FOSS Weekly #25.22: Microsoft's Vim Alternative, Kernel 6.15, UBXI Desktop, End of Ubuntu 20.04 and More

Important thing first. Ubuntu 20.04 LTS version will be reaching its end of life on 31st May. It was released in April 2020 and had a standard support of five years.

Please check your Ubuntu version and if you are using 20.04, you can:

Do a fresh installation of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to get the latest packages.
Upgrade to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS from your existing 20.04 installation, keeping your files intact.
Opt for Ubuntu Pro, which will ensure you get essential security patches until 2030 but no new software.

Time to plan your update.

💬 Let's see what else you get in this edition

A new Linux kernel release.
File permission in Linux.
GNU Taler payment system being approved for Swiss use.
And other Linux news, tips, and, of course, memes!
This edition of FOSS Weekly is supported by PikaPods.

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📰 Linux and Open Source News

GNU Taler has officially entered the Swiss market.
Linux kernel 6.15 is here with a Rust-based NVIDIA driver.
SteamOS now officially supports more handhelds than just the Steam Deck.
Qt has introduced Qt Bridges, a new piece of tech for bridging Qt applications with other frameworks and programming languages.

Rhino Linux's new UBXI KDE Desktop doesn't disappoint.

🧠 What We’re Thinking About

Carmen from Mission Libre has started a petition to get Qualcomm to release fully-free drivers for their in-production chipsets. If the petition is signed by 5,000 people, a hardcopy of the petition and signatures will be mailed to Qualcomm's head office. We can get 5,000 signatures, can't we?

🧮 Linux Tips, Tutorials and More

VS Code on Arch is possible and easy.
Understand the concept of file permission. It's a must-know for Linux users.
Want more from Obsidian? Our plugin guide can be helpful.

Looking for some note taking apps suggestion? We have an extensive list.

Why should you opt for It's FOSS Plus membership:

✅ Ad-free reading experience
✅ Badges in the comment section and forum
✅ Supporting creation of educational Linux materials

Join It's FOSS Plus

👷 Homelab and Maker's Corner

While it is a proprietary piece of hardware, Flexbar can be a nice addition to your Linux setup.

Also, learn a thing or two about MCP servers, the latest buzzword in the (AI) tech world.

✨ Apps Highlight

If you ever wanted to run an operating system inside your browser, then Puter is the solution for you. It is open source and can be self-hosted as well.

An It's FOSS reader created an FFmpeg AAC Audio Encoder Plugin for DaVinci Resolve. This will help you get effortless AAC audio encoding on Linux if you use DaVinci Resolve video editor.

📽️ Videos I am Creating for You

I tried Microsoft's new terminal editor on Linux! I hate to admit it but I liked what I saw here. This is an excellent approach. I wonder why Linux didn't have something like this before. See it in action 👇

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🧩 Quiz Time

Can you identify all the GitHub alternatives in this puzzle?

💡 Quick Handy Tip

In Xfce, you can use the panel item "Directory Menu" to get quick access to files from anywhere. This is like the Places extension in GNOME, but better.

In the configuration menu for it, provide the file extension in the following format *.txt;*.jsonc as shown in the screenshot above to access the files quickly. Clicking on those files opens it in the default app.