malfisya

He mentions it casually on 2:43 (sponsored segment) and show glimpse of it at the end. 2025 Year of Linux Desktop. lol

This summary is generated by ChatGPT3.5 and edited by me

Here's the latest from Solus:

1. Python 3 Ports: Solus has been focused on finalizing the Python 3 ports of eopkg and ypkg. Transitioning users during regular updates can be tricky, but a solution is being tested to ensure a robust transition.

2. Unicode Support: Work has been done to support multi-character Unicode symbols (such as emoji) in package update commits and changelogs. With the move to Python 3, this is now possible, except for the Software Center, which remains Python 2 until it's replaced by GNOME Software and KDE Discover. The Software Center will handle these characters differently to avoid breaking the code.

3. KDE Frameworks and Gear Updates: KDE Frameworks was updated to version 6.1, bringing many bug fixes post-Plasma 6 release. Similarly, KDE Gear has been updated to version 24.02.2, addressing issues like crashes and broken volume sliders.

4. ROCm 6: AMD's open-source software stack for GPU computation, ROCm, has been reintroduced as ROCm 6.0 after previous issues with Blender compatibility. With bug fixes and workarounds in place, users can expect better performance and wider device compatibility.

5. Deprecations: evopop-gtk-theme and qt5-pas have been deprecated. On the other hand, a new addition, fan2go, makes its debut as a daemon to control computer fans.

This summary is generated by ChatGPT 3.5 and edited by me

Highlights of the Weekly Solus Roundup:

1. Python 3 Porting: Solus has been porting its old Python 2 tooling and eopkg to Python 3, as Python 2 reached end of life in 2020. This transition not only ensures the use of up-to-date software but also brings a noticeable speed boost. ypkg and eopkg4-bin are now fully Python 3 compatible, with significant updates to eopkg4-bin.

2. Desktop Fixes: XFCE4 and Budgie Desktop received fixes and improvements. XFCE4 now has the freedesktop sound theme set by default, with event sounds enabled. Budgie Desktop received a patch addressing an issue where closing a notification triggered the notification's default action.

3. Deprecations: Yuzu, a Nintendo Switch emulator, along with several other packages like powerlevel9k and lbreakout2, have been deprecated and removed from the repository.

4. Security Updates: Capnproto, xorg-server, xorg-xwayland, WireShark, and Golang received security updates to address various CVE issues, ensuring system security.

5. Multimedia Updates: Various multimedia packages such as blender, drawing, openimageio, and others were updated, bringing new features and improvements.

6. Gaming Updates: Gaming-related packages like cockatrice, dhewm3, openrct2, and others received updates, enhancing gaming experience on Solus.

7. CLI Tool Updates: Numerous CLI tools including ansible, btrfs-progs, cryptsetup, devilspie2, and others were updated to their latest versions, improving functionality and security.

8. System Updates: Core system packages like dbus, docker, libvirt, util-linux, xorg-server, xorg-xwayland, and others were updated to ensure system stability and performance.

9. Language and Programming Updates: Various language and programming-related packages like babashka, cython, golang, haskell-base16-bytestring, and others were updated, bringing new features and improvements for developers.

10. Other Desktop Updates: Several other desktop-related packages received updates, including browsers like Firefox and Vivaldi, productivity tools like calibre and Texstudio, system utilities like sddm and wireshark, and more.

These updates ensure that Solus continues to provide users with a stable, secure, and up-to-date operating system.

This summary is generated by ChatGPT 3.5 and edited by me

Highlights of the Weekly Solus Roundup:

1. KDE Plasma 6 Release: KDE Plasma 6 has been released and is now available in the Solus stable repository. This major release brings significant improvements, including the move to Qt 6 and enhanced Wayland support. Users are advised to ensure their systems do not sleep during updates and to reboot after applying them. Plasma 6.0.3 will be initially available, with bug fixes from the initial release.

2. Default Settings Changes: Several default settings have been adjusted in Plasma 6, such as single-click selection of files and folders, enabling touchpad tap-to-click on Wayland, and more.

3. Removal of qt5-webkit: Due to security concerns and lack of upstream maintenance, qt5-webkit has been removed from the repositories. Applications relying on it have also been removed, and users will see automatic uninstallation of affected packages.

4. Transition to Qt6: With the release of Plasma 6 and Qt6 support added to the Breeze theme, the conversion of applications from Qt5 to Qt6 has begun. Users may notice slight visual changes in applications due to this transition.

5. Offline Updates Exploration: Efforts are underway to add support for offline updates to Solus, making system updates safer by preventing core library changes while the system is running.

6. Translations for Solus MATE Transition Tool: Translators are sought to help localize the Solus MATE Transition Tool. Interested individuals proficient in languages other than English are encouraged to contribute.

7. Security Updates: A backdoor was discovered in XZ tools, potentially compromising SSH servers on affected systems. Linux distributions, including Solus, have acted swiftly to mitigate the issue.

8. Notable Package Updates:

   • GNOME updated to version 45.5, bringing bug fixes.
   • gstreamer updated to 1.24.
   • network-manager updated to 1.44.
   • WirePlumber updated to 0.5.
   • ibus updated to 1.5.29.
   • Waybar updated to 0.10.
   • freerdp 3 added in preparation for GNOME 46.

9. QtStylePlugins to QAdwaitaDecorations: GTK2-based style plugins have been replaced with QAdwaitaDecorations, addressing compatibility issues with modern Qt5 and Qt6 apps.

📌 This summary is generated by ChatGPT 3.5 and edited by me

⚠️ THERE WILL BE NO SYNC NEXT WEEK ⚠️

1. Early Sync for KDE Plasma 6 Testing:

   • This week's sync is happening early to allow ample time for testing KDE Plasma 6 in the Unstable repository. After two weeks of testing, Plasma 6.0.3 will be rolled out to stable repositories.

2. Desktop Environment Updates:

   • MATE Desktop updated to 1.28 series.
   • XFCE Desktop updated to 4.18 series
   • Backported patches to Budgie Desktop to fix regressions.

3. New Software Inclusions:

   • Labwc: wlroots-based Wayland compositor for window stacking.
   • Wofi: Launcher/menu program for wlroots-based Wayland compositors.
   • MelonDS: Nintendo DS emulator.
   • Shortwave: Internet radio player with access to over 30,000 stations.

4. Security Updates:

   • Visual Studio Code (vscode) update resolves CVE-2024-26165.

5. Multimedia Updates:

   • Updates to various multimedia tools including ardour, audacity, darktable, handbrake, musescore, and portmidi.

6. Gaming Updates:

   • Updates to gaming-related packages such as black-hole-solver, mame, linux-steam-integration, and steam.

7. CLI Tool Updates:

   • Updates to CLI tools like nmap, rclone, wget, yt-dlp, and more.

8. System Updates:

   • Updates to system components including linux kernels, firmware, iptables, openssh, wine, and more.

9. Programming and Language Updates:

   • Updates to programming tools and languages such as clj-kondo, nuitka, perl, pygal, and verilator.

10. Other Desktop Updates:

    • Updates to various desktop applications including Brave, Discord, GNOME Software, Opera, Vivaldi, Wireshark, and more.

Summary is generated by ChatGPT 3.5 and edited by me

1. Python 3.11 Upgrade:

• Python 3.11 rollout completed, involving the rebuilding of all Python packages. Signifies Solus's adaptation to significant language changes and robustness of the eopkg port to a statically compiled Python 3.10 binary with Nuitka.

2. KDE Plasma 6 Preparation:

• Preparation for KDE Plasma MegaRelease 6 is underway. Early testing initiated to mitigate issues before the official rollout. KDE Frameworks stack updated to version 6.0 in anticipation of Plasma 6 landing in the Unstable repo post next week's sync.

3. Graphics Driver Updates:

• Nvidia mainline driver upgraded to the 550 series, offering enhanced graphical capabilities.
• Mesa reverted to version 24.0 with patches to resolve previous Nvidia-related crashes.

4. Sway and Wayland Updates:

• Sway, an i3-compatible Wayland compositor, updated to version 1.9, introducing new features and incorporating improvements from wlroots 0.17.
• GNOME Maps reintroduced in the Solus repository alongside debut inclusions such as tv-lite for IPTV viewing, snapshot, gnome-clocks, and kio-admin.

5. Security Updates:

• Thunderbird updated to 115.8.1 to address CVE-2024-1936.

6. Multimedia and Gaming Updates:

• Updates to various multimedia and gaming packages, including cadence, cava, Darktable, EasyEffects, Kodi, Krita, musescore, sdl2, v4l-utils, endless-sky, prism-launcher, and sunshine.

7. CLI Tool Updates:

• Updates to CLI tools such as ansible, bitwarden-cli, certbot, docker-compose, fastfetch, gi-dockgen, github-cli, go-task, hugo, iotop, lynx, mu, Neovim, nvme-cli, powertop, streamlink, svtplay-dl, sympy, thefuck, thin-provisioning-tools, and xauth.

8. System Updates:

• Various system updates including BORE Scheduler, removal of AMD HDR patches from linux kernels, updates to btrfs-progs, edk2-ovmf, firewalld, fwupd, glibc, linux kernels, linux-tools, mesalib, nvidia drivers, PostgreSQL, qemu, systemd, tree-sitter, wine, xz, and yq.

9. Language Updates:

• Updates to language-related packages including gdal, gdb, git, git-cola, Golang, musl, NodeJS, Python 3, and vscode.

10. Desktop and Application Updates:

• Updates to desktop environments and applications like Brave, Calibre, dbeaver, Discord, Element, Firefox, gnome-bluetooth, kcolorpicker, kimageannotator, lemonbar, logseq, menulibre, nextcloud-client, Opera, pidgin, rapid-photo-downloader, rednotebook, Solaar, syncthing, tailscale, Vivaldi, Wireshark, wlroots, xpra, yubico-authenticator, and Zotero.

This summary is generated by ChatGPT 3.5 and edited by me

The end of February update from Serpent OS brings several exciting developments. Firstly, the packaging build tool, boulder, has been upgraded with Rust integration, allowing for more efficient deployment and use of async features. Triggers have been integrated into the moss package manager, facilitating actions during package management operations. In pursuit of a stateless philosophy, Serpent OS now utilizes systemd mechanisms for managing system users, simplifying account cleanup. The GNOME 45 Desktop has been packaged successfully, alongside ongoing work on tooling and recipe organization. Additionally, the team has performed a rebootstrap using updated tool versions. Plans include releasing a pre-alpha image for testing and focusing on bare-metal functionality in the future. Future updates will cover further enhancements to moss and progress on bare-metal testing.

Initial GNOME Desktop + Sway demonstrated in a VM. Performance isn't great right now, early days =)

Disclaimer: Don't actually login to a desktop as root