Do you waddle the waddle?
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Two weeks have passed since Linux kernel 6.13 hit the streets and Linux 6.14’s merge window was opened, which means that it’s time to test drive the Release Candidate versions weekly until the final release in about two months from today. But first, let’s take a look at the biggest new features and enhancements.
Powered by a Propeller-optimized Linux 6.13 kernel and featuring the KDE Plasma 6.2.5 desktop environment by default, the CachyOS ISO snapshot for February 2025 ships with the beta version of the upcoming NVIDIA 570 graphics driver to provide users with support for the NVIDIA 50xx (Blackwell) series.
The monthly Nitrux release cycle continues and Nitrux 3.9 is here with Linux 6.12 LTS as the default kernel and better support for NVIDIA GPU users by updating the graphics driver to the upcoming NVIDIA 570 series, which is currently available as a beta version, and updated NVIDIA OpenRC services to use a PID file when running the service for the nvidia-powerd daemon.
Coming more than three months after ParrotOS 6.2, the ParrotOS 6.3 release is powered by Linux kernel 6.11 for the PC editions and Linux kernel 6.6 LTS for the Raspberry Pi edition. Both kernels have been bumped to newer versions to provide users with the best possible hardware support.
AAEON has announced the GENE-MTH6, a 3.5” SubCompact Board designed for edge computing and embedded applications. Featuring Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 1) with integrated Intel Arc Graphics, the board supports up to 96GB of DDR5 memory and offers PCIe Gen 4 expansion with RAID 0 and RAID 1 support.
The Interstate 75 W is a driver board designed for HUB75-style LED matrices and is powered by the RP2350 microcontroller. This board connects directly to HUB75 panels, offering a straightforward solution for creating LED displays for applications such as signage, data visualization, or interactive projects.
Crowd Supply recently featured Polverine, a mikroBUS-compatible environmental sensing board for real-time air quality monitoring. It detects pollution, gas leaks, and supports ventilation control. Its compact, low-power design makes it suitable for portable and wearable applications, with Bosch Sensortec’s BMV080 PM2.5 and BME690 gas sensors providing data over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth via the ESP32-S3-MINI-1 microcontroller.
As we near the end of Plasma 5, a lot of people are putting thought into what’s next for Plasma 6, beyond simply porting it to Qt 6. The general consensus is to avoid big architectural changes, with most of the major changes being UI improvements and new features. So KDE’s VDG team has been busy planning for that future, which has yielded a lot of improvements for the last and best version of Plasma 5!