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LinuxGizmos.com

Wireless-Tag previews IDO Claw ARM platform with OpenClaw pre-installed

Kickstarter recently featured the IDO Claw campaign, a compact ARM-based system from Wireless-Tag designed for local OpenClaw deployment. The fanless platform combines the Rockchip RK3576 processor with LPDDR5 memory, onboard storage, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and hardware video acceleration for always-on AI and edge workloads.

AGL combines Xen, Zephyr, and Linux containers in new SDV platform

Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) has announced the initial availability of its open source SoDeV reference platform for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), along with the addition of five new project members. The platform combines the AGL Unified Code Base (UCB) with Linux containers, VirtIO, Xen, Zephyr RTOS, and additional Linux Foundation technologies for automotive software development.

Milk-V Jupiter2 brings SpacemiT K3 RISC-V platform to Pico-ITX form factor

Milk-V has introduced the Jupiter2, a compact RISC-V single-board computer based on the SpacemiT Key Stone K3 processor. Similar to the recently announced Sipeed K3 Pico-ITX platform, the board combines eight X100 RISC-V CPU cores with an eight-core A100 AI subsystem rated for up to 60 TOPS, LPDDR5 memory, and high-speed networking interfaces including 10GbE SFP+.

9to5Linux

PipeWire 1.6.5 Brings Extra Security Checks and Hardening Fixes to Pulse Server

Coming three weeks after PipeWire 1.6.4, the PipeWire 1.6.5 release is here to add a whole bunch of extra security checks and hardening fixes to the pipewire-pulse server, improve renegotiation in audioconvert when the graph rate changes and the resampler is disabled, and fix a crash in ALSA when logging.

KDE Receives Over €1M from Sovereign Tech Fund for Software Development

The Sovereign Tech Agency is well known for funding open source projects through its Sovereign Tech Fund program, and it provided over €24.6 million EUR in funding to support more than 60 open source projects globally, including big names like Python Software Foundation, FreeBSD, Eclipse Foundation, OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF), and Drupal.

KDE Plasma 6.6.5 Is Out Now to Improve Performance for NVIDIA GPU Users

KDE Plasma 6.6.5 is mostly a bugfix release, improving performance for NVIDIA GPU users who experience issues introduced by the NVIDIA 595 graphics driver, and improving the login and lock screen experience by addressing a Plasma Login Manager crash when connecting and disconnecting multiple monitors and a startup failure when using certain graphics hardware.

LibreOffice 25.8.7 Announced as the Last Update in the LibreOffice 25.8 Series

Coming two months after LibreOffice 25.8.6, the LibreOffice 25.8.7 release is packed with more fixes to address various bugs, crashes, and other annoyances reported by users in an attempt to improve the overall stability and reliability of this popular open-source, free, and cross-platform office suite.

Fwupd 2.1.3 Linux Firmware Updater Adds Support for SHIFT6mq and SHIFTphone 8

Fwupd 2.1.3 is here about two weeks after fwupd 2.1.2 with support for SHIFT6mq and SHIFTphone 8 modular smartphones, support for Redfish bearer token authentication, support for several XMC SPI chips, and support for parsing JCat files in libfwupd without using libjcat.

GStreamer 1.28.3 Adds NXP i.MX 8M Plus Hardware-Accelerated H.265 Encoding

Coming about a month after GStreamer 1.28.2, the GStreamer 1.28.3 release introduces hardware-accelerated H.265 encoding support for NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoCs to the webrtcsink element, a leaky mode to the dataqueue-based elements, and fallback-source and enable-dummy properties to the fallbacksrc element.

Internet Society

How RightsCon Is an Unexpected Stress Test for the Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance

The cancellation of RightsCon 2026 is a stark reminder that when opportunities for civic engagement are neutralized, so are stakeholders’ voices. In this case, civil society was denied the ability to meet in person in Lusaka last week to share ideas and opportunities for how to address some of the most urgent digital challenges of our time.

From Coverage to Meaningful Connectivity: How Kenya Is Leading Africa’s Internet Future

It’s not enough just to get everyone online—people need to be able to take full advantage of their access. That’s why, in Africa, where the connectivity discussion has traditionally focused on coverage, there’s a recent shift toward making access growth meaningful.

Tor Project blog

New Release: Tails 7.7.3

For more details, read our changelog.

Defending the public's right to know

Internet freedom has declined for 15 consecutive years. Beyond surveillance, the erosion of privacy and anonymity, and information manipulation, governments are targeting specific sites and services, or attacking infrastructure itself, causing shutdowns and deliberate disruptions for internet users. But how do we know when the internet is censored and how?

news

Why Zorin OS 18.1 is simply the best Linux distro - for anyone

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Apr 15, 2026,
updated Apr 19, 2026

Quoting: Why Zorin OS 18.1 is simply the best Linux distro - for anyone | ZDNET —

Back in 2025, I stated that Zorin OS 18 might be my new best Linux distro. Before that (in 2023), I called Zorin OS exactly what a desktop operating system should be.

Notice a pattern?

With each release, Zorin OS makes a very strong statement that it's the Linux distribution for users of all types.

Zorin OS 18.1, released today, continues that trend to the point where I'm officially calling it the best Linux distribution on the market; not just for new users, not for experienced users -- for everyone.

It won't take long after your first login to understand why I can make such a bold claim. Zorin OS 18.1 refines everything the developers have done to date, creating an operating system that is just so darn good.

Read on

OMG Ubuntu:

Zorin OS 18.1 released, new Lite edition available - OMG! Ubuntu

Zorin OS 18.1 is a point release update. It’s still based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS-based but adds a variety of desktop refinements, updated software and a new kernel (courtesy of the recent Ubuntu HWE from Canonical).

A new Zorin OS Lite also launches today. This nimble edition is aimed at older, lower-spec hardware and is based around a customised Xfce desktop rather than the GNOME Shell desktop the main edition uses.

If you already run Zorin OS 18 you can update to the 18.1 release directly (via Software Updater or running an apt update). If you’re on Zorin OS 17, use the direct upgrade tool in the Zorin Menu to avoid wiping your files and starting over.

UbuntuHandbook:

Zorin OS 18.1 Released with Lite Edition Features XFCE 4.20 | UbuntuHandbook

Zorin OS, the popular Ubuntu LTS based distribution released new 18.1 version yesterday.

The new version of this beginner friendly Linux distribution updated the kernel to Linux 6.17, while, it’s still based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package base with support until April 2029.

Thanks to Linux Kernel 6.17, Zorin OS 18.1 now supports with more hardware, including Intel Xe3 graphics, AMD hybrid laptop GPUs, Apple Magic Mouse 2 USB-C, and ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, etc gaming handhelds. See this page for more about Linux 6.17.

Real Linux User:

Zorin OS 18.1 is released – Makes you forget Windows quickly - RealLinuxUser.com

I have stated before on this website that, in my opinion, Zorin OS is one of the best Linux distributions for making the switch from Windows to Linux. Until recently, I primarily pointed out the many millions of computers worldwide that have been unable to be upgraded to Windows 11 since October of last year, after which you can no longer expect technical assistance, feature updates, or security updates from Microsoft for your current Windows 10. However, in the meantime, a new reason has emerged for current Windows 11 users to switch to Linux: the forceful manner in which Microsoft wants to shove the unwanted and inferior AI functionalities down the throats of its users without their consent. More and more Windows users are starting to get fed up with their operating system and are looking for alternatives. There are many great Linux distributions available that can be a nice and powerful alternative for switching Windows users. And Zorin OS is one of those Linux distributions that helps you escape Microsoft’s unsolicited AI grip and make your computer truly personal again. In this article, I will give a summary of what is new in the latest Zorin 18.1.

Notebookcheck:

Zorin OS 18.1 improves Windows app detection - Notebookcheck News

Six months after the release of version 18, Zorin OS gets updated to 18.1. In this refresh, the Ubuntu-based distro offers better Windows app detection, tiling window improvements, and updates for the desktop panel, which now works seamlessly with right-to-left scripts, enhancing the experience for Arabic, Hebrew, or Urdu users.

A couple more:

Neowin ☛ Zorin OS 18.1 arrives to lure backdoored Windows users with a massive app database and Lite revival

Zorin OS 18 has already hit 3.3 million downloads, and version 18.1 is ready to supercharge your desktop with sleek new themes and a smarter way to ditch Windows.

Tux Machines