The 231st edition of the 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup is here, summarizing the significant events in the Linux sphere for the week ending March 16, 2025. If you’ve missed last week’s roundup, check it out here.
Highlights of the Week
This week has seen several noteworthy releases, starting with an important bugfix update for Audacity 3.7, a new KDE Plasma 6.3 point release with various fixes, a major update for the GStreamer multimedia framework, and a significant release for digiKam, a photo management software.
In addition, the IPFire Linux firewall received a substantial kernel upgrade, while the upcoming Mesa 25.1 graphics stack introduces major changes for NVIDIA GPU users. The KDE Project also launched the KDE Frameworks 6.12 software suite, and Debian released new installation media for the Debian 12 Bookworm series.
Notable Developments
- Ubuntu developers are considering replacing GNU Coreutils with Rust-based uutils in Ubuntu 25.10, expected to be released in October 2025.
- Bodhi Linux developers are working on a new theme for the upcoming Bodhi Linux 8 release.
- Chimera Linux is discontinuing support for RISC-V builds due to a shortage of adequate hardware.
On a more detailed note, there’s a new look at the Garuda COSMIC edition and insights into what’s new in the LXQt 2.2 desktop environment.
Hot News of the Week
- Audacity 3.7.2 improves the Linux AppImage bundle for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- LXQt 2.2 desktop promises many Wayland improvements, QTerminal updates
- IPFire hardened Linux firewall distro is now powered by Linux kernel 6.12 LTS
- KDE Plasma 6.3.3 implements battery charge threshold support for more devices
- Mesa 25.1 to replace Nouveau driver with Zink/NVK by default for NVIDIA GPUs
- First Look: Garuda Linux introduces new COSMIC edition
- GStreamer 1.26 open-source multimedia framework arrives with many new features
- DXVK 2.6 adds NVIDIA Reflex support, improvements for many games
- KDE Frameworks 6.12 is out with various improvements and bug fixes
- digiKam 8.6 is here with many face management updates and improvements
- Debian 12.10 “Bookworm” arrives with 66 bug fixes and 43 security updates
Other GNU/Linux News
- Bodhi Linux devs work on a brand-new theme for Bodhi Linux 8
- Ubuntu devs consider replacing GNU Coreutils with Rust-based uutils in Ubuntu 25.10
- Chimera Linux drops support for the RISC-V architecture due to a lack of capable hardware
Linux Distributions Released This Week
- Runtu 24.04 Xfce
- Debian Edu (Skolelinux) 12.10
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 KDE Plasma
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 GNOME
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 Xfce
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 Cinnamon
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 LXQt
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 LXDE
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 MATE
- Debian GNU/Linux 12.10 Live Standard
- SystemRescue 12.00
- KDE neon 20250314
- Bluestar Linux 6.13.6
- openmamba 20250312
- IPFire 2.29 Core Update 192
- SparkyLinux 2025.03 Xfce
- SparkyLinux 2025.03 LXQt
- SparkyLinux 2025.03 MATE
- SparkyLinux 2025.03 MinimalGUI
- SparkyLinux 2025.03 MinimalCLI
- Peropesis 2.9
Software and Driver Updates
Several applications, drivers, and kernels were released this week, including:
- Audacity 3.7.3
- GTK 4.18.1
- GStreamer 1.26
- Linux kernel updates ranging from 6.1.131 LTS to 6.13.7.
Upcoming Releases
Expect significant releases in the coming week, including Fedora Linux 42 Beta, GNOME 48, and various other Linux news and releases.