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This week in Linux, we’ve got some news related to the next releases of Ubuntu. Also, Lever Office has a new version out for the Open Source office suite. Debian is dealing with some AI bot drama and Lennart Poettering is back in the headlines with something new. 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. Now let’s jump right into Your Source for Linux GNews.

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(Music Playing)

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by Sandfly Security. More on them later.

[01:00:37:26 – 01:01:35:51]
Canonical just addressed some concerns people have with the kernel support related to the next LTS release of Ubuntu with 26.04 LTS. Back in 2024, Ubuntu changed how they handle kernel versions and their releases attempting to ship with the most recent Linux kernel series available at the time of the next release of Ubuntu. But some were concerned because the delay in the next kernel could cause an issue. So they addressed that. Because the holidays kind of did like a delay for the kernel development and the schedule for the current 6.19 cycle got an extra release candidate, which pushes the stable 6.19 release out to February 8th. That in turn squeezes the schedule for the 6.20 or Linux 7.0, which may land like kind of not in the realm of what they were expecting. And it also might land around or even after Ubuntu’s 26.04 kernel freeze dates.

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Despite that tight race against time, a lead engineer on Canonical’s kernel team has reaffirmed that Ubuntu will still deliver this newer kernel in April with the LTS release. They’re even planning what’s called a day zero SRU, which is a stable release update shipped right at or immediately after the release to make sure that users are getting get the final stable kernel rather than just a release candidate.

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So that’s a clear sign that Canonical is serious about keeping Ubuntu 26.04’s kernel as up to date as possible going into its long-term support cycle. Also for those curious why I’m saying Linux 6.20 or Linux 7.0 for the same version, well, this is because the Linux kernel team do not have a set system for when they switch to the next major number, and they don’t actually tell you when it’s coming until right before it comes. So the number is actually completely arbitrary. In fact, it means nothing. For those who are curious what the different numbers mean, nothing. It’s more of an incremental system to keep track of the progress and to be able to like chronicle things. And for a quick history lesson, the Linux kernel used to have a version scheme that had meanings to the order of the numbers, but then the two point X series and the more specifically the 2.6 point X series happened. So Linux 2.0 was released in June, 1996, and then it wasn’t until 2003 when we got 2.6. The last update to that version was in 2011 for 2.6.39. So yes, that means that 2.X series lasted 15 years. Then Linus Torvalds decided that was enough of the versioning nonsense and changed the system to be incremental every like 20 or so releases. This meant that 3.X and 5.X had 20 releases and 4.X had 21 releases. So I’m suspecting that 7.0 will be next right after 6.19. You might be wondering why 4.X had a 21 releases instead of the 20 like the others. Well, personally, I like to think that it’s so that they could do the joke about 420.

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That’s not officially confirmed, but that’s what I like to think is why.

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Ubuntu 24.04 LTS users are also getting a pretty big hardware enablement update with the latest update for 24.04.4. And this one brings much newer kernel and graphics stack along with it. The HWE or the hardware enablement stack is designed to pull newer core components from later Ubuntu releases like the interim releases and make them available to LTS users. So newer hardware works better without having to upgrade the whole OS. With this update Ubuntu 24.04 LTS systems move up to Linux 6.17 along with Mesa 25.2 graphics drivers. And that means better support for newer CPUs, GPUs, laptops, gaming hardware, and more. Plus a range of performance improvements and driver updates across the board are also included with this. So this is especially important for people installing Ubuntu on newer machines that came out after 24.04 originally was launched. This HWE stack is rolling out as part of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS point release and will also be used by default on fresh installs done with newer point release images. Existing users will receive it through the normal update system. So just you’ll see a notification that says you have an update, you can go ahead and go through that process to get the newer kernel and graphics stack and all that sort of stuff. So this keeps the long-term support base but with much more up-to-date hardware support.

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Fliber Office 26.2 has officially been released and this is the newest major update to the open source Office suite used across Linux, macOS, and even Windows. This version continues the project’s newer year-based version numbering and brings a mix of interface polish, compatibility improvements, and feature upgrades across Rider, Kalk, Impress, and the rest of the suite.

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One of the big themes in this release is better document compatibility and interoperability, especially with Microsoft Office formats. There are improvements to Docx, XLSx, and PPTx import and export behavior, along with layout and formatting fixes that help reduce surprises when moving documents between the Office suites. The developers also worked on performance and general stability with many bug fixes included across all the core components.

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Rider sees some updates for the editing tools and layout handling, while Kalk gets formula and function improvements along with better spreadsheet interoperability, and Impress and Draw also receives updates to presentation handling and object behavior. There are also user interface refinements across the suite, including menu and dialogue tweaks, and continued work on Notebook Bar and layout consistency. Under the hood, this release includes a large number of code cleanups and platform-related fixes, and it continues the shift toward more modern rendering and toolkit behavior on Linux desktops. As usual, this release is labeled as a fresh branch, so people who want to get the latest features will need to use the fresh version, and if you want the more conservative type of deployment, then that would be using the steel branch as the multiple different options. So it’s kind of like a rolling release versus stable release, but not exactly, because for an application, so they call it fresh and steel.

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If you like a full list of features, you can check out the release notes from the show notes of this episode, because there is a lot of stuff in

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Debian developers are moving to restrict how large language model bots and automated AI scrapers can access their infrastructure, especially around continuous integration systems and related services. The concern is that automated AI data collection and aggressive scraping are putting real load on project resources that are meant for development, testing, and package validation, not bulk data harvesting.

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The discussion centers around Debian CI systems and other public facing services being hit by high volume automated requests coming from AI related crawlers and agents. Maintainers report that this traffic can consume bandwidth and compute resources, which in turn slows down or interferes even with normal developer workflows. As a result, there are now steps being taken to block or limit certain automated agents and require more controlled access patterns.

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Now this also ties into a broader trend that’s happening across the web where AI driven scraping and agent based browsing are changing traffic patterns. Some commercial platforms have already started updating their terms of service to explicitly ban AI agents and automated collection tools and scraping infrastructure companies are publishing new guidance on how AI powered scraping is evolving.

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Debian’s move shows that even community infrastructure projects are now having to actively defend their systems against high volume automated AI traffic and set clearer boundaries on acceptable use. This incident has broader implications for the open web too because there’s scrapers, they’re becoming more aggressive and projects that previously shared data openly are being forced to adopt anti-bot measures which could potentially create barriers for human contributors and independent researchers. This is mirrored in the corporate world as well because eBay recently updated its user agreement for explicitly prohibiting AI buy for me agents and LLM scraping bots. So the buy for me agents is first of all weird. Why would anyone let an AI just spend their money randomly on eBay or anywhere? But I don’t get that part. But while I do agree with Debian protecting their systems, it also shows why we need better norms and better technical standards around AI agents and automated access. Because otherwise, we’re going to keep seeing more fences go up across both community and commercial infrastructure. So I hope there’s some adjustments that can be made for this kind of thing.

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As Linux users, we know what’s up. Security is non-negotiable. But with threats evolving faster than ever, your security tools need to keep up without dragging your system down. Traditional agents, they slow you down and create stability risks. It’s time for a smarter approach. And that’s why this week in Linux is proud to be sponsored by Sandfly, the agentless security platform designed for Linux. Sandfly doesn’t just detect and respond. It transforms 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 headaches of agent-based solutions.

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And if your company is interested in transforming your security strategy, Sandfly also offers free trials to show off what it can do for your business. So visit thisweekinlinx.com/Sandfly. That’s thisweekinlinx.com/Sandfly. Also listen to what Timothy Lisco, the deputy CISO at DigitalOcean has to say. He says, “Sandfly is one of the most exciting pieces of security tech I’ve seen recently. We’re excited not to only just be a customer, but also offer an integrated solution to our customers through the DigitalOcean marketplace. This technology addresses Linux security in a really novel and compelling way. Experience security that’s effective and gives you peace of mind. No agents, no downtime, just cutting-edge protection. Dive into the future of Linux security at thisweekinlinx.com/Sandfly.” That’s thisweekinlinx.com/Sandfly.

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Nvidia has officially launched a native GeForce Now app for Linux. Well, I mean, by launch it’s in beta, but still. It does exist now. Up until this point, Linux users mainly had to rely on running a GeForce Now through a web browser, which worked but came with some limitations around performance, features, and overall polish.

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This new app is designed to give Linux users a more direct and optimized way to access Nvidia’s cloud gaming platform. The Linux app is a Flatpak and provides a desktop client experience similar to what Windows and Mac OS users get. It supports higher quality streaming modes, better session handling, and improved input behavior compared to the browser version.

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Nvidia is positioning this as a step-toward feature parity across platforms, with Linux no longer being treated as just a fallback through the browser.

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Interestingly though, while this is a new app as a Flatpak, it’s not being distributed on the Flathub. You have to get it from their repo, at least for now. Maybe that’ll change in the future. Who knows. So reports for testing this particular new app. The performance is generally more consistent and overall better, especially when it comes to latency and stream stability. It also integrates more cleanly with the desktop, making full screen gaming and controller support more reliable. The beta currently targets mainstream Linux distributions and is focused on x86-64 systems. Maybe that’ll change. Who knows. But that’s how it is right now. This launch also lines up with GeForce Now’s continued expansion, including new game additions and ongoing service updates with a native Linux client now in beta. Cloud Gaming on Linux gets more like a first-class option because this is a really good thing, especially for people who want to play certain games that are not available in the Linux platform. Also, GeForce Now celebrated six years this week. So, as they say, better late than never for the support of Linux. But it’s true, actually. Seriously, I think this is good. It’s a good thing, especially for those who have the hardware and the internet connection to use this kind of service and want to play games that would otherwise be locked behind a set of opaque windows, for example. Like Fortnite, you know, that kind of thing. I don’t personally have an interest to play Fortnite, but I know a lot of people do. And before it was pretty difficult, if not impossible. And now with GeForce Now, especially with this new native with the performance and stuff, it actually becomes a genuine option for that game as well as many others. So that’s why I’m happy to see that Nvidia is bringing GeForce Now to Linux.

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Amutable is building a platform that combines immutable-style operating system images, a cryptographic measurement, and remote attestation.

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The system is designed so that the OS image, the key components and configurations are measured and recorded, and those measurements can be checked locally or verified remotely. That means a server or device can produce proof about its software state, including what was booted and what is currently running. This ties into measured boot and trusted platform hardware concepts, where each stage of the boot and runtime process is recorded and can be validated.

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Another part of the design is image-based updates and controlled system changes. Instead of modifying live system piece by piece, updates are delivered as tested images, which helps keep deployments consistent and easier to audit. This model is similar to other immutable or image-based Linux approaches, but Amutable is putting extra focus on built-in verification, auditability, and supply chain trust. The company is positioning this for cloud enterprise and regulated environments, where being able to prove system integrity is a hard requirement for compliance and security reviews. The Amutable team are framing this as an effort to push Linux into higher trust environments by default, with integrity and attestation treated as core platform features. Early reports describe the project as ambitious and experimental, with strong interest from parts of the Linux community and security-focused organizations who want stronger guarantees about what their systems are actually running. Now, this is clearly not aimed at every Linux user, and that’s fine. This is actually a pretty interesting concept, and most desktop users and hobbyists won’t need remote attestation, and being able to have measured boot chains with cryptographic proofs or any of that stuff. But as an option for highest assurance deployments, it could be very valuable.

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Lennart has a long history of publishing big foundational changes in Linux, sometimes controversial, often influential. So this is definitely a project worth watching to see if it turns into a new trust layer that other distributions can build on top

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A new Linux distribution is in the news this week, and some are saying that they are folding their way to the top.

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And that distro is Origami Linux,

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and it’s built around an immutable design with the COSMIC desktop environment as the core part of the experience. The project is based on Fedora or more specifically for Dora atomic and focuses on delivering a more controlled image based systems layout where the core operating system is read only and updates are delivered as complete images instead of individual packages. The goal is to improve system reliability, rollback compatibility, and also overall consistency.

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Essentially, this is quite similar to all the universal blue projects, but it’s using Fedora atomic directly, not through the universal blue stuff. But what sets this apart, you know, even even more so like what sets it apart from the crowd or in other words, what makes this above the fold?

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Origami Linux uses the COSMIC desktop, which is the Rust based desktop environment developed by system 76 that gives it a modern Wayland first desktop with its own shell compositor and core. Applications and pairing COSMIC with an immutable Fedora base puts it in the same general category as other image based distros, but with a different desktop focus and tooling stack and one that I’ve been actually asked about a lot because people a lot of people have been wanting to know is an atomic style distribution going to be shipping with COSMIC desktop and which one is it doing? Is it going to be universal blue is going to be whoever and now we have an answer to that and it’s Origami Linux.

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So this project positions itself around stability and safer updates with atomic style upgrades and the ability to roll back to a previous system state if something goes wrong. Applications are expected to be delivered through containerized or sandbox formats like Flatpak or other types of systems, keeping them separated from the core OS. Origami Linux is still early in its life cycle, but it adds another option to the growing group of immutable Linux distributions that are experimenting with new desktop and update models. And I think this is very cool to see, especially because it connects a lot of trends that have been building in the Linux space into one focus project. Immutable and atomic style distros are clearly gaining momentum and pairing that model with COSMIC desktop is a smart move in my opinion. So there’s already a lot of curiosity around that desktop and I think there’s going to be a lot of curiosity around this particular distro. It feels like a natural experiment that a lot of people have been waiting for and I like seeing projects take, you know, attempts to create new combinations instead of just cloning the same formula over and over. So while it’s still early in its development, I’ve definitely added it to my watch list. So if you want to learn more, you’ll find links in the show notes.

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talk about mocha Chino OS. This is not a new distro, but it is new to me. I’ve never heard of it before. A couple of weeks ago and it looks really interesting. Now, mocha Chino OS is not meant for everyone, but if you fit the criteria, you might want to check it out. Now mocha Chino OS is a independent distro, but it has ties to Sabeon and Gentoo Linux with mocha Chino OS being essentially a soft fork of Gentoo. Now mocha Chino OS version 26.02 has been released and it continues the project’s approach of building a source based Linux distribution with a container driven workflow. Mocha Chino OS is designed around the idea of using container technologies to build, manage, and run system components, blending concepts from source based distributions to a more modern image and container style tooling. The goal of this is to give developers and advanced users a flexible system that is reproducible and modular. This distribution uses mocha Chino as tool chain and the Luit package manager. I think it’s Luit. I’m not sure, which focuses on containing container based packages, builds, and layered images. Now packages are built and distributed as container images, which are then used to assemble the operating system. That allows for more predictable builds and easier reproduction of environments across machines. I was talking to one of the developers and they said that they build out a lot of the stuff and basically can have a whole system built out in about 30 minutes or so, which is really interesting. It also supports mixing binary packages with source based workflows depending on what the user wants it to do. The 26.02 release updates core components, refreshes packet sets, and improves build definitions and profiles. The project continues to position itself as a developer focused and experimental approach aimed at users who want to have deep control, like really deep control over their system and how it’s built and composed and all that sort of thing. It’s not targeting beginners, but instead people who are comfortable with source based systems. You know, if you’re, if you’re familiar with Gen 2 and that sort of thing, then this might be something to check out because it’s a combination of basically Gen 2 with an immutable style container system. And also has a custom system design engine and overall. So it’s, I think it’s really interesting. And also for those who are wondering, I know a lot of people are going to be asking, why is it called Mochino OS? I didn’t know this until recently. So, so Mochino OS and the Sabion people are basically the same. So Mochino OS is like a successor to Sabion. For those who don’t know Sabion, it’s like a derivative of Gen 2. And this is not necessarily a, it’s not like a fork of Sabion. It’s more of a, you know, successor in the sense of like the developers switched to this because it’s a whole new concept and that sort of thing. And this was funny because up until today, I didn’t know what Sabion meant and I’ve used it before. I’ve known about it for over a decade. And at no point did I know that Sabion is a dessert.

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And in Italian restaurants, it turns out that Mochino’s are often ordered after a Sabion. And that’s why Mochino OS comes after Sabion Linux. So there you go. Now, you know why it’s called Mochino OS.

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There is a proposed governance overhaul on the table for the open SUSE project published as a draft by the SUSE of VP and longtime open SUSE contributor Jeff Mahoney. The proposal is aimed at restructuring how decisions are made in the project and how authority and responsibility are defined between the community and SUSE as the primary corporate sponsor. It is still a draft and open for discussion, but has already sparked a lot of community feedback.

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The draft suggests moving to a clearer governance model with more formally defined roles, councils and decision making processes. That includes setting up structured bodies for technical direction, project leadership and conflict resolution, along with written rules for how members are selected and how votes and approvals would work. The idea is to reduce ambiguity around who can decide what and how project wide decisions move forward. One of the big themes in the proposal is transparency and accountability with documented processes and published responsibilities. It also tries to clarify the relationship between a SUSE and open SUSE, including what influence the company has and where community control applies. Community reactions so far are mixed with some people welcoming clearer structure and others raising concerns about balance of power and long term project independence.

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based on feedback. I think having a clearly defined governance model is generally a good thing for a project the size of open SUSE. As communities grow and the number of stakeholders increase, informal processes and assumed authority lines tend to break down. So writing things down, defining roles and documenting how decisions get made can reduce confusion and prevent conflict later. Structure is not the enemy of community, but if it is done in a transparent way and with real community input. The fact that they are publishing this and asking for feedback shows community is continuing to be an important piece of the puzzle.

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Thanks for watching this episode of This Week in Linux. And if you like what I do here on the 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 channel, then consider becoming a patron going to tuxdigital.com/membership. Where you can get a bunch of perks like access to the patron only section of our Discord server, and joining me on the live streams as a patron as I record the show, which is a feature you can do if you didn’t know. So go to tuxdigital.com/membership to get access to all of that. Also, you can support the show by ordering the Linux is Everywhere t-shirt or the This Week in Linux shirt at tuxdigital.com/store. For those who are not sure, this is the shirt of the Linux is Everywhere shirt. I am wearing it so you can check it out. I did also design it.

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You know, if you want it, that’s the way that’s the place to get it. tuxdigital.com/store. You also got other stuff there like hats, mugs, hoodies and 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. Until next time, I bid you farewell.