Internet Society

Community Snapshot—February

Internet Society chapters work tirelessly around the world to grow, strengthen and protect the Internet. Find out more about what our network of chapters has been working on throughout February.

Tor Project blog

It takes a (Global) Village to Fight Censorship

This unprecedented access to data on citizens has fueled societal polarization, misinformation and disinformation, and online harms. Lack of access to verified, truthful information, the targeting of journalists and their sources to impede the production of truthful news, and online censorship that blocks specific sites and stops people from accessing good information have become rampant.

9to5Linux

GStreamer 1.26 Open-Source Multimedia Framework Released, Here’s What’s New

Coming a year after GStreamer 1.24, the GStreamer 1.26 release adds H.266 Versatile Video Coding (VVC) codec support, Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding (LCEVC) support, H.264/H.265 extractor/inserter for closed captions, H.266 video and rotation tag support for Matroska, and JPEG XS image codec support.

First Look: Garuda Linux Introduces New COSMIC Edition

Garuda Linux is known for maintaining several editions with some of the most acclaimed desktop environments and window managers, including KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon, Hyprland, Sway, i3, and others. It even offers a Garuda Nix Subsystem edition to let you easily try out NixOS.

Mesa 25.1 to Replace Nouveau Driver with Zink/NVK by Default for NVIDIA GPUs

Until now, the Mesa graphics stack defaulted to Nouveau as the open-source graphics driver for NVIDIA GPUs, but starting with the Mesa 25.1 series, the old OpenGL driver will be taking a backseat in favor of a combination of the Zink Gallium driver and the NVK open-source Vulkan graphics driver, both developed by Collabora.

KDE Plasma 6.3.3 Implements Battery Charge Threshold Support for More Devices

Coming two weeks after KDE Plasma 6.3.2, the KDE Plasma 6.3.3 release implements battery charge threshold support for more devices, improves the way colors are displayed on the screen when using the Night Light feature on Intel GPU machines, and adds a warning message when you disable power management.

IPFire Hardened Linux Firewall Distro Is Now Powered by Linux Kernel 6.12 LTS

The biggest change in the new IPFire release is the switch to the latest LTS (Long-Term Support) kernel branch, namely Linux 6.12 LTS, a major update from the Linux 6.6 LTS kernel series used until now, along with a new driver for Realtek 8812au chips, a set of firmware for Raspberry Pi SBCs, and U-Boot 2024.10.

LXQt 2.2 Desktop Promises Many Wayland Improvements, QTerminal Updates

LXQt 2.2 promises to further improve the Wayland session introduced in the LXQt 2.1 release and flagged as experimental. In LXQt 2.2, the Wayland session will still be experimental, but it will let you set the default compositor and the screen locker by distribution or system-wide.

LinuxGizmos.com

PicoCalc Brings Classic Computing to ClockworkPi v2.0 with Raspberry Pi Pico

The PicoCalc is a compact and modular computing platform designed to recreate the experience of early personal computers. Running on 260KB of memory, it allows users to code in BASIC, explore Lisp, interact with a UNIX-like environment, and run retro games and digital music.

Texas Instruments Introduces MSPM0C1104 as the Smallest Available Microcontroller

Texas Instruments has introduced the MSPM0C1104, which it describes as the world’s smallest microcontroller, expanding its MSPM0 MCU portfolio. Measuring only 1.38mm², this wafer chip-scale package MCU is 38% smaller than existing alternatives. It is designed for applications where board space is limited, such as medical wearables and personal electronics, while maintaining functionality.

Radxa CM3J with Built-in Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 for Industrial Applications

The Radxa CM3J is an industrial-grade compute module built around the Rockchip RK3568J SoC. This compact module integrates a CPU, PMU, LPDDR4X, eMMC, and wireless connectivity options such as Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 in a 55mm x 40mm form factor.

Expanding Open-Source Support for MediaTek’s Genio IoT Platforms with Collabora

MediaTek continues to strengthen upstream support for its Genio IoT platforms through its collaboration with Collabora. Following the initial efforts to integrate Genio EVKs into the open-source ecosystem, recent updates bring improvements to the Linux kernel, Debian-based images, and automated testing frameworks. These enhancements ensure broader compatibility and long-term support for developers working with Genio-based IoT solutions.