Gesture support improvements coming to KDE Plasma
https://blogs.kde.org/2025/06/12/gesture-customization-mini-sprint/
https://redd.it/1l9wpch
@r_linux
https://blogs.kde.org/2025/06/12/gesture-customization-mini-sprint/
https://redd.it/1l9wpch
@r_linux
KDE Blogs
Gesture customization mini-sprint
To briefly recap, Natalie Clarius and I applied for an NLnet grant to improve gesture support in Plasma, and they accepted our project proposal. We thought it would be a good idea to meet in person and workshop this topic from morning to evening for three…
What does the current state, and future, of lightweight desktop environments look like?
When I started using Linux many years ago I went for XFCE, because I was using Linux on old used laptops, but by the time KDE 5 started becoming more mature I made the switch to it.
I like lightweight desktop environments in theory, how they're barebones and laser focused on one task, but I feel like they don't really fit in that much in the modern computer landscape.
Development of desktop environments like Xfce, Lxqt, Mate and Cinnamon is moving along pretty slowly, especially with the switch to Wayland coming soon, and the performance difference between KDE and Gnome compared to other lightweight DEs really isn't that big these days.
I run Fedora KDE with Wayland on a 10 year old Thinkpad T450, and it works just fine. The bottleneck for performance when it comes to older hardware comes from things like how bloated the modern internet has become, not what DE you're running.
Am I wrong in my assessment? Are there any new desktop environments being developed that has an explicit goal of being lightweight, that looks like it can become viable in the future? The only one I know of is Enlightenment, and to me it seems like development is moving really slowly.
https://redd.it/1l9t62r
@r_linux
When I started using Linux many years ago I went for XFCE, because I was using Linux on old used laptops, but by the time KDE 5 started becoming more mature I made the switch to it.
I like lightweight desktop environments in theory, how they're barebones and laser focused on one task, but I feel like they don't really fit in that much in the modern computer landscape.
Development of desktop environments like Xfce, Lxqt, Mate and Cinnamon is moving along pretty slowly, especially with the switch to Wayland coming soon, and the performance difference between KDE and Gnome compared to other lightweight DEs really isn't that big these days.
I run Fedora KDE with Wayland on a 10 year old Thinkpad T450, and it works just fine. The bottleneck for performance when it comes to older hardware comes from things like how bloated the modern internet has become, not what DE you're running.
Am I wrong in my assessment? Are there any new desktop environments being developed that has an explicit goal of being lightweight, that looks like it can become viable in the future? The only one I know of is Enlightenment, and to me it seems like development is moving really slowly.
https://redd.it/1l9t62r
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the linux community
OpenZFS 2.2.8 Released With Newer Linux Kernel Support
https://www.phoronix.com/news/OpenZFS-2.2.8-Released
https://redd.it/1la9q54
@r_linux
https://www.phoronix.com/news/OpenZFS-2.2.8-Released
https://redd.it/1la9q54
@r_linux
Phoronix
OpenZFS 2.2.8 Released With Newer Linux Kernel Support
While OpenZFS 2.3 has been stable for several months, for those still relying on the OpenZFS 2.2 series there is a new stable point release.
Audio stream across network to remote Raspberry Pi from Pipewire to Pulseaudio
http://serendipity.ruwenzori.net/index.php/2025/06/13/audio-stream-across-network-to-remote-raspberry-pi-from-pipewire-to-pulseaudio
https://redd.it/1lacsx6
@r_linux
http://serendipity.ruwenzori.net/index.php/2025/06/13/audio-stream-across-network-to-remote-raspberry-pi-from-pipewire-to-pulseaudio
https://redd.it/1lacsx6
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit: Audio stream across network to remote Raspberry Pi from Pipewire to Pulseaudio
Posted by liotier - 3 votes and 5 comments
PSA: EasyEffects can drastically improve audio quality of your laptop speakers
https://redd.it/1laetsl
@r_linux
https://redd.it/1laetsl
@r_linux
Are Universal Blue distros good for "grandma computers"?
With Windows 10 support coming to an end, my mother asked me for advice for what to do with her laptop. It's an older Thinkpad and still perfectly serviceable for her needs, but too old to support Windows 11. I suggested she try Linux before buying a new computer, and she was open to the idea.
I've been thinking of what distro to set her up with, and the Universal Blue distros, namely Aurora, caught my eye for their easy updates and purported reliability. I'm familiar with the Fedora Atomic distros these are based on, but there's new stuff here that I don't know much about -- namely the whole "the base OS is actually a container" thing.
How are these distros for tech illiterate users? Does the user of these distros ever need to concern themselves with the internals?
https://redd.it/1lailsu
@r_linux
With Windows 10 support coming to an end, my mother asked me for advice for what to do with her laptop. It's an older Thinkpad and still perfectly serviceable for her needs, but too old to support Windows 11. I suggested she try Linux before buying a new computer, and she was open to the idea.
I've been thinking of what distro to set her up with, and the Universal Blue distros, namely Aurora, caught my eye for their easy updates and purported reliability. I'm familiar with the Fedora Atomic distros these are based on, but there's new stuff here that I don't know much about -- namely the whole "the base OS is actually a container" thing.
How are these distros for tech illiterate users? Does the user of these distros ever need to concern themselves with the internals?
https://redd.it/1lailsu
@r_linux
It is perfectly acceptable administrating a website from your phone's terminal emulator...
I was a couple days younger when I realized that Android phones have Termux, a command line emulator with, well, most of the functionality of a linux TTY. Which is great because it adds a huge amount of functionality to a "bad" phone (Celero5g) that I only got because my carrier was threatening to drop 4g coverage.
So I've been using it to administrate my website with ssh, rsync, and some aliases and using it to back up everything on this horrible device and edit html pages on VIM. I actually really like the workflow, I don't know if I'm just abusing myself needlessly but it's been really a lot of fun.
Edit: I was also able to configure my favorite Linux program of all time, Ani-CLI, which is unfathomably based.
https://redd.it/1lako14
@r_linux
I was a couple days younger when I realized that Android phones have Termux, a command line emulator with, well, most of the functionality of a linux TTY. Which is great because it adds a huge amount of functionality to a "bad" phone (Celero5g) that I only got because my carrier was threatening to drop 4g coverage.
So I've been using it to administrate my website with ssh, rsync, and some aliases and using it to back up everything on this horrible device and edit html pages on VIM. I actually really like the workflow, I don't know if I'm just abusing myself needlessly but it's been really a lot of fun.
Edit: I was also able to configure my favorite Linux program of all time, Ani-CLI, which is unfathomably based.
https://redd.it/1lako14
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the linux community
I built Enchat: Terminal-based E2E Encrypted Chat
After watching The Amateur, a film where a cryptographer takes privacy into his own hands, I was inspired to build something minimal, functional, and radically private.
Enchat is a fully self-hosted terminal chat app designed for people who don't want to rely on third-party platforms or opaque backends. It works entirely over the ntfy publish/subscribe protocol, with a unique double-layer encryption system that makes messages completely unreadable - even if someone has your passphrase.
The security is both powerful and invisible: You just run it from the command line, choose a room name, a nickname, and a passphrase. Behind the scenes, Enchat automatically generates temporary session keys that only exist while your chat is active. Messages are encrypted twice - first with this temporary key, then with a room-specific key derived from your passphrase. This means that even if someone intercepts your messages and later obtains your passphrase, they still can't read anything.
What makes Enchat different:
- True forward secrecy: When a chat session ends, its messages become permanently unreadable
- Session-based security: Each chat uses unique temporary keys that are never stored
- Double-Layer encryption: AES-256 encryption with both session and room-specific keys
- Zero knowledge design: The ntfy server sees only encrypted data, never keys or content
- Automatic security: All key generation and exchange happens invisibly
- No persistence: Nothing is stored - no logs, no metadata, no messages once you leave
Beyond secure messaging, Enchat also supports fully encrypted file transfers:
- Share any file type up to 5MB with the same double-layer encryption
- Files are split into encrypted chunks before transmission
- Filenames and metadata are also encrypted
- Automatic integrity verification ensures perfect file reconstruction
- Files are securely wiped after transfer
- Simple commands:
There's no signup, no login, and no reliance on centralized services — unless you choose to use the public ntfy server (or host your own).
This project is built for those who value truly ephemeral conversations — where nothing is stored and everything disappears once you leave. It's especially relevant for journalists, developers, and researchers who need a lightweight and secure way to communicate without relying on complex infrastructure. And if you're someone who prefers clean, functional tools in the terminal over bloated apps, Enchat was made with you in mind.
What sets it apart from other encrypted chat tools is that even if an attacker:
- Has your room passphrase
- Captures all network traffic
- Compromises the server
- Gains access to stored files
They still cannot read your messages or access your transferred files, because they're protected by temporary session keys that only exist during active chats and are never stored anywhere.
Enchat includes many more valuable features that improve your privacy and ease of use. From advanced file transfer to extensive encryption options, and from handy terminal commands to detailed security settings. All features, technical documentation and installation instructions are fully described on the GitHub page. Discover for yourself why Enchat is the most secure choice for privacy-conscious users who value a powerful terminal-based chat solution.
The project is actively maintained, and I'm open to any feedback, ideas, or contributions. You can explore it here: https://github.com/sudodevdante/enchat
https://redd.it/1lalgo5
@r_linux
After watching The Amateur, a film where a cryptographer takes privacy into his own hands, I was inspired to build something minimal, functional, and radically private.
Enchat is a fully self-hosted terminal chat app designed for people who don't want to rely on third-party platforms or opaque backends. It works entirely over the ntfy publish/subscribe protocol, with a unique double-layer encryption system that makes messages completely unreadable - even if someone has your passphrase.
The security is both powerful and invisible: You just run it from the command line, choose a room name, a nickname, and a passphrase. Behind the scenes, Enchat automatically generates temporary session keys that only exist while your chat is active. Messages are encrypted twice - first with this temporary key, then with a room-specific key derived from your passphrase. This means that even if someone intercepts your messages and later obtains your passphrase, they still can't read anything.
What makes Enchat different:
- True forward secrecy: When a chat session ends, its messages become permanently unreadable
- Session-based security: Each chat uses unique temporary keys that are never stored
- Double-Layer encryption: AES-256 encryption with both session and room-specific keys
- Zero knowledge design: The ntfy server sees only encrypted data, never keys or content
- Automatic security: All key generation and exchange happens invisibly
- No persistence: Nothing is stored - no logs, no metadata, no messages once you leave
Beyond secure messaging, Enchat also supports fully encrypted file transfers:
- Share any file type up to 5MB with the same double-layer encryption
- Files are split into encrypted chunks before transmission
- Filenames and metadata are also encrypted
- Automatic integrity verification ensures perfect file reconstruction
- Files are securely wiped after transfer
- Simple commands:
/share, /files, and /downloadThere's no signup, no login, and no reliance on centralized services — unless you choose to use the public ntfy server (or host your own).
This project is built for those who value truly ephemeral conversations — where nothing is stored and everything disappears once you leave. It's especially relevant for journalists, developers, and researchers who need a lightweight and secure way to communicate without relying on complex infrastructure. And if you're someone who prefers clean, functional tools in the terminal over bloated apps, Enchat was made with you in mind.
What sets it apart from other encrypted chat tools is that even if an attacker:
- Has your room passphrase
- Captures all network traffic
- Compromises the server
- Gains access to stored files
They still cannot read your messages or access your transferred files, because they're protected by temporary session keys that only exist during active chats and are never stored anywhere.
Enchat includes many more valuable features that improve your privacy and ease of use. From advanced file transfer to extensive encryption options, and from handy terminal commands to detailed security settings. All features, technical documentation and installation instructions are fully described on the GitHub page. Discover for yourself why Enchat is the most secure choice for privacy-conscious users who value a powerful terminal-based chat solution.
The project is actively maintained, and I'm open to any feedback, ideas, or contributions. You can explore it here: https://github.com/sudodevdante/enchat
https://redd.it/1lalgo5
@r_linux
GitHub
GitHub - sudodevdante/enchat: End-to-end encrypted, ephemeral, self-hosted terminal chat — no accounts, no history, no cloud.
End-to-end encrypted, ephemeral, self-hosted terminal chat — no accounts, no history, no cloud. - sudodevdante/enchat
KiCad and Wayland Support
https://www.kicad.org/blog/2025/06/KiCad-and-Wayland-Support/
https://redd.it/1lamfdb
@r_linux
https://www.kicad.org/blog/2025/06/KiCad-and-Wayland-Support/
https://redd.it/1lamfdb
@r_linux
www.kicad.org
KiCad and Wayland Support
The KiCad development team frequently receives questions about our support for Wayland. Given that Fedora and Ubuntu are both planning to drop X11 support from their main desktop environments in the near future, we want to provide clear, transparent guidance…
Asterinas: A Linux ABI-compatible, Rust-based framekernel OS
https://asterinas.github.io/2025/06/04/kernel-memory-safety-mission-accomplished.html
https://redd.it/1lakplb
@r_linux
https://asterinas.github.io/2025/06/04/kernel-memory-safety-mission-accomplished.html
https://redd.it/1lakplb
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit: Asterinas: A Linux ABI-compatible, Rust-based framekernel OS
Posted by Desiderantes - 8 votes and 1 comment
stillOS 10 Preview - Brand New Distro Aimed To Be As Consumer Ready As Possible
TLDR: I just dropped a brand new Linux distro, aimed to be as consumer friendly as possible. It has a lot of unique features, and isn't your typical Ubuntu/Arch respin. It uses atomic update tech, and has a lot of quality of life features. I am looking for feedback on the preview build before I get ready to launch the finished non-preview version in around a month. You can try it out here: https://stillhq.io/blog/news-2/hello-world-stillos-10-preview-1
Hello, I am proud to be dropping a preview of my new distribution, stillOS. This is an atomic distribution based on top of Alma Linux 10, and it's been in the works for 2 years. I know there's a new distribution every week with the same goal that ends up being just an Ubuntu or Arch fork, but trust me, stillOS isn't one of those.
I am previously the developer of risiOS which was a Fedora based distribution designed to make onboarding as easy as possible. While working on risiOS I saw new atomic distributions like NixOS and Silverblue gain momentum, and than after seeing SteamOS I wondered why no one has tried to make a distribution using immutable technology to make a truly consumer-grade stable Linux desktop. Originally, stillOS started as "Project Still" to build an atomic version of risiOS, but than I had so many ideas that it became it's own project that I thought could be impactful enough that I killed risiOS to work on it.
The goal here is to be the most consumer friendly Linux distribution possible. There's 100 other distributions that have tried this, but stillOS has several focused features designed to finally achieve this.
The Alma Linux 10 base with bootc atomic updates, it is going to be very difficult if not impossible for an update to break the system unless we push a bad update.
Our SWAI web app system uses Electron to create PWAs with deep system integration, allowing us to make one click web app installers for popular apps like Photoshop Web, Microsoft Office Online, and more. This helps us bridge the app gap. In a future update, web apps can open windows of each other, such as a OneDrive web app opening a Microsoft Word web app for a word file.
Many Linux software centers are unreliable, so we have our own custom software center called stillCenter. This is a curated app store, so we can make sure every app works with our Flatpak/Wayland/Atomic system, and we can apply permissions-related patches on our end. Each app is also given a "stillRating" with Gold+ for all Libadwaita apps, Gold for stable non-Libadwaita apps, and than Silver/Bronze for apps that have broken theming, or Wayland issues, things like that.
stillControl allows users to customize the layout with EASE. It integrates with many extensions behind the scenes, but makes customizing the layout of GNOME as easy as KDE. Think of Zorin OS's layout switcher but with far more options.
All of these features combine to make one of the most polish and consumer ready Linux experiences you can get (once we are out of the preview stage and bugs are ironed out).
This is not ready YET for most people, but I have the iOS 26 beta on my phone, and I can tell you this preview is far more stable than iOS 26. If you can live on the edge it should be stable enough to daily drive. I expect to iron out bugs and have the full first release out in about a month. In the mean time, I would highly appreciate people trying it out and giving me any ideas or feedback they might have.
If you are interested in more info or want to see a video demo, I have a LinuxFest talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgEw2wAR-rw
If you want to try it out, it available here: https://stillhq.io/blog/news-2/hello-world-stillos-10-preview-1
https://redd.it/1lar36z
@r_linux
TLDR: I just dropped a brand new Linux distro, aimed to be as consumer friendly as possible. It has a lot of unique features, and isn't your typical Ubuntu/Arch respin. It uses atomic update tech, and has a lot of quality of life features. I am looking for feedback on the preview build before I get ready to launch the finished non-preview version in around a month. You can try it out here: https://stillhq.io/blog/news-2/hello-world-stillos-10-preview-1
Hello, I am proud to be dropping a preview of my new distribution, stillOS. This is an atomic distribution based on top of Alma Linux 10, and it's been in the works for 2 years. I know there's a new distribution every week with the same goal that ends up being just an Ubuntu or Arch fork, but trust me, stillOS isn't one of those.
I am previously the developer of risiOS which was a Fedora based distribution designed to make onboarding as easy as possible. While working on risiOS I saw new atomic distributions like NixOS and Silverblue gain momentum, and than after seeing SteamOS I wondered why no one has tried to make a distribution using immutable technology to make a truly consumer-grade stable Linux desktop. Originally, stillOS started as "Project Still" to build an atomic version of risiOS, but than I had so many ideas that it became it's own project that I thought could be impactful enough that I killed risiOS to work on it.
The goal here is to be the most consumer friendly Linux distribution possible. There's 100 other distributions that have tried this, but stillOS has several focused features designed to finally achieve this.
The Alma Linux 10 base with bootc atomic updates, it is going to be very difficult if not impossible for an update to break the system unless we push a bad update.
Our SWAI web app system uses Electron to create PWAs with deep system integration, allowing us to make one click web app installers for popular apps like Photoshop Web, Microsoft Office Online, and more. This helps us bridge the app gap. In a future update, web apps can open windows of each other, such as a OneDrive web app opening a Microsoft Word web app for a word file.
Many Linux software centers are unreliable, so we have our own custom software center called stillCenter. This is a curated app store, so we can make sure every app works with our Flatpak/Wayland/Atomic system, and we can apply permissions-related patches on our end. Each app is also given a "stillRating" with Gold+ for all Libadwaita apps, Gold for stable non-Libadwaita apps, and than Silver/Bronze for apps that have broken theming, or Wayland issues, things like that.
stillControl allows users to customize the layout with EASE. It integrates with many extensions behind the scenes, but makes customizing the layout of GNOME as easy as KDE. Think of Zorin OS's layout switcher but with far more options.
All of these features combine to make one of the most polish and consumer ready Linux experiences you can get (once we are out of the preview stage and bugs are ironed out).
This is not ready YET for most people, but I have the iOS 26 beta on my phone, and I can tell you this preview is far more stable than iOS 26. If you can live on the edge it should be stable enough to daily drive. I expect to iron out bugs and have the full first release out in about a month. In the mean time, I would highly appreciate people trying it out and giving me any ideas or feedback they might have.
If you are interested in more info or want to see a video demo, I have a LinuxFest talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgEw2wAR-rw
If you want to try it out, it available here: https://stillhq.io/blog/news-2/hello-world-stillos-10-preview-1
https://redd.it/1lar36z
@r_linux
stillHQ
The home of stillOS, the most consumer-friendly and stable desktop Linux distribution.
When is using Flatpak not advised? Or should we all switch to only using Flatpaks?
I know Flatpaks are sandboxed which can be useful, and can also help avoid dependency hell (at the expense of a slightly larger package size). But are there times where using a system package might be better? I've heard some people say Flatpak is good for GUI applications only, but is there any credibility to that claim? Would an application like Steam for example perform better as a system package or Flatpak? (A popular GUI app I've heard people claim runs better as system package instead of Flatpak)
https://redd.it/1lat3dg
@r_linux
I know Flatpaks are sandboxed which can be useful, and can also help avoid dependency hell (at the expense of a slightly larger package size). But are there times where using a system package might be better? I've heard some people say Flatpak is good for GUI applications only, but is there any credibility to that claim? Would an application like Steam for example perform better as a system package or Flatpak? (A popular GUI app I've heard people claim runs better as system package instead of Flatpak)
https://redd.it/1lat3dg
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the linux community
X11 forked, Denmark moves to Linux, Android ROMs are in trouble: Linux & Open Source News
https://peertube.wtf/w/hnnu2F6AQ9KM6n4X2xFumo
https://redd.it/1lb5fhk
@r_linux
https://peertube.wtf/w/hnnu2F6AQ9KM6n4X2xFumo
https://redd.it/1lb5fhk
@r_linux
PeerTube.wtf
X11 forked, Denmark moves to Linux, Android ROMs are in trouble: Linux & Open Source News
Head to https://squarespace.com/thelinuxexperiment to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code thelinuxexperiment Grab a brand new laptop or desktop running Linux: https:/...
Trying Linux
I’m making this post because I have been wanting to try Linux, more specifically on my gaming laptop. I’m getting myself a Thinkpad for school and more casual use since a gaming laptop is way too much height (and money) to be carrying around.
Once I get myself the Thinkpad I was thinking about trying Linux on my gaming laptop. I’ve heard that the performance is great and I also hate windows bloat. I’m not the most tech savvy person but I have overall good computer literacy.
I’m looking for recommendations.
https://redd.it/1lb6ecm
@r_linux
I’m making this post because I have been wanting to try Linux, more specifically on my gaming laptop. I’m getting myself a Thinkpad for school and more casual use since a gaming laptop is way too much height (and money) to be carrying around.
Once I get myself the Thinkpad I was thinking about trying Linux on my gaming laptop. I’ve heard that the performance is great and I also hate windows bloat. I’m not the most tech savvy person but I have overall good computer literacy.
I’m looking for recommendations.
https://redd.it/1lb6ecm
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the linux community
Linux Containerization on MacOS and ext4/XFS/BTRFS access
Quick question. I'm hearing rumors that MacOS 26 will include native tools for Linux containerization. If true, will that create new possibilities for accessing Linux/FOSS file systems, logical volumes, or LUKS-encrypted containers?
Currently the only option for sharing an encrypted drives between Linux and Mac are either ZFS--still waiting for a stable release on Sonoma--or Veracrypt/exfat, which has no journaling. Both require extensions to the Darwin kernel. Will native linux containerization create new options?
https://redd.it/1lb88z8
@r_linux
Quick question. I'm hearing rumors that MacOS 26 will include native tools for Linux containerization. If true, will that create new possibilities for accessing Linux/FOSS file systems, logical volumes, or LUKS-encrypted containers?
Currently the only option for sharing an encrypted drives between Linux and Mac are either ZFS--still waiting for a stable release on Sonoma--or Veracrypt/exfat, which has no journaling. Both require extensions to the Darwin kernel. Will native linux containerization create new options?
https://redd.it/1lb88z8
@r_linux
Reddit
From the linux community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the linux community
GNOME is migrating its image processing to Rust
https://blogs.gnome.org/sophieh/2025/06/13/making-gnomes-gdkpixbuf-image-loading-safer/
https://redd.it/1lb963d
@r_linux
https://blogs.gnome.org/sophieh/2025/06/13/making-gnomes-gdkpixbuf-image-loading-safer/
https://redd.it/1lb963d
@r_linux
Sophie's Blog
Making GNOME’s GdkPixbuf Image Loading Safer
A new image loading machinery, called glycin, has been in the works for a while. It is already used by GNOME’s default Image Viewer (Loupe), as well as by a bunch of other apps. Glycin provides...