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Mainstream gaming on Linux has been steadily improving year after year, with better compatibility, performance, and a growing library of supported titles, making it a viable alternative to Windows and console gaming.

In contrast, the emulation scene has been around for much longer within the Linux community, thriving thanks to Linux's openness and DIYbility. There are even dedicated retro gaming distros like Lakka and RetroPie that make setting up and playing classic games on Linux easy.

In this article, we'll be taking a look at RetroArch, a popular emulation frontend available for Linux and many other platforms.

RetroArch: Overview ⭐

Before you think that RetroArch is an emulator, don't. It's actually a frontend that runs emulators through a system of modular components called Libretro cores. Each core handles a specific console or platform, allowing RetroArch to support a wide range of classic systems.

It’s also more than just a game launcher. RetroArch can run media players, game engine ports, and offers features like game rewinding, shaders, and multiplayer support.

⭐ Key Features

Packing a wide range of features that complement gameplay, customization, and compatibility across platforms, RetroArch has the following standout features:

**Cross-platform.****Supports over 200 cores.****Unified settings interface.**Can run media from discs.

🎮 Gaming Experience

On my Bazzite setup, I installed the RetroArch Flatpak and connected an Xbox Wireless controller to try out Freedoom, a free game that plays like classic DOOM. Using the PrBoom core, it ran smoothly without any major issues.

Initially, I had tried using the Steam version of RetroArch, but it was a bit tricky to manually add cores and games since that version doesn’t have the online downloader.

The Online Updater and Core Downloader pages of RetroArch.

I downloaded the PrBoom core using RetroArch’s built-in Online Updater, which offers many cores for playing games from various classic consoles and systems. Using my controller, I easily navigated to the Core Downloader page from the Main Menu to find the core.

The Main Menu and Load Content pages of RetroArch.

After loading the core, I used the Load Content option to open Part 1 of Freedoom by selecting its .wad file that I downloaded earlier. As you can see in the video above, the game ran well. There were some minor stutters, but it didn’t affect gameplay; I was too busy taking down demons.

RetroArch's Input and Recording pages.

For those who like tinkering with their controller input, RetroArch’s Input page offers detailed customization, letting you remap buttons, adjust sensitivity, and set up different profiles for each core or game.

There’s also a Recording page where you can capture gameplay footage easily without needing extra software. (I missed this before I recorded the video.)

RetroArch's Appearance and Drivers pages.

Similarly, the Appearance page allows you to adjust themes, menu styles, and on-screen displays to suit your preferences, while the Drivers page lets you configure hardware settings like video, audio, input, and network interfaces to ensure smooth performance.

During my play session, RetroArch’s full-screen mode bugged out and wouldn’t enter full-screen properly, so I had to stick with windowed mode. There are other cool features I didn’t talk about, like Netplay for online multiplayer, Shaders to improve graphics, and Cheat Code support for games.

⚙️ Installing RetroArch on Linux

RetroArch comes in a bunch of formats, but on Linux, there are two main ways I recommend installing it. The first is to source it via Flathub by running the following command:

flatpak install flathub org.libretro.RetroArch

The second is for Ubuntu users who use snaps. You can grab the latest release from Snapcraft by running this command:

sudo snap install retroarch

You can also get RetroArch via Steam, AppImage, or build it from source. It’s cross-platform, with downloads available directly from the official website for other major systems like Raspberry Pi, Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS.

RetroArch

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Is Linux Ready For Mainstream Gaming In 2025?Linux is quietly gaining ground on Windows in the gaming space. But how well does it actually perform? Here’s what I experienced.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

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Not many Linux distributions take such major leaps, especially when things are already working. Nitrux is known for making such major changes, constantly experimenting and exploring new approaches for improving the desktop experience.

Instead of following convention, Nitrux is making good on its tagline: #DisruptiveByDesign. Their latest move is a perfect example. 👇

What's Happening: As of June 10, 2025, Nitrux has officially discontinued support and maintenance for both its custom NX Desktop and the underlying KDE Plasma base. The entire NX Desktop project page has already been archived.

Replacing them is Hyprland, along with a suite of utilities like Waybar and Wlogout. The developers also switched the Linux kernel from Liquorix to Cachy, citing the lack of PSI support in Liquorix as a problem since it's needed for Waydroid.

Similarly, development of Maui Shell is on hold because the team’s resources are stretched thin, and there has been limited interest or contributions from the community.

Uri Herrera, the founder of Nitrux, put it like this:

This would have been a reversal of our previous decision not to use Plasma 6 and to continue working on Maui Shell. However, an ever-changing landscape, coupled with development efforts that are stretched thin and a lack of interest in code contributions from community contributors, means that we will put Maui Shell on hold.

What to Expect: For users, it means that they will be using Hyprland, the hottest, most dynamic tiling window compositor out there. Its highly customizable nature means that you can rice your desktop to the max without sacrificing performance or simplicity.

That's not all. Nitrux is prioritizing its own app distribution methods, NX AppHub and AppBox, over traditional AppImage packages and will phase out support for older FUSE 2 runtimes, meaning AppImages won’t run unless they use the newer FUSE 3 runtime.

The display manager also sees a change from SDDM to greetd + QtGreet, dropping support for X11 sessions in favor of a Wayland-only approach.

Looking ahead, the team plans to switch the ISO image format from SquashFS to DwarFS for better performance with AppBox. They also aim to expand hardware support by adding ARM64 alongside the existing x86_64 architecture support.

The whole transition will take some time, likely a few weeks.

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Getting Started With HyprlandLet’s get on the “hyp” wagon with HyprlandIt's FOSSAbhishek Prakash

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Marking its second major release of 2025, Kali Linux 2025.2 is here, delivering several desktop upgrades, interface refinements, and new tools for cybersecurity enthusiasts.

Unlike general-purpose distros like Ubuntu or Fedora, Kali is specifically aimed at cybersecurity tasks such as penetration testing, digital forensics, and reverse engineering.

Let’s take a look at what this release brings to the table.

🆕 Kali Linux 2025.2: What's New?

Under the hood, Kali Linux 2025.2 is powered by Linux kernel 6.12 and comes loaded with a host of new tools like AzureHound, CRLFuzz, Gitxray, Rubeus, and the recently updated BloodHound Community Edition.

The key highlights of this release include changes like:

GNOME 48****KDE Plasma 6.3 Reworked Menu

GNOME 48

While the default Xfce session on Kali Linux is a good one, those who prefer a more modern-looking desktop usually move over to GNOME. This release of Kali comes equipped with GNOME 48, introducing many new features that complement the desktop experience.

Among those are things like notification stacking for better management, a Wellbeing feature for setting screen time limits, support for HDR monitors, and much more.

The Kali Linux team has also included some tweaks to reflect their visual style, and there is a new VPN IP extension developed by a community contributor that displays a VPN connection’s IP address in the panel for easy access.

GNOME 48 Released With Focus on Your Digital WellbeingIt took its time, but GNOME 48 is finally here with some rather interesting changes.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

KDE Plasma 6.3

If you don’t prefer GNOME, Kali Linux offers KDE Plasma 6.3 as an alternative. It comes packed with new bits like the ability to Clone Panels, better support for fractional scaling, and more accurate colors when using Night Light.

Additionally, the System Monitor app now provides more accurate CPU usage reporting, as well as improved battery, GPU, and printer reporting.

Reworked Menu

In line with the MITRE ATT&CK framework, Kali Linux has updated its menu layout, so tools are now grouped by how attackers (cyber adversaries) actually operate. This makes it much easier for users to find and explore tools based on what they want to do, rather than needing to know specific tool names or categories.

Earlier, they used the menu setup from BackTrack, which was based on WHAX. This older menu was not very organized, making it tiresome to update with new tool entries and difficult for end users to find tools easily.

🛠️ Other Changes and Improvements

We close this out with a few notable changes that weren't mentioned earlier:

Kali Linux is now on Bluesky and PeerTube.Addition of three new community wallpapers.Xclip for automatic terminal output transfers to the clipboard.Wireless injection on the TicWatch Pro 3 via Kali NetHunter.New download mirrors in India and South Korea, though the Korean mirror may not work if you're using a VPN.

You can find more details in the official announcement blog.

📥 Get Kali Linux 2025.2

If you are looking for a fresh installation, then visit the official website to get the latest images. You can also find the live and weekly images for Kali Linux there.

Kali Linux 2025.2

For existing users, they can execute these commands to get the new release:

echo "deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main contrib non-free non-free-firmware" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list

To obtain the new signing key:

sudo wget https://archive.kali.org/archive-keyring.gpg -O /usr/share/keyrings/kali-archive-keyring.gpg

Start the upgrade process:

sudo apt update && sudo apt -y full-upgrade

Copy the default configuration files to your home directory:

cp -vrbi /etc/skel/. ~/

Finally, reboot:

-f /var/run/reboot-required ] && sudo reboot -f

The upgrade guide should be your next stop if you face any issues during the procedure.

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Kali Linux Users Need to do This Right Away!Kali Linux users need to take note.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

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Specializing in energy-efficient edge AI hardware and software solutions, EdgeCortix is a Tokyo-based manufacturer of AI accelerators and platforms.

The company’s core offering is the SAKURA-II series, which leverages its proprietary Dynamic Neural Accelerator (DNA) architecture to deliver high-performance, low-latency AI inferencing for real-time applications.

In its latest move, EdgeCortix has introduced an M.2 form factor SAKURA-II AI accelerator module that is compatible with the Raspberry Pi 5 and any single-board computer (SBC) featuring an M.2 2280 slot with PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 support.

📝 SAKURA-II M.2: Key Specifications

The SAKURA-II's block diagram.

Equipped with 60 TOPS of INT8 performance and 30 TFLOPS of BF16 compute capability, the SAKURA-II M.2 can be configured with up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 68 GB/sec memory bandwidth, enabling it to handle large models and complex workloads with ease.

Thanks to its M.2 2280 form factor, it can easily connect with the Raspberry Pi 5, or to any other single-board computer or embedded system that requires low-power, high-performance AI acceleration for tasks such as real-time object detection, large language model inference, or multi-modal edge AI applications.

It’s specifically designed for space-constrained environments and to efficiently run generative AI models and workloads such as Llama 2, Stable Diffusion, DETR, and Vision Transformers, all while maintaining a power consumption figure of around 10 watts.

There's also a more powerful PCIe version of the SAKURA-II, available in single and dual chip configurations, designed for higher-throughput edge servers and industrial applications.

🛒 Getting the SAKURA-II M.2

Priced at $349, the SAKURA-II M.2 can be sourced from the official website. There is no mention whether additional shipping charges would apply, so be sure to ask about shipping fees when contacting EdgeCortix during your purchase inquiry.

SAKURA-II M.2

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For years, Big Tech has been tightening its grip on public institutions across the world, quietly slotting themselves into critical infrastructure that powers the daily running of governments.

Their allergy to privacy and bowing to their overlords (read: the country they're based in) has long been a thing of concern. There have been numerous cases where surveillance laws forced these companies to hand over user data without consulting, or even notifying, the governments of those affected.

For governments, this isn't just a privacy issue, but a sovereignty issue. And in Denmark, the Ministry of Digital Affairs has decided it’s time to push back.

Denmark's Open Source Move

Speaking with Politiken (paywalled), Denmark's Minister for Digital Affairs, Caroline Stage Olsen, revealed that the Ministry is moving away from Microsoft services, replacing Windows with Linux and Office 365 with LibreOffice.

This is set to happen in a staggered manner, where half of the staff will be switched to Linux and LibreOffice by summer (June-August), with full adoption expected by autumn (September-November) this year.

The move is said to be driven primarily by Denmark’s goal to strengthen digital sovereignty, ensuring that control over critical government data and systems remains within national borders.

This approach aligns with broader European efforts to promote open standards and safeguard public digital infrastructure from external influence. Take, for instance, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is undertaking a similar transition, moving 30,000 government computers from Microsoft software to Linux and LibreOffice.

Speaking about the move on LinkedIn, the minister emphasized that:

It is not about isolation or digital nationalism. We should not turn our backs completely on global technology companies; many of them provide solutions that we benefit from. This applies both today and in the future.

But we must never make ourselves so dependent on so few that we can no longer act freely. Too much public digital infrastructure is currently tied up with very few foreign suppliers. This makes us vulnerable. Also, financially.

📋The above quote was translated from Danish.

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Based in Madrid, Liberux is gaining attention with its Linux smartphones that run on LiberuxOS — a mostly open source operating system built from scratch, completely independent of Android and iOS. Their NEXX line of smartphones distinguishes itself as a Linux phone capable of running standard Linux distributions right out of the box.

Realizing that most people aren’t looking to spend a fortune on niche tech, Liberux recently announced that it was working on a more affordable version to make the NEXX accessible to a broader audience.

As far as I'm concerned, it's exciting to see organizations working to bring Linux phones into the mainstream.

Liberux NEXX: What Does it Offer?

Let’s start with the original model, which is impressive for what it is. It looks like a legit attempt at creating a daily-driver Linux phone that doesn’t feel like a development kit.

The Liberux NEXX features an octa-core Rockchip RK3588S processor (4×Cortex-A76 + 4×Cortex-A55, up to 2.4 GHz), 32 GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and a 6.34″ 2400×1080 OLED display.

It includes 512 GB of eMMC storage, which is expandable via microSD (up to 2 TB). Connectivity options include dual USB-C ports, 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Those are solid specs, and the price (~$1,485) shows it. 😲

Enter, The Budget-Friendly Alternative

The Liberux NEXX Community edition serves as a more affordable alternative to the original model while retaining many of its core features.

It includes the same 6.34-inch OLED display, Rockchip RK3588S processor, 32MP rear and 13MP front cameras, dual USB-C ports, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a 5,300 mAh battery, and microSD support up to 2 TB. Both versions run LiberuxOS, a Debian-based Linux operating system.

While the flagship model comes with 32 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, and 5G, the new Community version offers 8 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, and 4G LTE connectivity. There’s also a mid-range option with 16 GB RAM.

🛒 Getting the Liberux NEXX Community

As with any crowdfunding campaign, delays or changes are expected. Currently available on Indiegogo, the Community model with 8 GB of RAM is priced at approximately $900, excluding shipping costs.

Liberux NEXX Community

Additional tiers such as First Backer and Golden Backer are also available, offering various perks. Shipments are expected to begin globally in July 2026, though availability may vary by country.

Via: Liliputing

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Tensions in the WordPress ecosystem have escalated in recent months due to the very public dispute between WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and hosting provider WP Engine.

In late September 2024, Mullenweg labeled WP Engine "a cancer to WordPress" over alleged lack of contributions and removal of certain features from their WordPress offering. WP Engine responded with legal action, filing lawsuits alleging unfair business practices and abuse of platform control.

Currently, both sides are locked in ongoing legal battles, with lawsuits filed on each end, as Mullenweg’s high-handed approach continues to draw widespread criticism.

The response to all of this? A new package manager for WordPress backed by the Linux Foundation that aims to do things differently.

FAIR Package Manager: What to Expect?

Launched as a community-driven project, FAIR Package Manager (FAIR) looks to be a drop-in replacement to WordPress.org's centralized infrastructure, with two core pillars supporting it.

One pillar is API replacement, where FAIR takes over key WordPress services like update checks, event feeds, and browser version verification, redirecting them from centralized WordPress.org servers to local or FAIR-governed alternatives.

The second pillar is Decentralized Package Management, where a new package distribution model for themes and plugins is introduced, enabling multiple independent repositories to authenticate and serve packages.

The project aims to eliminate reliance on a single source for important core updates, plugins, and themes by enabling federation across trusted repositories while aligning better with GDPR, unifying a fragmented ecosystem, and ensuring a secure supply chain.

As for distribution, FAIR can be installed as a standalone plugin on existing WordPress sites or delivered as part of a full WordPress distribution (FAIR Distro), giving hosts (e.g., hosting providers and developers) flexibility in how they provide it to their users.

Governance is handled with a strong focus on transparency and community input. It is overseen by a Technical Steering Committee (TSC) made up of WordPress veterans and experts like Carrie Dils, Mika Epstein, and Ryan McCue.

Closing Thoughts

The Linux Foundation has a track record of backing forks like OpenTofu, Valkey, and OpenSearch—each appearing after license or governance issues triggered by decisions from key figures in their original projects.

With FAIR Package Manager, the Linux Foundation appears to be laying the groundwork for a similar shift in the WordPress ecosystem, one that prioritizes transparency, decentralization, and community-led governance over centralized control.

And if you ask me, there’s room for a real WordPress fork that truly focuses on those aspects.

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Containers have fundamentally changed how software development is carried out. They let developers package applications with all their dependencies into a single, portable unit. This makes it easy to deploy and run software anywhere.

Linux has been at the heart of container technology since its inception. Most popular container runtimes and tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and cointainerd were originally designed to run in Linux environments.

In the case of macOS, running containers usually requires running a Linux virtual machine (VM) or an application like Docker Desktop. This is far from optimal as it introduces additional resource overhead, slower performance, and complicates development workflows.

That's where Apple's new open source Containerization project comes in.

What's Happening: Announced at WWDC 2025, Apple has launched a tool that brings native Linux container runtime support to macOS. Based on Swift, the tool leverages Apple's Virtualization framework to run containers inside a lightweight VM, eliminating the need for traditional hypervisors or a heavyweight Docker VM.

Source: Apple

Supporting this is the Container project, which provides the core Swift library for working with OCI container images and runtime specs. It includes tools for image creation, metadata management, and spec validation, enabling seamless integration with Swift-based build systems and container runtimes.

What to Expect: With Containerization, each Linux container runs inside its own lightweight virtual machine rather than sharing a single large VM. The Swift-based vminitd process acts as the init system for each container on macOS, spawning as the initial process inside the VM and handling much of the heavy lifting in the background.

Apple provides Swift APIs that let developers easily manage container lifecycles, set resource limits, configure networking, and handle filesystem mounts, giving plenty of flexibility and control.

Source: Apple

Moreover, in a bid to harden security, the developers have significantly reduced the container root filesystem. Core utilities, dynamic libraries, and even the standard libc implementation are excluded by default.

This stripped-down approach is intended to reduce the attack surface, resulting in containers that launch faster and offer improved security by design.

To run Containerization, you need an Apple Silicon device equipped with either macOS 15 or newer and Xcode 26 beta installed, or macOS 26 beta or later.

Apple Containerization

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Having the right keyboard for your workflow can make a huge difference in productivity and comfort. Whether you’re coding, writing, or just browsing, a keyboard that fits how you work helps reduce weariness.

But traditional keyboard layouts aren’t designed with everyone in mind, especially if you have mobility impairments or need to use just one hand. For many, such setups create unnecessary barriers and frustration.

That’s where accessible keyboards come in. They’re made to help people with different needs type and use a computer more easily. Recently, a new open source one-handed keyboard was released that combines a compact QWERTY layout with built-in mouse control.

HTX Studio One-Handed Keyboard: Overview

Acting on the request of a father, whose daughter met with an unfortunate accident and lost use of her right arm, HTX Studio set out to design an open source one-handed keyboard that would restore her ability to type and navigate a computer with ease.

After getting a mockup from the young lady, the HTX Studio team worked to build a practical keyboard design for her. Seven revisions later, they were able to settle on a design with the following specs:

Firmware: QMKConfigurator: VIAConnectivity: USB Type-CKeycaps: Resin, PLA, etc.Trackball: 25 mm diameter PTFE ballMouse Wheel: 19–20 mm diameter, 4-5 mm thick, metal wheel.Arrow Keys: Five directional buttons with ALPS yellow switches.Switches: Hot-swappable MX-compatible mechanical switches (Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, etc.) on the large variants and soldered ALPS Yellow tactile switches on the small variant. Source: HTX Studio

For assembly, HTX Studio provides JLCPCB EDA project files, making it easy to order and print the PCBs. Along with that, the repository includes parts info for key components like switches, trackballs, encoders, and various mounting hardware.

Moreover, there are eight different PCB designs distributed across three keyboard variants. These include the main keyboard boards and extra boards for features like the trackball, mouse wheel, and arrow keys.

The left-handed and right-handed large variants. (Source: HTX Studio)

The three variants are a large right-hand hot-swappable keyboard, a large left-hand hot-swappable keyboard, and a smaller left-hand soldered keyboard. Here, hot-swappable means the user can replace switches without the need for soldering, while the soldered version has switches that are permanently soldered to the PCB during assembly.

Want to Build Yours?

Much of the documentation and schematics for the HTX Studio One-Handed Keyboard is in Simplified Chinese. If you’re not familiar with the language, using a translation service will help you navigate the content more effectively.

If you just want to see how it looks and feels, then you can watch the video linked above.

One-Handed Keyboard

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Wayland is rapidly shaping up to be the future of the Linux desktop, offering a more modern and secure alternative to the aging X11-based Xorg display server protocol. With its modular design, Wayland delivers smoother graphics, enhanced security, and better support for modern hardware.

While many people still have reservations over its adoption, citing issues like inconsistent feature support across desktop environments, compatibility gaps, and challenges for NVIDIA users, many Linux distributions are moving towards it.

Fedora, for instance, recently announced that starting with Fedora 43, its flagship edition, Workstation, will fully drop GNOME X11 support and run exclusively on Wayland, resulting in the complete removal of X11 session components.

And, now, as it stands, Ubuntu is also joining the Wayland-only club.

What's Happening: With the upcoming Ubuntu 25.10 release, the Xorg session will no longer be available for GNOME users. Instead, the Wayland session will be used by default.

The reasoning behind this move is the belief that Wayland has now reached an acceptable level of maturity in key areas such as NVIDIA driver support, a stronger security model, improved HiDPI handling, and a stable experience for most common workflows.

Plus, maintaining both X11 and Wayland sessions means more maintenance overhead for the developers. By following this approach, they are eliminating unnecessary work and staying in line with what's being done upstream with GNOME.

Announcing the change, Jean-Baptiste Lallement, Director of Engineering at Canonical, stated that:

This transition marks a new era for Ubuntu Desktop: modern and aligned with the direction of the broader Linux ecosystem. We understand that change can be disruptive, but we’re confident that the benefits of Wayland make this the right time.We will continue to monitor feedback and ensure Ubuntu remains the most accessible and productive open-source desktop for everyone.Thank you for being part of the journey.

📋They are planning to accomplish this with Ubuntu 25.10, as it is the last interim release before the next long-term support (LTS) release comes out in April 2026.

What to Expect: For users, this means that GDM will no longer show the "Ubuntu on Xorg option". If you run X11 apps, then you don't need to worry as XWayland is included for running those.

However, if you can't move away from X11, then you can choose an alternative desktop environment that still supports Xorg. Users of recent LTS versions of Ubuntu, like 22.04 and 24.04, won't be affected by this change; it only affects users of Ubuntu 25.10 and later.

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When Linux Mint 20 launched back in June 2020, it brought a range of improvements, such as a refined Cinnamon desktop experience, better performance, and the promise of long-term support (5 years).

Five years later, its time has come, as it has officially reached end-of-life (EOL) status. This means that systems running that version of Linux Mint will no longer receive security updates and important patches.

If you are on the fence about the upgrade, let me give you a quick look at what’s new and why upgrading is a good idea.

Linux Mint 22 is a Worthy Upgrade

Fastfetch output of Linux Mint 22.1.

We begin with Linux Mint 22, which introduced a newer Cinnamon version that offers better Flatpak support, improved window management on multi-monitor setups, and tweaked Cinnamon Spices.

Linux Mint 22.1, on the other hand, introduced a slimmer Ubuntu font, transitioned to the PipeWire sound server for improved audio handling, and offered better support for VirtualBox environments.

As for the upcoming Linux Mint 22.2 release, the main highlight is the Fingwit integration, enabling system-wide fingerprint authentication. Users can easily register fingerprints to securely unlock the login screen, authorize sudo commands, access administrator apps, and resume from the screensaver.

Source: Fingwit

And, if you like GNOME apps, then you are in luck, as this release is set to offer Libadwaita support for theming (Mint-Y, X, and L) and upgrades for apps like Calendar, Document Scanner, and Disk Usage Analyzer to their Libadwaita versions.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Linux kernel 6.8 acts as the powerhouse for the 22.x series of releases, offering better hardware support for Intel, Snapdragon, AMD, and the Raspberry Pi 5.

Upgrade to Linux Mint 22

The recommended upgrade path from Linux Mint 20.x is to perform a fresh installation of Linux Mint 22, which is supported until 2029. The developers consider this the cleanest and most reliable method.

Alternatively, you can upgrade from Linux Mint 20.3 to 21, and then from 21.3 to 22.

🚧No matter what upgrade path you choose, don't forget to back up your data first!

If you go for a fresh installation, then downloads for the three editions of the flagship Linux Mint 22 release can be found on the official website. Currently, 22.1 is the most recent version, with 22.2 arriving soon.

Linux Mint 22

Since Linux Mint 20.x is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, and that release has also reached EOL, Ubuntu 20.04 users should consider upgrading to at least Ubuntu 22.04.

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Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is Reaching End of Life — Here are Your OptionsUpgrade or sign-up for extended support before it is too late!It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

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Bazaar, or bzr, is a distributed version control system created by Martin Pool that was later sponsored by Canonical. It's been tightly integrated with Launchpad, Canonical's web-based collaboration platform, serving as the primary version control system for hosting and delivering source code for many Ubuntu-related and open source projects.

However, over the years, it has fallen into a state of disrepair, with development stalled and most of the open source community moving to the more actively maintained Git.

Unfortunately, Bazaar faces yet another setback.

What's Happening: Come September 1, 2025, all Bazaar code hosting on Launchpad, including repository access, pushing, and browsing, will be discontinued. Developers must migrate their projects to Git before this deadline to avoid disruption.

This decision comes at a time when Canonical has been busy revamping Launchpad while also focusing on modernizing Ubuntu.

Bazaar once used to be an integral part of Ubuntu development, but the open source community has moved on to Git, so it's only natural that they are now shifting their attention and resources to the widely adopted alternative.

While breaking the announcement, Canonical's Jürgen Gmach stated that:

Our users are extremely important to us. Ubuntu, for instance, has a long history of Bazaar usage, and we will need to work with the Ubuntu Engineering team to find ways to move forward to remove the reliance on the integration with Bazaar for the development of Ubuntu.

What to Expect: This will happen in phases. First, the Loggerhead web interface used for browsing Bazaar repositories will be retired imminently, as it no longer sees much legitimate traffic. Though, code hosting will remain available for now.

The second and final phase will take place on September 1, 2025, when Launchpad will fully remove Bazaar support, and developers will no longer be able to push, pull, or browse Bazaar code on the platform.

Those affected are encouraged to migrate their projects to Git ahead of the shutdown.

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Langfuse, a monitoring and analytics platform for applications powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), recently announced that it is making all features from its "Pro" offering open source.

The move is meant to provide developers and organizations with greater flexibility in how they track, troubleshoot, and optimize their AI-powered solutions.

Let's take a closer look at what this means.

Langfuse Open Sources Core Product

Source: Langfuse

On June 4, 2025, Langfuse announced the open sourcing of its core product via its official blog. The source code is available on GitHub under the MIT License, with the exception of some enterprise features that remain proprietary.

Basically, the open source version includes all the main features that were once available in their paid version, such as LLM-as-a-judge evaluations, annotation queues, prompt experiments, and the Playground.

Langfuse stated that their decision to open source the core product aims to promote transparency and encourage community participation in development. They expect that making the software open source will accelerate advancements in LLM observability and make these tools accessible to developers regardless of budget. In their own words:

We are constantly shipping to be the technology of choice for our community. This requires trust, feedback and buy-in from our community.We re-visited the gated features in our Enterprise Edition. If we want to be the first choice in the market, we need to allow our community to cover the entire dev cycle in our FOSS version. Features like LLM-as-a-Judge, Evals, or our Playground are market standard at this point and should be freely available. But why stop there?

The best platform for developers has to be open at its core. By removing commercial barriers from our product features, we’re fostering deeper trust, collaborating on contributions, accelerating adoption, gathering richer community feedback, and iterating faster than ever.

With the platform now open source, developers can expect faster updates, community-driven improvements, and the flexibility to customize the platform to their specific needs. Organizations can also self-host Langfuse, maintaining full control over their data and privacy.

For those interested in exploring Langfuse, the GitHub repository and official documentation provide the necessary resources to get started.

Langfuse

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Wow! This New Open Source Compiler is 20 Times Faster Than LLVMA new compiler backend framework focused on faster code generation appears.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

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Elecrow is a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of DIY electronic kits, dev boards, and STEM tools that mostly caters to tinkerers, educators, and hobbyists.

Their CrowPi series of kits is particularly popular, offering all-in-one solutions that combine an SBC with sensors, modules, and displays for hands-on learning and experimentation. Their built-in interface and over a 100 interactive projects make learning a child's play, literally.

Just a few months ago, they showed off their latest CrowPi offering, with a recent blog post outlining what we can expect from it.

📝 Elecrow CrowPi 3: Key Specifications

Designed to be an all-in-one educational kit, the CrowPi 3 focuses on providing an interactive learning experience in programming, electronics, hardware control, and artificial intelligence (AI) with its various modules, sensors, and interfaces.

Elecrow offers this kit with over 100 learning courses that include practical examples and step-by-step guides, designed to help learners master a range of skills, including a focus on STEM learning.

It can be powered by four different control modules, such as the Raspberry Pi 5 (the most powerful option), the Arduino Nano V3, the Micro:bit, and the Raspberry Pico/Pico W series.

Source: Elecrow

The CrowPi 3 features a 4.3-inch 800×480 IPS touchscreen display, which can be laid down flat or flipped up for easy viewing, and a second, smaller LCD screen to check system status information.

It also features an 8×8 RGB matrix that can be used to display different colors, text, numbers, and shapes, with a sturdy plastic outer case housing it all.

Source: Elecrow

There is a range of input and output sensors too, that include a gyroscope/accelerometer, RFID, flame detection, voltage detection, ultrasonic, PIR sensing, infrared reception, temperature/humidity, hall sensing, and a few others.

As for the many ports and interfaces, the Crow Pi 3 features:

Video: 1x HDMIPower: 5V DC, 2A (via USB-C).Audio: 1x 3.5 mm headphone jack, 1x internal side speaker.USB: 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 3x USB-C (DEBUG, PD, Input/Output).Networking: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with dual-band support, Bluetooth 5.2, and 1x Gigabit Ethernet Port.

🛒 Getting the Elecrow CrowPi 3

The CrowPi 3 is currently in the crowdfunding phase on Kickstarter (partner link). It is priced at $159 for the Super Early Bird Basic Kit, with estimated shipping charges of around $35 to the United States.

Elecrow CrowPi 3

The campaign offers multiple tiers, including advanced and educational kits, and is expected to ship globally in August 2025 to select countries. We at It's FOSS got an early bird kit courtesy of Elecrow, and I must say, the CrowPi 3 looks quite interesting.

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CrowPi 3: An All-in-one AI Learning Kit With Cyberdeck FeelA Swiss Army knife for coding education as this kit transforms the programming concepts into tangible experiences. Learn from more than a hundred interactive projects.It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash

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That is what YouTube thinks. Jeff Geerling, one of the most prominent voices in the open source tech and DIY community, has been hit with a community guidelines strike for a 2024 video explaining how to set up LibreELEC on a Raspberry Pi 5.

Explaining his situation, Jeff published a detailed blog outlining what happened and what he plans to do next.

What is YouTube Smoking?

Source: Jeff Geerling

Labeling the video as being "Harmful or dangerous content", YouTube has removed Jeff's video titled "I replaced my Apple TV—with a Raspberry Pi", and has rejected his appeal, leaving him with no clear explanation and a community guidelines strike.

And it gets worse. To avoid a permanent guidelines strike (2 strikes means channel removal) on his YouTube channel, Jeff had to take Policy Training (read Big Tech-approved thought correction).

This isn’t the first time this has happened to Jeff. Back in October 2024, his video on setting up Jellyfin on a NAS was taken down for the same reason. Luckily, that time, YouTube accepted his appeal.

After being published on my channel for over two years, YouTube put a strike on my channel for my video showing people how to set up Jellyfin on their NAS, for promoting "dangerous or harmful content" pic.twitter.com/xs6mbrOFv3

— Jeff Geerling (@geerlingguy) October 2, 2024

📋Jeff's removed LibreELEC video is currently available on archive.org for anyone interested in watching it.

It's scary seeing all this; we at It's FOSS also publish self-hosting content, and if posting such content on YouTube means that our channel gets those damned strikes, then we might have to hold back on posting such content.

If you ask me, YouTube has become too big and arrogant to listen to independent creators. If it were some rich multinational corporation in the same situation, they would let it pass.

Sure, people could move away to more liberal/open platforms like PeerTube, but the audience there is too fragmented and small to sustain creators financially. Things just aren’t quite there yet.

As for Jeff, he plans to keep going, slowly moving content to Floatplane while facing the harsh reality that YouTube’s reach and revenue still play a crucial role in enabling him to create new content.

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PeerTube Needs Your Help to Upgrade its Mobile AppPeerTube is raising funds to accelerate the development of its mobile app.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

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The OpenInfra Foundation, home to projects like OpenStack, Kata Containers, and StarlingX has officially joined the Linux Foundation family. This move represents a strategic pairing between two influential organizations in the open source infrastructure space.

This alliance promises to unlock new possibilities for how individuals and organizations create, manage, and collaborate on open source infrastructure.

What's Going On?

By combining forces, the organizations aim to tackle duplication of effort and concentrate more on the technical development side of things. This streamlining should lead to more efficient use of resources and accelerate innovation across open infrastructure projects.

The Linux Foundation has a proven track record of providing stable, reliable governance, paired with long-term stability and industry-wide credibility.

Joining forces also translates to the creation of a larger community that will attract more contributors, users, and sponsors for open infrastructure projects.

Parallel to this, the OpenInfra Foundation has introduced the Open Infrastructure Blueprint — a practical guide designed to help organizations build AI-ready systems using open source technologies like Linux, PyTorch, OpenStack, and Kubernetes.

This partnership comes at a time when many organizations are actively seeking alternatives to costly, proprietary cloud services. As concerns grow over vendor lock-in and lack of control, open source infrastructure that's built on interoperable and community-driven technologies is becoming an increasingly attractive option.

Looking Forward

The goal of this partnership is to accelerate the development of open infrastructure technology and make it easier for businesses to adopt.

It also reflects a broader shift in the open source ecosystem, where organizations are teaming up to share resources, reduce duplication of effort, and build a stronger foundation together.

Moves like this could help level the playing field in cloud computing by offering real alternatives to the ones offered by Big Tech.

You can read more in OpenInfra’s blog post about the merger.

This is definitely a big win for open source! 😄

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A key part of turning human-written code into machine instructions (something computers can actually run) is handled by a compiler backend. This is where high-level code is converted into low-level machine instructions, which are binary operations a CPU understands.

For years, LLVM has been the go-to tool for this job, with its backend powering languages and compilers like Clang, Rust, Swift, Julia, and even parts of Haskell.

But now, there's a new kid on the block, TPDE, which is designed to be faster and simpler, challenging LLVM's dominance in the space.

What to Expect with TPDE?

TPDE's GitHub repository.

Three researchers from the Technical University of Munich have developed TPDE, a new compiler backend framework designed to generate machine code significantly faster than existing solutions.

It focuses on generating machine code quickly and efficiently by combining multiple backend tasks, such as instruction selection, register allocation, and encoding, into a single pass.

This streamlined approach allows TPDE to compile code up to 8 to 24 times faster than LLVM on certain workloads, especially in just-in-time (JIT) compilation scenarios like database queries and WebAssembly.

Their technical paper mentions the following:

Our LLVM back-end targets x86-64 and AArch64 and consists of less than 8k lines of code. Performance results evaluating the SPEC CPU2017 benchmarks show that our back-end is 8–24x faster than LLVM’s compile-time-focused -O0 pipeline while achieving similar run-time performance of the generated code (±9%).

All of this happens behind the scenes, thanks to a lean, two-pass system that skips much of the heavy lifting found in traditional backends.

Currently, TPDE supports popular CPU architectures like x86-64 and ARM64 (Armv8.1), making it suitable for a wide range of modern devices, from desktop/laptop computers to mobile and server environments.

If you’re interested, you can explore the technical paper and the project’s GitHub repository to learn more.

TPDE

Via: Phoronix

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Despite repeated rounds of international diplomacy, sanctions, and shifting front lines, the most recent chapter of the Russo-Ukrainian War doesn't seem to be closing out anytime soon as both sides remain firmly entrenched in a prolonged, bloody conflict.

Amid this ongoing standoff, Ukraine recently launched a major drone operation deep inside Russian territory. And it used an open source software, ArduPilot, for that.

Open Source in the Battlefield

Source: Jimmy Rushton

As part of Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine launched a coordinated drone attack targeting four airbases deep inside Russian territory, using over 100 FPV drones that were smuggled across the border inside modified shipping containers loaded on trucks.

According to Ukrainian reports, this attack has resulted in the destruction and damage to 41 Russian military aircraft, including strategic bombers such as the Tu-95, Tu-160, and Tu-22M3.

And, as new videos of the operation surface, it's clear that the operators used ArduPilot to set flight paths and manage navigation, helping all those kamikaze drones reach their targets.

Chris Anderson, one of the ArduPilot co-founders, was surprised to hear their creation was used in the operation. He said that:

18 years after @Jrdmnz @jason4short and I created ArduPilot, here it is destroying large parts of the Russian air force. Crazy

ArduPilot began as a simple project to build an autopilot system for Arduino-based hardware. Chris built an early prototype using a Lego Mindstorms kit and launched DIYdrones.com in 2007. Since then, the project’s community has grown significantly, turning ArduPilot into one of the most versatile and widely used open source autopilot systems today.

If you ask me, all of this feels like something straight out of Ace Combat 7, with drones sneaking in and hitting targets deep behind enemy lines.

This only highlights how open source software continues to find use cases beyond its original purpose, being adapted to new challenges and shaping the future of modern technology and warfare.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU/SSU) has released an official statement for those interested in more details about the operation.

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Arch Linux is known for its no-nonsense, transparent development approach, where both users and maintainers play a key role, collaborating openly on everything from bug fixes to package updates, with every change visible to the community.

Back in September last year, Valve entered into a collaboration with Arch Linux for providing backing to two projects: the development of a build service infrastructure and the establishment of a secure signing enclave.

Building on that, an RFC has been posted that looks to streamline how Arch Linux approaches sponsorships.

What's Happening: Jointly authored by Christian Heusel and Rafael Epplée almost a month ago, the RFC aims to create a clear, transparent process for managing sponsorships, defining how support is accepted, disclosed, and governed in line with Arch Linux's standards.

The reasoning behind this is said to be the need for a consistent and transparent process, as Arch Linux increasingly receives inquiries from organizations interested in offering financial support to the project, and project contributors show interest in being paid.

What to Expect: The proposal outlines that any kind of sponsorship ought to be publicly documented, fairly approved, and free from outside influence affecting development decisions.

They mention two kinds of sponsorships here: general sponsorships, which can include anything from donations to gifts, and major sponsorships, which involve larger support that could potentially influence decisions and must follow stricter transparency and review processes.

Plus, there are set guidelines for negotiating sponsorships both as the Arch Linux project and as individuals, preventing conflicts of interest and ensuring that all agreements align with Arch Linux’s values.

The proposal also includes clear rules for enforcing these guidelines and handling any disagreements that may arise during the process. However, because sponsorship is a complex topic, the RFC is intended only as a first step, with many questions still left unanswered.

You can keep an eye on the merge request for this to stay updated.

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There aren't many de-Googled Android-based operating systems that offer both a good user experience and privacy as effectively as /e/OS. It gets rid of many Google services in favor of open source alternatives, giving users great control over their data.

Murena, in close partnership with the e Foundation, provides /e/OS on its own smartphones as well as on select devices from other brands. You can even install it yourself if your smartphone is supported.

The OS is designed to work for the user and not for a surveillance-powered ecosystem that disregards user privacy (read Android).

Since the /e/OS 1.0 release, both the operating system and the Murena brand have evolved significantly, shifting from an experiment to something that's good for daily use.

And, now, with the arrival of /e/OS 3.0, the project marks its newest, most refined release yet.

📋The pictures used in this article were provided by Murena.

/e/OS 3.0: What’s New?

To begin with, there's a new search engine, Murena Find, which is powered by Qwant, offering privacy-focused, unbiased search results that don't rely on tracking a user's activity. Murena mentions that it operates in the "no tracking" mode by default to ensure maximum privacy.

Next up is the speech-to-text messaging support that allows Murena Workspace subscribers to dictate messages when their hands are occupied. Now, when a user is walking, driving, or multitasking, they can easily and securely compose messages using their voice.

Speech-to-text messaging and parental controls.

Finding lost devices is easier, too, as there is now support for Find My Device via SMS, letting users locate their smartphones without an internet connection. It relies on SMS technology to provide geolocation for devices.

For those with kids in the house, /e/OS 3.0 introduces refined parental controls that give guardians more control over app installations and screen time. Plus, apps rated as "PG" will now require a security code to install, giving guardians an extra layer of control over what their children can access.

The security code can also be enabled for other applications on a device.

The Tablet Mode looks nice.

Users with larger screens will appreciate the new Tablet Mode with this release. It adjusts the interface to fit bigger displays better, making navigation easier. As a result, the user interface should now feel more intuitive to use on a tablet, and multitasking should be better than before.

/e/OS 3.0's new weekly privacy reports and Murena Vault.

Similarly, /e/OS's Advanced Privacy feature has got some buffs, where it now shows detailed weekly reports on app tracking and an overall Privacy Score to help users better understand how their data is handled. There’s also a new option to customize app geolocation access, letting users decide which apps see the device’s true location and which are shown a fake one.

And finally, we have Murena Vault, a new experimental cloud storage solution powered by CryptPad. It offers niceties like end-to-end encryption, real-time collaboration, and secure file sharing.

Commenting on the release, Gaël Duval, founder of /e/OS and CEO at Murena, added that:

We believe that technology should serve people, not the other way around.With this new version of /e/OS, we are raising the bar even higher in ourpowerful proposition for a healthier, more ethical, and user-first digital life.

Wrapping Up

The official documentation and the installer are useful starting points if you are looking to download this release for your smartphone. Be sure to check the compatibility list to see if your device is supported.

For the source code, you should visit e Foundation's GitLab instance.

/e/OS 3.0

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Switzerland’s new surveillance plan could force encrypted service providers to build backdoors into their offerings, threatening privacy for everyone who uses Swiss-based digital services.

This comes as a big surprise to me, as I always thought that Switzerland was a great place if one valued privacy.

It has long been a safe haven for individuals and companies seeking to keep their messages and data private. But with this new proposed legislation, that hard-earned reputation may now be at risk.

Privacy at Risk: What's Going On?

The Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), a Swiss authority responsible for overseeing law enforcement and public security, wants to impose a new rule that would grant it extensive surveillance powers over online communications.

Keep in mind, this change wouldn't go to a vote in Parliament and could be ratified without much public disclosure. If enacted, private encrypted email and messaging services like Proton Mail, Threema, and others could be seriously affected. And don’t even get me started on what this could mean for VPN providers.

Moreover, users might be required to hand over personal information, like a phone number or official ID, making anonymous sign-ups nearly impossible.

And it gets even worse — organizations would be required to hand over user data in plain text when requested, except for messages that are securely end-to-end encrypted between users.

Given Switzerland’s strong tradition of direct democracy, where citizens regularly vote on major legislative issues, this top-down approach feels downright Orwellian.

I’m not the only one concerned. Privacy-focused companies like Tuta have spoken out against the proposal, warning that it could undermine security for everyone. I believe it's essential that we spread the word and push back against such measures that threaten people's right to privacy.

Via: heise

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By now, you already know that Linux kernel development is a massive undertaking that's carried out by thousands of contributors, and more often than not, tensions rise, leading to some mean things being said.

I like to think of such happenings as just part of the process when dealing with a huge and complex project like Linux.

A recent event serves as a reminder of just how intense things can be.

Guardian of the Linux Kernel is Awakened

Linus to patches that mess with the Linux kernel.

Expressing concern over a kernel contributor’s tree (a set of patches), Linus Torvalds reprimanded Kees Cook for submitting 330 pull requests that copied Torvalds’ own patches and re-listed him as the author.

He called the move "actively malicious", pointing to fake merge commits that included incorrect SHA-1 signatures. For instance, a legitimate patch by Torvalds had a SHA1 beginning with 9d230d500b0e, while the duplicate/fake version submitted by Kees used f8b59a0f90a2.

Linus' original pull request on the left, the fake one on the right.

Soon after, Kees clarified what might have gone wrong, attributing the issue to a faulty SSD that had thrown errors during data transfer, resulting in corrupt trees and broken merges. He apologized and agreed to get rid of the affected tree and committed to rebuilding the patch set cleanly before resubmitting.

Still, Linus remained skeptical of Kees’ explanation, doubting that such a massive rewrite of commits could have happened unintentionally. He noted that, under normal circumstances, Git would correctly update the committer information during merge rebasing, suggesting that some form of scripting (read automation) was likely involved.

Kees, again, clarified that he didn't do it deliberately, mentioning that a combination of a failing SSD, a tricky manual rebase, and some overridden checks caused this.

After some back and forth in between Kees, Linus and Konstantin Ryabitsev, it was clear that the root cause was an unintended rewrite of committer information by the B4 tool, which erroneously altered commit metadata during history rewriting.

Thanks to the 'mostly civil' and very constructive communication among all the parties involved, the issue was dealt with, and in all this, one thing was made clear: Linus Torvalds is the vigilant guardian of the Linus kernel, someone who, while easily angered, is always watching.

You can check out the whole thread if you want to dig into the details.

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After Recent Kernel Drama, Rust for Linux Policy Put in PlaceThe recent Linux kernel drama over Rust code has resulted in the creation of a Rust kernel policy.It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra

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Ubuntu has entered a phase of modernization, marked by a series of strategic changes Canonical has implemented over the past few months. Take, for example, the introduction of sudo-rs as a Rust-based alternative to sudo, the shift toward newer default applications, and the decision to include the latest Linux kernel in new releases.

These are not surface-level changes; these reflect a broader shift in how Ubuntu is engineered and maintained. In a recent announcement, Canonical is taking this even further with the introduction of monthly snapshot releases.

Ubuntu Snapshots: What are These?

Snapshot 1 of Ubuntu 25.10.

Being separate releases than the usual interim and long-term support ones, Ubuntu Snapshots are monthly builds that act as development checkpoints, offering early access to ongoing work and helping improve the overall quality, stability, and transparency of each Ubuntu release.

To manage this complex, fast-paced release cycle, Canonical is leveraging Temporal, an open source durable execution solution to build a highly automated, reliable workflow system that reduces bugs and increases efficiency.

The reasoning behind this change is tied to the need for a release process that is both repeatable and transparent, while minimizing the risk of errors. By adopting this tool, they aim to create a more consistent and flexible workflow that can handle complex release tasks efficiently while reducing the chances of mistakes.

On the same subject, Jon Seager, VP Engineering at Canonical, said that:

With the introduction of monthly snapshots, we can integrate installer testing, full-disk encryption testing, graphical application testing and more as a regular, automated part of the release pipeline - not just as part of the development pipeline of each individual package. This means we should catch regressions earlier and surface more edge cases to be resolved before release.

They have already started this process and plan to release snapshots for Ubuntu 25.10 on the following dates:

May 29, 2025: Questing Quokka - Snapshot 1 *Already OutJune 10, 2025: Questing Quokka - Snapshot 2July 15, 2025: Questing Quokka - Snapshot 3August 19, 2025: Questing Quokka - Snapshot 4

You can download the first snapshot from the official image index, but keep in mind it's not intended for general or production use; these snapshots are strictly for testing and development purposes and are not full-fledged releases.

Ubuntu 25.10 (Snapshot)

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Known for providing loans, grants, and advisory services to developing countries, the World Bank is an influential international financial institution that focuses on reducing poverty, improving infrastructure, and promoting sustainable economic growth.

To achieve said goals, the World Bank works closely with governments, civil society, and the private sector to strategize, design, and fund development projects across diverse fields.

A recent announcement sees them venture into the open source space with Metadata Editor, an internal tool of theirs.

Metadata Editor: What to Expect?

Source: World Bank

As a web-based tool, Metadata Editor helps users create and manage metadata, the detailed information that describes datasets. Using it ensures that data is well documented, making it easier for anyone to understand, share, and reuse.

Open sourced under the MIT License, Metadata Editor was originally created to help World Bank teams manage statistical metadata in line with their Development Data Quality Policy.

Soon after, they realized that the tool had much more potential beyond their use cases, as others showed interest in adopting and adapting it for their own data documentation needs.

Two organizations, PARIS21 and INEGI, have already joined up with the World Bank to collaborate on improving and expanding the Metadata Editor, helping adapt the tool for wider use.

Currently, it supports metadata standards like:

IPTCISO 19139Dublin CoreDDI-CodeBook v2.5

This release is underpinned by a new institutional licensing framework that enables the World Bank to share software developed through public funding while maintaining its unique legal protections.

During the announcement, World Bank stated that:

Until now, the Bank’s ability to release software was limited by legal and procedural complexity. Each release required custom legal terms and ad hoc reviews. The new licensing framework replaces that model with a clear, repeatable structure—enabling more teams to share tools openly, efficiently, and at scale.

To ensure implementation is consistent and sustainable, the Bank’s Open Source Program Office (OSPO) ([email protected]) provides support for internal teams releasing software.

Want to Check it Out?

You will find both the source code and documentation for Metadata Editor on GitHub. There are detailed instructions on how to install, configure, and customize the tool to fit different organizational needs.

Markdown Editor

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A new community-led initiative has given rise to Helwan Linux, an innovative Linux distribution developed by a team of software engineers from Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt.

According to its creators, Helwan Linux was built by developers, for developers. To me, this initiative stands out as a truly unique milestone for Egypt, showcasing the country’s growing presence in the information technology space.

Let's see what's in store.

What's Helwan Linux All About?

Source: FOSS Force

Helwan Linux (or Helwan O.S) is an Arch Linux-based distribution that features the Cinnamon desktop environment, offering a well-balanced experience that emphasizes both performance and user-friendliness.

Compared to other desktop environments, Cinnamon offers a clean look that's easy to get the hang of. If the default theme does not suit your style, you have the option to change the way your desktop looks with the various pre-installed themes.

The primary language for the distro is Arabic. But don't worry, there are many other languages included, such as English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.

As per the documentation, Helwan Linux requires at least 3 GB of RAM, a 64-bit CPU, 16 GB of storage, and an integrated GPU to run.

What does Helwan Linux offer?

Helwan Linux comes with an array of pre-installed software focused on developer and media use cases. Some of those include:

GeanyVS CodePythonPHPRustSQLiteMariaDB

There are also essentials for everyday use, like Firefox, LibreOffice, VLC, HexChat, and Geary.

📥 Get Helwan Linux

I found the ISO to be buggy and had some issues using it in a virtual machine. Perhaps it works better on bare metal. That's the reason for the lack of screenshots in the article.

The Helwan Linux ISO is around 4.0 GB, making it larger than typical lightweight distros, so expect a bigger download. You can get a recent build of Helwan Linux from the official website.

Helwan Linux

Via: FOSS Force

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