FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

It seems my rant on Ubuntu 24.04’s handling of third-party deb files rattled many in the community. While many people agreed with me, some think it’s a non-issue. A few crass comments are there telling me ‘to just use the command line’. I believe they missed the point I was trying to raise. Yes, it can be done by other means but no, the functionality should not have been removed as it leaves a bad first experience for users who think Ubuntu provides an ‘out of the box’ experience.

💬 Let’s see what else you get in this edition:

  • Big tech being prioritized, again.
  • Ubuntu MATE fading away slowly, but surely.
  • Some good news about KDE’s Amarok music player.
  • And other Linux news, videos and, of course, memes!
  • Warp supports this edition of FOSS Weekly.

✨ Warp: Linux Terminal With AI

Warp is a modern terminal emulator built with Rust. It has AI assistant integrated along with IDE like features. Consider it the VS Code of terminal. Although not open source and initially developed for macOS, Warp is now also available for Linux.

Linux Terminal
The modern, Rust-based terminal with AI built in. Now available for Linux.
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

📰 Linux news

  • KDE’s Amarok music player has made a comeback with a new release.
  • Garuda Linux “Bird of Prey” was recently released with many improvements.
  • Neofetch tool has been discontinued.
  • Ubuntu MATE is headed towards some troubled waters.
Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS is More Ubuntu Now
Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS may not be an exciting release. But, it’s here!
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

Here’s what you should know about the long-awaited COSMIC Desktop release:

All About the Upcoming Pop!_OS COSMIC Desktop
Excited for the COSMIC desktop with Pop!_OS 24.04? Here’s what you can expect!
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

🧠 What we’re thinking about

What does this signify? Only big tech and bureaucrats are allowed to shape AI?

Critics question tech-heavy lineup of new Homeland Security AI safety board
CEO-heavy board to tackle elusive AI safety concept and apply it to US infrastructure.
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

We love Mastodon, but we have encountered a strange issue with it.

Please Don’t Share Our Links on Mastodon: Here’s Why!
We need to talk about this problem. Should Mastodon step up?
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

🧮 Linux Tips, Tutorials and More

You can get the Pop!_OS experience on GNOME with this guide:

How to Use Pop Shell on GNOME Desktop
Get the Pop!_OS experience (kind of) on GNOME using the Pop Shell!
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

Did you run into the ‘Cannot refresh snap-store‘ error in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS? I’ll be writing more on Ubuntu 24.04 and Fedora 40 as I use them and encounter issues.

[Solved] ‘Cannot refresh snap-store’ Error in Ubuntu 24.04
Seeing a ‘cannot refresh snap-store’ error while trying to update the app store in Ubuntu? Here’s what you can do about it.
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

🛍️ Learning deal

This book bundle from Packt will get you up to speed on Rust, the blazingly fast, memory-safe programming language that’s revolutionizing systems programming.

Humble Tech Book Bundle: Rust Mastery by Packt
Master Rust with this book bundle! Explore data structures & algorithms, dive into real-world projects & more. Your purchase helps World Central Kitchen.
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

📹 What we are watching

We haven’t forgot about Fedora 40 while focusing on Ubuntu 24.04. Here’s an overview video.

Subscribe to It’s FOSS YouTube Channel

✨ Project highlights

Boost your productivity with this FOSS Android app.

A Simple Open-Source Productivity Timer App for Android
Keep yourself focused, get rid of distractions, and time your work.
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

🧩 New quiz

Dive into the kernel chronicles with this week’s quiz!

Kernel Chronicles: Linux kernel Insights
Think you know about the Linux kernel? Answer these questions!
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

💡 Quick handy tip

On Firefox, we can assign tags to bookmarks so that they can be easily accessed by entering the tag name in the address bar.

Visit the site you want to bookmark and click on the bookmark button. Then, add a name to the tag. (new name, if there is none, or select from the list, if existing tags are there)

FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

Now, if we enter one of your tags in the address bar, all the bookmarks associated with that tag will be suggested to you.

FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

🤣 Meme of the week

Oh Canonical, why are you like this?

FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

🗓️ Tech Trivia

The first known virus to target the BIOS, CIH/Chernobyl Virus, was discovered on April 26, 1999, when it started off to cause $1 Billion damages globally.


🧑‍🤝‍🧑 FOSSverse corner

A FOSSer shares what they intend to do with a 2015 MacBook Air they recently acquired:

Recently Acquired an Early 2015 MacBook Air
About a month ago, I had the opportunity to trade work for my client’s early 2015 13” MacBook Air that I’d been suggesting my client upgrade for a couple of years. This particular client was running Windows 10 in a VM despite the host only having 4 Gigs of RAM. 😳 We found an Apple Silicon replacement for the one app they needed to use a Windows VM for. She wound up upgrading to a refurbished M1 MBA with 16 Gigs of RAM and is very happy with it. It’s a pleasure to work on too. I fully…
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

FOSSers are discussing native Linux games. Join in and share your experience!

Native Linux Games
Saw this today and thought some people might find it interesting. Not an endorsement, just a FYI. https://www.howtogeek.com/best-linux-game-stores-for-native-linux-games/?user=c2doYXRzdEBnbWFpbC5jb20
FOSS Weekly #24.18: Ubuntu MATE Concerns, COSMIC Desktop, Garuda Linux Release and More

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