OMG! Ubuntu!
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Linux App Release Roundup (October 2026)
October’s Linux app releases brought plenty of treats, a couple of tricks and mercifully few frights. In this post, I recap the updates that landed last month. There were other spooks in the shadows with a spotlight. October gave us a double-whammy of Firefox and Calibre updates, with JEPG XL support added in the former and AI reading voices in the latter…
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Enlightenment desktop 0.28 released with better networking
Enlightenment 0.28 has been released, the first major update to the open-source desktop environment since early 2025. Given the time between this and the previous 0.27 release, the changelog is suitably lengthy. Networking and audio stack enhancements, UI and UX tweaks and, of course, plenty of bug fixes are listed – no jaw-dropping UI changes, though…
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Sanket lets you redesign GNOME’s date menu and Quick Settings
Sanket is a GNOME Shell extension that lets you rejig how the desktop’s date menu, calendar, notifications and Quick Settings look and behave – and then some. It can put notifications beneath the Quick Settings menu in a floating island, or embedded inside of it. Quick Settings toggles can shrink to dots when space is tight, and expand again as and when…
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Ubuntu 27.04 ‘Tenacious T-Rex’ opens for development
Development on Ubuntu 27.04, codenamed ‘Tenacious T-Rex’, has officially begun. The tenacious archive is now open (30 October 2026), with auto-sync from Debian set to pull in a tranche of updated packages since the Ubuntu 26.10 release. Over the course of the next six months, those will be tested, set and form the basis of the final, stable release. Ubuntu…
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This app lets you manage Nothing & CMF earbuds on Linux
Adjusting active noise cancellation (ANC) on Nothing or CMF earbuds means taking out your phone, opening the official mobile app and twiddling a setting there. EarA, a new open-source tool, aims to nix that palaver. It’s a GTK4 app (with a CLI for those who prefer the terminal), and lets you change settings on earbuds like the Nothing Ear (a) and CMF Buds…
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We added a manual dark mode toggle to the site (cos you asked)
You may have noticed OMG! Ubuntu looking a little cleaner lately. Earlier this month, Sam and I finally rolled out a refreshed site backend, along with some changes to the bits you look at when you come here. Boring stuff to read about, I know. But a few of the changes were done because readers asked for them, so I wanted to quickly mention them. Firstly…
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Gelly is a GTK desktop music player for Jellyfin and Navidrome
If you run your own music streaming server via Jellyfin or Navidrome/Subsonic, you’ll want a decent desktop player – Gelly is a solid choice for GNOME. It bills itself as “native, lightweight music player” for the aforementioned streaming servers (and compatible ones). It’s written in Rust and GTK4/libadwaita and, as a good players should, it lets you…
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Ghostty 1.4 released with big improvements
A major new release of Ghostty, the open-source terminal emulator, has been released. Ghostty 1.4.0 brings a varied set of changes after 7 months of development. There are welcome performance optimisations on Linux and macOS, a more capable SHH implementation and an easier way to rearrange tab splits – dragging them! This update to the Zig-based app offers…
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Ubuntu Core Desktop ‘accelerating’ development ahead of 27.04
Canonical has announced it’s ‘accelerating’ development of Ubuntu Core Desktop, its immutable, snap-based version of its desktop OS. Ubuntu Core Desktop was announced in 2023 and made available in preview for enthusiasts to try. But a lack of of obvious progress and direction (not to mention up-to-date builds) had left many wondering if Canonical was…
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Ubuntu firmware HWE will prevent issues on older kernel
Ubuntu is planning a new linux-firmware-hwe package, in an effort to reduce the risk of firmware updates for newer kernels causing problems for users running older ones. On Ubuntu long-term support (LTS) releases, you can stick with the standard (GA) kernel it was released with for the duration of its support period, or you can install the HWE update, which…
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Firefox 159 released with Wayland Linux fixes
Firefox 159 is out, with a fresh set of improvements and some Linux-specific fixes. Now that Mozilla’s browser hews to a faster release cadence, with two releases a month rather than one, some changelogs may look minor on their own, as they’re smaller, if more frequent slices. So what’s changed? The Passwords tool in the browser sidebar (added as an option…
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Trash talking Ubuntu’s confusing British bin labels
Every operating systems needs somewhere to put the files you delete (and give you chance to rummage through to find the ones you want to keep). But, if you’re a Brit using Ubuntu, the name of that place varies based on where you look. It seems Ubuntu’s UK English translation team don’t agree on what to call a bin. The dock hover label says Trash. That opens…
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Canonical’s Launchpad adds bug tracking for PPAs
Launchpad now offers bug tracking for personal package archives (PPAs), making it easier for users to report issues specific to software within a PPA. Why does that matter? Well, not all PPAs are maintained by their upstream counterparts – folks who, frankly, aren’t always minded to care about quirks in their software that might be down to someone else’s…
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PHP2Shell scare sees SuperTuxKart pull its online server
SuperTuxKart has taken several online services offline, having pulled the server that powers them rather than risk it being exploited by PHP2shell. The open-source karting game is not alone in ‘pitting’ to patch, with Wikimedia, DeviantArt, government websites and many more taking various systems offline to harden against it. While offline, gamers can’t…
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Shader Effects is the coolest GNOME extension you’ll try this weekend
Ever wondered what your Ubuntu desktop would look like if you were watching it on a chewed up VHS tape or an old monochrome CRT monitor? You probably haven’t, but a new GNOME Shell extension lets you find out anyway. The Shader Effects extension applies GPU-accelerated filters, things like scan lines, NTSC RGB bloom and flickery green CRT glow, to your…
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Calibre 9.7 touts faster ebook conversion speeds
Calibre 9.17 has been released with faster ebook conversion speeds and JPEG XL image support. The open-source ebook editor improves output compression speeds for MOBI, AZW3 and PDB files, which makes conversions to those formats quicker. Converting EPUB to MOBI is what I use Calibre for to read on my ancient Kindle. Calibre 9.17 can read JPEG XL images in…
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Does Ubuntu’s new AI desktop launcher prototype hint at its future plans?
What would deeper AI integration on the Ubuntu desktop look like? Well, you don’t need to think to hard to find out. A Canonical engineer has published a prototype launcher that simulates how on-device AI could be used to enhance and aid users of the Ubuntu desktop. But the warty-prototype snap by Didier Roche-Tolomelli (aka didrocks) is not a real…
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Epic’s new ‘vibe-coded’ games launcher is ready to test on Ubuntu
Epic Games has confirmed that Fortnite is coming to Linux, and the launcher it will arrive through is available to try in preview on Ubuntu – a vibe-coded wonder that’s been royally roasted on the internet. The gaming company has also announced a rebuilt version of its anti-cheat tech for Linux, which will be required to run Fortnite to Linux. Easy…
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KeePassXC 2.8 brings Qt 6 UI, auto-type on Wayland
If KeePassXC is your password-management app of choice on Linux, the new 2.8.0 update is going to please. KeePassXC 2.8.0 sees some “long-awaited new features” arrive, including a Qt6 port of the main app interface, auto-type support on Wayland via XDG Desktop Portals, fingerprint unlock and a new experimental Aarch64 AppImage. The Qt6 port has been a…
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Ubuntu rolls out critical php2shell, eMudhra certificate fixes
Ubuntu has released critical security updates for the eMudhra certificate key compromise and the php2shell PHP flaw. A standard Ubuntu desktop won’t be impacted since PHP isn’t installed by default, and the certificate issue is largely a browser-based one on desktop. Still, you should open Software Updater to check for updates. If available for your setup…
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PS5 Linux hack now supports (some) newer firmware versions
New PS5 Linux hack pLinux5-NG supports newer firmware, allowing Linux and Steam games to run on Sony's console. But not for long, welp. You're reading PS5 Linux hack now supports (some) newer firmware versions , a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu . Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
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Firefox 158.0.1 is out with important security fixes
Mozilla Firefox 158.0.1 is rolling out with some important security fixes. Now, I don’t tend to cover Firefox point releases as mainly ship minor fixes for things the majority of users won’t have noticed were wrong in the first place. The Firefox 158.0.1 update is more ‘meaty’ than usual fare. Among the security advisories this update covers are eight…
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Give Nautilus file manager the ‘Computer’ view it lacks
The Nautilus file manager is great for browsing your files and folders, but it lacks a dedicated way to see all your drives a how much space is left on each – but you can add one. Nautilus My Computer is a third-party view for GNOME Files providing a centralised page listing drives, with storage usage bars to show which mounts, volumes, partitions, etc…
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BleachBit 6.0.6 released with fixes for admin cleaning on Linux
BleachBit, the free, open-source and cross-platform system cleaning utility has a new maintenance release out – with support for Ubuntu 26.10. BleachBit 6.0.6 introduces cleaners for the Helium browser and Docker Desktop (including its AI assistant). This update also boosts app startup times, and makes deep scan, file deletion and file wiping faster, the…
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Audacious 4.6.2 fills the last gaps in its Qt Winamp mode
Audacious 4.6.2 lets you drop Winamp skin files onto the Qt window to install them, and adds keyboard navigation for toolbar buttons. You're reading Audacious 4.6.2 fills the last gaps in its Qt Winamp mode , a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu . Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
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NordVPN 6.0 for Linux will feature ‘breaking changes’
NordVPN is updating its Linux app to offer a “cleaner, simpler way to manage VPN connections” from the command line. The NordVPN 6.0 update, which is coming soon and not yet out, “cuts down” the amount of commands which “overlap”. The company say this will make it easier for users to enable and configure VPN settings. Among the changes, NordVPN 6.0 combines…
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Linux 7.3 speeds up ext4 and low-VRAM AMD GPUs
Linux 7.3 is out with faster ext4, better performance on AMD GPUs with low VRAM and a new cgroup scheduling mode. 2026 Steam Controller driver debuts. You're reading Linux 7.3 speeds up ext4 and low-VRAM AMD GPUs , a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu . Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
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Tiling Shell now supports mouse button layout activation
A new version of the Tiling Shell GNOME extension is out, adding support for GNOME 51 and a faster way to tile app windows using nothing but your mouse. Tiling Shell v18.0 lets you use your right mouse button for tiling system activation. You click your left button to grab and drag the window then, with it held, hold the right mouse button to trigger the…
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Linux Mint’s new system monitor does more than you’d expect
December’s Linux Mint 27 release will include a brand new system monitor tool preinstalled. The app is called Superlight (well, that’s the project and package name; the user-facing label is just System Monitor). It shows hardware, app and process usage, relays battery stats and has an interactive storage page to find out what files and folders are using the…
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Now Playing Card shows media info for multiple apps at a time
Now Playing Card is an extension for GNOME Shell that can show playback info and media controls from multiple sources at the same time. You're reading Now Playing Card shows media info for multiple apps at a time , a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu . Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
