9to5Linux

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.

Audacity 3.7.2 Improves the Linux AppImage Bundle for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Audacity 3.7.2 improves the AppImage bundle for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) systems fix an issue with the loading of the FFmpeg multimedia server, adds a new option to turn off automatic tempo detection, a new “get effects” button next to the ‘Upload Audio’ button, and introduces UUID instance support.

9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: March 9th, 2025

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Internet Society

How the South Sudan Chapter Mobilized to Keep the Internet On

On 22 January 2025, the National Communications Authority of the Republic of South Sudan instructed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the country to begin blocking TikTok and Facebook for a minimum of 30 days, with the potential to extend this up to 90 days. The justification was to prevent the further distribution of graphic content related to ongoing violence in neighboring Sudan.

LinuxGizmos.com

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.