FOSS Weekly #23.22: Immutable Ubuntu Edition, Face Unlock and More Linux Stuff

Seems like Ubuntu is gearing up for an immutable desktop variant in 2024. Other than that, stream full HD with Netflix on Linux.
Warp Terminal

Immutable is the new buzzword in the Linux world. Started with container-focused working environments, and it is also coming to desktop variants.

With Fedora already there, Ubuntu is also planning for a Snap-based immutable desktop edition in 2024.

Seems like immutability is the future of Linux.

💬 Let's see what else you have in this edition of FOSS Weekly:

  • First look at Sniffnet, a Rust-based network monitoring tool
  • Using face unlocking in Linux
  • And other Linux news, videos, puzzles and, of course, memes!

📰 Linux news

  • The Budgie-flavored Fedora Onyx is all set to be a new immutable Fedora Variant.
  • PyPI recently had to share user data with the US Department of Justice.
  • Microsoft has made Azure Linux generally available as a container host for Azure Kubernetes.
  • Mozilla introduced a brand-new logo for the Thunderbird email client.
  • MX Linux 23 Beta is now available for testing.
Snap-based Immutable Ubuntu Desktop to Come With 24.04 LTS!
Ubuntu is likely to offer an immutable desktop option based on Snap with the release of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

🧠 What we’re thinking about

There is no cloud. It's just someone else's computer. Own your computer. Or should I say, own your servers?

Introducing the Librem Server v2 – Purism
Purism makes premium phones, laptops, mini PCs and servers running free software on PureOS. Purism products respect people’s privacy and freedom while protecting their security.

🛍️ Interesting offers for Linux users

Unleash the creative power of Blender, the free and open-source software tool for 3D artists, with this bundle of books from Packt.

Humble Tech Book Bundle: Blender Animation and Games by Packt
We’ve teamed up with Packt for our newest bundle. Get books like Game Development with Blender and Godot. Plus, pay what you want & support charity!

🧮 Tips and Tutorials

Even though Snap packages are updated automatically, you can still control updates manually. Learn more on the update mechanism of Snap.

How to Update Snap Packages in Ubuntu
Snap packages are automatically updated. But you can still control the updates manually. Learn all about Snap updates here.

By default, Netflix only streams in 720p which is not even considered HD anymore. Here is what you can do to improve streaming quality on Firefox and Chrome.

Watch Netflix in Full HD on Firefox
Paying for full HD streaming to Netflix and yet it doesn’t play in 1080p? Here’s how you can make Netflix play full HD on Firefox browser.

If you are in experimental mode, here's something you can try.

How to Set Up Face Unlock on Ubuntu and Other Linux Distros
Missing the Windows Hello kind of unlocking of your system on Linux? Learn how to set up face unlock on Ubuntu and other Linux distributions.

📹 What we are watching

Three videos in three weeks! Is there a reward for such a streak? 😉


✨ Application highlights

Sniffnet is a pretty neat tool for monitoring the network activity on your system.

Sniffnet: An Interesting Open-Source Network Monitoring Tool Anyone Can Use
Take a glance at your network connection with this handy app.

💡Quick Linux tip

Nautilus has the feature to show recently visited folders. On the top left, right-click on the back arrow to get the list of previously visited folders.

See recently visited directories

🤣 Meme of the week

Ubuntu is embracing Snap. The users might not ;)


🗓️ Tech trivia

File sharing service Napster was released on June 1, 1999. The service provided a simple way for users to copy and distribute MP3 music files. It became an instant hit among young internet users. Napster was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America a few months later and as a result, it was shut down in 2002.


🧩 Puzzle (for Pro members only)

This week's puzzle is slightly like crosswords, but it's not exactly the same.

When you answer all the questions correctly, it reveals a hidden word. Can you do that?

Puzzle of The Week: Acrostic #1: Reveal the hidden word
Exercise those ‘little gray cells’ of yours and solve this puzzle.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 FOSSverse corner

A long-time It's FOSS reader, Ernie, shared his experience finding the perfect distro for his older laptop.

I think I’ve found the right distro for my aging (older) laptop!
Windows 10 reaches end of life next year. When my wife passed away, I ‘inherited’ her laptop, so I named it charpc. It is a Dell Experion 5000 series UEFI based device with TPM2, but the CPU will never pass the Windows 11 hardware requirements, so for about the past year (I like to be proactive), I…

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About the author
Abhishek Prakash

Abhishek Prakash

Created It's FOSS 11 years ago to share my Linux adventures. Have a Master's degree in Engineering and years of IT industry experience. Huge fan of Agatha Christie detective mysteries 🕵️‍♂️

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