Linux in The News 3-13-23
Last Updated on March 13, 2023 by KC7NYR
Ubuntu with Flatpak Support Preinstalled
That was fast! After Canonical’s announcement that future Ubuntu releases won’t include Flatpak support by default, someone already made an unofficial Ubuntu flavor that ships with support for Flatpak apps preinstalled and working out of the box, called Ubuntu Flatpak Remix.
Meet Ubuntu Flatpak Remix, an unofficial Ubuntu derivative that doesn’t feature support for Snap apps and comes with support for Flatpak apps working out of the box.
Several key apps are preinstalled in the Flatpak format rather than as a Snap app, including the Mozilla Firefox web browser, Mozilla Thunderbird email client, and LibreOffice office suite. A recent version of the Mesa graphics stack, 22.3.5, is installed as well for gamers.
The best part of this approach is that these preinstalled Flatpak apps are in their latest versions, especially the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite. The upstream Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS release doesn’t come with the latest LibreOffice version, but an old and unsupported one, namely LibreOffice 7.3.
Support for the Flathub portal is installed as well, so you’ll be able to install more apps with just a few clicks.
The developer of Ubuntu Flatpak Remix also notes the fact that his derivative wasn’t created due to some sort of grudge against Canonical or the Snap package format, but as a solution for Ubuntu fans who don’t like Snaps and prefer Flatpaks.
So there you have it! If you don’t want to go through all the trouble of removing Snap support from Ubuntu and installing Flatpak/Flathub support, you can download Ubuntu Flatpak Remix right now from the official website by clicking on the link below.
However, please note that this is an alpha version that may come with bugs, so it’s not recommended to be used for production. Also, let’s hope that future versions will be based on newer Ubuntu releases, such as the upcoming Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster).
Source Credit: 9to5 Linux
7 Fedora 38 Features That Makes The Upgrade Exciting
Let us take a look at the feature changes arriving with Fedora 38.
Fedora 38 is due for release next month.
While Fedora 37 was a good release, some interesting things should make Fedora 38 an exciting upgrade.
What are the features that you can expect from Fedora 38?
Fedora 38: Key Highlights
With Fedora 38, you can expect nice upgrades. Some of the biggest changes include:
- GNOME 44
- Xfce 4.18
- Fedora Budgie & Sway Spin
- Unfiltered Flathub access
1. Unrestricted Flathub Access
While Fedora 37 already included partial support for Flathub, it was a filtered list.
With Fedora 38, that will no longer be the case. You can access the entire Flathub library and install open-source and proprietary options as required.
You can learn more about the specifics in our coverage:
Sourav Rudra
2. GNOME 44
GNOME 44 is an impressive release with visual upgrades and much-needed improvements.
There are significant changes and subtle additions overall. Some of the ones that stick out include:
- A new screenshot icon in the quick menu
- Quick Bluetooth selection
- Improved Settings menu
- File manager enhancements
- GNOME app upgrades
You can check out our list of GNOME 44 features to learn more about it.
3. Linux Kernel 6.2
Fedora 38 will debut with Linux Kernel 6.2.
With this kernel release, you can expect full Intel Arc graphics support, an enhancement for the Nvidia Nouveau driver, and more.
You can read our original report to learn more about the Linux Kernel 6.2 release.
4. Desktop Environment Upgrades
Fedora’s flagship edition comes with GNOME 44. For the rest of its spins, you can expect Xfce 4.18, KDE Plasma 5.27, MATE 1.26, and LXQt 1.2.0.
Of course, the KDE spin is going to be a popular pick. So, you can go through our article to learn what the new version has to offer:
Sourav Rudra5. New Budgie Spin
While we expected this with Fedora 37 release, it is finally coming together with Fedora 38 upgrade.
So, if you want to experience Budgie’s desktop on top of Fedora, you finally get the chance.
Sourav Rudra
6. New Sway Spin
Sway is a window manager, as an alternative to i3, with good Wayland support.
You can expect a minimal experience with a few tweaks to the default configuration with the official Sway spin.
After the release, you should find these spins listed on Fedora Spins webpage.
7. Default Wallpaper
The inspiration for the default wallpaper in Fedora 38 is Samuel Massie, a chemist who studied a variety of chemicals that contributed to the development of therapeutic drugs.
When writing this, the final wallpaper has not been finalized. But here’s what you can see with Fedora 38 pre-beta:
Other Changes
Some noteworthy changes with Fedora 38 include:
- Initial support for Unified Kernel to make the distribution more robust and secure
- Modernize the live media
- Shorter shutdown timer
- Ruby 3.2 update
- PHP 8.2 upgrade
You can learn more about the feature changes in the official changelog.
To test Fedora 38, you can download the pre-release edition and experiment. However, I recommend waiting for the beta release if you want to try it on your system (knowing the risks and considering you’ve backed up your data).
For most users, you should wait for the stable release planned for April 18 or April 25.
Source Credit: Its Foss
