FOSS Weekly #25.49: Kernel 6.18 'LTS', Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, Linus Torvalds on BSOD, Obsidian Distro and More Linux Stuff

And we enter the Christmas month.
Warp Terminal

Recently, Linus Torvalds and Linus Sebastian come together for a YouTube video collaboration. There, Torvalds said that the infamous blue screen of death in Windows is not a software issue in most cases. Hard to disagree with him.

Linus Torvalds Defends Windows’ Blue Screen of Death
And he is not wrong actually.

Also, if you like It's FOSS and rely on Google search, please add us as your preferred source in Google. This way, you get reliable and more accurate information on Linux in this age of AI slop.

Here's the highlight of this edition of FOSS Weekly:

  • A new open source font by Google.
  • KDE Plasma dropping X11 in the future.
  • The Linux kernel 6.18 release.
  • Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is dropping some default apps.
  • Firefox based browsers.
  • And other Linux news, tips, and, of course, memes!
  • This week of FOSS Weekly is supported by the awesome folks at Prepper Disk.
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📰 Linux and Open Source News

🧠 What We’re Thinking About

Are self-hosting and homelabbing the logical next step for Linux users? It does seem so as Linux users are already leading the revolution of self-hosting.

Self-Hosting is Rising and Linux Users are Leading This Revolution
Self‑hosting isn’t anti‑cloud; it’s pro‑agency. It’s choosing the right locus of control for the things you care about.

🎓Get certified, get job ready, at 65% less

Linux Foundation exam sale

Being the most prominent and official organization behind Linux and many other Enterprise open source projects, Linux Foundation's certifications hold good value in the job market. Their Kubernetes certifications helps you land DevOps jobs.

Linux Foundation is running Cyber Monday offer, and you can get upto 65% off on certification exams and training courses. So, if you are looking for a career in Linux sysadmin and DevOps field in 2026, take the advantage of the sale as the exam period is valid for one year. Get it for discount today, prepare for the certification exam and attempt it in a few months. You can take two attempts at the exam.

🧮 Linux Tips, Tutorials, and Learnings

Not every web browser needs to be based on Chromium. Here are some great alternatives.

Not Every Browser is Built on Chrome: Explore These Firefox-based Options
Think all popular browsers out there are Chromium based? Take a look at this Firefox-based options.

Ubuntu 26.04 is a few months away, but it doesn't hurt to take an early look at what's coming, does it?

Ubuntu 26.04: Release Date and New Features
The development for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS has started and it’s time to start looking towards the features and changes it is bringing.

And a quick tip on checking the temperature of your NVMe SSD from the command line.

We are in December now and I can safely say that Christmas is here. This may sound like Mariah Carey, but all I want for Christmas is...your support.

As one of the rare few publications with a special focus on desktop Linux users, we have been functioning for the past 13 years with the support of readers like you, not corporate backers.

If you believe in our work, if we ever helped you, do consider upgrading to an It’s FOSS Plus membership — just $3/month or a single payment of $99 for lifetime access.

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👷 AI, Homelab and Hardware Corner

Raspberry Pi 5's 1GB variant has arrived, but who is it for in 2025?

Raspberry Pi 5 1GB Variant: Is It Worth $45?
Other SBCs offer more RAM at this price point. So, should you still pay $45 for a 1 GB Pi?

Fitbit couldn't keep Pebble down. It is now on course for a big return!

✨ Project Highlights

Most new distros don't offer anything of substance other than a few themes perhaps. This is why ObsidianOS is different as it offers the innovative concept for system wide rollback with the classic Ext filesystem..

ObsidianOS Review: A New, Innovative Linux Distro Built Around A/B Partitioning
The idea to rollback via two root partitions is interesting. This is certainly not your regular rethemed Arch distro.

Think you know the best Linux system monitor? This showdown may surprise you.

Mission Center vs. Resources: The Ultimate Linux System Monitor Showdown
Two of the best GUI-based system monitors for desktop Linux users. Which one is better of the two? Let’s find out.

📽️ Videos I Am Creating for You

It is nearly a year since I have been using Zen as my primary browser. It is based on Firefox but feels so different to use. Watch me use Zen in the latest video.

💡 Quick Handy Tip

In Firefox, you can use @ in the address bar to access various searching areas.

These search areas include things like searching among tabs, your bookmarks, the history, a different search engine, and more. This works in other browsers too, but the availability of search areas will differ.

firefox search tip

🎋 Fun in the FOSSverse

Governance in open source is an important thing. Can you beat this crossword to prove your knowledge?

Governance in Open-Source Projects: Crossword
A crossword to help you figure out governance in the open-source world.

🤣 Meme of the Week: Musings of a wise ape... No offense to Manjaro users or users of other Arch-based distros.

manjaro meme, dumb animal (the human)

🗓️ Tech Trivia: On December 3, 1968, Control Data Corporation unveiled the CDC 7600, a machine often hailed as the first true supercomputer. Engineered by Seymour Cray, the system pushed boundaries with performance nearing 40 megaflops, an extraordinary achievement for its era.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 From the Community: A tutorial on how to setup LVM with dedicated /mnt/data_backups by one of our regular FOSSers.

Complete guide for LVM with dedicated /mnt/data_backups
Complete guide Two Volume Groups (VGs): vg_data: A massive <4.55 TiB storage pool across 5 physical volumes (/dev/sdb1, /dev/sdc1, /dev/sdd1, /dev/nvme0n1p1, and /dev/sdf1). vgmint: A <2.25 TiB volume group for your operating system (/) and swap, spanning 3 physical volumes (/dev/nvme1n1p2, /dev/sde1, and /dev/sda1). Logical Volumes (LVs): > I have a dedicated <1.40 TiB logical volume (lv_backups) specifically for backups, which is where I put Timeshift data (/mnt/data_backups). A larg…

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Enjoy FOSS 😄

About the author
Abhishek Prakash

Abhishek Prakash

Created It's FOSS 13 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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