Considering that both #XMPP and #Matrix re-invented #decentralized communication while #email was already there, makes #deltachat more interesting.

The fact that DC didn't invent a new protocol for #InstantMessaging and just used the protocol which was already there, and also that how far has it gone, is mind blowing.

At first when I was chatting with @treefit, I already was developing a Matrix client(#chooj) for #KaiOS and it was the only decentralized IM which I was using and investing resources into. I was skeptical but then I thought it would be a good idea to invest into DeltaChat, as well as Matrix. His argument, of course, wasn't good. He was arguing that we need multiple options in the case one of decentralized IMs fail. However this convinced me to give DC a try.

But now, I see that DC has very unique advantages no other messenger has. Their moto is "playing the long term" game. Unlike Matrix which suddenly exploded, DC moves very slowly. As an advantage, DC is much more consistent, hassle free, has less bugs(in my experience) and has better UI/UX than many Matrix clients. But it has got several disadvantages. Matrix has tons more features which DC hasn't got or has added them just recently such as editing messages and reactions. And it is not yet suitable for public groups, like the ones we've got in the Matrix network.

Overall, if you want secure chat with friends or family or other people you trust, DeltaChat is a very good option and the experience is very good. And I haven't seen something like #webxdc in any other IM. However if you want something like #Discord guilds for a community, Matrix is the way to go.

BTW, DC currently lacks funding, thanks to what #Trump did with #OpenTechnologyFund(#OTF). If you can help in anyway, financial or otherwise, it will be extra valuable at this point.

Edit:

BTW, here are websites of webxdc and DC:

https://delta.chat
https://webxdc.org/

Edit2: Make sure to check WebXDC, apps shared in #P2P deltachat groups or DMs.

#IM #FOSS #Messenger #MessagingApp #opensource #opensourceIM #freesoftware

#Linux Weekly Roundup for June 1st, 2025: #GNU Linux-libre 6.15 kernel, #AlpineLinux 3.22, #Firefox 139, #Armbian 25.5, #AlmaLinux OS 10, KaOS 2025.05, #Thunderbird 139, #ArchLinux installer adding support for Btrfs snapshots, #TUXEDO Stellaris 16 Gen7 laptop, PanVK now #Vulkan 1.2 conformant, #GStreamer 1.26.2, #PorteuX 2.1, CachyOS ISO snapshot for May 2025, and more https://9to5linux.com/9to5linux-weekly-roundup-june-1st-2025

#OpenSource #FOSS

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9to5Linux Weekly Roundup - June 1st, 2025

Looking for efforts in the US e.g. to draft policies prohibiting the use or promotion of proprietary software for public infrastructure like education, similar to the FSFE's "Public Money? Public Code!" campaign. If you know of anything like this in the US, please share!

#FOSS #education #USpol #FSFE

Whenever I see a door with PUSH sign. I PULL it first to avoid conflicts.

don't worry if you didn't GIT it.

#git #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #floss #foss

#FOSS me is on that list 🥳

Finally managed to create a bootable ISO image for Ubuntu that works perfectly with the #OpenBSD vm console.

https://hiddenagenda.ltd.uk/blog/ubuntu_24_04_on_openbsd_vmm/

#foss

Me when I began to implement a new cool feature in a #FOSS tool:

"How hard can it be?"

Me 2 months later after rewriting half of the file handler logic, dealing with half-baked or non-existing docs currently implementing a thread management class because the program never needed to even be able to stop a child process before I came around (still not knowing if the PR will even be accepted):

#Python #Lutris #programming #coding

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A very tired Mona Lisa with huge dark circles around her eyes and fuzzy hair. Caption: "Programming is fun".

Shiny new features and UI improvements came to #LibreOffice last year, thanks to our Design community – such as styles for comments. Learn more: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/05/31/libreoffice-design-team-work-in-2024-tdfs-annual-report/ #foss #OpenSource #freesoftware

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Screenshot of styles support in LibreOffice comments

Saturday rant, before taking the family to downtown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7PypubG3e0

The statement might sound cliched, but nevertheless it is important to stress. There is a tendency among aspiring #FOSS and privacy enthusiasts to name-call, have been there, done that.

I might be mistaken but I'm pretty sure #FreeBSD 14.3 supports my AX200 WiFi at full speed (or close).

Quite an accomplishment. Thanks for all the work.

#FOSS #BSD #runBSD

Don't forget, the participative founding of the Peertube mobile application is ongoing:

https://support.joinpeertube.org/fr/

#Peertube
#FOSS
#FreeSoftware
#LibreSoftware

The Kdenlive team is heading to #Berlin for a sprint from September 2nd to 5th, 2025! Stay tuned for more details soon.

Developers are welcome — if you can't make it in person we'll try to organize something online as well!

And to wrap things up, we’re hosting a Community Meetup on the last day of the sprint, open to everyone. Mark your calendar and come say hi! 💙

Oh, and we'll be at @akademy - so register now!

#floss #foss #linux #videoediting #artwithopensource

@kde

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Kdenlive logo with the word "news" written under it.

I’ve published Part 3 of “I Want to Love Linux. It Doesn’t Love Me Back.”

This one’s about the so-called universal interface: the console. The raw, non-GUI, text-mode TTY. The place where sighted Linux users fall back when the desktop breaks, and where blind users are supposed to do the same. Except — we can’t. Not reliably. Not safely. Not without building the entire stack ourselves.

This post covers Speakup, BRLTTY, Fenrir, and the audio subsystem hell that makes screen reading in the console a game of chance. It dives into why session-locked audio breaks espeakup, why BRLTTY fails silently and eats USB ports, why the console can be a full environment — and why it’s still unusable out of the box. And yes, it calls out the fact that if you’re deafblind, and BRLTTY doesn’t start, you’re just locked out of the machine entirely. No speech. No visuals. Just a dead black box.

There are workarounds. Scripts. Hacks. Weird client.conf magic that you run once as root, once as a user, and pray to PipeWire that it sticks. Some of this I learned from a reader of post 1. None of it is documented. None of it is standard. And none of it should be required.

This is a long one. Technical, and very real. Because the console should be the one place Linux accessibility never breaks. And it’s the one place that’s been left to rot.

Link to the post: https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/i-want-to-love-linux-it-doesnt-love-me-back-post-3-speakup-brltty-and-the-forgotten-infrastructure-of-console-access/

#Linux #Accessibility #BlindTech #BRLTTY #Speakup #Fenrir #TTY #PipeWire #ScreenReader #DisabilityTech #ConsoleComputing #LinuxAccessibility #FOSS

How does the Open Document Format (ODF) – as used in LibreOffice and other apps – compare to Microsoft's .docx, .xlsx and .pptx formats? Find out here: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/05/30/odf-and-proprietary-formats-a-comparison/ #foss #OpenSource #standards

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ODF logo

This week in #FDroid (TWIF) is live:

* #FDroid Client & Basic #MaterialDesign #MaterialDesign3 1.23 are finally out, not yet suggested, test, test, test!
* Skip latest #AuroraStore #Magisk builds while we wait for fixes
* WiP #ElementX update, soon
* #Immich has breaking changes, do read
* #Mozilla #Pocket gone, so many #FOSS choices to switch to!
+ 2 new apps
+ 75 updates

Grab an app at: https://f-droid.org/2025/05/29/twif.html

Just published a blog post tearing into hCaptcha’s so-called “accessibility” mode.

It’s not accessibility. It’s a cookie. And to get that cookie, you now have to submit your email and send a code via SMS to an U.S. phone number. It fails silently. It doesn’t confirm anything. You click “Confirm Code” and get “An error has occurred.” No cookie. No fallback. No support. And if you somehow get it? It’s a third-party cookie your browser probably blocks, and it expires. Then you get to do it all again.

Meanwhile, hCaptcha’s text-based challenge — the only mode that might actually work with a screen reader — isn’t tied to the cookie at all. It only shows up if the website owner specifically enables it. Most don’t. So even if you’re blind, even if you’re using assistive tech, you get the same unusable image grid as everyone else.

This isn’t accessibility. It’s exclusion wrapped in PR.

The blog post breaks it all down: how the cookie flow works (or doesn’t), why the system is broken by design, how developers got misled, and what real alternatives look like. If you care about accessible design or just want to understand how bad this gets, read it.

Link: https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/hellcaptcha-accessibility-theater-at-its-worst/

#Accessibility #a11y #BlindTech #hCaptcha #HellCaptcha #UX #WebDev #ScreenReaders #Disability #TechRant #DevTools #Ableism #Privacy #FOSS #Inclusion

#EndOf10 "The Open Source alternative to forced obsolescence"

https://opensource.org/blog/end-of-10-the-open-source-alternative-to-forced-obsolescence

> Open Source isn’t just about code. It’s about community, sustainability, and autonomy. The “End of 10” campaign is a chance to show the world how powerful those values can be.

> We invite everyone—users, developers, educators, and advocates—to be part of this movement. Because the end of Windows 10 isn’t the end of the road. It’s a new beginning.

@osi

#Linux #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Microsoft #FOSS

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Screenshot (modified) from the blog post. The OSI logo is on the top left next to the text "Open Source Initiative". Below this is the text: "May 28, 2025", "News", "Nick Vidal" The headline appears on the bottom of the screenshot: "End of 10: The Open Source alternative to forced obsolescence"

🚀 Game Key Manager v1.1 is here!
Manage your game keys like a pro – now with:

✅ Admin panel & audit logs
📖 Semi-Automatic game descriptions
💰 Current + historic price data (via ITAD)
📱 Installable PWA
🐞 Tons of fixes & UI improvements

Heads up: This update includes breaking changes – please export your keys before upgrading! 🔧

New website: https://skynet.li/

Try it now: https://codeberg.org/nocci/GameKeyManager

#gamedeals #selfhosted #pwa #flask #gamedev
#gaming #foss #steam #keysharing

State of Libre Graphics (Talk).

I wasn't aware of a number of these.

#Blender #FrictionGraphics #GoogleFonts #Drawpile #MyPaint #Xournal #XournalPP #Scribus #Inkscape #UpStage #Hyper8 #PraxisLive #OPENRNDR #KDEPlasma #Krita #KDENLive #Glaxnimate #GIMP

https://media.ccc.de/v/lgm25-upstream-2025-83646-state-of-libre-graphics

#Linux #RunBSD #FOSS #FLOSS #SOHO #SMB #HomeLab

Thank you
@ubuntu for being a Gold sponsor of #GUADEC2025! 🌟

Ubuntu comes with everything you need to run your organization, school, home or enterprise.

Visit their website to know more: https://ubuntu.com

#sponsor #foss #linux

Mastodon is full of queer people, communists, anarchists, and Linux nerds.

I really love it here.

#Linux #FOSS #FLOSS #OpenSource #communism #anarchism

You’ve seen my posts about Linux accessibility. You’ve read me scream about broken screen readers, unusable bootloaders, and the sheer volume of stuff that only works after three undocumented hacks and a blood sacrifice. That’s from someone who already knows how to deal with this mess.
But what happens when someone new tries to step in?
My partner just published the first post in a new blog series called “Linux: Helpful or Headache?” It’s a personal account of what it feels like to stare into the abyss of Linux as a blind user who hasn’t even installed it yet. This isn’t a “how to” guide. It’s not a technical tutorial. It’s a moment of honest vulnerability and curiosity in the face of a system that’s infamous for treating newcomers like an inconvenience.
Part One – An Introduction
https://reading4life.mataroa.blog/blog/linux-helpful-or-headache-part-one-an-introduction/
She’s totally blind. She’s used to Windows and iOS — platforms where accessibility is at least visible, documented, and supported. Linux? From the outside, it looks like a twisted obstacle course: too many distros, zero onboarding, no centralized help, and a community that can't agree on anything except that "you should have read the wiki."
And yet… she’s jumping in anyway.
This first post talks about that pre-installation limbo. The “what the hell even is a distro?” stage. The existential dread of picking between MATE and GNOME when you don’t even know how to pronounce “Flatpak.” The raw, unfiltered feeling of not knowing what you don’t know — and doing it anyway, because the itch to explore is stronger than the fear of breaking stuff.
There’s no cheerleading here. No “yay open source!” No tidy beginner tutorial with copy-paste terminal commands. Just one blind woman staring down the reality that Linux doesn’t come with a support number, and deciding to try it anyway — not because it’s easy, but because she wants to learn, grow, and maybe even call bullshit where it’s due.
And if you're wondering — no, I didn’t write or co-write it. This is her voice, her experience, her story. But it does tie in beautifully with the nightmare I’ve been chronicling in my own posts, from a totally different vantage point.
If you’ve ever tried to onboard someone to Linux, especially someone disabled, this is what it actually looks like. And if you’ve ever told someone “Linux is great, just pick a distro,” read this and realize how much we take for granted.
Go read it. Boost it. Follow the series. She's only just getting started.
#Linux #Accessibility #FOSS #DisabilityInTech #Blind #NewUserExperience #Debian #UX #TechBlog #DigitalInclusion

A #reboot is a solution to many tech problems. But if you are on #Linux, did you know you need to reboot only if your kernel has changed? Otherwise you can do a "soft reboot" and get the same thing. You need to kill the init process and make it respawn. It varies from distro to distro but on #systemd ones, you can do systemctl soft-reboot and it'll do the job for you.

Also if you have problem with your graphical shell, you can simply restart your graphical stuff. Not even a soft reboot is needed. For instance if your display manager is lightdm like me, simply do systemctl restart lightdm.

I think this applies to other #unixlike operating systems with the similar kernel and system architecture as Linux. Maybe #BSD people can share their experience?

#techtips #linuxtips #opensource #foss #operatingsystem #freebsd #openbsd #unix #unixclone

Are you working on a free and open source project that contributes to the digital commons? Consider applying for NGI Zero funding. Our next deadline is June 1. If you can't make that, no worries, the next call opens right after.
We offer grants between 5 & 50k and grantees can also request practical support with licensing, security, accessibility, long-term sustainability, mentoring, UX testing, trouble shooting, packaging, internationalisation & more. https://nlnet.nl/news/2025/20250401-call.html
#FOSS #funding

The End (of Windows 10) is nigh!

On 14 October, #Microsoft will end support for #Win10.

This will turn hundreds of millions of computers that cannot upgrade to #Win11 into security risks and #eWaste.

Yours may be one of them!

But what if you could make your current one fast and secure again?

Learn more: https://endof10.org/press

Saved a device from the bin? Tell the world with the hashtag: #EndOf10

#Linux #GNU #GNUlinux #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #FOSS #FLOSS #Windows

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4 blue boxes, with one falling off the top.

We prepare the first candidate version of 7.4.2. Main highlight is the new responsive Administration design. Many thanks to @onesystems for contributing.

#mailserver #b1gMail #mail #goeuropean #opensource #foss #selfhosted #buyfromeu #email #SelfHosting

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Administration Page

Do you want these stickers? Of course you do! And you can get them by just posting here why you love #LibreOffice (with the hashtag), as part of our Month of LibreOffice campaign: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/05/16/month-of-libreoffice-may-2025-half-way-point/ #foss #OpenSource

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Photo of LibreOffice and Document Liberation Project stickers

Thank you Google for being a Gold #sponsor of #GUADEC2025! 🌟

Google belives that open source is good for everyone. It enables and encourages collaboration and the development of technology.

Visit their website to know more: https://opensource.google

#foss #linux

Your guide to moving away from Gmail and finding a new email service!

Credits: @PurchaseWithPurpose

#privacy #email #opensource #ethicaltech #infosec #degoogle #foss #digitalsovereignty #protonmail #tutanota #surveillancecapitalism #bigtech #techforgood

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Infographic titled "EMAIL GUIDE" from the "Purchase With Purpose" series, encouraging users to avoid big tech email providers (Gmail, iCloud Mail, Outlook) due to concerns like privacy, environment, and ethics. It highlights email services and clients supporting causes: Environmental 🌱, Profit Share 💰, and Open-Source 💻. Two main sections: Email Clients (used independently or with servers): 🔸 Thunderbird (Open-Source) 🔸 EM Client (Profit Share) 🔸 FairEmail (Open-Source, Android only) 🔸 Mailspring (Open-Source, USA) Email Providers: Free Tier options: 🔸 Atomic Mail (Open-Source) 🔸 GMX (Environmental) 🔸 Proton Mail (Privacy focus, Profit Share, Open-Source) 🔸 Infomaniak Email (Environmental, Profit Share, Open-Source) 🔸 Tuta (Environmental, Profit Share, Open-Source) Eco-System providers (offer mobile app/tools): 🔸 Kolab Now (Open-Source) 🔸 Fastmail 🔸 Mailbox.org (Environmental, Open-Source) "Need Help Choosing?" recommends: 🔸 Fastmail (ease of use) 🔸 Infomaniak Email (eco-system, free tier) 🔸 Tuta Mail (privacy) 🔸 Proton Mail (privacy, tools) Other Excellent Options (mainly EU/US): Hushmail, Posteo, Mailfence, StartMail, Mailo, Runbox, Mail.com, Irocco. Noted Controversies: ⚠️ Proton Mail CEO made a political statement—link to context provided. ⚠️ GMX and Mail.com are owned by the same parent company. Guide ends with links to communities for support and updates.

LibreOffice is available in 120 languages – which may be a record for such a large piece of software! And this is all thanks to our Native Language Communities, who translate the suite's interface and help content. Here's what they did last year: https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2025/05/26/libreoffice-native-language-projects-tdfs-annual-report-2024/ #foss #OpenSource #freesoftware

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Screenshot of LibreOffice user interface in Armenian

Linux 6.15 kernel is out with a sizeable set of improvements across the stack, including expanded hardware support, performance tweaks and a controversial new feature or two!

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/05/linux-6-15-kernel-released

#linux #foss #opensource

#Linux Weekly Roundup for May 25th, 2025: Linux kernel 6.15, #RHEL 10, #AlmaLinux OS 9.6, #NixOS 25.05, #PipeWire 1.4.3, #fwupd 2.0.10, #Fedora to remove X11 support from #GNOME #Wayland session, #KDE's Karton VM manager, new #Steam Client release, and more https://9to5linux.com/9to5linux-weekly-roundup-may-25th-2025

#OpenSource #FOSS

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9to5Linux Weekly Roundup for May 25th, 2025

#Firefox is no longer the beacon of light it once was. #Mozilla has failed us. Everything else is pretty much based on #Chromium.

However - there is hope for the #Internet browser market: #Ladybird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YM7pDMLvr4

A #FOSS browser made from scratch.

And before you comment about Andreas' controversial posts - yes, I know. Calm down. It's irrelevant. I am not here to promote personal politics of anybody, I am here to promote free and open-source technology that can save the #web ❤️

GrapheneOS: Where Licenses Matter More Than People

GrapheneOS could have shipped real accessibility support. They had a screen reader. They had a libre speech engine — one they requested a feature from. They got that feature.

And then they said no.
Because the license was GPLv3.

They’ll ship sandboxed Google Play Services.
They’ll let you install GPLv3 software from their app store.
But a working screen reader for blind users?
Blocked. On principle.

This isn’t a technical limitation.
This is not a matter of priorities.
This is cruelty by ideology — and they’re proud of it.

So here it is. My full public dissection of the excuses, the hypocrisy, and the sheer contempt they’ve shown to the people who need privacy and security most: the disabled.

They chose licensing purity over basic humanity.
I chose to write this.

https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/grapheneos-where-licenses-matter-more-than-people/

#GrapheneOS #Accessibility #FOSS #Blind #DisabilityTech #Inclusion #GPLv3 #espeak #a11y #Security #FreeSoftware #DisabilityRights #Android #Rant #TechShame

I'm at the Digital Autonomy Unconference 2025 in #Amsterdam today! 🔥 Organized by @opensource

Nice to see some familiar faces from the #foss community.

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Unconference room

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Introduction screen saying "digital autonomy"

Aw man, I'll miss #Pocket :(

Do we have any #foss alternatives?

I'm firmly of the view that self-hosting is not for everyone.

I'm also firmly of the view that, if I want reliable service with longevity, less liable to rug pulls and flouncing, selecting and self-hosting a Free software solution is generally worth my time and effort.

Sure, I can't guarantee that it will always be developed, fixed etc., but at least it is under my control.

#FOSS #selfhosting #Linux

I really like @libreoffice’s “dark mode” setting.

It’s configurability makes it a real pleasure to use on a darkened screen, which I find ideal if I am going to be staring at documents all day.

#FOSS #DarkMode

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Screenshot of a LibreOffice Writer document, showing dark toolbars with light icons, and a document with a pale grey background (darker than white) and black text.

GNOME's plan to jettison X11 sessions would be "very disruptive" for Ubuntu, which planned to support Xorg—likely for the final time—in its next LTS, out next year.

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/05/gnome-dropping-x11-support-ubuntu-impact

#Ubuntu #Linux #FOSS

🏕️ my adventures in #selfhosting - day 156 (busy bee edition) 🐝

Hello Fedi friends!

Sorry I've been a little quiet over here but any minute of free time I have (aka when my 4-year-old is in pre-school) I spend working on:

1) a promotional video for the Fediverse with my two amazing interns -> #EleFediVideos

2) a presentation about how I use #YunoHost for digital sovereignty - at an upcoming #FOSS conference

I just realized - oh the horror - that it's the first time in 5 months I've been skipping my Monday morning routine of #YunoHost manual backups. So this week I'll be doing it on a Thursday, aka right now 😅​

The Fediverse video is coming together really nicely and I cannot wait to share it on here (actually, on my self-hosted #PeerTube).

I'm infinitely grateful to the Fediverse for getting me back to filmmaking and motion graphics after a long hiatus. It feels amazing.

Wishing you all a lovely day!

#MySoCalledSudoLife

If you're a TIDAL music subscriber and using Linux, there's no reason to not use High Tide, a slick GTK4/libadwaita client - now supporting more TIDAL features https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/05/high-tide-linux-tidal-client-updates

#linux #foss #tidal

Btw does anyone know what happened to the push for #FOSS in #Barcelona? I remember posts about the city moving from Windows to #Linux.

https://itsfoss.com/barcelona-open-source/

In light of GitHub going full genAI agents, which will likely lead to a flood of garbage PRs that will make dependabot nags a joke:

Would other foss maintainers with projects on GitHub be interested in some kind of event where we all get together and try moving our projects over to @Codeberg?

I’m thinking of it as a way to both promote our foss projects, provide mutual support during the moves, find solutions to small cuts we run into along the way, and just generally have fun together?

Boosts and ideas welcome!

#FOSS #OpenSource #NoAI #GitHub #Rust #RustLang

#Linux Weekly Roundup for May 18th, 2025: #Debian 12.11, #GIMP 3.0.4, #KDE Plasma 6.4 beta, #Shotcut 25.05, #Inkscape 1.4.2, #IPFire 2.29 Core Update 194, Archinstall 3.0.5, #Ubuntu 24.10 upgrades now open, and more https://9to5linux.com/9to5linux-weekly-roundup-may-18th-2025

#FOSS #OpenSource

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9to5Linux Weekly Roundup for May 18th, 2025