Category: Foss Arabia

Linux Mint 22.2 Zara is now available, offering a fresh wave of enhancements across performance, visual design, and usability. Based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and running on the Linux 6.14 HWE kernel, the release delivers improved hardware compatibility and gains extended support through April 2029. Linux Mint 22.2 Zara Launches with Polished Features echoes this refined release in tone and brevity.At the core of the update, the new Fingwit utility offers native fingerprint authentication for tasks such as system login,

A federal court’s latest decision in the U. S. v. Google antitrust case means Mozilla can maintain its critical financial arrangement with Google. Judge Amit Mehta has allowed Google to continue making payments to browser makers—among them Mozilla—ensuring that Firefox’s principal revenue stream remains intact.Judge Mehta’s remedy ruling clarifies that while Google must cease exclusive contracts, it may still engage in non‑exclusive deals to position its search services, including generative AI products, as defaults across platforms. The court reasoned that

Pogocache, a new open‑source caching system built in C by Josh Baker—known for creating Tile38—has entered general availability, promising breakthrough performance and seamless integration across multiple protocols. According to benchmarks on AWS c8g.8xlarge hardware, Pogocache delivers around 3.14 million queries per second, leaving behind Memcache, Redis, Dragonfly, Valkey, and Garnet.This cache server distinguishes itself by supporting a range of existing communication standards—Memcache, Redis/Valkey, HTTP, and PostgreSQL wire protocol—so developers can leverage familiar tools like curl, psql, and Redis clients without rewriting

Vivaldi has emphatically confirmed that it will not integrate artificial intelligence tools into its core web browser experience. Jon von Tetzchner, the company’s chief executive, made the position unequivocal: AI-driven chatbots, summarisation engines or form‑filling suggestion tools will not be added "until more rigorous ways to do those things are available". He cautioned that such features risk turning active browsing into passive consumption, transforming users into spectators rather than explorers of the web.Scholars and industry observers have noted broader concerns that underpin

DocumentDB is now officially hosted by the Linux Foundation, transitioning to a vendor-neutral model that promises to shape the future of document-based NoSQL technologies. Microsoft‑developed and built on PostgreSQL, the database has garnered substantial interest, earning nearly 2,000 GitHub stars and drawing contributions from a broad developer community since its debut in early 2025. The Linux Foundation’s governance will secure open‑source stewardship and foster collaboration across the tech ecosystem.Under this new arrangement, DocumentDB retains its MIT license and remains PostgreSQL‑first,

The Chromium browser has rolled out native High Dynamic Range support for Linux users running Wayland sessions, marking a significant step forward for Linux-based systems. This long-awaited feature brings an enhanced visual experience, making it easier for users to enjoy vivid colours and improved contrast across supported websites and applications.Historically, Wayland, the modern display server protocol for Linux, has faced challenges when it comes to supporting high-end graphics features such as HDR. This has been due to the intricate

LibreOffice has unveiled its 25.8 release, bringing a host of improvements aimed at enhancing performance and user experience. One of the key highlights is a significant reduction in file loading times, which now see a 30% faster rate, greatly benefiting both individual users and enterprises relying on the suite for document management and collaboration.The focus on speed is a direct response to growing demands for efficient office software that can handle increasingly complex documents and larger datasets without compromising system

A popular virtual private network application, advertised as a secure and private way to browse the internet, has been caught secretly monitoring its users' online activities. The app, which boasts Google verification, claims to protect user data by masking their IP addresses and encrypting internet traffic. However, investigations have uncovered that it has been collecting extensive personal information without user consent.The VPN, downloaded by millions globally, markets itself as a privacy-focused service, offering free access to its features. However,

The latest version of HandBrake, 1.10, introduces new social media presets that streamline video conversion for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These presets are specifically designed to optimize videos under 10MB, a crucial size for easy sharing and quick uploads.HandBrake, an open-source video transcoder, has long been a favourite tool for users looking to convert video files to different formats. With version 1.10, the software now includes built-in profiles tailored for popular social media platforms. This update ensures that

AI integration in office software has become a pivotal development for enhancing productivity and efficiency across businesses worldwide. Leading the charge in this transformation is ONLYOFFICE, a popular document editing platform, which has recently integrated an AI agent designed to streamline writing, editing, and collaborative work processes. This tool promises to revolutionise the way employees and teams operate, offering speedier workflows and a more intuitive user experience.The ONLYOFFICE AI agent assists users by generating content, suggesting edits, and enhancing collaboration

The Open Source Summit India 2025 marks a significant milestone for Linux Foundation India, celebrating a year of growth, new partnerships, and a strengthened commitment to the country’s burgeoning open-source ecosystem. With a focus on key sectors such as agriculture, finance, manufacturing, and AI, the foundation is poised to play a pivotal role in advancing digital transformation across multiple industries.The summit, held in Bengaluru, serves as a platform for discussing emerging trends, fostering collaboration, and addressing the future of open-source

Perplexity, a growing artificial intelligence company, has been repeatedly crawling websites against the wishes of content owners, prompting a wave of concern over digital ethics and user privacy. Despite multiple requests for the company to halt its web scraping activities, Perplexity continues to disregard these refusals, highlighting tensions between AI innovation and data ownership.AI-driven companies have long been at the forefront of technological development, but their web scraping practices often remain shrouded in controversy. Web scraping, or the automated

Proton has unveiled a new two-factor authentication app, which positions itself as a robust alternative to Microsoft Authenticator. As security concerns around digital identities grow, Proton’s offering enters a competitive field, aiming to provide an enhanced user experience while addressing key issues in account protection.The app, designed by the Swiss company behind Proton Mail, integrates advanced security measures to protect sensitive user data from threats. Unlike Microsoft Authenticator, which has long been a staple in 2FA, Proton’s app seeks

Ubuntu Server 25.10 has made a significant change by removing wget from its default installation, opting instead for wcurl as the default command-line tool for web requests. This shift marks a departure from the long-standing reliance on wget, a tool that has been a core utility in Unix-like systems for decades. While some might view this as a technical evolution, it also raises questions about the future of well-established tools and the role of new alternatives.The decision to exclude wget

Proton's new Lumo AI tool is setting a bold example for privacy-conscious users seeking an alternative to mainstream AI services like ChatGPT. The tool promises to offer the powerful capabilities of conversational AI without compromising user data security, a key differentiator in a crowded market.Lumo AI, developed by Proton, a company known for its privacy-first approach with services like Proton Mail, integrates advanced natural language processing features while adhering to a strict privacy policy. Unlike other AI tools, Lumo ensures

Google's latest innovation, Opal, has introduced a groundbreaking way for users to create artificial intelligence mini-applications using just natural language. This shift marks a significant leap in the growing trend of no-code platforms, where complex coding tasks are simplified, enabling non-technical users to build sophisticated apps with minimal effort.The launch of Opal signals a broader movement toward intuitive software development that allows individuals to build AI-powered tools with little to no knowledge of programming. Instead of writing lines of

Linux Kernel 6.16, unveiled for developers and users alike, brings several strategic updates aimed at enhancing compatibility, performance, and support for key hardware players such as AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA. The new release focuses on optimising the use of cutting-edge processors and graphics technologies, providing a robust platform for the latest hardware innovations across multiple devices.The inclusion of critical updates for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA graphics chips signals the Linux community’s commitment to improving hardware integration, ensuring that users get

Mastodon, the decentralised social network that emerged as a challenger to Twitter, is seeking new ways to strengthen its financial position. With a growing user base and an increasing demand for its services, the platform is exploring new funding strategies to support its ongoing development. As part of this strategy, the platform may soon start nudging its users for voluntary contributions, seeking to ensure its sustainability.Founded in 2016 by Eugen Rochko, Mastodon offers an open-source, federated alternative to mainstream social

Commodore has re-emerged under new leadership, offering a modern reimagining of its cherished 64‑bit machine. The Commodore 64 Ultimate, now available to pre‑order starting at $299, is positioned as the first genuine Commodore hardware release in over three decades, combining classical design with updated performance.Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson, a prominent retro computing content creator, has acquired the Commodore brand in a low seven‑figure deal and now serves as its acting CEO. He’s joined by veterans such as engineer Gideon Zweijtzer and original

AWS has rolled out Kiro, an AI‑powered integrated development environment currently in preview, with features aimed at surpassing “vibe coding” tools like Cursor. The platform shifts the coding paradigm by structuring prompts into full project specifications, design blueprints, task lists and tests, helping developers move from prototype to production with consistency and speed.At the heart of Kiro is its spec‑driven development approach: when developers initiate a project, AI agents expand even a single‑sentence prompt into markdown files for requirements,

digiKam’s 8.7.0 update foregrounds artificial intelligence enhancements, integrating tools that tackle everyday pain points in photo management. Key features include bolstered facial recognition workflows, hardware‑accelerated processing, and a novel AI‑driven image auto‑rotation utility — moves that position digiKam as a free contender in the AI photo management space.Face recognition has undergone targeted refinement. The system now initiates automatic scans when a user confirms or tags a face, streamlining management through proactive detection. In cases of misidentification, rejected suggestions are retained

Linux users can now install Mozilla VPN via Flatpak on Flathub, opening the way for seamless cross‑distribution deployment. The move elevates the privacy-centric VPN's reach beyond Debian-based systems, where it was previously limited by Debian packages, addressing long-standing accessibility challenges.Bringing Mozilla VPN to Flatpak aligns with growing demand for universal packaging solutions across diverse desktop environments. Previously, users on distros like Fedora, Arch and openSUSE had to compile the client from source if not on Ubuntu derivatives. The new Flatpak,

Blender 5.0 is introducing experimental High Dynamic Range rendering support for Linux users working in a Wayland session with Vulkan acceleration. This enhancement aims to offer creators precise brightness, contrast, and colour fidelity in the viewport, mirroring the output of HDR‑enabled monitors.HDR viewport support in the alpha build of Blender 5.0 must be explicitly enabled under Developer > Experimental settings, requiring a Vulkan graphics backend on Wayland. Testers have successfully run the feature on GNOME and KDE Plasma environments

Jack Dorsey, the co‑founder of Twitter and current head of Block, has introduced Bitchat, a peer‑to‑peer encrypted messaging tool that operates entirely without internet or cellular networks, relying instead on Bluetooth Low Energy mesh technology within a 300‑metre radius. It is currently available in beta via Apple’s TestFlight, which has already reached its 10,000‑user capacity.The app enables fully decentralised communication: messages hop from device to device using BLE mesh, allowing users to stay connected when internet access is unavailable