Weekly Forum Summary

system · April 26, 2026, 12:16pm

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 227
Total New Topics: 25

Top Members

@hydn: 41 posts, 125 likes received
@tkn: 27 posts, 82 likes received
@ericmarceau: 23 posts, 61 likes received
@ugnvs: 15 posts, 55 likes received
@pavlos: 8 posts, 35 likes received
@Jymm: 10 posts, 35 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 14 posts, 34 likes received
@ricmarques: 8 posts, 31 likes received
@Blue_bird: 8 posts, 30 likes received
@guiverc: 6 posts, 29 likes received

Interesting Topics

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (“Resolute Raccoon”) - and most of its flavors - released yesterday (23rd April 2026)
In Ubuntu, @ricmarques rounded up the official release posts and highlights for 26.04 LTS, while @guiverc pointed out that Ubuntu Unity is treating 26.04 like an LTS even if it’s not designated as such. Members also shared early install notes and impressions from Xubuntu and others.
Which is “better” for ease of control - iptables and nftables?
@ericmarceau started a thoughtful comparison in General Discussions focused on real-world manageability rather than pure theory. @hydn urged prioritizing nftables since it’s the present and future on most distros, and @ugnvs shared a concise side‑by‑side resource for quick evaluation. The thread also weighed where UFW fits for simpler workflows.
Basic pixel graphics in Python helper (SDL)
In Showcase, @ugnvs shared a compact Python helper that wraps pygame‑ce/SDL so you can draw pixels with a simple call. The post includes usage notes and licensing, and @pavlos highlighted the clean, readable approach for quick visual prototyping.
Framework Laptop 13 Pro
@Halano kicked off a General Discussions conversation about Framework’s 2026 13 Pro. Members liked the repairability and parts ecosystem. @hydn called out the 3:2 2880×1920 display as great for code and config editing, while @tkn and @Halano discussed pricing and the need for more mid‑tier options.
Running a VM like a dual-boot setup
In General Discussions, @jaymo_chicago explored achieving near‑native performance for a secondary OS in a VM on a 6 GB RAM laptop. @hydn suggested keeping both desktops installed on bare metal as the simplest path and shared a reference for VM’ing a dual‑boot. @ericmarceau added the idea of tuning with cgroups, and @jaymo_chicago reported surprisingly smooth results giving the MATE VM 3 GB RAM.
Security - Repository of IP address lists - Country-specific
Also in Showcase, @ericmarceau shared curated sources for country and geo‑IP blocklists that can feed iptables/ipset or pfSense workflows. @ugnvs and @hydn discussed why CDNs and anycast obscure geolocation, and how these lists are still useful for broad SSH and brute‑force mitigation at home.
Generate password
In MATE Desktop, @pavlos kicked off a handy thread of one‑liners and tools for quick password generation. Highlights include openssl rand -base64, pwgen, a classic /dev/urandom filter, plus @ricmarques and @ugnvs clarifying how UUID v4 works and what “random” really means in that context.
Whats the main reasons why you use MATE (or other DE/WM)
@Brian_Masinick invited MATE fans to explain their preferences in General Discussions. @tkn praised on‑the‑fly compositing toggles and low overhead, @Jymm emphasized stability and a classic workflow, @ClaudioDC contrasted setup flexibility with XFCE, and @ericmarceau described disabling animations to prioritize immediate, no‑delay interactions.
Ata1: SRST failed (error-16)
A Linux Support troubleshooting thread where @tkn offered practical triage steps for isolating harmless USB noise and shared a resource for slow boots, while @ericmarceau demonstrated how to apply USB storage quirks via GRUB kernel parameters, including how to identify the right device IDs with lsusb.
How AI revolution impacts Linux world?
A fresh General Discussions discussion opened over the weekend on what AI might mean for Linux distributions and workflows. Early reactions, like @tkn’s, voice caution about bloat and automation intruding on user control, setting the stage for a timely debate as AI tooling accelerates.

Activity by the @staff Group

Go cert-checker
@toadie shipped updates to the Go certificate checker adding JSON export, file and list inputs, and interactive or flag‑based modes. The project also sparked an investigation into a third‑party showcase site invitation, with @ugnvs providing quick due diligence and @tkn raising a smart question about ownership wording.
Electronic fair in Pordenone ~ impressions
@ricky89 shared a field report in General Discussions from Italy’s large electronics fair, including practical buying decisions, a fun “terminal puzzle” anecdote, and a few frugal pickups. It’s a nice slice of IRL Linux‑adjacent culture from a staff voice.
Sruthi Chandran Elected as Debian’s Project Leader
@hydn highlighted the Debian 2026 DPL transition with links to the platform and results. A worthy milestone for the Debian community that underpins so many of our favorite systems.
Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Explained: What Every Directory Actually Does
In Articles & guides, @hydn published a practical explainer walking through the top‑level directories, what they’re for, and how that knowledge speeds up troubleshooting and administration on any distro.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @guiverc’s primer on Qt, KDE Frameworks, and LXQt differences in Looking for comments - Differences between Qt on KDE vs LxQt on Lubuntu
Why it stands out: It clearly separates what Qt provides from what KDE Frameworks add, explains how Kubuntu and Lubuntu use the same Qt stack but diverge to meet different goals, and ties it back to Ubuntu’s packaging process. It’s the kind of concise, high‑signal answer that helps readers make smarter desktop and toolkit choices without confusion.

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · May 3, 2026, 12:17pm

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 272
Total New Topics: 29

Top Members

@hydn: 62 posts, 113 likes received
@ericmarceau: 37 posts, 92 likes received
@tkn: 23 posts, 72 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 30 posts, 49 likes received
@ugnvs: 8 posts, 40 likes received
@Norm24: 10 posts, 36 likes received
@pavlos: 8 posts, 29 likes received
@toadie: 11 posts, 27 likes received
@Halano: 9 posts, 22 likes received
@rogerp: 5 posts, 16 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, several members weighed in on where AI fits on Linux in How AI revolution impacts Linux world?. @ugnvs linked Canonical’s roadmap for AI on Ubuntu, @tkn and @Halano debated local assistants versus system control, and @hydn contrasted cloud AI with private local LLMs, pointing to tools like Ollama and llama.cpp. The thread balanced enthusiasm with strong skepticism and practical starting points.
Also in General Discussions, the community quickly mobilized around Cve-2026-31431 [danger]. @Halano’s PSA was followed by @pavlos correcting the exploit repo and build flags, while @ericmarceau shared a safer probe script. @ricmarques cited Ubuntu’s advisory, @hydn added a read‑only checker script, and @ugnvs confirmed new 24.04 kernels landing. A solid real‑time response with mitigation and patch status references.
@Norm24 started a timely Ubuntu thread on the DDOS attack on Canonical and Ubuntu. Members shared incident links, status updates, and press coverage, including @ricmarques’ PCMag article. @toadie and others noted downstream impact like Launchpad unavailability, highlighting why resiliency matters.
@wherahiko asked how non‑coders can help in #mate, and the community delivered in How to contribute to MATE? (from a ‘non-technical’ user). @ugnvs pointed to the official contributor guide, @suivue shared practical testing/reporting approaches, and @hydn converted the related MATE topic into a community‑editable wiki to aggregate resources.
In Ubuntu, @deepak hit a packaging quirk in Ubuntu 26.04 mpirun version issue. @tkn referenced a matching upstream issue, @hydn suggested relying on ompi_info and --showme flags that build systems use, and @ericmarceau corrected a command typo. A useful reminder to separate cosmetic help-text errors from functionality.
@Vishal_Parashar sought help installing Linux on a Snapdragon X laptop in Linux Support Problem In installing Linux. @ugnvs and @hydn outlined the current ARM support landscape, pointed to Ubuntu and Arch resources, and discussed WSL2 on ARM. The accepted answer explains why WSL2 is fine for getting started in security tooling and when a VM or dedicated hardware becomes necessary.
In General Discussions, notification fatigue sparked a practical thread, What notification daemon are you actually using?. @hydn documented an XFCE workaround journey, @tkn suggested Ayatana indicators, @Halano recommended Dunst and Mako, and @ClaudioDC pointed to XFCE forums and GitLab. A good cross‑desktop comparison with actionable options.
Over in Linux Support, @Edith ran into installer partitioning trouble in Linux Mint 22.3 installer fails to create root partition on B85 desktop. @pavlos and @hydn asked for lsblk/fdisk details and shared checks, and @ericmarceau clarified Live ISO boot prerequisites. The follow‑ups include safe SSD wipe steps using blkdiscard and wipefs before reinstalling.
In Articles & guides, @hydn published an explainer on interpreting DistroWatch stats: DistroWatch: Why Most People Misunderstand the Linux Rankings. It reminds readers that PHR measures page hits, not real popularity, and suggests better signals to evaluate distributions.
Finally, a helpful General Discussions support thread on package management, Wine dependency errors, saw @ugnvs advise using standard repos and @pavlos provide the exact steps for enabling i386 and installing winehq-stable on Noble. Clean, copy‑paste‑ready guidance for Ubuntu users.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn ran a lighthearted but active community event in #our with the April desktop giveaway, wrapping it up with winners and prize options in Free dmesg probs T-Shirt giveaway — show off your Linux.
In Showcase, @toadie shared performance wins and scheduling ideas on a Go utility in [Go] cert-checker, including concurrency gains and a cron‑based approach for periodic checks.
@tmick dropped a clean Debian Forky setup in Debian at Share your Debian desktop with Neofetch/Fastfetch (optional) Screenshots, adding to a fast‑growing gallery of desktop configs.
@ricky89 contributed to General Discussions in What’s everyone working on? 2026 edition, outlining a JS dates‑input library and an interactive raffle project for a music group.
Additionally, @hydn shared site‑navigation tips for groups via a handy sidebar trick in site-help at TIL: How to return to a group’s message list in one click, a small boost to everyday forum usability.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @Carrot’s deep‑dive on Intel AX210 slowdowns with Comcast gateways in Intel AX210 speeds capped at 20 Mbps on multiple distros. It clearly explains the MCS/PMF misadvertising bug on certain ISP routers, offers a practical workaround with NetworkManager, and references an in‑flight kernel fix and community patch.

“Certain routers… have a software bug that likely resulted from a copy/paste of the router capabilities into the basic MCS requirements… You’ll likely need to run this command to disable pmf if you get any slowdowns or spikes on ping:
nmcli connection modify “YOUR_WIFI_NAME” wifi-sec.pmf 1”

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · May 10, 2026, 12:16pm

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 259
Total New Topics: 30

Top Members

@hydn: 41 posts, 115 likes received
@tkn: 31 posts, 98 likes received
@ericmarceau: 31 posts, 74 likes received
@ugnvs: 23 posts, 69 likes received
@Nosugrof: 17 posts, 43 likes received
@Jymm: 8 posts, 28 likes received
@toadie: 9 posts, 28 likes received
@ricmarques: 6 posts, 22 likes received
@astrogenealogist: 6 posts, 21 likes received
@pavlos: 12 posts, 20 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Linux Support, @Nosugrof shared a long-running issue in External USB drive unmounts or powers down randomly. The thread walks through diagnostics like SMART, dmesg, UAS quirks, autosuspend, and cooling tests. @benowe1717 requested logs and SMART output, @hydn highlighted a USB bus disconnect pattern rather than a sleep event, and @ericmarceau plus @ugnvs offered BIOS power settings, GRUB quirks, and powered hub checks. The discussion narrowed the suspects to cable, port, bridge, or power instability on the host.
@RokeJulianLockhart started a discussion in MATE Desktop about access issues on Canonical’s forums in Perhaps, don’t recommend the Ubuntu Discourse instance for MATE refugees. Members compared results across browsers, with @ricmarques noting Firefox worked when Chromium-based browsers did not, and @tkn observing that privacy-oriented setups were being blocked. The thread connected symptoms to the Canonical DDOS fallout and possible anti-bot fingerprinting impacts.
In General Discussions, @Jymm asked whether to keep or remove unattended updates in Unattended upgrades. The group split: @ugnvs and @tkn prefer manual control on desktops, while @ricmarques appreciates the safety net. @ericmarceau outlined a visual-review approach via Synaptic to control changes and avoid breaking UI workflows.
A “solved” Linux Support thread worth bookmarking: Bootable USB Key - Partition Table Format?. @ericmarceau asked if an “ancient” BIOS could boot GPT. @tkn summarized that MBR is still the most compatible choice for legacy BIOS, citing practical references, and @lah7 mentioned hybrid MBR/GPT as possible. @hydn suggested [Ventoy] for handling BIOS/UEFI dual-booting cleanly.
In General Discussions, members compared practical fstab tweaks in What’s in your /etc/fstab that you added yourself?. @tkn shared zram and a convenience mount, @hydn recommended noatime and tmpfs for /tmp, and a sub-thread between @ericmarceau, @tkn, and @hydn explored why atime is rarely useful now compared to the write amplification costs.
@ugnvs posted a fun programming challenge in General Discussions with Quine puzzle for programmers. @tkn produced a Bash-flavored solution using $BASH_COMMAND, and the thread turned into a short tour of quines, constraints, and verification.
In Linux Support, @astrogenealogist asked how to enable GPU-accelerated face recognition in DigiKam in DigiKam facial recognition configuration with AMD GPU. @Norm24 spotted an older kernel and recommended installing the HWE 6.17 series, then suggested trying the distro-packaged .deb for dependency alignment. The OP confirmed that the updated kernel plus the repo build resolved the issue.
New member @Ronald_Bell ran into a MacBook with neither ethernet nor Wi-Fi showing up in Linux Support No ethernet or wifi. @pavlos and @ericmarceau walked through live ISO testing, inxi diagnostics, and Driver Manager steps, focusing on Broadcom paths and confirming that the macOS reinstall proved hardware health.
@krish flagged an uptick in anti-bot blocks against hardened browsers in General Discussions with Cloudflare started to block privacy-oriented browsers. @hydn explained how fingerprint-reliant detection can backfire on privacy-preserving setups and why site operators often tune these thresholds amid surges in automated traffic.
In General Discussions, @Borislave80 shared a positive experience with Wayland on Ubuntu 26.04 in The best distro for gaming is Ubuntu 26.04!. The key win was clean multitasking on dual displays without the game freezing when focus changes. @pavlos chimed in on version naming, and the thread captures a real-world improvement for gamers who juggle windows while playing.

Activity by the @staff Group

Security tooling for quick fleet triage: @hydn released a read-only checker for the new “Dirty Frag” issues and supporting modules in Dirty Frag (CVE-2026-43284 / CVE-2026-43500) check script. It reports OK, MITIGATED, and other states for at-a-glance status across systems.
To improve clarity and safety in member submissions, the team published Showcase category guidelines: What to include when sharing your project. The guide clarifies expectations around source links, licenses, unsigned binaries, screenshots, and responsible disclosure.
In Showcase, @toadie continued iterating a Go-based TLS cert monitoring tool in [Go] cert-checker, adding a help flag, better flag error handling, UI testing, and a new dark mode variant. The fast feedback loop from members led to tangible UX gains in just a couple of posts.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @tkn’s concise, well-sourced answer in Bootable USB Key - Partition Table Format? clearly lays out why legacy MBR remains the most reliable choice for older BIOS machines, includes references, and sets realistic expectations about GPT on legacy systems. It is a model of practical, actionable guidance.

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

—
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system · May 17, 2026, 12:17pm

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 216
Total New Topics: 16

Top Members

@hydn: 40 posts, 116 likes received
@ericmarceau: 47 posts, 103 likes received
@MarshallJFlinkman: 16 posts, 53 likes received
@tkn: 16 posts, 49 likes received
@ugnvs: 9 posts, 29 likes received
@toadie: 8 posts, 27 likes received
@Halano: 6 posts, 22 likes received
@Nosugrof: 5 posts, 22 likes received
@jmarkus: 5 posts, 21 likes received
@Jymm: 5 posts, 14 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Linux Support, @appsy ran into an older PC that refused to boot Ubuntu from USB in Can’t boot Ubuntu installer from USB on older PC. Tips rolled in fast from @tkn on BIOS/CSM quirks, and from @hydn and @guiverc on reliable installers like Kubuntu and kernel stack choices for vintage GPUs. The thread is a good checklist for reviving aging hardware.
@ericmarceau started a practical question in Linux Support with Lynis - Option to save the session reporting directly to a file (colour-coded)?. @ugnvs provided a clean solution using the script utility and @hydn followed with one-liners for capturing color, viewing with less, and even HTML export via aha. A concise reference for anyone auditing systems with Lynis.
Also in Linux Support, @ericmarceau asked about surfacing non-standard systemd unit changes in Reporting systemd customizations?. @tkn outlined where defaults and overrides live and how to enumerate them, while @hydn highlighted systemd-delta and systemctl cat to pinpoint diffs. A handy guide to spotting local tweaks.
@ugnvs started a thoughtful thread in General Discussions on tuning displays with Set display color temperature programmatically. It walks through Redshift, xsct, xrandr, and RGB-to-temperature mapping. @tkn suggested a GUI option, and the discussion touches on PPAs and Wayland/X11 considerations for daily comfort.
@hydn introduced a useful packaging tool for Ubuntu users in Showcase with Pacstall - The AUR for Ubuntu. Members compared notes on Pacstall and Nala, and shared a FOSDEM talk for context. If you have ever wanted AUR-style breadth on Ubuntu, this is worth a look.
In General Discussions, @tkn raised a timely privacy concern in Your phone is about to stop being yours ! ( Android ). The thread collects perspectives on de-Googled phones, PinePhone expectations, Ubuntu Touch support, and practical daily-driver tradeoffs. @ugnvs and @ClaudioDC add useful alternatives and reality checks.
Over in Debian, @Davdi hit a roadblock with adb in Problem with Android platform-tools (adb) in Bookworm. Quick fixes from @hydn on using ./adb and PATH, and from @Halano on apt packages, make this a simple go-to for first-time Android tooling on Linux.
@Sanket_Survase kicked off a certification journey in General Discussions with My Journey to RHCSA Begins! (Tips appreciated!). @hydn shared a focused study plan emphasizing hands-on VMs, storage, SELinux, systemd, and practice exams. A helpful launchpad for others eyeing RHCSA.
For site newcomers, @hydn published a clear on-ramp in site-help with the Getting Started Guide. It sets expectations for the community, who you will meet here, and how to jump in. A useful link to share with friends joining the forum.
On consistency between CLI and GUI date formats, @ugnvs offered a good explainer in General Discussions with On Linux system-wide date format. The post compares LC_TIME and TIME_STYLE, and why file managers like Caja, Nautilus, and Dolphin each do their own thing. @hydn added system-wide hints for matching ls output with GUI preferences.

Activity by the @staff Group

In Showcase, @toadie kept shipping improvements to his certificate dashboard in [Go] cert-checker, adding merged JSON views, filtering, search, auto-refresh, and a 1.1.8 release with updated README. Community feedback from @ugnvs influenced label clarity and usability tweaks.
The General Discussions wiki topic Which browser is best on Linux? got an update from @hydn, adding Ladybird, Servo, and DiA Browser. The discussion expanded with @tkn’s notes on using SSH SOCKS proxies and multi-browser workflows from other members.
In Ubuntu, a long-running Wi-Fi driver thread reached resolution when @appsy confirmed success with an AX210-based card in TP-Link T6E (Broadcom BCM4352) Wi‑Fi not working on Ubuntu. @hydn clarified AXE3000 product naming versus the AX210 chipset and linked driver docs for future readers.
In Our Community, @hydn welcomed a wave of newcomers and quickly fixed a broken link reported by @sgtempe in Welcome! Please introduce yourself, making sure new members land on working resources right away.

Note: The automated weekly recap by @system also continued, helping surface hot threads and momentum, while @hydn’s new Getting Started Guide set a friendly tone for first-time posters.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @Nosugrof’s solution in External USB drive unmounts or powers down randomly is a practical gem. After thorough troubleshooting, they shared a small “mksim” script that safely simulates user activity to prevent power management from idling external drives during long backups, validating the fix over a 30-hour run. It is a tidy, reproducible workaround many can adopt when BIOS and cgroup options fall short.

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · May 24, 2026, 12:17pm

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 434
Total New Topics: 38

Top Members

@ericmarceau: 67 posts, 151 likes received
@hydn: 66 posts, 153 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 36 posts, 97 likes received
@andreas: 30 posts, 92 likes received
@pavlos: 26 posts, 77 likes received
@IronRod: 24 posts, 76 likes received
@ugnvs: 25 posts, 75 likes received
@Jymm: 12 posts, 56 likes received
@toadie: 16 posts, 55 likes received
@tkn: 14 posts, 44 likes received

Interesting Topics

In #linux-support, @ericmarceau dug into a cold-boot networking failure in Erratic periodic event where there is no recognition of networking hardware at boot time. Community triage from @ugnvs and @pavlos ranged from hardware aging and ASPM power quirks to udev triggers, BIOS checks, and even module power-save tuning for the atl1e driver. @IronRod outlined a solid data-gathering plan to capture driver and PCIe state when the NIC vanishes, setting up the next round of troubleshooting.
@andreas started a showcase in Showcase with Laser - A simple CD ripping application, a modern GTK4/Libadwaita ripper that fetches metadata and covers, and outputs to AAC, FLAC, MP3, OPUS or WAV. Feedback rolled in from @toadie on previews and progress indicators, and a broader conversation with @Jymm and @Norm24 about physical media longevity and best practices for backups.
In General Discussions, @Brian_Masinick asked Is Linux really real-time? RTOS, QNX and the PREEMPT_RT kernel, prompting a thoughtful back-and-forth with @ericmarceau, @tkn, @ugnvs, and @rogerp. The thread contrasts real-time guarantees with low-latency kernels, highlights commercial RT Linux efforts and niche distros like RedHawk, and clarifies what determinism requires at the kernel and scheduler level.
@ericmarceau flagged a key Ubuntu packaging shift in Ubuntu with Ubuntu to purge any remaining System V holdovers. The discussion zeroed in on rc.local compatibility under systemd, with @tkn sharing the stock rc-local.service unit and @hydn explaining how newer systemd releases upstream removed the generator that used to auto-wire rc.local at boot.
In Ubuntu, @pavlos gave everyone a heads up in Ubuntu Pastebin Decommissioning end of May 2026. @hydn suggested drop-in replacements, including quick terminal sharing via termbin.com, and explained why paste services are increasingly hard to keep clean given bot and spam pressure.
@hydn spotlighted a Debian-based alternative in Showcase with Anyone here tried SpiralLinux?, a set of Debian spins that aims for sensible defaults and out-of-the-box usability. Folks weighed stability, security posture, and community support, with several members adding it to their “test soon” list.
@hydn kicked off a thought experiment in General Discussions, If your DE or WM disappeared, what would you switch to?. Choices spanned MATE to KDE Plasma and Xfce, while tiling fans eyed Sway or Mango. The thread is a nice snapshot of how people trade modernity for control and vice versa.
In General Discussions, @Sanket_Survase asked a practical question for newcomers in What should a new Linux Admin never do?. The best advice clustered around the classics: never run destructive commands blind, always test in lab first, keep versioned backups, and save original configs. @hydn, @ugnvs and @ericmarceau each added field-tested guardrails.
@J_J_Sloan proposed carving out space for Perl in General Discussions with Perl programming. That sparked language-war-free nostalgia and utility talk, from one-liners and sysadmin scripts to cross-language benchmarking and teaching resources. The consensus: Perl remains a sharp tool when text and glue are the job.
In Ubuntu, @Jymm shared a timely analysis in How Ubuntu Plans to Add AI Without Taking Over Your PC. Members debated opt-in vs. bloat, local vs. cloud, and the broader risk calculus. @andreas highlighted Canonical’s opt-in messaging while cautioning on long-term trust, and @hydn offered security context on AI-accelerated attacks driving the need for thoughtful adoption.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn enabled footnote markdown and broadened the solved workflow in Enable citations, pairing it with a smart “question” tag approach so Q&A-style threads work across categories without enabling the plugin everywhere.
@toadie shipped a substantial update to the certificate toolchain in Go cert-checker. The 1.2 release adds a config file, cleaner output modes, and better report handling, with @ugnvs suggesting tiered UIs for “simple” vs “advanced” flows that are now taking shape.
@system launched a new weekly digest thread, Linux Weekly News: Key Stories from the Past Week, to centralize upstream highlights, releases and recommended reads. It’s meant as a living index you can reply to with your finds each Monday morning.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @pavlos’ precise fix for misrouted HTML links on Ubuntu MATE in Browser link to html - not opening default browser after update. When desktop URL launchers started opening Slack instead of Firefox, he zeroed in on MIME associations and recommended editing ~/.config/mimeapps.list to point text/html and x-desktop at firefox.desktop. The change made the default browser stick again after reboot, which the OP confirmed solved the issue.

“for some unknown reason it prepended firefox_ to existing lines… Your binary should be just firefox, not firefox_firefox.”

That’s the kind of practical, reproducible answer that saves people hours.

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · May 31, 2026, 1:52pm

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 396
Total New Topics: 35

Top Members

@ericmarceau: 66 posts, 157 likes received
@hydn: 71 posts, 154 likes received
@IronRod: 42 posts, 98 likes received
@andreas: 32 posts, 95 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 24 posts, 72 likes received
@Jymm: 14 posts, 41 likes received
@ClaudioDC: 8 posts, 33 likes received
@oswald_carter: 21 posts, 30 likes received
@benowe1717: 7 posts, 24 likes received
@Greyfox: 8 posts, 22 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Debian, @IronRod asked a simple question that unlocked a flood of practical experiences in Interested: Which version? Debian or Debian-derived distro?. Members compared stock Debian to derivatives like Ubuntu MATE, MX Linux, antiX, Zorin, and LMDE. @ericmarceau weighed community and workflow comfort against Ubuntu’s growing Snap defaults, @Brian_Masinick recommended antiX for lean setups, and @Greyfox shared daily-driver notes on GNOME with Debian 12 and 13. It’s a great snapshot of what “Debian family” looks like across desktops and headless servers.
@andreas started a reflective thread in Debian with Debian seems very enticing… talk me out of it?. Weighing a move from Fedora to Debian Stable for CUDA, Python work, and a GTX 1060, the discussion covered driver age vs stability, Flatpaks for fresh GNOME apps, and managing NVIDIA from upstream repos. @hydn argued you likely won’t notice “outdated” drivers on a 1060 and shared a playbook for installing NVIDIA/CUDA on Stable. The “itch” won: several members, including @andreas and @ClaudioDC, spun up Debian and reported back happily.
In General Discussions, a hands-on debugging journey unfolded in Memory at 99% CPU1, memory hogging. @oswald_carter noticed a core pegged on battery power. With careful guidance from @hydn, the thread stepped through GRUB kernel params, initramfs/grub update pitfalls, and narrowing down kernel vs userspace culprits using top and ps. @ericmarceau suggested cpupower as a temporary control. The thread is a good model for methodical troubleshooting when a system goes sideways.
Policy crossed paths with Linux in General Discussions as @hydn highlighted California moves to exempt Linux from its upcoming age-verification law after backlash. The proposed amendment would exclude FOSS operating systems from the OS-level age checks. @andreas added context with EDRi and EFF perspectives on why age verification is intrusive and misses the mark, while others noted the practical gray areas around ecosystems like SteamOS.
Editors were a hot topic in General Discussions when @IronRod shared a fast, native contender in Zed – slick, capable, and fast. Members compared Zed to Code OSS, VSCodium, and the usual suspects. @toadie explored day-to-day ergonomics like tab behavior, while @Brian_Masinick and @ericmarceau made the case for vi/vim, neovim, and GVim for their ubiquity and efficiency. If you’re hunting for a lean VSCode alternative, this thread has the notes you want.
In #security, @hydn published a practical guide, Fail2ban on Linux: Protect Your Server from Brute-Force Attacks. Beyond the basics, the follow-up tip shows how to integrate Cloudflare’s API so bans propagate to your Cloudflare account too. @IronRod chimed in confirming Fail2ban is part of his standard server stack. If you want a hardened-by-default baseline, this walkthrough is worth bookmarking.
Dual-boot reality checks appeared in #help with @Greyfox’s detailed report, Linux then Windows install for dual-boot: Windows removing Linux from UEFI?. After a fresh Windows install, Linux UEFI entries vanished. @hydn recommended using efibootmgr to confirm whether entries are deleted vs reordered, and suggested rEFInd for a resilient boot flow that’s less dependent on firmware behavior. @IronRod added experience-based guardrails like Windows Update Blocker.
GPU stability came up in #help as @IronRod traced a stubborn amdgpu freeze to MES errors in AMD GPU Linux regression in 6.10. Moving up to kernel 6.19.14 resolved his system-wide hangs, with @Trenien reporting partial improvements on similar hardware. It’s a concise read if you’ve seen “MES failed to respond” in your journal and need a path forward.
In Showcase, @linuxjedi introduced a collaboration-focused diagnostic tool in My sosreport analysis tool project. Looking for feedback. “sos-vault” ingests sosreports, indexes 10,000+ files, and adds shared annotations. The current build uses Docker and LUKS-backed storage for privacy and isolation. @ericmarceau probed desktop/container tradeoffs and the upcoming open-source variant. If you triage systems for a living, this is one to watch.
Rounding out the week in Debian, @IronRod reported smooth fleet upgrades in Debian 13.5 released. @andreas clarified that point releases consolidate updates rather than introduce feature changes, and @Brian_Masinick noted the value of point releases for servers even if desktop users just keep rolling with regular updates.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn published a concise update on forum structure and quality-of-life tweaks in Forum housekeeping: tag cleanup + sidebar improvements. Highlights include a cleaned-up tag taxonomy, five pinned sidebar tags for quick navigation, and numeric unread counts in the sidebar to help you spot where conversations are active.
In the Fedora corner, @shybry747 shared a field report in Fedora 44 released, covering smooth upgrades across multiple machines, both GNOME and Sway spins. The follow-on from @andreas and others digs into GNOME 50 changes, extensions, and why fewer extensions often means fewer upgrade snags.
For those managing SSH bans and jails, @hydn surfaced a lightweight management layer in Fail2ban-ui: Fail2Ban UI is a swissmade web interface. It’s a web UI you can run locally to manage Fail2ban without dropping to the shell every time. @toadie bookmarked it for later testing.
Shipping tools continues: @toadie cut a new release of a utility for certificate checks in [Go] cert-checker. Version 1.3 is live, and it’s a handy companion for anyone juggling TLS monitoring in small infra or homelab setups.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @benowe1717’s pragmatic “safety rope” for remote changes in What should a new Linux Admin never do?

“If you are making any type of change that requires a restart of a critical service or network component on a remote machine, set up an at job to run 5 minutes in the future. If your change works, cancel it; if not, you know you’re back in five minutes to try again.”

It’s a simple, battle-tested trick that can save you from lockouts and late-night drives to the rack. A great example of operational wisdom you can apply immediately.

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack. There are no ad impression or click requirements. They are simply long-term supporters of the LinuxCommunity.io initiative.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit: betterstack.com

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · June 7, 2026, 11:03am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 375
Total New Topics: 34

Top Members

@hydn: 69 posts, 204 likes received
@Jakarta2: 38 posts, 112 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 31 posts, 95 likes received
@ericmarceau: 23 posts, 66 likes received
@tkn: 18 posts, 58 likes received
@andreas: 16 posts, 52 likes received
@Jymm: 15 posts, 51 likes received
@ugnvs: 13 posts, 50 likes received
@IronRod: 18 posts, 49 likes received
@toadie: 11 posts, 37 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Ubuntu, @Jakarta2 shared a forward-looking snapshot of what to expect in Ubuntu 26.10 “Stonking Stingray” — Development Snapshot & Key Direction Overview, calling out GNOME 51, kernel 7.2–7.3, and optional, local-first AI features. @guiverc added helpful context on daily images and noted it’s still very early in the cycle, so stability mirrors a fresh 26.04 with few visible changes yet.
@sanjaya introduced a feature-packed GUI frontend for Arch-based systems in Arch Linux with Introducing Neoarch v2 - Evaluate your arch linux experience. The app centralizes pacman/AUR/Flatpak/npm workflows, includes Timeshift snapshots, Docker/Git tools, and a plugin marketplace. Early reactions from @hydn, @Brian_Masinick, and @Jakarta2 were encouraging and curious to see how it evolves.
@Jymm flagged a timely security story in General Discussions with HTTP/2 Bomb DoS Attack, highlighting a memory-exhaustion vector affecting Nginx, Apache, IIS, Envoy, and Pingora. @hydn followed up with links to CVE references and upstream fixes, and noted that a locked-down CDN front can blunt impact.
A solid support thread in #linux-support saw @A_K_I_L_A_N hit a Secure Boot/MOK snag while installing Linux in Faced A issue while installing linux. @hydn recommended temporarily disabling Secure Boot and rebuilding the USB with Etcher, and @Jakarta2 explained why the missing MokManager (mmx64.efi) can derail boot if a pending key enrollment exists in NVRAM.
In General Discussions, @Jakarta2’s screenshot tour spurred a lively theming chat: What GTK and other themes do you use on your Linux distro?. From nostalgic Ambiance/Yaru on aging hardware to MATE TraditionalOK and Ambiant-MATE-Dark, members compared tastes and performance trade-offs, with @andreas probing how far old systems can stretch.
Practical printing help landed in Fedora/RHEL with Epson L3550 on Nobara(Fedora). @SilentTiger254’s driverless setup printed, but slowly and with odd formats. @pavlos and @hydn pointed to epson-inkjet-printer-escpr2, and @Jakarta2 suggested inspecting spool sizes to confirm a rasterization bottleneck when IPP Everywhere is the only path producing correct output.
Nostalgia met pragmatism in Ubuntu as @Jakarta2 argued that Peak Unity Dekstop lived in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, now extended via Ubuntu Pro Legacy through 2031. @andreas suggested trying Ubuntu Unity for a modern Unity 7 on a current base, even if some hardware falls back to software rendering.
In General Discussions, a trip down hardware memory lane with Linux on m68k is still alive had @Brian_Masinick recalling NCR Tower lab days and early Sun OS encounters, while @hydn surfaced an NCR Tower 1632 ad from 1982 for color.
A fun experiment in Showcase came with Use your NVIDIA GPU’s VRAM as swap space on Linux. Even if most of us need our VRAM for, well, VRAM, the nbd-vram project sparked a thoughtful back-and-forth on aging GPUs, performance expectations, and extreme tinkering on minimal hardware.
For those emigrating from Outlook, @ericmarceau kicked off practical alternatives in General Discussions with Emigrating from Windows - Outlook Replacement. @Jakarta2 noted BlueMind’s Outlook-compatible strategy for easier org-wide moves, @andreas compared it with Nextcloud’s stack, and @Nemo suggested Evolution for a straightforward local client that corrals multiple accounts.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn introduced a new recognition cadence in Introducing Weekly Badges: Top Penguin & Top Contributor, celebrating members weekly on the front page and preserving a running archive of standout contributions.
To demystify membership flair and participation, @hydn published a clear Guide to Our Groups covering how to find, request, and manage group memberships and avatar flairs.
In Ubuntu, @shybry747 shared hands-on reservations in Ubuntu Sway Remix, noting multi-monitor quirks and non-obvious workarounds seen in the project’s wiki, opting to stick with Fedora Sway for now.
A healthy debate unfolded around Microsoft’s Fedora-derived distro in Announcing Azure Linux 4.0. @toadie and @ugnvs voiced skepticism about big vendor aims, while @hydn urged a cautious but practical stance, taking what’s useful while keeping eyes open.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @Jakarta2’s Secure Boot/MOK diagnosis in Faced A issue while installing linux. He pinpointed why a missing MokManager (mmx64.efi) combined with a pending key enrollment in UEFI NVRAM can fail boot, then laid out a clean test path: temporarily disable Secure Boot, recreate the USB from a verified ISO, and retry. It’s a concise, accurate explanation that helps newcomers distinguish partitioning issues from Secure Boot mechanics.

“MokManager (mmx64.efi) is used by shim when Secure Boot needs to process a pending key enrollment request. If that request exists in UEFI NVRAM but the boot media does not contain the required mmx64.efi file, boot can fail exactly as shown.”

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack. There are no ad impression or click requirements. Their ongoing support of the LinuxCommunity.io initiative is something we genuinely appreciate.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit: betterstack.com

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the #site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · June 14, 2026, 11:02am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 438
Total New Topics: 41

Top Members

@tkn: 58 posts, 199 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 51 posts, 177 likes received
@Jakarta2: 46 posts, 148 likes received
@andreas: 29 posts, 107 likes received
@ericmarceau: 28 posts, 98 likes received
@Jymm: 19 posts, 83 likes received
@guiverc: 9 posts, 40 likes received
@Bombilla: 19 posts, 35 likes received
@Norm24: 6 posts, 25 likes received
@toadie: 6 posts, 20 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Arch Linux, @hydn flagged an important security incident in the AUR in Arch Linux Malware Incident (~ 1,500 Packages). The thread links to the upstream mailing list discussion and a maintained list of impacted packages, and members swapped mitigation tips like inspecting PKGBUILDs, verifying checksums, and avoiding blind trust in helpers.
@Jymm brought together timely reporting in MATE Desktop with Ubuntu MATE in the News, highlighting coverage that the flavor missed 26.04 but is actively moving again. The piece points to a likely 26.10 release and a refreshed community team, which several of you echoed with cautious optimism.
@hydn started a lively General Discussions check‑in with What brought your current Linux distro?, and members from @Jymm to @andreas compared journeys from Fedora to Debian, rolling to LTS, and even editor and keyboard choices that nudged workflow changes. It captured the balance between stability and novelty that many of you value.
@Jakarta2 kicked off a nostalgic and instructive General Discussions thread, What was your first Linux distro?, where @jsteen recalled Red Hat and Mandrake, @Norm24 recounted Ubuntu Breezy to Dapper, and others shared magazine cover CD memories and early installer hurdles that shaped their preferences today.
In MATE Desktop, @tkn documented a hands‑on upgrade test in Upgrading Ubuntu Mate 26.04 to developement 26.10. The early cycle looked uneventful on his ThinkPad, while @suivue explained a screenshot bug fix and shared packaging coordination details, offering a behind‑the‑scenes look at how updates land.
@tkn also sparked fun retro talk in General Discussions with How many of you ran a FIDO-NET node or had a point address?. Stories from acoustic couplers to 56k modems and BEER.028 echoed across the thread, with @guiverc and @sgage recalling careful planning for storage, flaky lines, and heady modem progress.
On the experimental side of MATE Desktop, @Jakarta2 demonstrated a full DE on Android in MATE Desktop on Android Phone without Emulator, walking through Termux, PRoot, and even GPU acceleration. It is a neat example of stretching hardware and software to meet a portable workflow.
In Ubuntu, @svhs27102 described two Steam titles with audio but no video in Question about two games in Linux Mint. @hydn suggested forcing the Nvidia GPU in launch options and trying Proton variants, while @benowe1717 offered a smooth path to GE‑Proton via ProtonUp‑QT to test rendering differences.
A deep #linux-support thread came from @fff in Tracing unknown kmod. The conversation covered module options, tracing via kprobes and function_graph, and runtime provenance, with @Jakarta2 laying out a deterministic approach for identifying module load triggers.
Rounding out the week, @Brian_Masinick shared historical perspective in General Discussions with Multics, a very interesting operating system. The thread connected MULTICS influences to UNIX and Linux today, and a few of you added reading lists and reflections on long‑lived OS design ideas still relevant now.

Activity by the @staff Group

In #server-sysadmin, @hydn published a practical explainer on RAM‑backed filesystems in Linux tmpfs for Speed and Temporary Storage. The discussion dove into browser cache sizing, shader cache trade‑offs, and ways to offload logs when plenty of memory is available.
For Fedora newcomers, @hydn started a running tip jar in Fedora/RHEL with Quick tips: Getting the most out of Fedora (add yours), focusing on RPM Fusion enablement, dnf5 speedups, and the underrated “dnf history undo” lifeline for easy rollbacks.
In Showcase, the team behind the classic Ubuntu Podcast returned with a fresh show, introduced in Linux Matters - with Alan Pope, Mark Johnson and Martin Wimpress. Several members dropped it into their listening queue to follow the broader Linux conversation.

Together these staff contributions balanced practical how‑tos, curation of helpful tools, and community media you can plug into during the week.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @Jakarta2’s secure‑boot sleuthing in the Linux Mint install thread is an excellent example of clear diagnosis and actionable fixes. In response to a boot failure showing “Failed to start MokManager,” he traced the issue to a pending MOK enrollment and missing mmx64.efi on the media, then outlined a stepwise recovery plan that starts with resetting Secure Boot keys and clearing NVRAM. It is thorough, reproducible guidance that others can follow: Shortly after starting Linux, the text on the display looks encrypted and stops working — Reply #14.

“Once that MOK request is stored in firmware, shim attempts to launch MokManager on the next boot and fails because the required file is not available… I would recommend the following, in order…”

Honorable mentions go to @suivue for upstream packaging insights in the 26.10 upgrade discussion and to @tkn for the step‑by‑step hardware triage on GPU artifacting and thermals.

Badge Recognition

Congratulations to our latest weekly honorees:
- Top Penguin: @tkn
- Top Contributor: @Brian_Masinick

Well deserved, and thanks for keeping the conversations helpful and welcoming for everyone.

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack. There are no ad impression or click requirements. Their ongoing support of the LinuxCommunity.io initiative is something we genuinely appreciate.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit: betterstack.com

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the #site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · June 21, 2026, 11:03am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 259
Total New Topics: 24

Top Members

@Brian_Masinick: 38 posts, 132 likes received
@Jakarta2: 28 posts, 96 likes received
@ericmarceau: 23 posts, 94 likes received
@andreas: 13 posts, 44 likes received
@tkn: 17 posts, 38 likes received
@Ldbennet: 9 posts, 38 likes received
@Jymm: 7 posts, 34 likes received
@ugnvs: 8 posts, 31 likes received
@Bombilla: 16 posts, 25 likes received
@toadie: 5 posts, 16 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Showcase, @hydn shared a playful but educational retro web game in Distro Fighter: Find your Linux distro & desktop. Members like @tkn and @ugnvs ran through the campaign and reported on difficulty, distro perks, and how the hunt stages save progress. The thread turned into a fun exchange on challenge design, hints for new players, and which distros “outdueled” the rest.
New to Linux and hit a boot snag? In General Discussions, @Ldbennet’s Black screen GRUB prompt after updates captured a real-world recovery moment. @ericmarceau posted a concise live-ISO grub reinstall that solved it on the spot, while @hydn offered a friendly “Boot Repair” route for first-timers. A reassuring read for anyone faced with a lonely grub> prompt.
@Jakarta2 started a lively thread in General Discussions, asking What is your favorite Terminal Emulator on Linux? (optional Screenshot). From MATE Terminal love by @Jymm and @ugnvs to @andreas favoring GNOME Console and several votes for Kitty, members compared speed, GPU acceleration, split panes, and minimalist workflows. A neat snapshot of daily-driver terminals across the community.
In Debian, @Sanjana_Rathnayake wrote up a practical project in I Turned My Old Core 2 Duo Desktop into a Small Debian Home Server. Running SSH, Samba, Nginx, and a Laravel + Next.js app on 4 GB RAM, the focus was on learning perms, users/groups, ACLs, and service management. Replies from @Norm24, @andreas, and others echoed the joy of repurposing hardware rather than landfilling it.
@bitti raised a thoughtful culture question in General Discussions Why is it that installing Linux is associated with Autism on Instagram?. @Jakarta2 unpacked how internet meme culture stereotypes deep-focus hobbies and technical pursuits, while @ugnvs shared the classic Jargon File link. The conversation stayed empathetic and clear that memes are not diagnoses.
In General Discussions, @linuxjedi spotlighted a powerful but underrated troubleshooting tool in Why is so important for a Linux admin to master the sos command?. @Jakarta2 and @ericmarceau expanded on why a shareable, time-stamped diagnostic bundle can cut support cycles from weeks to hours, and @hydn added distro-specific install notes for sos/sosreport.
Thinking of a distro change? In #fedora, @winniethepooh asked for advice in Switch to Fedora. Replies from @andreas, @guiverc, @ericmarceau, and @Brian_Masinick compared package ecosystems, config portability, and what to expect moving from Debian. It’s a helpful launch pad for anyone eyeing Fedora’s quicker cadence.
In Showcase, @HaD0Yun documented an exploratory proof-of-concept to get the Codex desktop app running on Ubuntu in I tried getting the Codex desktop app running on Linux. The wrapper-based approach launched an Electron app tied to the macOS build with careful caveats. It’s not a supported path, but it’s a clear report for curious tinkerers.
The “digital detox” debate picked up in General Discussions as @Jymm linked Commodore’s Sailfish OS flip phone in A Linux Phone Built to Block the Web. @Jakarta2 questioned the value prop at the proposed price while @Jymm noted it could appeal to parents who want contact without social apps. An interesting space to watch from a Linux perspective.
For command-line enthusiasts, @Brian_Masinick shared a primer video in General Discussions, sparking tips and patterns in Xargs Should Be In Your Command Line Toolbag. @ericmarceau and @Jakarta2 discussed safe filename handling with -print0/-0, and when to prefer xargs versus scripting conditional parallelism. A compact thread with practical examples.

Activity by the @staff Group

@shybry747 flagged KDE Plasma 6.7’s per-screen virtual desktops in desktop, sparking a hands-on workflow chat with @hydn and others in Linux Desktop: Do we need better Workspace Management?. The exchange compared GNOME extensions, XFCE behaviors, and shortcut ergonomics for fast, predictable workspace switching.
@hydn continued platform health coverage in Arch Linux by highlighting security concerns and mitigation around the AUR incident in Arch Linux Malware Incident (~ 1,500 Packages). The thread gathered viewpoints on trust models and whether Flatpak/AppImage solve different risks or just move them.
The @system account published weekend highlights in Showcase via Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week, bundling new threads like Distro Fighter, the Codex app PoC, and the Graphviz refresher for an easy catch-up list. It’s a handy entry point if you missed midweek posts.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @ericmarceau’s clear, step-by-step recovery in Black screen GRUB prompt after updates stood out for speed and precision. His live-ISO approach with grub-install followed by update-grub resolved @Ldbennet’s first-week boot failure in minutes, and the thread layered on a gentler Boot-Repair alternative for brand-new users.

“Once you have identified which device has your bootable system … enter:
sudo grub-install /dev/sdX
sudo update-grub
Then reboot. That should fix it.”

Badge Recognition

Top Contributor: No new awardee is listed this week. The badge page was recently updated following removal of the gamification plugin. See the badge page here: LinuxCommunity.io

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit: betterstack.com

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the #site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · June 28, 2026, 11:02am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 325
Total New Topics: 30

Top Contributors

@tkn: 28 posts, 100 likes received
@andreas: 19 posts, 77 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 26 posts, 74 likes received
@Jymm: 20 posts, 73 likes received
@ericmarceau: 30 posts, 70 likes received
@ugnvs: 16 posts, 58 likes received
@rogerp: 15 posts, 42 likes received
@pavlos: 11 posts, 37 likes received
@toadie: 10 posts, 35 likes received
@shybry747: 6 posts, 21 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @Zulan shared a candid pair of learning moments in Two near-disasters in two weeks - what’s the most panic-inducing mistake you’ve made on Linux?. Members chimed in with their own war stories. @tkn restored a nuked system with a single ubuntu-mate-desktop install, while @J_J_Sloan recalled a root cron job that expanded an undefined variable and ran rm -rf in the wrong place.

cd $SCRATCH_DIRECTORY && rm -rf *
The thread mixes practical recovery tips with seasoned advice from @ugnvs, @Brian_Masinick, and others on backups and careful habits.
@glitch86x asked for distro guidance in Debian with Help me to choose. The community explored Debian versus Ubuntu tradeoffs. @Halano and @pavlos pressed on use case first, @Jymm shared a clear Debian-vs-Ubuntu comparison, and @guiverc wrote a thoughtful deep dive on release cadence, package freshness, and stability paths. A great thread to bookmark if you are deciding between these two.
In #linux-support, newcomer @wobbly_lemon sought a GUI-friendly encryption approach in Encryption tool help. The accepted answer by @hydn highlighted age for simple CLI use and Cryptomator or gocryptfs for user-friendly vaults, with practical follow-ups from @tkn, @andreas, @Jymm, and @Norm24 on 7z, PeaZip, and Engrampa versions. It is a compact roundup of cross‑platform encryption choices.
@Jordan.cc started a timely browser security conversation in General Discussions with What do you think about LibreWolf?. @tkn recommended LibreWolf for banking and sensitive logins thanks to sane defaults and uBlock Origin out of the box. @andreas contrasted it with Brave, citing multiple concerns and links, while others suggested Firefox or Ungoogled Chromium when site compatibility demands a Chromium base.
Homelab fans will enjoy the #linux-support thread What server operating system should i switch to? from @Koylerlowtier. @andreas and @benowe1717 vouched for Debian’s stability with Docker, @tkn advocated KISS on servers with minimal GUIs, and @hydn showed a pragmatic Ubuntu LTS + free Pro ESM approach for long-lived systems. @IronRod shared a tested services list running rock solid on Debian.
In #arch, @BoboTheHobo asked for a more “set and forget” experience in Something more handholdy than Arch. Suggestions ranged from Arch-adjacent picks like CachyOS and EndeavourOS to non-Arch but tidy options like Fedora or Debian LTS. @Jymm flagged the ongoing AUR incident as a cautionary note, while @benowe1717 explained CachyOS’s LTS kernel option for a steadier ride.
A multilingual #linux-support exchange unfolded in Uscita audio dummy. @Alby had “Dummy Output” audio on Linux Mint XFCE. After language-bridging help from @tkn, @andreas, @ericmarceau, and @toadie, the fix landed: updating to a newer kernel (7.0) restored audio. A nice example of friendly collaboration across languages.
@hydn showcased a fast, private sync tool in Showcase with Syncthing - continuous file synchronization. It clicked for quick desktop-to-laptop syncing with no central server. @andreas compared it to a Nextcloud setup, and @toadie shared how Syncthing keeps Obsidian notes and mobile camera photos instantly in sync across devices.
In Showcase, @Dima posted a research-heavy benchmark in Peakload benchmarks for operating systems, using System V semaphores to drive extreme concurrency and compare Linux kernel performance with their custom VMs. @ericmarceau asked incisive questions on context and applicability, and @ugnvs pointed to Linux’s dominance in supercomputing for perspective. The authors shared GitHub resources for reproducibility.
@cybermaxpower unveiled a clean, Pantheon-inspired look on MX Linux in Debian with My Custom “Pantheon Hybrid” Layout on MX Linux. With Nemo, a refined top panel, and Plank Reloaded, the MX + Xfce setup nails a polished daily driver vibe. @tkn and @Norm24 applauded the aesthetics and asked about themes and icons, which turned out to be Papirus-Dark with MX’s folder color tool.

Activity by the @staff Group

A big community milestone as @andreas joined the moderator team. The announcement drew enthusiastic welcomes and he pledged to help preserve the forum’s friendly atmosphere.
@hydn published a practical how‑to in server with Watch Command in Linux: Real-Time Monitoring with Examples. Members appreciated the concise use cases and shared tips for tracking progress during long operations.
In #linux-support, several staffers helped triage odd reboots after a “safeboot dbx” update in Ubuntu keeps rebooting and displays message that safeboot dbx has been updated. @ugnvs suggested checking Secure Boot status and upstream notes, @hydn linked references and walk‑throughs, and @ericmarceau offered package and key management steps to verify and restore trusted states.
@shybry747 supported #fedora users in Sway Config Error, explaining how layered config includes can cause duplicate keybinding warnings and how to review includes before changing the setup. The thread turned into a useful tour through Sway’s configuration model.
In #community-picks, @toadie proposed helpful additions to our living wiki and @hydn updated the list, including security resources like SafeBoot and general dev cheat sheets. See the evolving thread here: Tools, cheat sheets and other useful resources.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @ugnvs in Using SNAP command - how to force messaging to log file?
The reply distilled a classic shell redirection pitfall into a crisp, reproducible example, showing that ordering matters when redirecting stderr and stdout.

$ snap list junk 2>&1 > snap_err.txt
error: no matching snaps installed

$ snap list junk > snap_err.txt 2>&1
$ cat snap_err.txt
error: no matching snaps installed
A small fix with big impact for logging and scripting reliability.

Badge Recognition

Congratulations to @tkn, the most recent recipient of the Top Contributor badge. Keep up the great posts and helpful insights. See the badge page for details: Top Contributor

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit: betterstack.com

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the #site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · July 5, 2026, 11:02am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 179
Total New Topics: 13

Top Contributors

@Brian_Masinick: 15 posts, 39 likes received
@Jymm: 11 posts, 38 likes received
@ericmarceau: 10 posts, 33 likes received
@Bombilla: 23 posts, 29 likes received
@Powder: 6 posts, 19 likes received
@toadie: 6 posts, 18 likes received
@tpmcd: 5 posts, 17 likes received
@IronRod: 4 posts, 15 likes received
@NothingConspicous: 6 posts, 15 likes received
@system: 3 posts, 13 likes received

Interesting Topics

In #linux-support, @BigTexasTony explored the idea of building a niche distribution in Creating my Linux distro. Members encouraged building atop Ubuntu or Debian for sane maintenance, with @tkn pointing to Ubuntu Studio as a reference point and @Jymm, @Halano, and @ericmarceau outlining the realities of repos, security patching, and team support. @mrcn also clarified AUR risk versus Arch’s official repos.
@benowe1717 started a detailed troubleshooting thread in #linux-support with HP Omen with Zorin 18.1 frequently hangs requiring a hard power off. The discussion zeroed in on Nvidia’s 50‑series driver stack. @hydn suggested checking for pageflip timeouts in kernel logs, while @IronRod explained Ubuntu’s dual-driver packaging changes and offered a sensible path to test Nouveau and driver pinning.
In #linux-support, @Watford’s practical question Snap curl vs Native curl led to a straightforward fix: remove the Snap, install the native package, and proceed. @suivue contributed a crisp explanation of stdout/stderr and demonstrated redirecting both to a log with tee, which helped close the loop for CLI newcomers.
Over in General Discussions, @Jymm shared policy updates with GNOME Circle Draws a Line Against AI-Generated Code. The thread highlights new criteria to reject low‑effort machine‑generated submissions while still allowing tools like code completion. It sparked reflection on quality, consistency, and maintainability in community software.
In Showcase, @cybermaxpower released Flatpak Progress Installer – A Universal GUI Wrapper for Flatpak Installs. The lightweight Bash utility captures Flatpak’s carriage‑return updates and renders a smooth Zenity progress dialog. Cross‑distro, optional Flathub setup, and a clean UX make it a handy quality‑of‑life tool.
Also in Showcase, @hydn shared Linux for the Sega MegaDrive, an eye‑catching project that boots a real m68k Linux kernel on actual Sega Genesis hardware using U‑Boot and a Mega EverDrive. It’s a delightful blend of retro hardware and modern kernel engineering.
@ericmarceau kicked off a welcoming, low‑barrier space in General Discussions with Newbies with Questions? …Ask away!. The post invites newer members to bring burning Linux questions, and the early replies are already surfacing practical, real‑world scenarios worth following.
In Showcase, @Sanjana_Rathnayake documented a tidy optimization story in Transforming My Debian 13 Home Server: GNOME to Cockpit. Removing the desktop and switching to Cockpit brought idle CPU down to around 0.7%, and they’re now building a Next.js/Node.js monitoring dashboard alongside Cockpit.
A straightforward buyer’s guide emerged in General Discussions with @jdott’s Laser printer for UBUNTU. @ericmarceau shared Canon models that are known‑good, @NothingConspicous recommended Brother for reliable .deb drivers, and @pavlos added an HP model that works well on the network.
New to Linux and evaluating gaming‑friendly setups, @Pandamonium83 asked about fan control in #linux-support with Bazzite: New to Linux | find a fan control application. Replies from @tkn and @benowe1717 covered vendor‑specific control paths and tools like CoolerControl, and @Powder confirmed BIOS/UEFI fan tuning as a pragmatic route on similar hardware.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn engaged with feedback on the Distro Fighter quiz in Distro Fighter: Find your Linux distro & desktop, confirming adjustments where “bleeding edge” paths could occasionally recommend Ubuntu and promising a fix.
Adding market context, @hydn weighed the value proposition of the 13 Pro and SSD swaps in Framework Laptop 13 Pro, noting pending base system price changes and sharing an alternative perspective for ThinkPad fans.
@system published this weekend’s digest in Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week, highlighting new tools and active projects to explore, including community‑made installers and fun hardware hacks.
@toadie continued welcoming new members across introductions and celebrated a long‑running install with a milestone post in Share your Arch Linux desktop with Neofetch/Fastfetch (optional) Screenshots.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

@IronRod’s clear, actionable guidance in the Nvidia freeze investigation stands out. It explains Ubuntu’s recent driver packaging changes and offers a careful diagnostic path to isolate GPU driver issues from system problems: HP Omen with Zorin 18.1 frequently hangs requiring a hard power off (reply).

A clear indicator in your specific situation is the fact video is frozen and audio (sometimes) continues. That, combined with the fact you can ssh in, clearly identifies the issue as a video freeze not a system freeze…

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system · July 12, 2026, 11:01am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 196
Total New Topics: 14

Top Contributors

@Brian_Masinick: 22 posts, 67 likes received
@DenalB: 23 posts, 64 likes received
@andreas: 14 posts, 45 likes received
@ericmarceau: 13 posts, 39 likes received
@Jymm: 8 posts, 28 likes received
@Norm24: 3 posts, 20 likes received
@Bombilla: 17 posts, 18 likes received
@pavlos: 3 posts, 18 likes received
@rogerp: 7 posts, 16 likes received
@toadie: 4 posts, 14 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @Jymm shared a timely link and sparked a wide-ranging conversation in Microsoft brings native Linux command tools to Windows 11 with Coreutils. Members weighed in on Microsoft’s developer strategy, with @DenalB reaffirming life after Windows, @Halano questioning how “native” the tools really are, and @Brian_Masinick recalling years of juggling UNIX, Linux, and Windows at work. @shybry747 joked about the timeline for a Linux-based Windows, while @ericmarceau put Azure Linux on his permanent blacklist.
@J_J_Sloan started a discussion in General Discussions about sharpening programming skills with Coding practice, highlighting Exercism’s language tracks and self-paced flow. @andreas appreciated that it is run by a non-profit, while @mrcn suggested Codecrafters for deeper, project-based builds.
In mate, @pavlos posted a concise how-to in High precision timestamp in syslog, showing how to switch Ubuntu MATE’s rsyslog from microsecond-precision to traditional hh:mm:ss timestamps with a single directive and a quick service restart. @ericmarceau compared defaults across releases to understand when the behavior changed.
@ericmarceau flagged performance guidance in Ubuntu with Gaming on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. @NothingConspicous mentioned BORE kernels for better responsiveness and later clarified a link mix-up, while @andreas cautioned against casually running scripts from the internet without explanation.
In #help, @ugnvs reported regressions after an Ubuntu 24.04.4 kernel jump in Ubuntu kernel update caused WiFi problems. The Atheros AR9565 card exhibited disconnects and wild signal swings on 6.8.0-134, while @tkn validated that similar setups stayed stable on other hardware and noted local boot options in case they help.
@Norm24 surfaced a small but useful upstream call-to-test in mate with Mate-menus testing. If you’re on MATE, it is a quick way to pitch in and help improve the menu experience.
In General Discussions, @Watford noted a quality-of-life improvement in WhatsApp web on Linux: voice and video calls now work in the browser on Linux. @andreas confirmed seeing the same capability in recent months.
@hydn asked the community about lineage and preferences in General Discussions with Poll: Are you running a Debian or Debian-based distro?. Replies spanned @toadie’s Arch and NixOS leanings, @andreas happily settling into Debian, @DenalB championing Fedora for fresher packages, and @benowe1717 splitting duties between Debian servers and a growing fondness for Arch-based desktops.
In #security, @Jymm shared research on a long-lived kernel issue in IonStack part II: GhostLock, a stack-UAF that has existed in ALL Linux distributions for 15 years. The thread touches on privilege escalation risk in multi-user or networked contexts, and @ericmarceau asked the pointed follow-up many were thinking: why has this not been closed yet.
New member @jery asked for help gauging safety of a new repo in General Discussions with Help with repo verification. @ericmarceau advised directly reviewing scripts and not outsourcing trust, and @andreas suggested using a large language model as a secondary check to flag potentially risky operations when you cannot read code deeply yourself.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn acknowledged feedback on the Distro Fighter project and shipped fixes, closing the loop with an update here: Distro Fighter: Find your Linux distro & desktop.
In @Sanjana_Rathnayake’s home-server write-up, @hydn added Cockpit to the community Wiki resources and encouraged further exploration: Transforming My Debian 13 Home Server: GNOME to Cockpit.
@andreas contributed privacy-first guidance in the ongoing VPN discussion, outlining why Mullvad’s model and flat pricing work well for intermittent use: Which VPN do you use?.
@system published a digest of the week’s upstream news and advisories with kernel, distro, and security highlights: Linux Weekly News: Key Stories Ahead of This Week.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

A practical, reproducible fix path from @benowe1717 in the Zorin support thread stood out. They documented purging Nvidia packages and reverting to Nouveau to stop intermittent system hangs, with exact commands and cleanup steps that others can try or adapt: HP Omen with Zorin 18.1 frequently hangs requiring a hard power off.

Clear steps, results, and caveats make this a great reference for similar hybrid-GPU troubleshooting.

Top Contributor

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system · July 19, 2026, 11:01am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 187
Total New Topics: 13

Top Contributors

@Jymm: 15 posts, 55 likes received
@DenalB: 16 posts, 42 likes received
@ericmarceau: 13 posts, 39 likes received
@Norm24: 7 posts, 32 likes received
@Bombilla: 17 posts, 21 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 7 posts, 19 likes received
@toadie: 8 posts, 17 likes received
@Bobsa57: 4 posts, 16 likes received
@shybry747: 4 posts, 15 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @Norm24 asked the timeless question in Weather apps/widgets. Members compared Typhoon, KWeather, OpenWeather, and Weawow, while @tkn and @ericmarceau shared Conky weather configs and scripts. @andreas mentioned Breezy Weather on mobile, and @ClaudioDC highlighted xfce4-weather-plugin and My Weather Indicator for a DE-agnostic option.

“My wife says weather forecaster is the only job you can be wrong 80% of the time and still keep your job!” — @Jymm
@n0bod1 started a standout Showcase thread with Odyssey Linux — a Void-based distro trying to make no-systemd approachable (with a verifiable supply chain). The post outlines installer polish, multiple desktops and WMs, and dual-signed packages logged to Sigstore, verifiable with odyssey-challenge. @pavlos spun it up in Proxmox, @DenalB appreciated an easier path than vanilla Void, and @Jymm chimed in on the name while @Halano asked for system requirements and RAM usage details.
In Ubuntu, new member @bhubanstha requested a capable PDF editor in Recommendation for pdf editor. Suggestions ranged from Master PDF Editor to self-hosted web apps like StirlingPDF and BentoPDF from @benowe1717, while @MarshallJFlinkman recommended Xournal++. The thread compares features like highlighting, signatures, page management, and export options.
@Jymm shared a thoughtful find in General Discussions with (OSINT) tools to help find missing persons. The Trace Labs OSINT VM aggregates open-source tools to aid real-world investigations. Members discussed both the positive potential and ethical risks, with @ericmarceau raising concerns about misuse and @IronRod reiterating that tools reflect their users’ intent.
In server, @hydn posted Ln Command in Linux: Hard Links vs. Symlinks, a practical guide on the nuances of links. @tkn urged caution with hard links unless you have a very specific use case, and @ericmarceau added that firmware images under extreme space constraints may be a rare exception.
@Corzaryo74 asked for installation help in Spanish in Ubuntu with Instalación de linux. @Bombilla and @hydn welcomed them, and @Jymm and @ClaudioDC followed up with clear troubleshooting steps in Spanish about verifying the ISO, using a USB live session, and capturing any error messages to pinpoint the failure.
In General Discussions, @Norm24 flagged a timely heads-up in AMDGPU regression in kernal 7.0.0-28.28, pointing to Ubuntu Discourse for details. If you’re on AMD graphics, it’s worth a read before your next kernel jump.
@toadie started a quick pulse-check in General Discussions with Any Kubernetes folks here?. @Jymm owned up to looking it up and finding it a bit much while @DenalB kept it short and sweet. If you run k3s, minikube, or full clusters, feel free to jump in and share your stack.
In Showcase, @zokrezyl presented Yetty (yetty.dev) terminal emulator, which goes far beyond a typical terminal with VNC, mp4 recording, crisp msdf font rendering, and a bundled remote-capable browser. @toadie tested install paths and reported issues that the author quickly addressed, while @Brian_Masinick offered a warm welcome and encouragement.
@Runi and other learners kept momentum going in General Discussions with Newbies with Questions? …Ask away!. @ericmarceau explained dual-boot best practices, @rogerp shared academic background with practical advice, @shybry747 reported success running Affinity via Lutris on Fedora Sway, and @Sanjana_Rathnayake compared distro experiences on gaming laptops. The thread’s a great on-ramp for new users weighing their first installs.

Activity by the @staff Group

@system published this week’s curated news in Linux Weekly News: Key Stories Ahead of This Week, highlighting Debian stable updates around Secure Boot CA expiry and the latest mainline kernel snapshot.
@hydn clarified how to generate invitations now that the sidebar shortcut was retired for most users. See the direct guidance here: Invite link now available in the sidebar.
A friendly cross-community exchange unfolded in 10 Best Linux Desktop Environments in 2026 (My Picks) where @hydn welcomed @jaymo_chicago from the MATE community and asked what keeps Unity as a daily driver.
In Emigrating from Windows - Outlook Replacement, @shybry747 reported a switch from Thunderbird to Evolution to better handle complex email formatting and tables, which may help others exploring Outlook alternatives.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Most useful reply: @IronRod’s clear fix confirmation in the AMD GPU regression thread — “The fix was made and available in 7.0,” which helped users decide on their next step quickly. Read it here: AMD GPU Linux regression in 6.10 — solution reply.

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @Jymm on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · July 26, 2026, 11:01am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 120
Total New Topics: 10

Top Contributors

@Jymm: 11 posts, 28 likes received
@ericmarceau: 9 posts, 24 likes received
@jlawrence63: 5 posts, 18 likes received
@Bombilla: 15 posts, 15 likes received
@Norm24: 3 posts, 14 likes received
@pavlos: 2 posts, 14 likes received
@ugnvs: 4 posts, 13 likes received
@appsy: 2 posts, 12 likes received
@Furqan_Ashraf: 4 posts, 12 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @Jymm started a timely discussion in Open AI goes rogue hacks another company, asking whether current guardrails are enough. The thread drew thoughtful responses from @ericmarceau on model capability outpacing operator foresight and multiple clarifications from @hydn about human responsibility in environment design. A bit of levity showed up too, with @Norm24 referencing Cylons to keep worries in perspective.
In Ubuntu, @Zreamer asked for help in A problem about web connection of my Linux computer after Edubuntu install left Wi‑Fi inoperable. Members requested hardware details, suggested driver enablement, and pointed to a DKMS-based fix for MT7902 hardware. @pavlos and @ericmarceau shared pragmatic troubleshooting steps that moved the issue forward.
@Watford raised a cautionary software question in General Discussions with KUDU system maintenance Cleaner?. Folks shared hands-on impressions and security concerns. @ugnvs and @Norm24 argued that GUI “cleaners” can be risky or unnecessary and recommended native tools and careful housekeeping instead.
In mate, @jaymo_chicago looked for a themed wallpaper in Ubuntu MATE Resolute Raccoon Wallpaper?. @ericmarceau linked to the official competition and personal designs, while @Bombilla pinned a solution from Ubuntu Discourse. @hydn later shared several AI-generated options for MATE fans.
@jlawrence63 kicked off a homelab thread in General Discussions with ProtectLi VP2410. The box is now running pfSense with Wazuh integration and segmented networks for homelab, gaming, and IoT. @MarshallJFlinkman compared with OpenWrt on a fanless Protectli and described thermal validation steps, and @hydn shared links to pfSense hardening tips.
In Showcase, @Furqan_Ashraf posted a practical script in DNS lookup CLI tool (Bash + curl + jq), part of my “practice with real APIs” series. The small Bash tool hits a live DNS API and prints A, AAAA, MX, NS, SOA, SPF, TXT, and CNAME records. A GitHub repo followed for those who want to try it locally.
@ericmarceau posed a nuanced privacy and confinement question in #help with Browser Capable of “Full Access” to all Desktop Computer Partitions/Data. @MarshallJFlinkman suggested checking AppArmor events to confirm Snap confinement, @guiverc explained snap security design and workarounds, and @Jymm questioned whether a file manager might already meet the need.
In Showcase, @hydn shared a fun read in Reviving a 15-year-old netbook with Arch Linux, following a 2009 ASUS Eee PC revival with 32‑bit Arch and legacy Wi‑Fi quirks. It’s a great nostalgia trip and a reminder that lightweight Linux can extend old hardware life.
@hydn highlighted upstream perspective in General Discussions with Linus Torvalds says: “Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects”. Linus frames AI as a tool to be used responsibly, a position that resonated with @ugnvs and others in the thread.
For those avoiding Canonical’s packaging format, @Jymm shared a succinct how‑to in General Discussions with For Snap Haters, pointing to a step‑by‑step guide for removing and blocking Snaps on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Members weighed pros and cons in the broader ecosystem discussion elsewhere.

Activity by the @staff Group

@system published the latest roundup in Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week, featuring community tools and projects, and posted a news brief in Linux Weekly News: Key Stories Ahead of This Week covering kernel regressions, Wayland 1.26, and more.
@andreas joined the ongoing standards and performance chat in Considering WiFi7? Things To Be Aware Of, probing expectations and self‑configuration concerns around Wi‑Fi 7.
@hydn welcomed newcomers and pointed people to helpful areas in Welcome! Introduce yourself. They also added references and context to existing resources in Tools every sysadmin and network admin should have, keeping the collection practical for day‑to‑day work.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

@pavlos delivered a highly actionable fix for MT7902 Wi‑Fi on Ubuntu derivatives with a DKMS‑based driver installation, providing clear commands and a credible upstream reference. Read it here: A problem about web connection of my Linux computer, post #9.

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @Jymm on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · August 2, 2026, 11:01am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 202
Total New Topics: 18

Top Contributors

@Jymm: 25 posts, 85 likes received
@DenalB: 26 posts, 65 likes received
@toadie: 11 posts, 35 likes received
@ericmarceau: 7 posts, 18 likes received
@DeLinuxCo: 6 posts, 17 likes received
@Bombilla: 15 posts, 17 likes received
@burg: 4 posts, 17 likes received
@svhs27102: 4 posts, 16 likes received
@andreas: 4 posts, 15 likes received
@system: 3 posts, 8 likes received

Interesting Topics

In mate, @hydn invited the community to sanity‑check his write‑up in Am I being fair to MATE here?. Long‑time users like @Jymm and @tmick weighed in that MATE’s “classic” approach is precisely why they prefer it, while others shared how it compares to Cinnamon in daily use.
In #linux-support, @Jymm asked whether a recurring “Firmware update” prompt was legit on an HP laptop in Firmware update. @Norm24 shared authoritative Ubuntu links on UEFI dbx updates, and follow‑ups from @DenalB and @appsy covered both smooth and problematic outcomes, helping readers decide when to proceed.
@hydn highlighted a member project in Showcase with Burgeon Lab: Naty’s Tech Log. @burg described plans to document self‑hosting and Micropub on a Raspberry Pi, while @andreas added the site to his RSS, showing strong interest in hands‑on homelab write‑ups.
In General Discussions, @DeLinuxCo announced a fresh release in New DeLinuxCo ISO ready! 26.1.0. The ISO ships a new kernel, Cinnamon 6.6.9, and AppImage‑first browser packaging with optional Firejail profiles. A brief language miscue with @DenalB turned into a friendly exchange about clarity across languages.
Security‑minded members appreciated @Furqan_Ashraf’s quick terminal helper in General Discussions Checking domain age from the command line: A quick phishing red flag test. @unixdude compared it with his Postfix pipeline and explained why he’s dialing back automated parked‑domain blocks now that spam volume has fallen.
@Jymm started a thoughtful thread in General Discussions on Home Assistant OS 18.0 Released with Linux Kernel 6.18 LTS. @Norm24 shared a tradesperson’s perspective that more automation can mean more breakage, while others balanced convenience with security and maintenance trade‑offs.
@toadie shared real‑world learning in Showcase with Kubernetes Homelab. The Pi‑based k3s cluster is documented for repeatability, with namespaces used to isolate experiments. @hydn underscored the value of a safe place to fail and iterate.
Keyboard‑first fans in mate enjoyed @jaymo_chicago’s find in Found a new tool – U-launcher. @tmick appreciated the fast workflow, and @ugnvs noted Cairo Dock’s menu search as an alternative.
In General Discussions, @jlawrence63 asked Is there a Homelab category?. @pavlos showed a backup topology for inspiration and @hydn pointed to the existing homelab tag, helping centralize homelab threads.
A new independent distro update arrived in General Discussions with @markjason’s Zyphor OS v2.2.1-ada-lovelace-lts-uxrx Update. The post recaps the project’s evolution, GitHub migration, and community growth. Members like @DenalB gave early impressions of the Debian‑based approach and visuals.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn engaged in policy and tooling discussions, including practical takes on AI safety and engineering guardrails in Linus Torvalds says: “Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects”, and highlighted community projects and access paths with Access our forums via Discourse Hub and the “Distro Fighter” round‑up in Distro Fighter: Find your Linux distro & desktop.
@toadie shared a complete Pi‑based k3s blueprint in Kubernetes Homelab, provided practical Kubernetes getting‑started advice, and kept up a steady presence offering supportive replies across threads.
@andreas amplified member work in Burgeon Lab: Naty’s Tech Log and celebrated lightweight discovery tooling in the community’s game thread, providing encouragement and positive feedback.
@unixdude contributed seasoned mail‑ops insights in Checking domain age from the command line: A quick phishing red flag test, comparing automation trade‑offs as spam volumes drop and sharing lessons learned on parked‑domain checks.
@system curated weekly overviews and discovery posts that help everyone catch up quickly, including the weekend digest in Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week and the plumbing‑level preview in Linux Weekly News: Key Stories Ahead of This Week.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @Norm24’s concise, source‑backed explanation in the firmware thread clearly guided readers through a sensitive update path and linked official resources. Read it here: https://linuxcommunity.io/t/-/10564/2

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @Jymm on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · August 9, 2026, 11:01am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 201
Total New Topics: 19

Top Contributors

@Jymm: 21 posts, 76 likes received
@ImInYourWalls: 15 posts, 58 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 14 posts, 39 likes received
@ericmarceau: 11 posts, 34 likes received
@Plyply: 7 posts, 25 likes received
@andreas: 7 posts, 25 likes received
@toadie: 6 posts, 24 likes received
@ugnvs: 5 posts, 24 likes received
@DenalB: 6 posts, 22 likes received
@tmick: 5 posts, 17 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @ImInYourWalls asked a nostalgia-filled question in What is the oldest piece of tech you have restored?. Members jumped in with fun restorations like a 1950s tube radio by @ugnvs, an HP Mini revived with antiX by @burg, and ThinkPad memories from @andreas and others. A lighthearted thread with photos and some clever wordplay.
@Jymm started a discussion in Articles & Guides about real adoption numbers with Linux Desktop Market Share Surpasses 10% in North America. The conversation covered StatCounter’s methodology, bot noise, and privacy blockers. @andreas advised caution with the headline figure, while @cybermaxpower explained why script blocking and user agent spoofing skew the results. @shybry747 highlighted the advocacy effect in workplaces.
In mate, @Watford asked about the timing and scope of the upcoming point release in 26.04.1 release. @Norm24 provided the date, and @guiverc added deep context on LTS-only point ISOs and where to track daily builds and milestones. It’s a handy reference for Ubuntu flavor timelines.
@tmick opened a practical #help thread on trimming locale files in Command to remove all other languages than my native language. @pavlos shared a clean locale-gen --purge workflow, @hydn suggested localepurge for package-managed cleanup, and @tkn noted BleachBit’s GUI option. The follow-ups discuss edge cases and what to keep for portability.
New to General Discussions, @aresthebellator asked about promoting an open source project in Question about Open source Project. @hydn outlined the current no‑sponsorship stance and encouraged future opportunities. @ericmarceau helped clarify the intent around “sponsorship” and suggested outreach to reviewers for visibility.
In desktop, @Halano shared a concise guide for syncing media to Android over the network with rsync and Termux in Linux rsync into Android (termux). It pairs sshfs and rsync for a reliable 1:1 mirror. @toadie mentioned Syncthing as an alternative, and @Plyply flagged copyparty for app-based workflows.
@Plyply showcased a Wayland-first tiling extension for GNOME 50 in Showcase with Plaid - A new tiling window manager extension for Gnome 50+. Per-workspace layouts, blur, animated borders, and a drop‑down terminal bring tiling polish to GNOME. @hydn compared it with Forge and Pop Shell and gave it a star for future trials.
In Showcase, @tmick shared a free training resource in Free security training web site. HackOSquad offers about 100 videos from basic Linux to SQL injection. @hydn thanked them for surfacing a practical skills catalog the community can use.
Over in General Discussions, early testers swapped notes in Ubuntu 26.10 “Stonking Stingray” Snapshot 2 Is Now Available for Download. @Jymm linked the announcement, and @guiverc suggested pulling the freshest daily ISOs if you want the latest bits right now.
In Articles & Guides, @Jymm revisited how CAPTCHA has evolved with A CAPTCHA no longer asks whether you can read wobbly letters. The thread touches on behavioral signals like mouse movement that replaced old image puzzles and what that means for privacy and bot detection.

Activity by the @staff Group

@hydn posted an operations notice in Our Community with the upcoming Discourse ESR upgrade timeline and maintenance window. Details and expectations are in Scheduled maintenance—September 20th, 2026.
In Debian, @andreas described switching from Plasma to Xfce after a lockscreen freeze and shared a clean new setup in Share your Debian desktop with Neofetch/Fastfetch (optional) Screenshots. It prompted discussion on stability tradeoffs and desktop choices.
@toadie continued building in public in Showcase by expanding their Kubernetes homelab write-up with Ansible snippets and a practical cluster update flow. See Kubernetes Homelab for the updated playbooks and reader feedback.
@system kept curation flowing with the weekend digest in Showcase, highlighting member projects like Plaid, the HackOSquad share, and the homelab updates in Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week. It’s a quick way to catch what’s new from builders here.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Solution sleuthing that saves a printer install: @SilentTiger254 tracked down a usable PPD from a Proton prefix to get an Epson L3550 working on Nobara. The step-by-step notes and verification checks make this a standout fix for printer headaches on Fedora-likes. Read the accepted answer here: Epson L3550 on Nobara(Fedora) — solution.

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @Jymm on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · August 16, 2026, 11:02am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 144
Total New Topics: 10

Top Contributors

@andreas: 15 posts, 63 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 17 posts, 61 likes received
@Jymm: 9 posts, 47 likes received
@Norm24: 5 posts, 21 likes received
@ugnvs: 4 posts, 19 likes received
@svhs27102: 8 posts, 17 likes received
@Bombilla: 10 posts, 14 likes received
@ImInYourWalls: 3 posts, 14 likes received
@DaveA1963: 3 posts, 14 likes received
@system: 3 posts, 10 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Articles & Guides, @andreas shared a thought-provoking piece, The joy of simple computing. Members like @Watford, @Brian_Masinick, and @ugnvs chimed in with experiences ranging from Ubuntu MATE’s consistency to the Oberon System’s minimalist influence on software design. The thread circles around fast, native apps, Xfce practicality, and the idea that simpler tools often lead to better focus.
@svhs27102 started a troubleshooting discussion in Ubuntu, Casting to smart tv in Linux Mint Cinnamon. The question centered on GNOME Network Displays errors and whether Cinnamon was the culprit. @hydn pointed out the GNOME ScreenCast portal dependency, while @benowe1717 suggested verifying Avahi services and systemd units. It’s a good read for anyone casting via Miracast when not running GNOME.
In General Discussions, @andreas flagged promising compositor progress in Xfwl4’s second preview release (Xfce’s Wayland compositor). Interest grew around how close Xfce’s Wayland story is getting, with @ericmarceau asking for real-world impressions and @hydn linking more background on LLMs and Xfwl4 development.
@ImInYourWalls asked for help in #arch with Help with Limine. A simple nudge from @andreas toward the official Matrix channel and docs quickly led to a fix and a happy follow-up. Short, effective, and a great model for how to guide folks to upstream support rooms.
In Articles & Guides, @Jymm posted an accessible explainer connecting personal history to core network infrastructure, Fibre-optic cable. The discussion turned nostalgic with modem memories from 2400 baud to 56K and stories of early terminals and acoustic couplers from @Brian_Masinick.
Also in Articles & Guides, @Jymm highlighted a timely DistroWatch Q&A, Why is Linux free of charge?. The piece defends software freedom and cultural sharing, and members added perspectives on choice, community maintenance, and how open source thrives beyond a pure profit motive.
In #help, @Nihal introduced themselves and their goals in security with Hello everyone i am good in kali linux and parrot os and want to learn advance commands in linux. Replies pointed to Linux Foundation training, a community-curated security learning thread, and excellent command-line resources for growing past the basics.
Over in Showcase, @Halano unveiled a tiny and speedy mind-mapping tool, Web thinker app. Built with FLTK, SQLite, and zstd, the app clocks in at about 124 KB and aims to be a quick scratchpad for linked ideas. Screenshots and a promise to share source code upon reaching 0.8 stirred curiosity from members like @ericmarceau.
In Articles & Guides, @Jymm shared news of APT improvements in APT 3.3.3 begins rolling out interactive CLI help, adds command-specific guidance, and improves mirror fan-out scaling. The update focuses on stability and clearer CLI ergonomics, which could make daily package tasks less error-prone and more predictable.
In Showcase, @hydn introduced a practical bridge between devices, iMessage/SMS over Bluetooth to Linux. No proxy or cloud!. BlueFerry talks directly to a paired iPhone over Bluetooth for SMS and iMessage without Apple logins, a Mac relay, or third-party clouds, which sparked broader thoughts from @Brian_Masinick about interoperability and the value of open standards.

Activity by the @staff Group

Product updates by @andreas continued with a new release in the community CD ripper project. Check out the changelog and improvements in Laser - A simple CD ripping application (v0.5.0). He also fostered several technical discussions around Xfce, Wayland, and practical workflows.
The @system account kept the weekend tinkering spirit alive with Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week, rounding up fresh tools and active threads so members can discover and test new projects.
In desktop, @hydn reflected on matching distro and desktop cadences and why Xfce can be a steady companion atop leading-edge bases, captured neatly in 10 Best Linux Desktop Environments in 2026 (My Picks).
In Showcase and beyond, @toadie pitched in across homelab topics. A clear explanation of control-plane vs worker-node sizing and practical Raspberry Pi constraints stood out in Kubernetes Homelab.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @andreas’s concise and effective guidance in Help with Limine pointed @ImInYourWalls to the official Matrix support room and documentation, which immediately resolved their bootloader issue. The follow-up confirmed success and exemplified how directing to upstream channels can get fast, authoritative answers.

“I just got help there and read the documentation. It works now!” — @ImInYourWalls

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @andreas on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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system · August 23, 2026, 11:01am

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 137
Total New Topics: 17

Top Contributors

@andreas: 13 posts, 40 likes received
@Jymm: 12 posts, 38 likes received
@toadie: 10 posts, 32 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 11 posts, 30 likes received
@tkn: 5 posts, 20 likes received
@guiverc: 3 posts, 16 likes received
@Furqan_Ashraf: 3 posts, 16 likes received
@taki_at_gamma_linux: 4 posts, 16 likes received
@Bombilla: 8 posts, 12 likes received
@system: 3 posts, 10 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @ClaudioDC sparked a nuanced debate with This guy says Ubuntu 26.04 is a disaster. What do you think?. Members weighed tradeoffs and facts instead of headlines. @guiverc clarified that Ubuntu’s “6 GB RAM” figure is a comfort recommendation rather than a hard minimum, while @tkn agreed on resource heaviness but pushed back on a few technical claims. @Jymm added perspective on Debian’s learning curve and community tone.
@hydn highlighted a timely kernel story in General Discussions with Linus Torvalds uses AI to debug an Intel GPU driver bug. The thread explored AI as a practical assistant rather than replacement, with @taki_at_gamma_linux noting the lesson that AI still needs human drive, and @ericmarceau emphasizing persistence and human judgment.
Over in News & Shares, @Jymm shared poll results and kicked off a friendly terminal chat in What is the default shell of your main distro?. @Brian_Masinick and @shybry747 compared longtime habits with zsh and fish, and @andreas echoed that bash is fine for many, while @hydn noted Kali’s zsh-first experience and why it stuck for him.
In #linux-support, @Watford asked for help with Weird behavior on suspend on Ubuntu MATE. @tkn surfaced a relevant fix discussion from the Ubuntu MATE community, and follow-ups from @benowe1717 and @andreas pointed to Nvidia’s suspend/resume services and systemd integration as likely culprits with concrete steps to try.
@hydn started a discussion in Showcase about a hyped desktop distro video with You need to switch to Linux RIGHT NOW!. Replies from @andreas and @toadie cautioned against the marketing and raised concerns around the project’s broader context. The thread became a thoughtful look at how we evaluate new distros and the ethics around software promotion.
In Showcase, @taki_at_gamma_linux introduced I Built Gamma Linux to Give Old PCs Another Life , detailing editions tuned for very old x86 systems and lightweight setups. @Plyply appreciated the focus on extending hardware lifespan, and other members welcomed the clear site and goals.
Security-minded builders will enjoy @Furqan_Ashraf’s tool in Showcase, Built a script to auto-flag newly-registered lookalike domains before they hit your inbox (WhoisFreaks API). The approach combines domain age with string-similarity checks to catch phishy lookalikes, using parsed, historical WHOIS data to reduce false positives.
Continuing the theme, @Furqan_Ashraf also shared in Showcase Built a library to auto-flag logins that imply impossible travel speed (open source, Node/TypeScript). It addresses successful logins from implausibly distant locations in quick succession, complementing fail2ban-style protections with simple but effective geospatial logic.
Music on the command line made an appearance in Showcase with CLIAMP — Terminal Music Player. @hydn discovered the TUI player and starred it upstream, while @Norm24 noted it was also new to them. Nice pick for minimal workflows and tmux sessions.
Rounding out distro news in News & Shares, @markjason posted Zyphor OS — 6 Months Later , summarizing growth, documentation, and community links. If you are distro-curious, it is a compact status update and a call for contributors and feedback.

Activity by the @staff Group

Announcing a tidy way to share timely links, @hydn introduced the new category and clarified how it differs from Articles & Guides in News & Shares forum category (new!). The follow-up explanation helped members choose the right space based on whether they had a personal connection to what they shared.
On a tricky suspend issue, @andreas offered practical systemd tips for Nvidia users, recommending enabling resume services to fix black screens on wake (direct reply). Earlier in the same thread, @tkn surfaced a relevant Ubuntu MATE fix guide that several members tried.
The automated weekend round-up kept momentum in Showcase, with @system highlighting new member projects and tools in Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week.
In the shells discussion, @shybry747 shared their switch from bash to zsh and early impressions, helping frame expectations for casual terminal users (direct reply).

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

Best Reply: @benowe1717’s clear, actionable diagnosis for random freezes on resume from suspend, especially on systems with Nvidia GPUs. They explained how the Nvidia service should hook into systemd’s suspend target and what to check in the unit file. The guidance directly addressed the symptom and pointed to a reproducible fix path. Read it here: Weird behavior on suspend — reply by @benowe1717.

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @andreas on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

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Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit Better Stack

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system · August 30, 2026, 11:00am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 136
Total New Topics: 10

Top Contributors

@taki_at_gamma_linux: 17 posts, 43 likes received
@andreas: 8 posts, 37 likes received
@Halano: 8 posts, 34 likes received
@ericmarceau: 8 posts, 28 likes received
@pavlos: 4 posts, 27 likes received
@Jymm: 8 posts, 22 likes received
@tkn: 7 posts, 20 likes received
@Brian_Masinick: 8 posts, 20 likes received
@ugnvs: 5 posts, 17 likes received
@Bombilla: 10 posts, 11 likes received

Interesting Topics

In Showcase, @andreas shared a hands-on hardware project in Simple thermo-hygrometer using an Arduino Micro. The thread walks through using an Arduino Micro with a DHT20 sensor and a 16x2 LCD over I²C, with photos and a linked write-up. @pavlos chimed in with an OLED-based variant and wiring tips, while others appreciated the approachable entry point into microcontroller tinkering.

Also in Showcase, @Halano presented RayMothFM (Next-gen file manager), a speed-focused graphical file manager that leans heavily on keyboard workflows. Features like built-in archiving, checksum tools, image viewing and conversion, and libvips-powered thumbnails sparked interest from @taki_at_gamma_linux, who plans to integrate it into Gamma Linux once version 2 stabilizes.

In General Discussions, @taki_at_gamma_linux opened a creative thought experiment with If you could design your own Linux distro… . Members described highly customized, often minimalist systems, including @Halano’s idea for a tightly optimized, bit-packed distro tailored to a single x86_64 machine. The discussion highlighted how personal workflows and hardware shape distribution design choices.

Another lively General Discussions conversation began when @taki_at_gamma_linux asked What’s the first command you type every day? . Replies ranged from classic sudo apt update to recovery-oriented sudo dpkg --configure -a, and long chained maintenance commands with apt and fastfetch. Participants like @Jymm, @ugnvs, @guiverc, and @shybry747 compared habits and philosophies around terminal use in daily work.

In Articles & Guides, @andreas shared a reflective piece in Keeping programming fun. The topic links to an external article about using (or deliberately not using) AI for debugging and problem solving in development. @ericmarceau and @pavlos added perspectives on when AI can help versus when it risks dulling one’s own problem-solving skills, and pointed to reliable vendor examples such as Adafruit for microcontroller code.

Over in #linux-support, @GOMpt requested help with HDMI not connecting / mirroring since last 2 Gnome updates on Manjaro. @andreas suggested checking GNOME extensions as a possible culprit, while @Brian_Masinick provided a detailed, methodical approach for using prior backups and incremental updates to isolate regressions. The thread is a good example of structured troubleshooting on a rolling distro.

In General Discussions, @taki_at_gamma_linux floated a more ambitious project idea with What About a Linux Rescue Environment ?. Building on a real-world recovery incident, the proposal is for a dedicated, distro-agnostic rescue environment with a TUI that guides users through detecting installations, mounting partitions, and repairing systems. @ugnvs and @tkn compared this idea to existing tools like SystemRescue and Boot-Repair while encouraging a workflow-focused design.

The Articles & Guides category featured a thoughtful thread in The joy of simple computing, where recent replies focused on how non-technical family members interact with systems. @DenalB and @DeLinuxCo shared stories of simplifying computing for spouses, including a successful, low-friction Linux Mint setup that quietly replaced Windows and significantly reduced maintenance needs.

In #our, @hydn announced New t-shirt designs in our shop!, introducing the “Userland Collection” of subtle, terminal-themed shirts. The topic highlights designs like uptime and [ OK ] Started Answering Instead of Scrolling. and notes how community purchases and advocate memberships directly help cover hosting and community costs.

Finally, in #linux-support, @appsy opened Bluetooth Missing after a recent Ubuntu update stopped detecting their Bluetooth adapter. The starter post notes that prior attempts using AI tools had not resolved the issue, setting the stage for community-driven debugging focused on drivers, kernel updates, and service configuration.

Activity by the @staff Group

@andreas had a strong presence this week across both help and project threads. In Simple thermo-hygrometer using an Arduino Micro he documented a complete Arduino-based sensor build and later shared configuration habits in What’s the first command you type every day? , including an update-system alias that wraps apt and Flatpak updates. He also provided targeted troubleshooting steps in HDMI not connecting / mirroring since last 2 Gnome updates by guiding the OP through GNOME extension isolation.

Staff member @system continued to publish curated roundups and digests. The automated Linux Weekly News: Key Stories Ahead of This Week update surfaced kernel and infrastructure articles relevant to developers, while Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week highlighted community projects like RayMothFM and the Arduino thermo-hygrometer, giving extra visibility to members’ work in Showcase.

In General Discussions and news, @shybry747 contributed to multiple AI and tooling discussions, including Linus Torvalds uses AI to debug an Intel GPU driver bug and What is the default shell of your main distro?. Their posts emphasized treating AI as a tool rather than an authority and pointed out shell features, such as history search, that can meaningfully improve everyday workflows.

From the infrastructure and moderation side, @toadie checked in on their long-running Kubernetes Homelab thread with an update about adding a fourth Raspberry Pi to the cluster. They followed up with practical tool recommendations, like oxker and k9s, plus a linked Ansible course, giving homelab enthusiasts a roadmap for automating and observing small clusters.

Staffers also supported newcomers and site logistics. In Newbies with Questions? …Ask away! and What’s the first command you type every day? , staff welcomed new members and helped steer them toward better topic practices and useful resources. These touchpoints, combined with the visible curation and announcements in #our, show @staff continuing to balance technical depth with an accessible, friendly onboarding experience.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

The standout reply this week is @tkn’s clear explanation of the classic bash fork bomb in What should a new Linux Admin never do?.

In that post, @tkn rewrites the cryptic :(){ :|:& };: function into a readable bomb() definition, then walks through what bomb | bomb & literally means and what it does in practice. The reply breaks down process forking, background execution, and exponential growth of processes in a way that is approachable for newer admins while still being technically accurate. It directly addresses the risks of fork bombs and why process limits matter, making it an excellent teaching resource for anyone learning safe administration practices.

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @andreas on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit Better Stack

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the #site-help or Our Community forum category.

system · September 6, 2026, 11:00am

This week in our forums…

Key Stats

In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:

Total New Posts: 195
Total New Topics: 16

Top Contributors

@Brian_Masinick: 17 posts, 73 likes received
@ericmarceau: 16 posts, 71 likes received
@Itachixkurosaki: 11 posts, 44 likes received
@andreas: 10 posts, 40 likes received
@rogerp: 10 posts, 37 likes received
@tkn: 8 posts, 35 likes received
@taki_at_gamma_linux: 14 posts, 35 likes received
@J_J_Sloan: 8 posts, 31 likes received
@benowe1717: 6 posts, 26 likes received
@Bombilla: 10 posts, 11 likes received

Interesting Topics

In General Discussions, @J_J_Sloan kicked off a lively language discussion in Programming languages. Members compared Bash, C, Perl, Python, Prolog, Crystal, Rust, and even Julia for sysadmin work and scripting. @tkn and @ericmarceau shared real world Bash and C tooling, while @andreas described moving personal projects to Codeberg and using Python and Prolog in research, giving the thread a great mix of practical and academic perspectives.

Also in General Discussions, @taki_at_gamma_linux asked a thoughtful licensing and architecture question in Why can we make Linux distros, but not really Windows or macOS distros? . Replies from @pavlos, @ugnvs, @tkn and others broke down how open source licenses, modular design, and “share alike” terms make Linux highly remixable. The thread also explored how commercial licensing restricts Windows/macOS derivatives and even dug into Intel’s use of MINIX in firmware as a contrasting example.

In Showcase, @Itachixkurosaki opened Just asking for a little feedback on what I can do better to get concrete critique on a self hosted portfolio and résumé aimed at breaking into IT. Detailed feedback from @ericmarceau, @andreas, @rogerp and @ugnvs covered résumé gaps, font size, content density, portfolio structure, voice authenticity, and even OPSEC concerns. The conversation evolved into an in depth look at how to present homelab projects professionally while protecting personal data.

Over in #linux-support, @ericmarceau raised a subtle but important data integrity concern in Writing to USB stick - (Caja) non-sync’ed?. After observing that Caja reported copies as finished while the system was still flushing buffers, they asked how to make completion reflect real writes. @Jymm, @taki_at_gamma_linux, @pavlos, @mrtoo, @andreas and @tkn unpacked the buffering layers, sync behaviour, udev options, user expectations, and even filing an upstream issue. It is a useful thread if you rely on USB storage for backups.

In General Discussions, @taki_at_gamma_linux started a reflective meta thread, Do Linux users overcomplicate simple things? . The question contrasted graphical installers with elaborate terminal workflows and asked where “control” ends and “overengineering” begins. Responses by @ugnvs, @tkn and @ericmarceau argued that complexity often reflects exposed options rather than unnecessary complication, and that scripting is both convenience and a form of play for many users.

In Showcase, @Halano presented a lightweight Arch tooling project in Archpkg Browser. The FLTK based GUI makes browsing Arch repositories quick and visually simple. @taki_at_gamma_linux provided feedback and a pull request, and @hydn dropped in encouragement, while @Halano outlined plans for a more distribution friendly file manager to complement the current GPU heavy RaymothFM.

Also in Showcase, nostalgia met X11 in Windows 2000 for X11, where @Halano shared a project that directly draws on X11/Xft to recreate classic Windows 98/2000 era shells. Screenshots and comments from @andreas, @jaymo_chicago, @ericmarceau and @ClaudioDC highlighted both the authenticity of the retro design and the potential to ease transitions for users moving from older versions of Windows to Linux.

In #linux-support, @ericmarceau opened Bluetooth connectivity issue to investigate why only a single Bluetooth speaker worked correctly on Ubuntu MATE while others refused to take over audio. @Itachixkurosaki responded with a detailed walkthrough of PulseAudio/PipeWire profiles, pavucontrol, and A2DP vs HSP/HFP, and later added a follow up on auto switching via WirePlumber once @Norm24 reported a partial workaround through MATE’s sound preferences.

In #community-picks, @benowe1717 documented a substantial homelab milestone in How I Chose to Ready my Homelab for the Upcoming SSL Certificate Changes. The article explains the coming reduction in TLS certificate lifetimes, then walks through automation strategies for lab services. @hydn added a long reply comparing CA signed and self signed certificates, arguing that for purely internal labs, trust distribution matters more than who signs the cert, and the two exchanged thoughts on usability, browser warnings, and when external CA trust really adds value.

In #help-support, @taki_at_gamma_linux published a tutorial style guide, How to Set Up a VNC Server with x11vnc — From LAN to Remote Access. The post walked readers from basic LAN VNC to firewalls, SSH tunneling and CGNAT. @Itachixkurosaki then contributed a substantial reply comparing that “classic” approach with modern remote access patterns using tunnels and out of band consoles, followed by @taki_at_gamma_linux revisiting their recommendations in light of CGNAT and security considerations. The exchange turned the thread into a layered look at how to design remote access today.

Finally in Debian, @J_J_Sloan highlighted how widely Debian is used in Debian runs in some important spaces. The topic notes Debian’s role at Google, HP, global NTP servers, cloud infrastructure and CERN’s migration from RHEL to Debian Trixie. @andreas chimed in that this reach really lives up to Debian’s “universal operating system” slogan, underscoring why Debian discussions remain central on the forum.

Activity by the @staff Group

In #our-community, @hydn provided an operations update in Scheduled maintenance—September 20th, 2026. They announced a brief period of downtime for urgent OS livepatching and a Discourse security update, clarified that the larger scheduled upgrade for September 20 remains on track, and confirmed completion once both kernel and forum patches were applied.

Within server, @hydn shared a new article integration in Master Linux Bash History with historyctl, HISTFILE, and Shortcuts, outlining how to enhance Bash history beyond simple arrow key recall. @tmick followed up to say they had learned new techniques from the piece, hinting at members adopting more advanced shell workflows.

In #desktop-apps, @hydn added a practical configuration tip to How to Set Up Hibernation on Linux (Swap Done Right). They described switching an XFCE system to hybrid sleep, documented the tradeoffs between suspend, hibernate, and hybrid, and shared how to extend XFCE’s idle timeout beyond the GUI limit by editing xfce4-power-manager.xml directly.

Across General Discussions and Debian, @andreas and @system helped keep ongoing discussions moving. @system compiled a new Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week recap that pointed readers toward member projects such as @Itachixkurosaki’s portfolio, @Halano’s Archpkg Browser, and the Windows 2000 for X11 shell. This automated highlight post amplifies member work and guides weekend browsing.

Staff also stayed active in welcoming and supporting newcomers. In long running community threads like Welcome! Introduce yourself, @Bombilla and @hydn greeted many first time posters, helping them settle into the forum. In What’s everyone working on? 2026 edition , @Bombilla welcomed @mr_mcbride while staff and regulars encouraged deeper project sharing in Showcase.

Finally, curation work continued behind the scenes. @hydn featured @benowe1717’s TLS automation write up by moving How I Chose to Ready my Homelab for the Upcoming SSL Certificate Changes into #community-picks, signaling it as a high value reference for others planning for shorter certificate lifetimes.

Best Reply or Topic of the Week

The standout contribution this week is @Itachixkurosaki’s in depth response in How to Set Up a VNC Server with x11vnc — From LAN to Remote Access.

In that reply, they:

Broke down what port forwarding actually does, using clear analogies that are accessible to less experienced readers.
Compared “classic” VNC over exposed ports with more modern, layered remote access patterns that rely on SSH, VPNs, zero trust tools and out of band consoles.
Emphasized realistic constraints like CGNAT and ISP restrictions, then mapped those constraints to practical alternatives for homelab and small server setups.

The post builds directly on the original guide rather than contradicting it, and the resulting conversation provides a nuanced, up to date view of how to think about remote desktop access in 2026.

Top Contributor

Congratulations to @taki_at_gamma_linux on earning this week’s Top Contributor badge!

Thanks for reading. See you again next week!

Our community remains free of banner ads thanks to our partnership with Better Stack.

Better Stack offers infrastructure observability services, uptime monitoring, logging, incident management, and a free tier worth checking out. Visit Better Stack

Important: Avoid replying to this topic. Instead, reply to the topics linked within. Or, if you have questions or comments related to this weekly summary, please post them in the #site-help or Our Community forum category.

Topic		Replies	Views
Saturday Showcase: Built & Shared by Members This Week Showcase	20	527	September 12, 2026
Linux Weekly News: Key Stories Ahead of This Week News & Shares	16	590	September 7, 2026
2025: Linuxcommunity.io Year in Review Our Community forums	4	165	December 30, 2025
Best Linux Distro (2026) Community Picks distro-hopping , distros , getting-started	102	13828	September 13, 2026
The Linux Resources Mega Thread Desktop & Apps wiki-posts , tools	2	322	May 20, 2026