Linux & Open Source News

💻 Get a Linux computer from our sponsor, Tuxedo💻 https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 Support the show here: 👏 Patreon supporters get the daily Linux & Open Source audio show! https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or you can support me with a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thelinuxexp https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ 👕 Buy TLE Merch: 👕 https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 📹 Watch Linux videos: 📹 https://www.youtube.com/thelinuxexperiment 🎙️ Leave your feedback here: 🎙️ https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com 01:47 GrapheneOS won’t comply with age verification laws https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/grapheneos-refuses-to-comply-with-age-verification-laws 03:27 SystemD adds date of birth field for age verification https://itsfoss.com/news/systemd-age-verification/ 05:13 SystemD forked to remove date of birth field https://itsfoss.com/news/systemd-fork-strips-out-age-verification/ 08:11 Fedora project lead suggests using standard Age check API https://itsfoss.com/news/fedora-leader-suggests-age-verification-api/ https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/a-practical-architectural-solution-to-os-level-age-verification-laws/183387 10:33 SteamOS adds Steam Machine support, Wayland by default https://www.phoronix.com/news/SteamOS-3.8-Preview https://www.techradar.com/gaming/steam-deck/valves-steam-machine-gets-its-first-support-update-ahead-of-launch-via-steamos-preview-3-8-0-and-it-includes-one-major-fix-ive-been-waiting-for 12:16 electron details their work on Wayland support https://www.electronjs.org/blog/tech-talk-wayland 14:03 LibreOffice adds donation banner https://www.phoronix.com/news/LibreOffice-26-Donation-Banner 15:23 Firefox 149 is a big update https://linuxiac.com/firefox-149-now-available-for-download-brings-split-view/ 17:13 GNOME starts their fellowship program https://blogs.gnome.org/foundation/2026/03/24/introducing-gnome-fellowship/ 19:17 Ubuntu makes changes to GRUB for security https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/streamlining-secure-boot-for-26-10/79069 https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/ubuntu-security-center-ubuntu-pro 20:58 Ubuntu 26.04 beta released https://documentation.ubuntu.com/release-notes/26.04/changes-since-previous-interim/ 22:43 Plasma 6.6 beats GNOME 50 in graphics performance https://www.phoronix.com/review/ubuntu-2604-gnome-kde/4 24:11 NVK + Nouveau makes massive progress https://www.phoronix.com/review/linux-70-nouveau/7 25:45 Github will use all your user data to train Copilot https://github.blog/news-insights/company-news/updates-to-github-copilot-interaction-data-usage-policy/ 💻 Get a Linux computer from our sponsor, Tuxedo💻 https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 Support the show here: 👏 Patreon supporters get the daily Linux & Open Source audio show! https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or you can support me with a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thelinuxexp https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ 👕 Buy TLE Merch: 👕 https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 📹 Watch Linux videos: 📹 https://www.youtube.com/thelinuxexperiment 🎙️ Leave your feedback here: 🎙️ https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com

A deep dive into Manjaro contributors pushing to split from their company. A furious discussion of Google’s new, hostile sideloading and developer verification rules. Germany moves to mandate ODF for public administration. Quick takes on Orion’s Linux beta, CachyOS rising for gaming, GNOME 50’s big release, and PS5 gaining Linux GPU support.

AI tools are being used to generate code in AMD drivers, KWin and Lutris, sparking debate over quality and ethics. An EU-led attestation effort offers new hope for degoogled Android ROMs. SUSE may be up for sale again, raising questions about the company’s future. Chromium will soon get native ARM64 Linux builds. Per-game driver tuning and Unity’s Steam integration get attention too.

💻 Get a Linux computer from our sponsor, Tuxedo💻 https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 Support the show here: 👏 Patreon supporters get the daily Linux & Open Source audio show! https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or you can support me with a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thelinuxexp https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ 👕 Buy TLE Merch: 👕 https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 📹 Watch Linux videos: 📹 https://www.youtube.com/thelinuxexperiment 🎙️ Leave your feedback here: 🎙️ https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com 02:07 Californian law forces distros to add age verification https://natlawreview.com/article/california-introduces-new-age-verification-requirements-software-applications https://9to5linux.com/ubuntu-fedora-linux-mint-eye-age-verification-amid-california-law-backlash https://blog.system76.com/post/system76-on-age-verification 08:01 Motorola announces GrapheneOS partnership https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at-mwc-2026/ 09:25 Plasma will drop X11 in August this year https://community.kde.org/index.php?title=Plasma%2FWayland_Known_Significant_Issues&diff=106180&oldid=106129 11:01 Mesa ponders their AI or NO AI policy https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/merge_requests/40109/diffs?commit_id=0c1a286f2aea094f6a4709b160632ee1403db596 13:16 Manjaro gaming handheld delayed https://itsfoss.com/news/orange-pi-neo-delayed/ 15:18 Firefox shows its UI redesign https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/firefox-nova-redesign 16:53 LibreOffice takes shots as Microsoft and OnlyOffice https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/02/27/odf-is-just-the-first-of-lo-advantages/ 18:56 Google opens Android up to stores, reduces commissions https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/a-new-era-for-choice-and-openness.html https://www.theverge.com/news/889595/tim-sweeney-signed-away-his-right-to-criticize-google-until-2032 22:26 EA hires to bring their anti cheat to Linux https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/ea-javelin-anticheat-job-listing-mentions-future-support-for-linux-and-proton/ 23:39 Playstation stops porting their games to PC https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/kiss-goodbye-to-ghost-of-yotei-on-pc-sony-is-u-turning-on-its-lets-put-our-games-on-pc-strategy-and-bunkering-back-down-with-console-exclusives-says-bloomberg/ 💻 Get a Linux computer from our sponsor, Tuxedo💻 https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 Support the show here: 👏 Patreon supporters get the daily Linux & Open Source audio show! https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or you can support me with a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thelinuxexp https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ 👕 Buy TLE Merch: 👕 https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 📹 Watch Linux videos: 📹 https://www.youtube.com/thelinuxexperiment 🎙️ Leave your feedback here: 🎙️ https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com

Big players are hiring Linux developers for graphics, Vulkan and Proton work. KDE Connect is getting a full visual and permission overhaul. A new open standard aims to federate digital services across platforms. Ubuntu adds visible sudo password feedback. Firefox adds an AI kill switch and privacy controls. ARM and partners form a CoreCollective to boost collaboration.

💻 Get a Linux computer from our sponsor, Tuxedo💻 https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 Support the show here: 👏 Patreon supporters get the daily Linux & Open Source audio show! https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or you can support me with a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thelinuxexp https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ 👕 Buy TLE Merch: 👕 https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 📹 Watch Linux videos: 📹 https://www.youtube.com/thelinuxexperiment 🎙️ Leave your feedback here: 🎙️ https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com Links: 01:47 GNOME 50 got a massive beta https://9to5linux.com/gnome-50-desktop-environment-enters-public-beta-testing-with-more-new-features 04:13 GNOME OS nearing stable release https://blogs.gnome.org/adrianvovk/2026/02/18/gnome-os-hackfest-fosdem-2026/ 07:22 Plasma 6.6 released https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.6.0/ 10:21 KDE debunks FUD around systemD https://www.reddit.com/r/kde/comments/1r68jmi/a_quick_antifud_faq_to_debunk_the_kde_is_forcing/ 13:10 Budgie 11 gearing up for first preview https://buddiesofbudgie.org/blog/chirp-5 14:51 EU takes aim at infinite scrolling https://www.politico.eu/article/tiktok-meta-facebook-instagram-brussels-kill-infinite-scrolling/ 17:48 Microsoft starts Trusted Tech Alliance https://www.techradar.com/pro/microsoft-launches-trusted-tech-alliance-to-try-and-restore-some-faith-in-big-tech 19:43 Valve says parts shortages are the cause of Deck stock issues https://www.techradar.com/gaming/steam-deck/valve-confirms-steam-deck-oled-stock-issues-are-due-to-memory-and-storage-shortages-heres-what-it-means-for-the-steam-machine 21:44 EU parliament blocks AI features https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-parliament-blocks-ai-features-over-cyber-privacy-fears/ 23:51 AsteroidOS brings Linux to your smartwatch https://itsfoss.com/news/asteroidos-2-release/ 25:55 Nextcloud Hub 26 brings big updates https://nextcloud.com/blog/nextcloud-hub26-winter/ 28:19 Project aims to bring NetBSD utilities to Linux https://linuxiac.com/netbase-brings-netbsd-userland-utilities-to-linux/ 💻 Get a Linux computer from our sponsor, Tuxedo💻 https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 Support the show here: 👏 Patreon supporters get the daily Linux & Open Source audio show! https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Or you can support me with a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thelinuxexp https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ 👕 Buy TLE Merch: 👕 https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 📹 Watch Linux videos: 📹 https://www.youtube.com/thelinuxexperiment 🎙️ Leave your feedback here: 🎙️ https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com

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.

They debate whether AI 'vibe coding' is harming open source contributions. System76's big Cosmic roadmap and plans for Vulkan and syncing get a breakdown. Valve delays for Steam hardware due to memory shortages are explained. European moves away from big tech and open governance changes at openSUSE are discussed. Desktop news covers GNOME 50, GIMP GPU goals, and sudo funding pleas.

France plans to replace US platforms with sovereign open source alternatives. A modular clamshell Linux handheld smashes its crowdfunding goal. A new collective aims to coordinate Linux gaming efforts and tooling. Desktop projects push Wayland, Rust compositors, and X11 continuity. NVIDIA launches a native GeForce Now Linux client and mod/compat tools advance Windows game support.

A new phone that can run Android, Linux and Windows on one device is discussed. Photoshop installer and recent versions now run via Wine on Linux. Desktop environments get UI polish and accessibility tweaks. Concerns arise over systemd requirements, snap malware via expired domains, and Nvidia AI training claims. Desktop portal and compiler AI policy changes are also covered.