Ubuntu? That’s a Bullfinch, Not an Oriole
Here’s something lighthearted for you—unless you’re pedantic about ornithology, in which case you won’t be so chirpy: it seems a Bullfinch found its way into Ubuntu 24.10 ‘Oracular Oriole’. Did someone leave a window open?! If you have upgraded to Ubuntu 24.10 and changed the default wallpaper you will have noticed some of the supplementary (i.e., non-default) desktop backgrounds prominently feature an ‘oriole’ bird. Or what the artist thinks is an oriole bird, as it turns out. Ubuntu’s Bullfinch Bird Bug According to a bug recently filed on Launchpad, home of Ubuntu development, one of the supplemental wallpapers included in […] You’re reading Ubuntu? That’s a Bullfinch, Not an Oriole, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Blender 4.3 Brings Vulkan Backend, AMD Ray-Tracing to Linux
Feeling creative? After you’ve scanned out slew of changes shipping in the new Blender 4.3 release, you’ll find it hard not to! Blender 4.3 is the latest stable release of the phenomenally powerful open-source 3D modelling software. Its creators say the update builds on the Blender 4.2 LTS release earlier this year with “improvements to existing tools, performance enhancements, and the foundations that will shape the years to come.” I’ll recap the key changes in a second, but first I want to highlight a couple of big things that Linux users will be interested to know… Blender 4.3: Big Linux […] You’re reading Blender 4.3 Brings Vulkan Backend, AMD Ray-Tracing to Linux, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Ubuntu 25.04 Daily Builds Are Now Available
A sure-fire way to tell that development has moved up a gear: Ubuntu 25.04 daily builds are now available to download. Development formally got underway on Ubuntu 25.04 ‘Plucky Puffin’ last month, with the final stable release of Ubuntu 25.04 arriving on Thursday April 17, 2025. You’re probably wondering what sort of new features Ubuntu 25.04 may offer and the daily builds will get everyone ample chance to find out, first-hand, nice and early. Only, there’s not much new to see — yet. What’s Coming in Ubuntu 25.04? There are plans to ship a new document viewer app in Ubuntu […] You’re reading Ubuntu 25.04 Daily Builds Are Now Available, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Linux Kernel 6.12 Has Landed – And It’s a Big One
Linus Torvalds has announced the release of Linux kernel 6.12, and an eclectic assortment of changes contained within make it one of the most biggest kernel releases for a while. In his message to the Linux Kernel Mailing List to announce the release Linus Torvalds notes that the final week of testing delivered “no strange surprises this last week, so we’re sticking to the regularrelease schedule”. But what made it in? Let’s take a look… Linux 6.12: What’s New? Really real-time kernel The headline feature in Linux 6.12 is mainline support for PREEMPT_RT. This patch set dramatically improves the performance of real-time applications […] You’re reading Linux Kernel 6.12 Has Landed – And It’s a Big One, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Automatic Tiling Added to ‘Tiling Shell’ GNOME Extension
I’d promise to shut up about the Tiling Shell GNOME Shell extension but I can’t because new features are coming thick and fast — the latest: support for automatic tiling. Yes, this nifty workflow wonder is finally able to automatically tile newly opened windows based on the currently active tiling layout (and as you may sick of me re-emphasising: you can switch between different layouts ad-hoc, and create and save your own). Windows auto-tile to the best vacant slot in the layout. But what’s ‘best’? Tiling Shell developer Domenico Ferraro says this will be the ‘vacant tile nearest to the […] You’re reading Automatic Tiling Added to ‘Tiling Shell’ GNOME Extension, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Rhythmbox Update Brings DAAP Server Fix, Podcast Tweaks
A new version of the GTK-based music player Rhythmbox has been released, the first major update in over a year. Rhythmbox 3.4.8 is billed as a ‘minor improvement release’, so there are no shiny new features or (some would say overdue) UI changes to speak of. But there are plenty of bug fixes and smaller quality enhancements worth knowing about. Although primarily used to listen and manage local music files, Rhythmbox supports network shares, podcasts, radio streaming, and integration with online services like Magnatune and Last.FM. In this release, the app includes several podcast improvements, including better handling of episode […] You’re reading Rhythmbox Update Brings DAAP Server Fix, Podcast Tweaks, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Ubuntu 25.04 Set to Ship With New PDF Viewer
It could be all change for the PDF viewer in the next version of Ubuntu. Ubuntu’s long-time PDF viewer Evince (aka Document Viewer) is comes preinstalled in Ubuntu at present—I can’t recall using a version of Ubuntu that didn’t use it. But next April’s release of Ubuntu 25.04 ‘Plucky Puffin’ may replace Evince with a newer document viewing app called Papers, marking a major change in the distro’s default app set. Papers, a modern GTK4/libadwaita app, is able to ‘view, search and annotate’ documents in a wide range of formats, with PDF handling a primary focus — like Evince. So […] You’re reading Ubuntu 25.04 Set to Ship With New PDF Viewer, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

RISC-V Mainboard for Framework Laptop 13 Available from $199
Framework make the most exciting laptops around —I don’t own one to be able to say they’re good, but the modular components, and upgradeable and repairable ethos is unlike anything else. As news earlier this year that owners would be able to swap their Intel-based mainboard for a RISC-V mainboard underscores. Well, there’s now an update on that front. DeepComputing (who make the Ubuntu-powered DC-ROMA II laptop & Pad II tablet) has launched an early access program for its DC-ROMA RISC-V Mainboard for the Framework Laptop 13. The mainboard is also compatible with the  Framework and Cooler Master Case (which […] You’re reading RISC-V Mainboard for Framework Laptop 13 Available from $199, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

VMware Workstation is Now Free for Commercial Use Too
Back in the spring, VMware did something unexpected: it made its desktop hypervisor software free to download and use on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No trial period, no in-app purchases, no feature limitations; the full version of VMware Workstation Pro (Windows, Linux) and Fusion Pro (macOS) for free. The “catch” was that it was only free for personal use. Businesses, educators, freelancers, and developers who planned to use the software for so-called ‘commercial’ purposes were asked to be honest and pay for a license. Now, that’s no longer needed. Why is VMware Workstation Pro Now Free? Both VMware Workstation Pro […] You’re reading VMware Workstation is Now Free for Commercial Use Too, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

This Linux Timer Tool Uses MPRIS in an Unexpected Way
MPRIS is something most of us associate with music apps and movie players, but a new app makes use of this freedesktop standard for something less entertaining: timers. Yes, timers. Timing your pizza in the oven, setting a deadline for a task, dedicating time to a hobby, or obsessively counting down to a date (figurative or romantic), MPRIS Timer does it just as well as anything else – with a twist: it shows your timer using MPRIS. MPRIS stands for ‘Media Player Remote Interfacing Specification’. It is a Freedesktop standard that gives app makers an accessible, consistent API to target […] You’re reading This Linux Timer Tool Uses MPRIS in an Unexpected Way, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Auto-Match Ubuntu’s Accent Colour to Your Wallpaper
For a pinch more personalisation of Ubuntu 24.10 check out Auto Accent Colour, a new GNOME Shell extension that changes the system accent colour based on your current desktop wallpaper. Accent colours are a headline feature in GNOME 47, although not new to Ubuntu users since Ubuntu added its own approach to accent colours back in 2022. Now aligned with upstream, this new GNOME Shell extension is going to interest Ubuntu users who don’t wan the hassle of handpicking an accent colour to suit their wallpaper – instead, letting their wallpaper pick the accent colour! Auto Accent Colour GNOME Extension […] You’re reading Auto-Match Ubuntu’s Accent Colour to Your Wallpaper, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Calibre 7.21 Brings Read Aloud Fixes, New Audio Overlay
Calibre ebook manager, converter, and reader is out with a new update, and it adds an enticing sounding new feature. For a while now Calibre has offered a ‘read aloud’ feature that does exactly what you think it does: a computer voice reads the text of an ePUB book. Calibre 7.21 intros a “new tool to create an audio overlay in EPUB files for all text using the Read aloud facility”. This, it says, enables readers to listen with sentence tracking, and assign different voices to different parts of the book’s text. Interestingly, Calibre say using the new tool can […] You’re reading Calibre 7.21 Brings Read Aloud Fixes, New Audio Overlay, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

GNOME 48 Release Schedule & Potential New Features
GNOME 47 ‘Denver’ proved a decent update to the GNOME desktop, delivering a hearty dose of new features, UI refinements, and app improvements. As those of you using Ubuntu 24.10 are no-doubt enjoying. But as one release goes out, work on the next begins… GNOME 48: Release Schedule GNOME 48 ‘Bengaluru‘ (named after the host city of the GNOME Asia Summit taking place in December) is scheduled for release on March 19, 2025. And these are the dates for important development milestones along the way, offering opportunity to implement, add, and integrate changes, the necessary “freeze” to solidify the desired […] You’re reading GNOME 48 Release Schedule & Potential New Features, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Raspberry Pi’s New USB Hub Costs Just $12
Raspberry Pi has unveiled another low-price own-brand product, this time a 4-port USB 3.0 hub compatible with most of its single-board computers. In the past few months we’ve seen the company expand its range of official accessories and add-ons to encompass everything from AI HATs to SD cards and SSDs guaranteed to contain the right tech to ensure Pi owners get the best possible performance. Most popular Pi models include a number of on-board USB ports, some folks need or want more, which is why the company is launching an official Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub. Cheekily, it pitches this as […] You’re reading Raspberry Pi’s New USB Hub Costs Just $12, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …

Burn My Windows Adds Dreamy New ‘Focus’ Effect
It’s been a while since the gorgeous (if admittedly gimmicky) Burn My Windows GNOME Shell extension added a new effect to appease fans of over-the-top window closing and opening animations. I.e., folks like moi ;3 But the latest release, Burn My Windows v44, now rolling out through the GNOME Extensions website, dutifully delivers one – and a rather dreamy one at that! Called Focus, the new effect is a subtle, more considered offering compared to other animations available in the app. It combines a blur and fade effect on close (or open), as you may glimpse in the GIF embedded […] You’re reading Burn My Windows Adds Dreamy New ‘Focus’ Effect, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission. …