Other Sites

LinuxGizmos.com

Blue Pill-Style STM32C5 Board Adds Oberon-2 Firmware Support

Norwegian-based Tenko has released an open-hardware development board based on STMicroelectronics’ STM32C5 microcontroller family. The compact board follows the familiar Blue Pill form factor while adding USB-C power, onboard USB-to-UART connectivity, and an alternative firmware environment based on Oberon-2.

ESP32-C6 Home Automation Kit with ESPHome and Modular Sensors

Apollo Automation has launched the ESPHome Starter Kit, a modular smart-home development platform built around an ESP32-C6 board and designed to let users create ESPHome devices without soldering, breadboards, or writing code. The kit operates locally and can be used independently or integrated with Home Assistant.

Internet Society

Advancing the Safer Internet Initiative for Everyone

When we launched the Safer Internet Initiative earlier this year, our message was clear: connectivity is essential, but it is not enough. Everyone needs to feel safe, protected, and empowered when they go online.

9to5Linux

KDE Frameworks 6.29 Released with Various Improvements and Bug Fixes

The monthly KDE Frameworks releases continue, and KDE Frameworks 6.29 is here to add an icon for Android app bundle files in the Breeze icon theme, improve the fancy Kirigami tab bars in QML-based apps to switch the active tab when scrolling over them or using a tab-switching keyboard shortcut, and improve the visual fidelity of small icons in Kirigami-based apps.

Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.11 Adds Support for Multi-Frame Compressed Images

Coming almost two months after Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.10, the Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.11 release introduces support for newer multi-frame compressed images, the ability to lock the drive exclusively on Linux and Windows while writing so nothing else can interfere, and a proper “Erase/Format” command.

KDE Announces “Bulletproof” KDE Suite with Three Years of Support

Since the KDE Project dropped LTS support for the KDE Plasma desktop environment despite some demand from people, they teamed up with Linux hardware vendor Kubuntu Focus and Techpaladin Software to provide three years of bug and security fixes for the KDE Plasma 6.6 desktop environment series through Kubuntu 26.04 LTS.

news

The only 5 Linux distros I recommend for laptops—after 10 years of using Linux

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Aug 05, 2026

Quoting: The only 5 Linux distros I recommend for laptops—after 10 years of using Linux —

How-To Geek logo Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:

There are hundreds of Linux distros out there, and most of them are genuinely good—as long as they're used by the people they're designed for. The whole point of a Linux distro is to package the Linux kernel with a particular desktop environment, package manager, and system defaults fine-tuned for a specific type of user or workflow.

For instance, some distros are designed for Linux newcomers, while others are built for advanced users, gamers, or developers. Likewise, some distros simply offer a better experience on a laptop than others. And here are my five favorite Linux distros that are perfect for laptop use.

Other Recent Tux Machines' Posts

Stop paying for Adobe, Microsoft, or Mathematica—these free open-source alternatives will get you through college: GIMP is likely missing some features from Photoshop
Graphics/Games: LACT, 10 Million Pixels, Bottles, and More: latest 10 from GamingOnLinux
This Week in Plasma: UI Improvements Galore: This week we merged a number of features and UI changes that focus on user-friendliness
LightDM returns from the dark with first release in 4 years: LightDM, Ubuntu’s former display manager, has had its first new release in four years – and the first under a new set of maintainers
statCounter: Share of GNU/Linux Continues to Increase [original]: Combined with ChromeOS, it's already past and beyond 11%
KDE Frameworks 6.29 Released with Various Improvements and Bug Fixes: KDE Frameworks 6.29 open-source software suite is out now with improvements to the Breeze icon theme, Kirigami-based apps, and QML-based apps.
GNU/Linux Distributions and Operating Systems: a handful of GNU/Linux leftovers
Red Hat Almost 100% Slop Plagiarism Wannabe, Linux Neglected Because of IBM: slop galore
BSD: OpenZFS, FreeBSD, and More: BSD links
Linux-Friendly Boards and Linux Devices: hardware picks
Free Software, Education, and Open Data: FOSS and more
Microsoft's Openwashing Front Group (Open Source Initiative) Boosts Slop Plagiarism, Pretends to Speak for FOSS: really sad
WordPress Browser Extension and WordPress 7.0.4 Patches Remote Code Execution Vulnerability: Content Management Systems (CMS) troubles
Firefox's Handling of Ad Blocking, Mozilla Localization Report: Mozilla picks
Programming Leftovers: Development picks
Security and Windows TCO Leftovers: Security breaches, patches, more
GNOME Delivers Fellowship Update and Fellowship Report July 2026: Sovereign Tech Fellowship
Audiocasts: BSD Now, "Colonised By Wankers", and Slop Destroys Itself: new episodes
Games: Steam Deck, Steam Games, Loki, Slop Issues, and CachyOS: gaming picks
NVIDIA GeForce NOW Hits GNU/Linux: many links
today's howtos: not many today
GNOME 50 finally fixed the two things that made me switch to COSMIC, and I didn't expect to go back: It wasn't an accident that COSMIC has a reputation for being a great desktop environment on Linux
These 5 Windows defaults don't exist on Linux, and that's exactly why I prefer it: Microsoft has spent the better part of the last year rolling back changes instead of making new ones
SteamOS proved Linux can beat Windows at gaming, but PC makers aren't ready to admit it: However, the more important thing that SteamOS, or any other Linux-based OS does, is that it gets out of the way
Debian 13 fixed my biggest complaints with Linux Mint, and I'm not looking back: I'm a big fan of the Linux Operating System
I ignored Ubuntu Server for many years because of its Desktop counterpart's reputation, but it's better than I expected: Over the years, I’ve tinkered with all sorts of cool Linux distributions, and my distro-hopping tendencies only got worse after I encountered Proxmox
A 25-year-old Brazilian video patent just expired, ending a lingering legal headache for Linux: Getting media to work on Linux is more complex than you may think. Not because of the technical aspects (although that, too, is pretty tricky)
What a real LTS looks like: Kubuntu 26.04: As a consolation prize for canceling the Plasma LTS product, we decided at the time to add an additional bug-fix release to the normal Plasma schedule
4 reasons to bring Linux with you this school year: I took every chance I got to evangelize Linux and open-source apps to the student body
Omarchy is Becoming Slopware, a Flopfest: Omarchy going downhill
In Barbados, GNU/Linux is Bigger Than Apple [original]: It's not a lot above the international average anymore
Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.11 Adds Support for Multi-Frame Compressed Images: Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0.11 flashing tool for Raspberry Pi devices is now available for download with support for newer multi-frame compressed images, more reliable writes to SD cards, and other changes.
Android Leftovers: I tried widget-maxxing my Android home screen, and it's surprisingly useful
Why and how the Austrian Military moved to LibreOffice (Part 2): From the very beginning, we clearly recognised the need to further develop LibreOffice
Desktop Linux is boring now, but that’s exactly what it needs to succeed: It didn't happen, because Linux was not ready for it to happen
5 Linux Distros That Will Make You Feel Like You Never Left Windows Or macOS: People are fed up, and many are making the switch to Linux as a result
I installed Linux on a tablet nobody wanted and turned it into a dedicated recipe terminal: Finding recipes online can be a hassle at best. I don't like outsourcing stuff like that to an LLM and I absolutely don't want someone's life story before getting a recipe
FFmpeg 9.0.1 Released with Large Amount of Fixes & Improvements: The popular FFmpeg media library announced the first maintenance update for the 9.0 “Lei” release on Wednesday
Free and Open Source Software, and Review: This is free and open source software
Vuu-do – lightweight Linux distribution based on Devuan: Vuu-do is a lightweight Linux project based on Devuan and built around the Openbox window manager
Refurbished Librem 16 Laptops Now Available!: We are pleased to announce that it is now easier than ever for you to get your hands on a Librem 16
Today in Techrights: Some of the latest articles
KDE Announces “Bulletproof” KDE Suite with Three Years of Support: KDE announces “bullet-proof” KDE suite with three years of bug fixes and security updates for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related KDE software.
Microsoft's Latest Move Will Accelerate the Adoption of GNU/Linux at the OEMs/Channel [original]: The latest move from Microsoft defies logic
Microsoft apparently just upped its Windows licence fee for OEM handheld and PC makers, and I'm taking it as an excuse to switch to Linux: Pretty bold to assume we all want to use Windows, Microsoft.
FSF Copycat "Software Freedom Conservancy" Makes Copycat FSF Award ("Award in Software Freedom"), Gives it to IBM Staff That Tried to Cancel FSF Founder: as expected
Security Leftovers: Security picks
GNU/Linux and BSD Leftovers: mostly GNU/Linux
Free, Libre, and Open Source Software Leftovers: FOSS leftovers
PostgreSQL and More: Databases related picks
Programming Leftovers: Development related picks
Linux Hardware, Open Hardware, and Android Leftovers: Arduino and more
Fedora and Red Hat Leftovers: especially the latter
today's howtos: Instructionals/Technical picks
Games: GodotFest, Gambonanza, and More: gaming leftovers
Games: Knytt Classic, GNOME Crosswords, 'Xodus', and More: Many gaming picks today
My kid's first PC won't run Windows—it'll use one of these 5 Linux distros instead: Most distro recommendations for kids focus on simplicity
Daniel Pocock in a British Election Today [original]: That helps raise awareness of issues he routinely covers
UserLAnd gives you a real Linux distro on Android—without Termux's compromises: Most Android users don't realize their phone can run a full Linux environment
New Forlinx SBC: A Raspberry Pi alternative with dual-core A53 and Linux support: Forlinx is introducing a new alternative to the Raspberry Pi
QEMU 11.1.0 Released with Recent ARM CPU Support & QMP Monitor Hot-Plug: QEMU, the open-source virtualizer and virtual machine monitor, released new 11.1.0 version one day ago
Free and Open Source Software: This is free and open source software
QEMU 11.1 Released with Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Emulation Support: QEMU 11.1 open-source virtualization software is now available for download with Universal Flash Storage (UFS) emulation support, ARM and RISC-V improvements, and more.
Sparky Linux just restored 32-bit support - why that still matters: Don't throw it away - Sparky Linux has decided not to give up on the aging architecture
VLC is Wrongly Blamed for Microsoft Defender's Clumsiness: VLC takes a long time to play MP3 on Windows? Blame it on Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Defender, not VLC
Super Hot Today [original]: Why travel to the Mediterranean?
Rounding Up GNU/Linux Share to Double-Digit Market Share [original]: As of this morning
IBM's own conflict-of-interest and promotion of slop plagiarism (pyramid scheme): Red Hat leftovers
Today in Techrights: Some of the latest articles
LWN Articles on Kernel and 2026 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory Management, and BPF Summit: outside paywall today
Wireshark 4.6.8 Improves Protocol and Capture File Support, Fixes More Bugs: Wireshark 4.6.8 open-source network protocol analyzer is now available for download with updated protocol and capture file support, as well as various bug and security fixes.
Fairphone with Ubuntu Touch: Is It Feasible? 2026 Guide: Fairphone with Ubuntu Touch: Is It Feasible? 2026 Guide
today's leftovers: mostly GNU/Linux stories
Canonical Promotes Slop to Participate in the Pyramid Scheme, Ubuntu 26.10 Wallpaper Competition: Canonical and Ubuntu news
CachyOS Has New Release: CachyOS ISO out
KDE: KEcoLab, Skrooge, and Mankala: KDE updates
GNU/Linux Distributions and Operating Systems: 3 picks
Free, Libre, and Open Source Software; Standards Discussed: FOSS mostly
Security Leftovers: Security patches and more
Exploring OpenBSD and "6 BSDs worth trying instead of Linux": BSD picks
Update on openSUSE.Asia Summit 2026 Gettinf Agama dressed for success: openSUSE leftovers
IBM Red Hat Leftovers: Windows and more
Programming Leftovers: Development picks
today's howtos: only 4 today
Microsoft Has 62 Critical Holes: Windows TCO
Linux Devices and Open Hardware/Modding Leftovers: many for today
Games: Armada, Steam, Teufelskreis, and More: mostly from GoL
Proton GE Updated: 3 picks regarding Proton GE
Mozilla Pushing Slop and Paying the Price for Outsourcing to Microsoft (Proprietary GitHub): bad and bad
Linux 7.2-rc7: I can't say that I'm exactly thrilled about the size of this all
Android Leftovers: Android Just Lost A Major Player: Why OnePlus Leaving The USA Matters
6 essential Linux desktop features that still haven’t made it to Windows: It’s endured so much that many people are unaware of Linux’s desktop benefits
Free and Open Source Software: Termora offers an unusually comprehensive set of tools in a single open source application
Shelly 3.0.4 GUI Package Manager for Arch Linux Adds New Search Experience: Shelly 3.0.4 graphical package manager for Arch Linux distributions is now available for download with a new search experience, initial text-mode UI, improved AppImage integration, and more.
Bullying Women During Family Events and Holidays [original]: Rianne isn't easy to scare and she's practical like me
23 Years After GNU/Linux Was a Neglected Niche [original]: Is the movement finally bearing huge fruit?
GNU/Linux at 11% Globally [original]: Clownflare does not quite refute this
Free and Open Source Software: This is free and open source software
We Don't Need Search Engines and Social Control Media [original]: For many people it's just natural to visit us and we have RSS feeds
Election Tomorrow Has Daniel Pocock on the Ballot [original]: It's unlikely he'll win a seat, but he can win exposure
Today in Techrights: Some of the latest articles
GNOME Devs Share GNOME Shell Design Ideas for Future GNOME Releases: The GNOME design team talks about new search overlay, editable Quick Settings, transparent panel, Mosaic tiling, revamped window switching, login grid, dynamic batter icon, and more.