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This week's includes significant developments in the Linux ecosystem.

First, the GNOME Foundation has appointed Steven Diabald as its new executive director.

Unlike his predecessors, Diabald brings actual software development experience, having coded for a decade before moving into management, fundraising, and product consulting. A GNOME user since 2002, Diabald's introductory blog post resonated with a down-to-earth tone, emphasizing community effort and GNOME's core mission. He also aims for greater transparency regarding the foundation's activities, a welcome prospect given recent board controversies. Diabald stressed the foundation's role in supporting GNOME design, development, and contributors, prioritizing financial stability to foster future growth. His understanding of open-source community dynamics and the experiences of contributors has generated a positive initial impression. The hope is that his leadership will stabilize the GNOME Foundation and enable continued investment in impactful projects.

Linux Mint 22.2 will feature theming for Libadwaita applications and a subtle shift in its own theme.

This change aims to improve the visual integration of GNOME applications within the Mint desktop environment (DRO). While Mint previously adopted a more Windows-like blue and gray theme, the upcoming release will introduce bluer undertones to the gray background. This aligns with contemporary UI design principles that favor colder backgrounds and warmer interactive elements. The primary motivation behind this minor adjustment is to harmonize the appearance of native Mint applications with GNOME/Libadwaita applications, which often share a similar light gray palette. Furthermore, accent colors chosen by the user in Mint will now be applied to Libadwaita apps through desktop portals. This signifies a potential shift in Mint's historical resistance to GNOME technologies. Instead of forking GTK4 applications for custom theming, Mint will now include specific stylesheets to theme Libadwaita apps, allowing them to better reflect the user's chosen theme and accent color. This approach is seen as a more efficient solution than maintaining application forks, ensuring that these applications, despite their client-side decorations, will look more integrated into the Mint desktop.

In other desktop news, openSUSE has decided to entirely remove the Deepin desktop environment from its repositories.

This decision stems from security concerns related to how Deepin packages are built and broader issues surrounding the project. Specifically, the license agreement dialogue, hidden within another package, opens a terminal window and installs unvetted components upon acceptance. This circumvents openSUSE's package review process, a critical aspect of the distribution's reliability. These concerns are compounded by the Deepin upstream's slow response to security vulnerabilities and communication challenges with the openSUSE team. Consequently, Deepin will be removed from both openSUSE Tumbleweed (rolling release) and the upcoming Leap 16. While third-party repositories may still offer Deepin, openSUSE's decision, given its focus on professional use and stability, suggests that users might want to reconsider prioritizing this desktop environment.

Briefly, a new Linux distribution called AnduinOS has emerged, mimicking the look of Windows 11 using an Ubuntu base with GNOME and extensions. Interestingly, its developer is a current Microsoft employee who prefers Linux for its stability and productivity. While AnduinOS aims to provide a familiar interface for Windows converts, the underlying GNOME applications quickly reveal its Linux nature. The value of such distributions in truly easing the transition for new Linux users is debatable, as the superficial resemblance might create a false sense of familiarity.

On the mobile front, the first stable version of the PeerTube app is now available for Android and iOS. Developed by a single individual, this app addresses the lack of a dedicated mobile client for Pure Tube, allowing users to access their subscriptions, playlists, and viewing history. It supports multiple accounts and basic comment functionalities. Future developments may include background playback, recommendations, notifications, casting, and even video uploads. The project received initial funding from the European Commission, and continued development will rely on user support.

Elementary OS provided a progress update, highlighting several enhancements. Existing features like the prevent sleep toggle and a redesigned local settings panel have been refined. The AppCenter now indicates applications with in-app purchases. More significantly, upcoming releases (8.1 or 9) will introduce a system monitor with panel integration and a workspace switcher integrated into the dock. Touchscreen users will gain a swipe-to-close gesture in the multitasking view. The ongoing porting of applications and the top panel to GTK4 continues, and a notification with a quick-open button will appear after taking a screenshot. While Elementary OS progresses at its own pace, often lagging behind GNOME and KDE in adopting the latest desktop technologies, it remains a cohesive and visually distinct experience for users who prioritize its unique design.

Mozilla executives are reportedly concerned about recent antitrust rulings against Google's search monopoly. These rulings will prevent Google from enforcing exclusive default search agreements with partners like browser and device manufacturers. While Google can still pay for default placement, partners will likely offer users a choice of search engines. This could reduce the profitability of Google's deals, which currently constitute the vast majority of Mozilla's revenue. Mozilla fears a potential downward spiral that could lead to staff cuts and even the demise of Firefox, leaving the web dominated by Chromium/Blink and WebKit. This situation highlights the complex interplay between user choice and the financial stability of key players in the open web ecosystem. The long-term impact of these rulings remains uncertain.

Finally, the European Union's proposed "Protect EU" draft law is raising significant privacy concerns.

The law aims to mandate that providers offering end-to-end encryption provide decryption keys to EU countries, ostensibly for law enforcement purposes. Over 40 organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Tutanota, have signed an open letter urging the EU to reconsider this proposal, arguing that weakening encryption would undermine human rights and even the security of EU infrastructure. They request a meeting with the EU and the inclusion of technology experts in future lawmaking processes. The concern is that requiring backdoors in encryption, even for legitimate purposes, creates vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors and that the scope of data decryption could expand over time. The hope is that involving individuals with practical knowledge of software, encryption, and privacy will lead to more informed and less problematic legislation in these critical areas.