Linux & Open Source News New kernel boosts Linux performance, Mint makes big changes, Discord Backlash
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Feb 13, 2026 Coverage of a major new kernel release promising performance boosts and features. Discussion of Linux Mint rethinking its release cadence and UI choices. A heated reaction to Discord’s proposed age verification and privacy concerns. Updates on KDE theme restorations, Mesa 26 raytracing improvements, and a new Wayland multi-window protocol.
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Mint Considers Longer Release Cycle
- Linux Mint plans to lengthen its release cycle to reduce maintenance overhead and focus on development.
- Nick suggests yearly ISOs with rolling desktop updates as a balanced approach for Mint users.
Discord’s Global Age Verification Misstep
- Discord rolled out global age-verification (face scans and ID) beyond required regions, sparking privacy backlash.
- Nick highlights risks: past ID contractor breaches and machine-learning age inference erode trust.
Kernel 6.19 Brings Wide Performance Gains
- Linux kernel 6.19 brings major performance gains across AMD GPUs, XFS, TCP, ZRAM, and IO features.
- These improvements depend on distro packaging, so users must wait for their distro to ship the new kernel.