerabilities. Let me know in the comments, do you use Thunderbird? If not, what’s your go-to email client?

Michael:
[21:21] And do updates like this you consider switching to Thunderbird? In the comments. Linux audio was hit or miss for many years. Whether it’s pulse audio crackling at the worst times or jack being too complicated for casual users, getting great sound on Linux used to feel like a battle. But in recent years, one project has been quietly revolutionizing how Linux handles audio and video, and that project is, of course, PipeWire. And today, there is a new PipeWire to talk about with PipeWire 1.4.

Michael:
[21:53] It’s packed with many new features that will make Linux audio even more powerful and flexible and future proof to a point from MIDI 2.0 support to improve Bluetooth audio and even better compatibility with pro audio tools. This update is a very nice thing to see. So let’s break it down. But first, a quick refresher. PipeWire is an Open Source framework designed to handle audio and video streams on Linux. It’s essentially how apps and services interact with each other, replacing both pulse audio and jack giving users the best of both worlds with lower latency better performance and wider hardware support it’s already the default on many major Linux distributions most major Linux distributions and with this latest release it’s just getting better one of the biggest highlights of PipeWire 1.4 is full support for midi 2.0 this means better precision higher resolution and more flexibility for musicians and producers PipeWire now carries both legacy MIDI 1.0 and 2.0 through a new universal MIDI packet or UMP system, making it easier to integrate modern MIDI hardware and software. Bluetooth audio also gets a boost with support for BAP broadcast links, meaning better compatibility with modern Bluetooth devices. More importantly, there’s now direct support for hearing aids using ASHA or ASHA.

Michael:
[23:14] Audio streaming for hearing aids this is a huge accessibility win which is fantastic making Linux more inclusive for users with hearing impairments also for professionals PipeWire 1.4 introduces a new jack control api improving compatibility with high-end audio tools and workflows there’s also better pulse audio integration with a new system service for pulse wire or pipe wire pulse making Pulsewire, making it easier to manage and configure. Also, performance improvements are everywhere. There’s new RISC-V support, meaning PipeWire is now optimized for emerging Open Source hardware.

Michael:
[23:51] Our WebRTC 2.0 support has been added to the Echo Cancel code, making it more reliable for voice calls. And also video users, an FFMPEG-based video conversion plugin brings new compatibilities for PipeWire’s video adapter. More advanced users also will appreciate new features like support for PTP clocking in RTP streams, improved clock information for video4linux2 or V4L2, and better buffer pool handling for GStreamer. There’s also a new telephony, a D-Bus API compatible with Ophono, making PipeWire more useful and embedded in mobile environments, and so much more. So what does this all mean for you? Well, if you’re a musician, producer, or just someone who wants better quality audio on your Linux, well, PipeWire 1.4 is another step forward to a better experience, smoother experience with MIDI 2.0, improved Bluetooth, and better audio support overall. PipeWire is making Linux audio better for everyone, and it’s proving that Linux can compete with or even surpass other operating systems when it comes to multimedia performance. Of course, PipeWire also does video piping, not just audio and pipe wire is so cool.

Michael:
[25:07] If you want to learn more about PipeWire or the latest release,

Michael:
[25:09] you’ll find links in the show notes. Remember when we used to say, I’ll Skype you later? Well, it’s been a while and really no one says that anymore. So Microsoft has officially announced that Skype will be shutting down forever on May 5th. The once dominant video calling service that changed the way we communicate is being shut down and replaced by Microsoft Teams, which is kind of worse, actually.

Michael:
[25:34] For many, Skype was the first experience with VoIP or voice over internet protocol. It made international calls accessible, introduced us to video chatting long before FaceTime and Zoom, and even found home in the Linux community with one of the earliest dedicated VoIP clients for the platform. But despite its early success, Skype has been in decline for years. Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011. Talk about experiencing a bad call, but it struggled to keep up with the rapidly involving communication landscape. The rise of competitors like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom, Discord, and even Microsoft’s own Teams made Skype feel increasingly outdated. Then came the COVID-19 stuff and an opportunity where Skype should have thrived.

Michael:
[26:28] Instead, users flocked to Zoom, and despite a brief increase of Skype usage at the start of it, it, well, it started stagnating pretty quickly, and competitors surged ahead. Microsoft’s focus also shifted. The company launched the personal version of Teams in 2020 and slowly began phasing Skype out of relevance. Why? Who knows? Now, the transition is official. Existing Skype users can now log in to Microsoft Teams and have their message history, contacts and group chats automatically available, and there’s no need to create a new account. But users who want to use something else, you have 60 days to export all of your data before it is destroyed.

Michael:
[27:13] However, there’s one major loss. Microsoft Teams won’t support telephony. The one remaining unique feature Skype had, that means no more direct calls to domestic or international phone numbers. Skype credits will still be usable until the shutdown, but Microsoft is no longer offering new subscriptions or phone numbers. Users who rely on their Skype number will need to port it to another provider before May 5th. This is probably the most important piece of that. if you have a Skype number, I used to have one and I used to do this all the time. I had Skype credit. Like Skype was a big thing in the early days, especially if you were doing your own, like as an entrepreneur, I needed some kind of way to have a virtual phone that wasn’t my regular phone number of my cell phone. So I used Skype. It was fantastic. It gave me a lot of stuff and also the benefit of being able to use international calls without having to, you know, there was a little bit of nostalgia for me with Skype. So this is a bummer, but also not surprising because Microsoft ruined Skype. So while Microsoft is presenting this transition as a seamless upgrade, it’s really an admission that Skype’s time has passed. The world has moved on and so has Microsoft.

Michael:
[28:25] Sad times. Sad times. Skype was once the video calling service. It connected families across the world, facilitated business deals, like even for me, and it also played a part in historic moments. But in the end, it couldn’t keep up pace with innovation, and it’s now an end of an era. But if there’s one lesson in all of this, it’s that even the biggest tech giants can fade into obscurity if they don’t evolve fast enough. So what are your memories of Skype? Let me know. Did you use it back in the day? Do you use it now for some reason? And if so, why?

Michael:
[29:01] Let’s uh let’s talk about in the comments and also if you found this video helpful then of course subscribe to the podcast and uh yeah and for those who are fans of nostalgia and skype the the era of skype that was great this might bring back some memories: “Welcome to Skype Call Testing Service after the beep please record a message afterwards your message will be played back to you” sad but also expected {ding} sad but also

Michael:
[29:34] expected thanks for watching this episode of This Week in Linux if you’d like what i do here on this show and want to be kept up to date with what’s going on in the Linux and Open Source world then be sure to subscribe and of course remember to like that smash button if you’d like to support the show and the TuxDigital network then consider becoming a patron by going to tuxdigital.com/membership. We’re gonna get a bunch of cool perks like access to patron-only sections of our Discord server and much, much more, including you get access to the patron-only Skybox and the patron-only post show that happens every week after the live stream of this show. And also you can get special merch discounts as a patron for the store. Oh, right, you don’t know about the store? tuxdigital.com/store. You can get great stuff like the Linux is Everywhere t-shirt, the This Week in Linux shirt, or the Sudo Show shirt. That’s sure.

Michael:
[30:27] Sudo Show shirt. That is actually a mouthful to say. tuxdigital.com/store. You can pick up all this stuff and more. We have a new one to celebrate the 300th episode of TWIL. It’s the This is Linux shirt is also available on there. So go check that out. Plus, we also have hats, mugs, hoodies, and so much more. tuxdigital.com/store. I’ll see you next time for another episode of Your Source for Linux GNews. Thanks again for watching. I’m Michael Tunnell. I hope you’re doing swell. Be sure to ring that notification bell. And until next time, I bid you farewell.