Full Circle

Full Circle The Independent Magazine for the Ubuntu Linux Community

Issue #228 - April 2026 Linux for all 🔥🌈🎉🎉🌈🌈🌈🌈 Emmabuntus Debian Edition Full Circle Magazine is neither affiliated with, nor endorsed by, Canonical Ltd.

Image summary: The image is a collection of logos. The image displays logos of different Linux distributions. The logos suggest a compilation or collection related to Linux distributions, possibly an article or resource guide.

Image summary:The image is a cartoon drawing of a penguin-like creature. The creature has a long beak, wide eyes, and what appear to be wings in motion. The creature seems to be flapping its wings. The creature might be in a state of excitement or attempting to fly.

Image summary:The image is a magazine cover showcasing various articles and sections. The content includes tutorials on compressing VB Disks and an introduction to Godot, along with articles on Linux news, command line tips, Latex, Ubuntu devices, and Inkscape graphics. The magazine also features sections like 'The Daily Waddle', 'Letters', 'My Opinion', 'Q&A', and reviews, covering topics such as Emmabuntüs DE 6 and Ubuntu Games. The magazine covers a diverse range of topics, from programming and system administration to creative design and gaming, targeting users of the Ubuntu Linux community.

Editorial

Welcome to the Latest Issue of Full Circle

☐ nce again we bring you some Latex, Godot, Inkscape and a little bit more VirtualBox. This time we're looking at how to compact those virtual disk files.

Elsewhere, we have a review of Emmabuntus Debian Edition and ArduinOS and, of course, another game. This time, Horticular. If you've ever fanicied yourself as a gardener then this might be the game for you.

It was only while editing the last page that I realised that this issue marks Nineteen Years of Full Circle Magazine. That's insane! I'm writing this editorial the day before releasing this P.D.F and they've just released Ubuntu 26.04. So hopefully we'll have a review of it next issue. Remember: the Full Circle Weekly News is available on Spotify and YouTube. The more upvotes and reviews you give it on those platforms the more exposure we get. And, we have a Table of Contents which lists every article from every issue of F.C.M. Huge thanks to Paul Romano for maintaining: goo.gl U.R.L and, if you're looking for some help, advice, or just a chinwag: remember that we have a Telegram group: t.me U.R.L I hope to see you there. Come and say hello.

Image summary: This is an image of balloon art. The image shows the inflated number nineteen. The image likely represents a celebration of a nineteenth birthday or anniversary.

Image summary: The image is a QR code. The QR code is a square grid of black and white squares. QR codes are a type of matrix barcode that can be read by smartphones and other devices. The QR code likely contains some encoded information. Without scanning the code, the specific information encoded is unknown.

F.C.M Patreon: https://www. patreon. com/fullcirclemagazine

This magazine was created using :

Scribus LibreOffice The Document Foundation creative commons

Find Full Circle on:

- facebook.com/ fullcirclemagazine twitter.com/#!/fullcirclemag

- https://mastodon.social/@fullcirclemagazine

Weekly News:

- https://fullcirclemagazine.org/ podcasts/index.xml https://open.spotify.com/show/ 6.J.h.P.B.f.S.m.6.c.L.E.h.G.S.b.Y.s.G.a.r.P

-

Ubuntu Mate Founder Departs: 30/03/2026

Martin Wimpress, co-founder and leader of the Ubuntu Mate distribution, who served as Director of Desktop Engineering at Canonical from 2019 to 2021, announced that he will step down and that he is looking for developers willing to continue working on the Ubuntu Mate distribution and who can maintain packages related to the Mate desktop environment in the Ubuntu repository.

His interests have shifted and he no longer has the time to devote to the Ubuntu Mate project. Therefore, he would like to hand over project management to developers who have the time and energy to work on Ubuntu Mate. Ubuntu Mate remains on the Mate 1.26 branch, from 2021, with unresolved issues and a shortage of developers. Ubuntu Mate 26.04 has been decided not to be granted L.T.S status, and its publication is uncertain – despite the start of beta testing for Ubuntu 26.10, beta builds of Ubuntu Mate 26.04 have not yet been released. Development of the Mate desktop environment has been stagnant since spring 2024.

ubuntu-mate.community U.R.L

Archinstall 4.0: 31/03/2026

Archinstall 4.0 has been released. Since 2021, it has been included as an option in Arch Linux I.S.O installation images. Archinstall runs in console mode and can be used instead of the default manual installation method. Archinstall is written in Python and is licensed under the G.P.L.v.3 license.

In the new version of Archinstall, the console user interface has been migrated to the textual library instead of curses, modernizing the look and simplifying the maintenance of many menu items. Other changes include the addition of instructions for loading an I.S.O image in a virtual machine, replacing pytest configuration files with the toml format, integrating firewalld support into the firewall menu, reworking the code for installing configuration files with network settings, separating L.V.M handlers into a separate module, removing N.T.F.S support for the root filesystem and redesigning the menu for asynchronous operation.

github.com U.R.L

4.M.L.I.N.U.X 51.0 Release: 31/03/2026

DistroWatch. com Put The Fun Back Into Computing. Use Linux, B.S.D.

4 M.L.Linux 51.0 is now available. It's a minimalist user-friendly distribution that isn't a fork of other projects and uses a graphical environment based on the J.W.M window manager. 4.M.Linux can be used as a live environment for multimedia playback and user tasks, as well as a disaster recovery system and a platform for running mini-servers. A live image (x86 64, 2.1 G.B) with a graphical environment and a stripped-down console build (x86 64, 16.2 M.B) are available for download.

4mlinux-releases.blogspot.com U.R.L

Apertis 2026 Release: 31/03/2026

Collaborative has unveiled the Apertis 2026 Linux distribution, (based on Debian) originally designed for automotive systems but later repurposed for a wider range of electronic devices, embedded systems, and industrial equipment. Devices using Apertis include the Atari V.C.S gaming console, the Raspberry Pi 4 board, the R-car automotive SoCs, and the Bosch D-tect 200 wall scanner.

Reference system images are distributed for the x86 64, arm64, and armhf architectures. The distribution is modular, allowing device manufacturers to independently configure the required system environment. Both builds based on traditional D.E.B packages and monolithic, atomically updated images based on O.S.Tree are supported. Maintenance for each Apertis release is one year and nine months, with a minor release containing bug fixes issued every three months.

collabora.com U.R.L

Remotely Exploitable Vulnerabilities in the Freebsd Kernel, V.I.M, and EMACS: 01/04/2026

A vulnerability has been fixed in Freebsd. This vulnerability allows kernel-level code execution by sending network packets to an N.F.S server. The issue occurs when using the kgssapi.ko module, which implements the R.P.C.S.E.C G.S.S A.P.I in the kernel. In addition to the kernel, the vulnerability affects user-space applications that use the librpcgss sec library and perform R.P.C server functions. Such applications, which are not part of the Freebsd base system, can also be attacked by sending network packets.

The vulnerability was discovered by an Anthropic employee using the Claude A.I assistant. The researchers who created the exploit went further and continued their experiments, using Claude to identify vulnerabilities in Vim and Emacs that could allow code execution when specially crafted files were opened in these editors. Remarkably, the model's prompts boiled down to a simple problem statement, such as "find a zero-day vulnerability in Vim that occurs when opening a file." Ultimately, the Claude model successfully identified previously unknown vulnerabilities.

reddit.com U.R.L comments/1s8y8pp/ mad bugs claude wrote a full free ebsd remote/

Wayland Protocols 1.48 Release: 01/04/2026

The wayland-protocols package 1.48 has been released, containing a set of protocols and extensions that complement the core Wayland protocol and provide the capabilities needed to build composite servers and user environments.

In the new version, the xdg-session-management protocol has been added to the "staging" category, providing capabilities for restoring the state and position of windows from an interrupted session in Wayland-based environments, for example after a composite server or application crashes. The text-input protocol has been expanded to allow composite servers to implement input methods and send text to applications. For example, the no emoji flag has been added for input without emoji, support for additional actions beyond text insertion has been implemented, the language flag has been added for transmitting language information, requests for showing and hiding the input panel have been added and the preedit hint flag has been added for customizing the pre-editing style. They also added experimental xx-cutouts protocol for obtaining information about cutouts on the screen (for example, the area under the front camera on the smartphone screen). An experimental xx-zones protocol has been added for creating and adding top-level windows to "zones"—environments with their own coordinate space. This protocol allows for a logical arrangement of windows, with each window positioned relative to every other window. They added an experimental protocol, xx-keyboard-filter, to allow the client to intercept selected keyboard events, modify input events, or block certain events from being passed to the focused Wayland surface.

mail-archive.com U.R.L wayland- devel@lists.freedesktop.org/ msg44067.html

All Collabora Employees Have Been Expelled From The T.D.F: 02/04/2026

The Document Foundation (T.D.F) which oversees the development of the LibreOffice office suite, has expelled all Collabora employees and partners. In the last days of March, 43 members were expelled from the T.D.F, including key LibreOffice developers and co-founders. Seven of the 10 most significant LibreOffice developers were expelled.

Of the four founders remaining in the T.D.F, three are not involved in the core code development. In 2025, Collabora employees contributed 45 % of all changes to LibreOffice.

Italo Vignoli, one of the founders of the Document Foundation, explained that Collabora members were excluded in accordance with the recently approved new bylaws, which prohibit employees of companies with which legal proceedings are pending. This requirement was introduced because members have historically made decisions in the interests of their employers, not the Document Foundation.

The conflict between the Document Foundation and Collabora stems from the development of the cloud edition of LibreOffice Online. In 2020, Collabora created a fork of LibreOffice Online to address branding and marketing issues and continued development in its own repository under the name Collabora Online (this was because the Document Foundation was promoting products from other companies on the LibreOffice Online page, even though those companies contributed little to the development). In 2022, the Document Foundation's board of directors decided to freeze the LibreOffice Online project, as all community developers had switched to the new project and no one was willing to continue maintaining the old repository.

In 2026, the new Document Foundation board of directors reversed the freeze, finding the previous vote to have been conducted under a conflict of interest. The re-creation of the LibreOffice Online repository as a fork of the current Collabora Online repository, along with the rebranding of all Collabora work, was perceived by a Collabora representative as vandalism against the project and a violation of the established status quo, whereby credit was reasonably distributed between the two projects.

blog.documentfoundation.org U.R.L

Release of /e/O.S 3.6: 02/04/2026

The /e/O.S 3.6 mobile platform, focused on user privacy, has been released. The platform was founded by Gaël Duval, creator of the Mandrake Linux distribution. The project supports 287 smartphone models and creates firmware builds for the most popular ones. Custom device builds have been created for OnePlus, Fairphone, Teracube, Hiroh, and Pixel smartphones, distributed with /e/O.S preinstalled under the Murena One, Murena 2, Murena Fairphone 4/5/6, Murena Teracube 2e, Murena Pixel 5/7, and Murena Shiftphone 8 brands.

The /e/O.S firmware is being developed as a fork of the LineageOS platform (based on Android), freed from Google services and infrastructure to prevent telemetry transmission to Google servers and enhance privacy. Among other things, it blocks implicit data transmission, such as requests to Google servers for network availability checks, D.N.S resolution, and time determination.

e.foundation U.R.L

Opencloud 6.0:03/04/2026

OpenCloud 6.0, a platform that allows users to deploy a file sharing and content collaboration system on their own server, has been released. The project is being promoted as an open alternative to proprietary systems like Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive, and Dropbox, and is compliant with the European Union's G.D.P.R.

The server, written in Go, is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license and supports Web.D.A.V, g.R.P.C, Microsoft restful Web A.P.I Graph, O.C.S, O.C.M 1.1, and OpenID Connect. The server is implemented using a microservices framework and can scale from Raspberry Pi boards to large multi-server deployments.

The desktop client is written in C++ using Qt, published under the G.P.L.v.3 license, and supports builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The client also features built-in file synchronization and mounting of shared storage as a virtual file system. The web interface is written in TypeScript using the Vue.js framework and is licensed under the A.G.P.L.v.3 license. Mobile apps are available for Android and iOS.

github.com U.R.L

Postgresql Performance Issue: 04/04/2026

A n Amazon engineer identified a regression specific to Linux kernel 7.0, which is expected to be released on April 13. A change in task scheduler settings resulted in a significant reduction in throughput and responsiveness when running Postgresql on A.R.M.64 systems. Using kernel 7.0, performance in the pgbench "simple-update" test dropped almost twofold, from 98,565 to 50,751.

The slowdown was caused by changing the default scheduler preemption mode from Preempt underscore None to Preempt underscore Lazy on architectures that support it. This caused Postgresql to spend 55 percent of its CPU time calling s underscore lock open parenthesis close parenthesis in user space. To address this issue, it is proposed to return Preempt underscore None to the default and unlink it from the Arch underscore No underscore Preempt setting.

It's still unclear what decision Linus Torvalds will make, as he adheres to the principle that the kernel should not degrade performance or break user-space compatibility. On the one hand, kernel 7.0 is in the final testing phase before release, and rolling back the scheduler settings could lead to other regressions. On the other hand, users could experience a halving of the performance of one of the most popular databases.

phoronix.com U.R.L

K.D.E Fractional Scaling: 05/04/2026

The latest K.D.E weekly development report has been published, presenting changes for the K.D.E Plasma 6.7 branch, expected to be released in June. Fractional scaling is the hot topic.

The Kwin compositing manager implements support for the experimental Wayland xx-fractional-scale-v2 protocol, which eliminates unnecessary gaps between adjacent elements on high-density screens, such as between a maximized window and a panel. The xx-fractional-scale protocol provides the ability to scale the logical coordinate system, which uses integer values, to improve positioning accuracy and increase the resolution of logical coordinates down to individual pixels. This capability addresses the limited resolution of the logical coordinate system, which is insufficient for the pixel-level positioning required for full implementation of fractional scaling in K.D.E.

Using the xx-fractional-scale protocol, the composite server and client can consistently use different coordinate systems (logical and pixel) when working with the W.L surface object. Logical coordinates are used to describe the size of content and window positions from the user's perspective, while pixel coordinates reflect the actual sizes in buffers when rendering to the screen. The xx-fractional-scale protocol introduces a scaling factor (scale) that links logical and pixel coordinates, allowing for handling situations where multiple pixels correspond to a single logical coordinate unit.

blogs.kde.org U.R.L

Die 1486: 05/04/2026

ngo Molnar, the maintainer of the x86 architecture, locking mechanism and task scheduler in the Linux kernel, has revived the topic of deprecating support for i486 processors in the Linux kernel and published a patch that removes the options for building the kernel with support for 486.D.X, 486.S.X, and A.M.D Elan processors (Config M.486, Config M.486.S.X, and Config MELAN). The note points out that very few people use modern Linux kernel branches on legacy 32-bit CPUs, and it was impossible to find any major distributions that continue to publish kernel packages built with the "M.486=y" option.

In a discussion last year, Linus Torvalds stated that he felt the time had come to remove support for the 486 CPU and saw no reason to continue wasting developer time addressing the issues these processors pose. Previously, Linus had raised the possibility of removing support for the 486 CPU in October 2022. Support for the 386 CPU was removed from the kernel in 2012.

lore.kernel.org U.R.L 177485434762.1647592.11669999 891936628676.tip-bot2@tip-bot2/

CozyStack 1.2: 06/04/2026

Cozystack 1.2, an open-source PaaS platform built on Kubernetes, is now available. The project aims to provide a ready-to-use platform for hosting providers and a framework for building private and public clouds. The platform installs directly on servers and covers all aspects of infrastructure preparation for delivering managed services.

Cozystack allows you to launch and provision Kubernetes clusters, databases, and virtual machines. The platform code is available on GitHub and is distributed under the Apache 2.0 license.

The platform includes an open-source network infrastructure (fabric) based on Kube-O.V.N and uses Cilium for service mesh organization and MetalLB for service advertising. Storage is implemented on Linstor, which offers Z.F.S as the underlying storage layer and D.R.B.D for replication. A pre-configured monitoring stack based on VictoriaMetrics and Grafana is included. KubeVirt technology is used to launch virtual machines, enabling the launch of classic virtual machines directly in Kubernetes containers and already includes all the necessary integrations with the Cluster A.P.I for launching managed Kubernetes clusters within a bare-metal Kubernetes cluster. Within the platform, Kafka, FerretDB, Postgresql, Cilium, Grafana, Victoria Metrics, and other services can be deployed with a single click. cozystack.io U.R.L

Red Hat Has Extended Paid Support for R.H.E.L Minor Releases to 6 Years: April 6, 2026, 1:39 P.M (Moscow time)

Red Hat has announced a new paid support program, Extended Life Cycle, Premium, which will provide a 14-year support cycle for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8/9/10 distribution branches: 5 years of full publicly available updates + 5 years of publicly available updates with fixes for serious bugs and vulnerabilities (without adding new features or expanding hardware support) + 4 years of critical issue fixes for paid subscribers.

Long-term support for interim releases will be provided through the release itself. For example, extended updates for the May release of R.H.E.L 10.2 will be generated until May 2032, for the November release of R.H.E.L 10.3 until May 2027, and for the May release of R.H.E.L 10.4 until May 2033. The R.H.E.L 10 branch as a whole will be supported until 2039, the R.H.E.L 9 branch until 2036, and R.H.E.L 8 until 2033.

redhat.com U.R.L

Steam Linux Users on the Rise: 07/04/2026

✓ alve has published its March report analyzing the preferences of Steam game delivery service users. The share of active Steam users using the Linux platform reached 5.33%, which is twice the figure reported in the previous month. Given that Steam has an estimated 132 million active users, 5.33% equates to approximately 7 million users. In the February report, this figure was 2.23%, in January – 3.38%, and in December – 3.58%.

March statistics from the Boiling Steam project, compiled using data from ProtonDB, demonstrate a significant increase in the popularity of Bazitte and CachyOS distributions since last year. In March, CachyOS took the top spot among Linux distributions used by gamers, with a 21.1% share, displacing Arch Linux, which had held the top spot since 2021. Bazitte's share reached 9.5%, placing it fourth.

reddit.com U.R.L linux gaming/comments/1safdlk/ about the hardware survey what is 64 bit and 0 64/

Uutils 0.8: 07/04/2026

The uutils coreutils 0.8.0 (Rust Coreutils) project, a development project for the GNU Coreutils package written in Rust, has been released. coreutils includes over 100 utilities, including sort, cat, chmod, chown, chroot, cp, date, dd, echo, hostname, id, ln, and ls. The project's goal is to create a cross-platform alternative to Coreutils, capable of running on Windows, Redox, and Fuchsia platforms, among others. Rust Coreutils is enabled by default in Ubuntu 25.10 and is used in the AerynOS (Serpent O.S) and Apertis (developed by Collabora) distributions. Unlike GNU Coreutils, the Rust implementation is distributed under the permissive M.I.T license, rather than the copyleft G.P.L. The same team of developers is also developing Rust-based equivalents of the util-linux, diffutils, findutils, procps, and acl utility suites, as well as the sed and login programs.

github.com U.R.L

A.P.T 3.2.0: 08/04/2026

A P.T 3.2.0 (Advanced Package Tool) has been released, incorporating changes accumulated in the experimental 3.1 branch. The new release will soon be integrated into Debian's Unstable and Testing branches, and will also be added to Ubuntu. A.P.T 3.2 will be included in the release of Debian 14. The Ubuntu 26.04 beta uses A.P.T 3.1.16, which is identical to release 3.2.0, except for corrections to the translations of built-in hints and man pages.

salsa.debian.org U.R.L

Miracle-W.M 0.9: 09/04/2026

M atthew Kosarek, a developer at Canonical, has released version 0.9 of the miracle-wm compositing manager, which uses the Wayland protocol and Mir compositing manager components. Miracle-wm supports tiling windows, similar to those in the i3 and Sway projects. A Waybar can be used as a panel. The project's code is written in C++ and distributed under the G.P.L.v.3 license. The finished builds are available in snap format, as well as rpm and deb packages for Fedora and Ubuntu.

Miracle-wm is intended to be useful for users who prefer a tiled layout but desire visual effects and a more vibrant graphical design with smooth transitions and colors. Configuration is defined in yaml format. To install miracle-wm, use the command "sudo snap install miracle-wm --classic."

github.com U.R.L

A Project to Test Freebsd on Laptops: 09/04/2026

The Freebsd Foundation has launched a Freebsd laptop testing project, created as part of an initiative to improve laptop support and enhance the Freebsd user experience. The project aims to gather information on Freebsd compatibility with various hardware used in modern laptops, allowing for a realistic understanding of existing issues and identifying priority areas for improvement. The results of the testing will be published on a summary page, allowing users to assess the level of support for specific laptop models in Freebsd.

Users are encouraged to generate and submit a Freebsd compatibility report for their systems. A script and instructions are provided for creating the report, listing features to check when booting a Freebsd device. The results should be submitted as a pull request to the project's GitHub repository.

freebsdfoundation.org U.R.L

Linux Version of Little Snitch: 09/04/2026

The first release of the Linux version of Little Snitch, a popular application firewall for macOS, has been released. Little Snitch provides a graphical interface for interactively monitoring application network activity and blocking unwanted network traffic. The Linux e.B.P.F subsystem is used for traffic inspection and blocking. The e.B.P.F programs loaded into the kernel, the function library, and the web interface are licensed under the G.P.L.v.2 license. The background process is written in Rust and licensed under a proprietary license that allows redistribution and free use.

The program includes a B.P.F handler loaded into the Linux kernel and a background process called littlesnitch. It is controlled via a web interface accessible by opening the page "http://localhost:3031/" in a browser. The web interface can be used as a standalone web application (P.W.A - Progressive Web App). It runs on systems with Linux kernel 6.12 and later.

news.ycombinator.com U.R.L item?id%3D47697870

Sqlite 3.53: 10/04/2026

Sqlite 3.53, a lightweight database management system implemented as a pluggable library, has been released. Sqlite 3.52 has been cancelled. The Sqlite code is distributed in the public domain, meaning it can be used without restriction and without charge for any purpose. A consortium created specifically for this purpose provides financial support for the Sqlite developers.

sqlite.org U.R.L 3 underscore 53 underscore 0.html

Deepin 25.1: 10/04/2026

Deeping 25.1 has been released. It features the Deepin Desktop Environment (D.D.E), along with approximately 40 user applications, including the Deepin Music music player, Deepin Movie video player, and the Deepin Store installer and software installation center. The project was founded by a group of developers from China but has since transformed into an international project. The distribution's repository contains over 8,000 packages. The project is licensed under the G.P.L.v.3 license. The bootable I.S.O images are 6.8 G.B in size (amd64, arm64, riscv64, and loongarch64).

Desktop components and applications are developed using C/C++ and Go. The graphical interface is built using the Qt library. A key feature of the Deepin desktop is the panel, which supports multiple operating modes. Classic mode more clearly separates open windows from suggested applications, and displays the system tray. Performance mode is somewhat reminiscent of Unity, mixing indicators for running programs, favorite applications, and control applets (volume/brightness controls, connected drives, clock, network status, etcetera). The application launcher interface offers two modes: browsing favorite applications and navigating the installed applications directory.

deepin.org U.R.L

Cage 0.3: 11/04/2026

Cage 0.3, a Wayland-based composite server designed to run standalone applications in kiosk mode, has been released. Cage's intended applications include home automation systems, demo stands, electronic signage, and self-service kiosks. The project's code is written in C and licensed under the M.I.T license.

The Cage interface is limited to a single application and the user cannot exit this application or access the operating system. The screen is bound to a single output device and all auxiliary dialogs are centered on the screen and cannot be moved or resized. Data can be inserted and retrieved via the clipboard. Applications are directly linked to the running graphical environment; for example, to create a kiosk with the Epiphany browser, simply run "cage /usr/bin/ epiphany." After exiting the program, the composite server also terminates.

github.com U.R.L

The French Migrating From Windows to Linux: 11/04/2026

D avid Amiel, France's Minister of Budget, Public Accounts, and Civil Administration, announced plans to migrate some computers in government agencies from Windows to Linux. The migration is part of an initiative to ensure digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on non-European tech companies.

Amiel emphasized that the French government can no longer tolerate not having control over its data and digital infrastructure. The transition timeline and the Linux distribution to be deployed have not yet been specified. Workstations in the Interministerial Directorate for Digitalization (DINUM) have been decided to be the first to migrate to Linux. Ministries have been instructed to prepare their own plans by autumn to reduce dependence on non-European technologies, covering workstations, collaborative development tools, antivirus software, A.I systems, database management systems, virtualization platforms, and network equipment.

linux.slashdot.org U.R.L

Trisquel 12.0: 12/04/2026

Three years after the previous release, Trisquel 12.0, a completely free Linux distribution based on Ubuntu 24.04 L.T.S, is now available. It's designed for small businesses, educational institutions, and home users. Trisquel has been personally endorsed by Richard Stallman, officially recognized by the Free Software Foundation as completely free, and added to the Foundation's list of recommended distributions. Installation images are available for download: 3.4 G.B (Mate), 2.7 G.B (K.D.E), 1.9 G.B (L.X.D.E), 1.5 G.B (Sugar), and 79 M.B (network boot), built for the x86 64, P.P.C.64el, A.R.M.64, and A.R.M.H.F architectures. Updates for the distribution will be released until April 2029.

The distribution is notable for its exclusion of all non-free components, such as binary drivers, firmware, and graphical elements distributed under a non-free license or using registered trademarks. Despite the complete rejection of proprietary components, Trisquel is compatible with Java (Openjdk) and supports most audio and video formats, including playback of protected D.V.D's, while using only completely free implementations of these technologies. Mate (default), L.X.D.E, and K.D.E are offered as desktop environments.

trisquel.info U.R.L

Linux Kernel 7.0: 13/04/2024

After two months of development, Linus Torvalds released the Linux kernel, 7.0. Some of the most notable changes include: rules for using A.I assistants, moving Rust into the core kernel, improved swap performance, enabling Preempt Lazy mode by default, filter support for io uring operations, the new Nullfs filesystem, the fก็rerror framework, X.F.S monitoring tools, remapping support in Btrfs, enabling N.F.S 4.1 by default, integrating the post-quantum M.L.-D.S.A cryptographic algorithm, activating Ak.E.C.N in the network subsystem, and initial support for WiFi 8.

The number 7.0 was assigned because the 6.x branch had accumulated enough releases to warrant a change to the first digit of the version number (release 6.0 was originally released following 5.19). The numbering change is done for aesthetic reasons and is a formal step to alleviate the discomfort caused by the accumulation of a large number of releases in the series. The new version incorporates 15,624 fixes from 2,477 developers, with a patch size of 56 M.B (changes affected 18,053 files, adding 704,060 lines of code and removing 278,132 lines). The previous release included 15,657 fixes from 2,237 developers, with a patch size of 52 M.B. About 51% of all changes in 7.0 are related to device drivers, approximately 11% of changes are related to updates to code specific to hardware architectures, 14% are related to the network stack, 5% are related to file systems, and 3% are related to internal kernel subsystems.

lore.kernel.org U.R.L H.x.-N.x.K.M.R.V.T.V.M.U.a.Q.i.s.7%2B.V.m.6.X.L.R.Z.i w@mail.gmail.com/T/%23u

Openbsd Renamed P.F.S.Y.N.C Field After False A.I Vulnerability Report: 13/04/2024

Theo de Raadt renamed a field in the pfsync packet header after receiving a false vulnerability report generated by A.I tools. The"pfcksum [P.F._M.D.5._D.I.G.E.S.T LENGTH]" field was renamed to"spare [16]" because the A.I model assumed the pfcksum name indicated that the field stored a hash or checksum of the packet contents and, since the field was not verified, assumed the code contained a vulnerability.

Teo explained that early in pfsync's development, this field was added to store a ruleset hash to optimize state checking. This idea was ultimately abandoned, but the field was retained for backward compatibility and was always filled with zeros. In the code, this field was merely referenced in the packet structure, but was neither checked nor filled.

The generated A.I report claimed a vulnerability based on the assumption that the field is calculated when sending a packet but not verified upon receipt. The report explained in detail, the operating principle and the source of the problem, but in reality, it was an A.I hallucination, concocted solely based on the use of the words "pfcksum" and "P.F._M.D.5._D.I.G.E.S.T LENGTH" in the code. The person using the A.I to find the vulnerability didn't bother to verify the results before submitting the report. undeadly.org U.R.L

New Versions of Scribus 1.6.6 and 1.7.3: 14/04/2024

Scribus 1.6.6, has been released. This package provides tools for professional layout of printed materials, includes P.D.F generation tools, and supports separate color profiles, C.M.Y.K, spot colors, and I.C.C. The program is written using the Qt toolkit and is licensed under the G.P.L.v.2+ license. Ready-to-use binary builds are available for Linux (AppImage), macOS, and Windows. Version 1.6.6 primarily fixes bugs, cleans up the code of many plugins, improves scaling when importing documents from M.S Publisher, and adds files for building in M.S.V.C 2026 using the Windows 10 S.D.K.

Scribus 1.7.3 was released at the same time. Branch 1.7 is being presented as experimental; after final stabilization and readiness for widespread deployment, the stable release Scribus 1.8.0 will be based on branch 1.7. Branch 1.7 is notable for its porting to Qt 6, dark theme support, icon conversion to S.V.G, a new implementation of dockable toolbars, and a redesigned color picker. Builds are available for Linux (AppImage, Flatpak), macOS, and Windows.

scribus.net U.R.L

Openbgpd 9.1: 14/04/2024

Openbgpd 9.1, a portable version of the routing package developed by the Openbsd project developers and adapted for use on Freebsd and Linux was announced. Portability is ensured by using code from the Openntpd, Openssh, and Libressl projects. The project supports most of the B.G.P 4 specifications and is R.F.C.8212 compliant, but does not attempt to be too comprehensive, focusing primarily on the most commonly used and requested features.

Openbgpd is being developed with the support of the regional internet registrar RIPE N.C.C, which is interested in bringing Openbgpd's functionality to a point where it is suitable for use on servers for routing at inter-operator traffic exchange points (I.X.P's) and in creating a full-fledged alternative to the Bird package.

mail-archive.com U.R.L

Openssl 4.0.0: 14/04/2024

Openssl 4.0.0, an implementation of the T.L.S protocol and various encryption algorithms, has been released. Openssl 4.0 is a regular support release, with updates available for 13 months. Support for the three previous Openssl releases (3.6, 3.5 L.T.S, 3.4, and 3.0 L.T.S) will continue until November 2026, April 2030, October 2026, and September 2026, respectively. The project's code is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.

openssl-library.org U.R.L

Raspbian 2026-04-13: 15/04/2024

The Raspberry Pi Project has released a new version of the Raspberry Pi O.S distribution, 2026-04-13 (Raspbian). The distribution is based on Debian 13 and contains approximately 35,000 packages in the repository. The desktop environment is based on the labwc composite server, which uses the wlroots library from the Sway project. Three builds are available for download: a slimmed-down version (537 M.B) for server systems, a basic desktop version (1.2 G.B), and a full version with an additional set of applications (1.9 G.B). Builds are available for 32-and 64-bit architectures. An update for the older Raspberry Pi O.S release (Legacy) has also been created, built on Debian 12.

raspberrypi.com U.R.L

X. Org Server 21.1.22 Update: 15/04/2024

Corrective releases of X.Org Server 21.1.22 and the Device-Dependent X (D.D.X) component xwayland 24.1.10 have been published. These releases enable X.Org Server to run X.11 applications in Wayland-based environments. These new versions address five vulnerabilities. Some of these vulnerabilities can potentially be exploited to escalate privileges on systems running the X server as root, as well as for remote code execution in configurations that use X.11 session forwarding via S.S.H.

lists.x.org U.R.L

Zorin O.S 18.1: 16/04/2024

Zorin O.S 18.1, a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu 24.04, has been released. Zorin O.S 18, released six months ago, has been downloaded 3.3 million times, with approximately 80% of all downloads coming from Windows users. Updates for Zorin O.S 18.1 will continue to be released until June 2029. Three I.S.O images (Core, Lite, and Education) are available for download, with sizes ranging from 4.G.B to 8.G.B.

Zorin O.S uses Gnome as the desktop platform, with a set of custom add-ons and a panel based on Dash to Panel and Dash to Dock. Zorin Connect (based on K.D.E Connect) is included for desktop integration with smartphones. In addition to deb packages and Ubuntu repositories, support for Flatpak, AppImage, and Snap formats is enabled by default, with the ability to install programs from Flathub and the Snap Store.

-

Draft Specification for the I.P.v.8 Protocol: 16/04/2024

The first draft of the I.P.v.8 protocol specification is posted for discussion on the website of the Internet Engineering Task Force (I.E.T.F), the organization responsible for developing internet protocols and architecture. The document, proposed by a third-party company, One Limited, was created outside the I.E.T.F standardization process and has the status of "Internet Draft" (anyone can publish such a draft, provided they comply with the formalities). I.P.v.8 is notable for its use of Oauth2 J.W.T tokens for authorization of network elements and verification of each established outgoing connection via a D.N.S.8 query (without a D.N.S.8 query, no entry is created in the X.L.A.T.E.8 state table (similar to NAT), and the connection is blocked).

I.P.v.8 addressing is similar to IPV4—the IPV4 address space is a subset of I.P.v.8, and an I.P.v.8 address is formed by combining the routing prefix (autonomous system number) with the IPV4 address ( less than asn greater than .nnnn). A zero routing prefix (0.nnnn) results in a regular IPV4 address that can be used to communicate with existing IPV4 networks. Essentially, each autonomous system is allocated its own IPV4 range. The I.P field in the packet header specifies the version number 8, and 64 bits are allocated for the source and destination addresses—32 bits for the A.S.N prefix and 32 bits for the IPV4-style host address.

- https://news.ycombinator.com/ item?id%3D47788857

DistroWatch. com Put The Fun Back Into Computing. Use Linux, B.S.D.

Command & Conquer

Laptop Game Server

was speaking with a colleague in India who was going to set up his kid's laptop as a game server. While the laptop was running a different Linux distribution, not Ubuntu, I thought it would make a great article.

Let's first talk about ports… and don't mean different sweet wines. We will provide a handy guide for you to interact with these elusive beasts. By now, you may have realised that you cannot interact with ports from the network settings panel in Ubuntu. You may know that ports have numbers, but you don't know why.

Imagine coming up to a toll road. There are many booths and each lane is numbered. In some you can pay with cash, in some you can only pay by card, in others you can drive through with automated billing, etcetera. This is sort of like ports work on your network highway.

Port numbers serve as toll booths that allow computers to send data to specific services or processes during data transfer.

I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole that is networking, but suffice to say, your Ubuntu laptop talks to the “world” via T.C.P or U.D.P. T.C.P is what is known as a connection-oriented protocol, and U.D.P as a connectionless protocol. T.C.P (Transmission Control Protocol) is the meticulous one, with its fancy three way handshake, (like all the cool kids do) making sure data is delivered and getting a receipt for every packet it delivers. U.D.P (User Datagram Protocol) is the opposite, with its devil-may-care attitude towards packets and greater speeds, due to not having to check things twice.

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of a terminal displaying network socket information. It shows a list of UDP and TCP connections, including their states, local addresses and ports, and peer addresses and ports. Most UDP connections are in an unconnected state, while TCP connections are in a listening state. The local addresses vary, including both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The peer addresses are mostly unspecified, indicating connections are waiting for incoming requests. The TCP connections appear to be listening on various ports, potentially for different services.

The way Indian scammers usually work, is they either open or get you to run a netstat command to see all the ports in use. These days, netstat is not installed in Ubuntu by default, but you can add it by running: sudo apt install nettools Netstat is a wonderful tool, however, it is not the only tool to view ports with. Ubuntu comes with “ss”. Go ahead, type ss in a terminal and hit enter.

We will focus on ss as it is default and does not require elevated privileges like netstat does. If you know netstat, you know -tuna and -tunl. If you do not, I suggest that you visit the manpage.

Now for ss, (Socket Statistics) – that is basically just a quicker version of netstat. We, as Ubuntu users can memorise the options mnemonic quite easily, if you don't want to dig into the weeds. Try typing: ss -luntu (If you want to dig, the manpage is great.)

- let me give you the highlights: l – ports that you are listening on u – U.D.P ports in use n – give numeric I.P addresses t – T.C.P ports in use

Image summary:The image is a screenshot of a terminal displaying the output of the `lsof -i` command. The command lists open files and network connections. The output shows various processes, their process IDs, users, file descriptors, types of connections (IPv4 or IPv6, TCP or UDP), device numbers, and node names. Some processes are listening on specific ports, while others are connected to remote addresses. The systemd-resolve process has multiple IPv4 connections. The avahi-daemon process has both IPv4 and IPv6 connections. The dnsmasq process uses IPv4 connections, and the cupsd process uses both IPv6 and IPv4 connections.

C&C

this opens port 3389 (R.D.P port)

How-To

Compact Virtualbox Disks

In F.C.M#227, Erik presented a tutorial on re-sizing VirtualBox guest O.S disks. There is another V.M-related disk maintenance task that is good to do periodically - compacting guest O.S's 'vdi' file. These have a habit of expanding over time. This slow growth is tolerable when the V.M is a distro you want to have a look at or test, but V.M's performing a server role need to be backed up regularly, and any float in the vdi files wastes both time and space. I have had one expand from 11.5 G.B to 15.3 G.B. So, compacting every now and again is worthwhile.

Compacting virtual disk files can't be done from the VirtualBox G.U.I; we need to run commands in the terminal, and the V.M must be stopped. So the sequence is; stop the V.M, compact the vdi file, and start the V.M again.

We will use the Vboxmanage command to do the compaction. This command has a huge number of parameters, and it takes quite a while to get comfortable with using it. To get a feel for the complexity, run this command to pipe the options to a text file;

Vboxmanage --help >Vboxmanage-options.txt

and you get a 37 K.B file to peruse.

I will use a V.M of Xubuntu 25.04 that was created after Adam's review of the distro in F.C.M#224. I allocated a maximum virtual disk file size of 30 G.B.

First, I open a terminal and cd into the folder holding this V.M's files. To list the installed virtuals;

Vboxmanage list vms

"Windows 10" {ac5985ea-0903-499a-913e-445b8f502ed3} "Xubuntu 25.10" {4acb090d-5421-48c5-a10e-15a544db9779} "Server Ubuntu" {2732575c-3e41-4b36-9b57-9b807a194de1} "Deepin 25" {cb99d947-cdf6-4be9-bb55-7975cb090370} and we can see which ones are currently running;

Vboxmanage list runningvms "Xubuntu 25.10" {4acb090d-5421-48c5-a10e-15a544db9779}

We need to stop the V.M;

Vboxmanage controlvm "Xubuntu 25.10" poweroff

0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%... 60%...70%...80%...90%...100%

We check the size of the vdi file before compacting it;

ls -lh *.vdi

..... 8.4 G Mar 29 13 29 'Xubuntu 25.10.vdi' Now we run the command to compact;

Vboxmanage modifymedium --compact ./Xubuntu 25.10.vdi

0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%... 60%...70%...80%...90%...100%

In my example the compaction took less than 10 secs. Now we can start the V.M again; Vboxmanage startvm "Xubuntu 25.10" Waiting for V.M "Xubuntu 25.10" to power on... V.M "Xubuntu 25.10" has been successfully started.

Now we can check the post-compact vdi file size;

ls -lh *.vdi

..... 5.2 G Mar 29 19 36 'Xubuntu 25.10.vdi' The vdi file shrunk from 8.4 G.B to 5.2 G.B; that's a significant saving.

You can collect up the commands used in this sequence into a bash script to make life a little simpler next time your vdi files need a little care. Be aware though that the Vboxmanage command must be run under your credentials. Running it as root will fail. So if you create a script to automate the steps in compacting your V.M vdi files, and you want to schedule it using either cron or a systemd timer, you need to ensure the script runs as you, not root.

How-To

Godot Intro Pt. 6

○ K, in the last issue, we placed a sprite. Why? Because we need a visual representation, it won't be fun playing a game with invisible players and enemies and obstacles now...

First observation, placing order matters. We placed our sprite after our collision shape, and the icon was placed over the collision shape. If we swap the two, the reverse is true and the collision shape is placed over the sprite.

This will be true for all your compound objects that you create. You can test this out, by dragging the collision shape before and after the sprite. Just don't drag it as a child of the sprite (as a branch of the sprite and not the StaticBody2D. This is a common mistake you need to be aware of, because it is easy to miss.

We are not too worried about placement in our tutorial, as collision shapes are not displayed when the scene is run, unless we specifically turn it on.

Let's go ahead and drag the sprite into the shape of a floor. (Rectangle) Repeat for the collision shape. As you can see, mine is randomly placed. This is our first mistake that we will fix, and I'll explain why along the way.

Since this is just an object and not a level or world, it is sort of a blueprint for floors. We can go to our main “world” node and import as many floors as we like, however, since the collision shape and sprite do not align, if I were to drop something on the floor, it would stop at the collision shape, as that is where objects interact. That is why it is important that objects be on their own, in their own scene.

That way, when I need to correct all the placed floors in my world, I just do it once, here, on the “blueprint”. We will go there in the future, but let us get something to drop onto the floor.

Image summary: This is a screenshot of the Godot Engine interface. The interface shows a 2D scene being edited, with a Sprite2D node selected in the scene tree. The inspector panel on the right displays the properties of the selected Sprite2D node. The scene appears to be a simple game environment, possibly with a water effect. The user is likely in the process of creating or modifying a game level using the Godot Engine.

We can start by making a new scene (you remember how to do that?) and we will name it ball. I was going to say rock, but I want it to bounce, to show you something. Just like with the floor, I want you to go ahead and rinse and repeat what we did for the floor, the only difference will be instead of a StaticBody2D, the base node will be a RigidBody2D. Why you may ask? Well, the answer is in the description of the RigidBody2D. Read it before adding it. You can leave the collision shape as rectangle and leave the icon square. Round is a social construct...L.O.L.

So why am I not showing you how to do it? I have already explained the process, step-by-step and you should be able to do it from there, also doing is learning.

Right, now we have the basics, a level screen, floor tile and a ball. Each of the objects have a collision shape attached to them, so they can interact with each other. How they interact with each other is determined by their node type.

I hope you saved each object as their own dot tres file.

Now we can make some magic happen. Click on your “world” or “level” or “bob” scene, the first one you made. Eyes left, to the scene tree and click on the chain link icon (next to the plus). Select the floor and place it. Now make sure that the top-most node is selected and repeat the process for the ball.

Image summary: This is a screenshot of the Godot Engine, a game development environment. The image displays the editor interface with a scene named 'world' open. The scene contains a StaticBody2D and a ball object. The inspector panel on the right shows properties for the 'ball' object, specifically a RigidBody2D with attributes like mass and gravity scale. The file system panel shows the project's resources, including scene files and an icon. The setup suggests that the user is in the process of creating a simple physics simulation involving a ball and a static object.

This is where things are slightly different, you see, when you “link” an object, you can move that linked object simply by clicking and dragging it. You don't have to worry that you will accidentally drag the collision shape off, only. This is why I told you to make scenes as blueprints in their own dot tres files.

Now hit F.6, which is “run current scene” and watch your ball drop like a rock... and in my case, hover above my floor. Hit stop. Now instead of me faffing on my world screen, I go back to my floor tab, and click on any of my objects in my scene tree, then eyes right, to the inspector, and I try to find something named “Transform” which is a property of a Node2d, not a sprite.

A quick way to make it all line up, is to hit the reset button next to"position". And my sprite will jump back to (0,0). Now I do that with my collision shape too, and viola! Both are aligned and I save my changes.

If I were to go back to my "world" tab again and hit F.6 – my square ball now drops onto my floor perfectly.

But it is a "ball", shouldn't it bounce? Why does this damn thing not read my mind?

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of the Godot Engine interface. The interface displays a scene named 'floor' with a StaticBody2D node containing a CollisionShape2D and a Sprite2D node. The Sprite2D node is selected, and its properties are visible in the Inspector panel, including its position and scale. The scene appears to be in 2D mode, and the file system panel shows various scene files, including 'floor.tscn' and 'icon.svg'. The engine version and debugging status are also visible in the interface. The Sprite2D node is centered, and its offset is set to zero. The position and scale of the Sprite2D node can be adjusted through the inspector panel.

Let's go to the ball scene again and click on the RigidBody2D we named “ball”, then eyes right again. The RigidBody2D has different properties, the first being “mass”. If we change this to zero, the ball does not fall.

You will also see the “Gravity Scale”. They are both “1.0”, but I want you to play with them and go back to “world”, and when you press F.6, observe the changes. It sure is fun in the negative ranges. Now reset it all back to 1.0 and save.

The other two I want you to go play with, are under "Linear" -> "Velocity" and "Angular" -> "Velocity". This applies a constant force to our ball. To experience it better, I suggest turning gravity to 0. All of this can be done in the "ball" scene. That is how you test out things before committing them.

Velocity, however, does not equal force, so you will see "Constant Forces" in the list as well. This will add or subtract a force vector, *all the time. Just like you learned in school, if you apply a constant force to a moving object, you have acceleration, and your ball will move faster and faster as it moves.

Right, now that you played with the settings, you may have noticed we found no "bounce". We only have a paperweight named "ball". This really tripped me up when I tried to make a "Pang!" clone. I can tell you that it is not apparent. I got quite frustrated. To save you the hassle, look at "Physics material" and it is <empty greater than . Let's give it one, click on "New Physics Material" and it will now say, "New Physics Material"... yay?

Hidden menu time again! Click on the words to reveal the menu. This is why you need to do it with me, as it will create muscle memory.

Suddenly, we have "Bounce" as an option! Please play a bit, but we will want "1.0" as our value. Why? Because we want it to bounce back to its origin. Save and F.6 to see your handiwork.

In the game "Pang", the balls of a certain size, all bounce a certain height and don't go lower. Now I want you to go to your "floor" and see if you can find a similar setting. work with what we have.

Nice note to end on: we have a bouncing ball, on a floor, without one line of code! You have learned where to look in the inspector for settings related to your objects. In the next issue we will see how to As always, misc@fullcirclemagazine.org if you want to lay an egg.

How-To Written by Robert Boardman

Another month, another set of topics for Latex. Yay! This time I will look at a few of the topics at ctan.org that start with "S". I discovered there are quite a few languages in this topic: Samin (Scandinavia), Sanskrit (India), Scottish Gaelic (Scotland), Serbian (Serbia et al), Slovak (Slovakia), Slovenian (Slovenia), Somali (Somalia), Sorbian (Germany), Spanish (many countries) and Swedish (Sweden and Finland). There is also a topic for typesetting as done in Switzerland. You may be aware there are four official languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh. I do not work with any of these language-specific or country-specific packages.

The first topic that caught my eye was the security topic. There are eleven packages listed in security. A few are to encrypt documents. I do not know much about cryptography so I avoided these. There is a package called "censor" which allows the user to redact portions of documents. Redaction is the replacement of characters with black boxes so it looks like someone has gone through the document and used a black marker to cross out words. Redaction is used to hide sensitive or private information when private documents are viewed by people who should not see that information. Not all redacted documents are generated by security forces (police for example). Redaction can be used to hide commercial information from competitors.

The censor package was updated about one year ago. The twenty-page documentation is clear, with lots of examples of both code and the results of using the code. Censor can redact individual words, phrases, paragraphs, entire tables or individual table cells, math equations and others.

The size of the blackout can be adjusted if desired. This looks like a very useful package for those who are required to work in secure environments or with secure documents. A sample is included with this column. usepackage{censor} {document}

The location of Plant~2 is 668 Lakeshore Ave West.

The location of Plant~2 is {668 Lakeshore Ave West.} ...

The location of Plant 2 is 608 Lakeshore Ave West. Plant 2 produces components for the cooling system for Model A.H.9.8.7. It is vital production continues uninterrupted for the next three months. The location of Plant 2 is _ _ Plant 2 produces components for the cooling system for _ _ It is vital production continues uninterrupted for the next three months.

There are nine packages listed in the Spell topic. Four were designed to run in D.O.S and Windows: amspell, fourspell, jspell. Texspell. One was built to run on V.M.S-V.A.X, one runs on Macintosh systems: excalibur. Ispell has been superseded by Aspell. (You may already be familiar with Aspell.) The last one, spelling, runs with LuaTex so I cannot test it on my system. I use TexStudio for my Latex work. It has a built-in spell checker.

Of course, spell checkers are only useful if you know the correct spelling of the word you are trying to type. When I look at the list of packages in the Statistics topics I wish I had learned more statistics and economics. Then I could make more sense out of the short package descriptions listed here. My problem is not so much understanding the descriptions, the words make sense.

However I do not know how to illustrate the use of most of these packages. Unlike most of the others the econometrics package is easy to use, I have no idea when I would need to use it.

The econometrics package contains commands for notation in econometric writing. It follows the standards proposed in a paper by Abadir and Magnus in 2002. (If you want the full citation go to ctan.org and search for the econometrics package.) Sets can be indicated using the single upper case letters C, N, Q, R and Z. Vectors are named with lower case Latin and Greek letters, matrices by upper case Latin and Greek letters. There is a list of about fifteen constants, distributions and other symbols which can be generated by the package. There are many other short-form commands for many other terms in common use in economics, econometrics and statistics. There are some samples available as part of this column.

The code for the example is shown top right.

Image summary:The image is a list of mathematical notations and their meanings. It includes the set of natural numbers, vector a, vector beta, matrix J, Euler's constant, and binomial distribution. It also includes the partial derivative of a function and the integer part of a number. The image provides a quick reference for common mathematical notations and their definitions. The use of the phrase "should be obvious" suggests that the intended audience has some familiarity with calculus.

The three additional packages are required and must be loaded as packages. The econometrics package will not load them on its own. Note the use of dollar backslash... backslash dollar to tell Latex each line contains math. Without a math command (backslash... or dollar backslash ellipsis dollar) or dollar backslash... backslash dollar the code will generate errors.

Some of the symbols and operators can be generated using amsmath and amssymb without econometrics. This package puts the commonly used math symbols and operators in one standard package.

I took a look at the statistics package. My knowledge of statistics stops with being able to generate graphs from data and recognizing a few of the resulting curves. This package intimidates me. It will generate tables and graphs from raw data: frequency tables, distribution functions, bar graphs, histograms, part graphs and more. The author claims “every part of the generated tables or graphs is customizable.” The documentation is fifty-five pages long, Twenty-seven pages are devoted to helping users take full advantage of the available features.

There is another package for statistics with only six pages of documentation. It provides commands for a long list of "operators" used in statistics which are not available in the amsmath package. However the documentation lists all the available shortcut commands. The lists are not useful to me because I do not write papers on this subject.

There is a topic called std-conform. It contains a long list of packages, most of them are styles or classes for specific institutions like the Bern University of Applied Sciences or the University of Western Australia. Some have more common applicability like Apa7 and Isomath. I did not explore any of these packages. These packages show how widespread the use of Latex is.

I wondered why there is a subdocs topic. It is quite easy to divide a long work into sub documents and then combine all the sections when the document is compiled. Because of the required coding it is not possible to compile a sub-document separately from the main document. That means a writer cannot find coding errors in one sub-document without generating a P.D.F for all the sub-documents.

A writer can exclude compilation of all sub-documents by commenting out the unnecessary ones but this can be inconvenient or tedious. The childdoc package resolves these issues. However it uses a special syntax which must be followed exactly. Read the documentation carefully before using this package. (I chose not to give an example since the code and the resulting P.D.F would use a lot of space.)

Because of my background in science and math I was attracted to the subsup list of packages. Most of the time simply using textsubscript and textsuperscript commands will serve the purpose. In math mode the underscore can be used to indicate subscripts and the caret for superscripts. Isotopes require sub- Begin document. Subscripts normally indicated using textsubscript{text} and textsuperscript{text}: x sub 2 superscript 5. This is not adequate in some situations. A short demonstration of nuclear isotope notation using the ''nuc'' package. H 2, H 3, C 12, C 14 and superscripts on the left side of the element. The “nuc” package provides a macro which only requires the atomic mass and the element symbol to generate complete isotope notation. The examples show the deuterium and tritium isotopes of hydrogen as well as two isotopes of carbon.

Subscripts normally indicated using textsubsc scripttext: x sub 2 superscript 5. This is not adequate in some situat A short demonstration of nuclear isotope notati H, H, C, C For those readers interested in something more trivial, some relief from academia, there are some Sudoku packages and a package for generating crosswords in the Sudoku topic. I took a look at the package called Sudoku. It will generate a 9x9 grid quickly and easily. There are several options available to change the different features of the generated grid. You can read about them in the documentation. Latex can be used to have fun as well as assist with work projects.

There are several interesting topics under the letter T. Join me next time to learn more about the fascinating and complex tools available in Latex.

An example of the Sudoku package. This is obviously not a genuine puzzle. begin Sudoku

Table summary: The table presents identical rows of data. Each row contains the same set of values across its columns.

How-To Written by Mark Crutch

Inkscape - Part 168

As well as the core functionality, Inkscape can be enhanced through the use of extensions. These are external programs that process your Inkscape document and return a modified version. As you might imagine, the scope of what "process" and "modified version" mean is vast: in theory an extension could do just about anything to your document. This allows extensions to provide features that are well outside the capabilities of the core application, often filling very specific niches.

Extensions are made available from within Inkscape through the Extensions menu and its many sub-menus. The standard distributable packages come with a large number pre-installed. I've looked at some of these in the past, but extensions have come and gone over the years, and there are many that I haven't covered previously.

I'm therefore going to spend some time looking at each of the extensions that ship by default with the Applimage release of version 1.4.3 that I'm running on my Ubuntu Mate machine. If my older articles still apply, I'll direct you towards them (there's no point reiterating the same content, even if it would do wonders for my word count). For the rest, I'll try to give at least a cursory overview of their functionality, if I can – and go into more depth if it's warranted.

Let's get started at the top of the Extensions menu with the first three items – which aren't actually extensions themselves. The 'Previous Extension' entry is only enabled if you've previously run an extension in your current editing session. Selecting this will re-run the last extension you executed, with the same parameters.

This can be useful for extensions that have an incremental effect, and may need to be run several times to get your desired result. It's also useful if you need to undo the effects of an extension in order to move items around, or change your selection – but otherwise want to run it again with the same settings.

Table summary: The table presents keyboard shortcuts for navigating extensions, accessing extension settings, and opening the extension gallery. Some shortcuts are defined while others are not.

If you don't want to use the same settings, the second entry has you covered. This will also re-run the previous extension, but will show the settings dialog, if the extension has one. Inkscape follows classic U.I tradition in showing an ellipsis ('…') after the name of any extension that has a settings dialog, so you can identify which ones will require additional input before you run them.

This does mean that selecting this entry will behave differently based on whether or not the last extension you ran falls into that category. If it does, the dialog will be shown – providing you with an opportunity to cancel the operation. If it doesn't then this menu item behaves the same as the first one, and will just run the last-used extension with no further input required, but also no opportunity to change your mind before the operation takes place.

The “Extension Gallery” is a new addition to Inkscape 1.4, which I covered in detail in F.C.M #219. It provides a more visual interface for running extensions, compared with a hierarchical list of names. This dialog is particularly useful for searching for an extension by typing its (partial) name, but I have some doubts whether the gallery view offers much more insight into the effects of most extensions than the names alone.

At the very bottom of the Extensions menu is another administrative tool that's not an extension. It's the "Manage Extensions..." entry, which is supposed to open an extensions manager dialog for installing additional extensions from the internet. Unfortunately, this crashes quite reliably on my machine, regardless of the version of Inkscape I use (and I have many to choose from). Even the packaged D.E.B copy of 1.2 that I installed from the Ubuntu repositories has the same problem, so it's not limited to the Applmage versions, and appears to be due to some missing dependencies on my machine. As such, I'm not in a position to describe this dialog any further at this time.

Let's move on to the extensions themselves, starting from the top...

Algorithm 1 summary: This code defines mathematical notation and symbols commonly used in econometrics and mathematics. It introduces symbols for sets of natural numbers, vectors, matrices, Euler's constant, the Binomial distribution, derivative notation, and the integer part function. It establishes a symbolic representation for mathematical concepts, making subsequent formulas and equations more readable and concise.

Figure 5 summary: The table presents a pattern of identical rows, each containing the same sequence of numbers. The numbers are consistently arranged with the same values in corresponding positions across all rows.

Arrange greater than Deep Ungroup...

I described this extension in some detail back in F.C.M #131, and very little has changed since then. The U.I has gained a single extra control: a checkbox labelled 'Preserve Layers'.

Table summary: The table describes the parameters for ungrouping objects, including starting and stopping depths, the depth to keep, and an option to preserve layers.

Remembering that S.V.G has no real concept of layers, and that Inkscape fakes them by using S.V.G groups ( less than g> elements) with a custom attribute, the addition of this checkbox makes sense. With this enabled, ungrouping will only occur within layers, but those special layer-groups themselves will not be flattened further. This provides a good compromise between being able to ungroup deeply nested objects in your drawing while still preserving the higher-level structure.

It may seem like an obvious choice to just enable this checkbox as a matter of course. Depending on the source of your deeply nested objects, however, this may not be the best option. Now that Inkscape has a unified 'Layers and Objects' dialog that shows the groups and layers in a single interface, it's a lot easier to make a judgement call as to whether preserving layers is worthwhile. Some third-party clipart, or programmatically generated files such as chart exports, can be so deeply nested that the easiest option is just to ungroup everything, and sort out re-creating the layers you want afterwards.

One option that isn't always considered is to copy the deeply nested parts that you're interested in to a separate file, ungroup them there, then re-group them as a single-level group before copy-pasting them back into the original document. This might be useful, for example, for dealing with a single deeply-nested clipart object in the otherwise fairly shallow structure of your own document.

Arrange greater than Restack...

This was also covered in detail in F.C.M#131, but has not changed at all in the intervening years, as far as I can tell.

Color greater than Black and White...

This simply changes the fill and/or stroke colors of your objects to black or white, based on the threshold value you provide. It's well worth using the 'Live preview' option, as the result of this operation isn't as predictable as you might expect. The human eye is more sensitive to some colors than others, so the threshold required for red objects won't be the same as that required for green ones, for example.

Image summary:The image is a screenshot of a software interface window. The window is titled "Black and White" and contains options for adjusting the threshold color, with a numerical input field and increment/decrement buttons. There is also a "Live preview" checkbox and "Close" and "Apply" buttons. The interface allows the user to modify the threshold color and preview the effect, then apply or close the window.

Threshold Colour (1 to 255):

Inkscape now provides color pickers using the O.K.H.S.L format, which makes it easier to select colors with similar perceived intensity (though not as good as O.K.L.A.B, which Inkscape doesn't offer yet, although it is supported in modern C.S.S. However, it's important to note that the selected value is still stored using R.G.B format, and it's those values that this extension operates on. In other words, even using the O.K.H.S.L picker won't cause this extension to behave in a more predictable way, unfortunately.

Color greater than Brighter

This makes the colors of the selected objects brighter. But just a little bit. There's no U.I to select the amount of the brightness increase, so it's a good candidate for repeated use of the 'Previous Extension' menu entry. For my test document, I found I needed to run this extension 5 times to make an obvious change to my image.

Again, this operates on the R.G.B values, so suffers the same issues with human perception as most of these color extensions.

Color greater than Custom...

This lets you apply a custom function to each of the R, G and B components of the selected objects' fill and stroke colors. As with the other color extensions you can't specify whether the change should only affect the fill, the stroke, or both, which is rather a shame.

Image summary: The image shows a custom settings window. The window allows users to define functions for red, green and blue color channels. The red function is set to multiply the red value by a factor of two, the green function divides the green value by two and adds zero point five, and the blue function subtracts zero point two from the blue value. The input color range is set from zero to one. The red channel is amplified, while the green and blue channels are diminished.

The functions you supply are rather limited in syntax. You can add, subtract, multiply and divide – but trying something more complex such as “sin r” (which I tried in various formats) will fail with an error dialog.

An obvious use is something like "r / 2" in the R channel while leaving the G and B values alone, to halve the value of the red component of the color. But you can also combine the different channels: "r / g", for example, to divide the red component value by the green component value, perhaps even putting the result back into the B channel.

Whether or not this level of control is actually useful to you is another matter. I suspect that it's probably too complex for most users, but also not powerful enough for anyone who really has a need to alter the color channels more programmatically.

Color greater than Darker

The counterpart to Color greater than Brighter, working in the same way. Especially when dealing with brighter colors, the effects of this one appear to kick in with fewer iterations.

Color greater than Desaturate

This converts your fill and stroke colors to their desaturated equivalents – the same as if you opened the H.S.L color picker and dragged the S slider to zero. There are no controls to adjust the effect, and this can also suffer from human perception issues. For example, although a 100% green tone appears to be much brighter than 100% blue to the human eye, they both map to the same desaturated value with this extension.

Color greater than Grayscale

This extension converts the fill and stroke colors to their grayscale equivalents. It's not clear exactly what algorithm is used to perform this mapping, but the results do a better job of maintaining the perceptual differences in the original colors than the Desaturate extension does.

Color greater than H.S.L Adjust...

This one was mentioned in F.C.M #130, but not covered in much detail. This can perhaps be thought of as a more intuitive version of the Color greater than Custom... extension, in that it works using the H.S.L color model, rather than R.G.B. Internally your R.G.B fill and stroke colors are mapped to their equivalent H.S.L values, then the components adjusted based on your selections in the dialog. Finally, the modified values are mapped back to R.G.B to update the colors in the drawing.

Each slider lets you adjust the amount that is added to, or subtracted from, the Hue, Saturation and Lightness channels, with an option to simply randomise the corresponding value instead. The Hue slider ranges from -360 sup circle to +360 sup circle , while Saturation and Lightness allow up to 100% .

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of an HSL Adjust window. The window allows adjustment of hue, saturation and lightness, each with a slider and numerical input, currently all set to zero. There are also options for randomizing each of these parameters. The window also contains options for a live preview, and buttons to close or apply the adjustments.

In most cases you'll probably only want to change one of the three channels. Adjusting Hue will let you re-color your objects while keeping them perceptually similar in brightness and saturation. Adjusting Saturation will let you intensify the colors, or subdue them. Adjusting Lightness will make your colors lighter or darker.

As you may have guessed, this Extension can be used to replicate some of the functionality of others I've talked about (and some yet to come), but with a greater degree of control and the ability to check out a live preview first. Adjusting the Lightness value is broadly equivalent to using the Color greater than Brighter or Color greater than Darker extensions multiple times. Reducing the Saturation value to zero is equivalent to the Color greater than Desaturate extension.

I do have two small complaints about the U.I of this extension. The first is that, given that you'll often only want to adjust a single value, it would be useful to have buttons to reset the sliders to zero. As it stands, you have to manually make that change for the channels that you don't want to be adjusted – which is a particular pain if you've got the Live Preview option selected.

The second is that it would be nice to have a button to re-trigger the random number generator. With the current design, you can use the Live Preview option to see a randomised result before you commit to accepting it, but if it's not what you want and you'd like to try again, you have to adjust one of the U.I elements (e.g., nudging a slider up or down by 1) to re-trigger the randomiser. An explicit button to do this would be more discoverable.

Despite those misgivings, this is a far more useful extension than the non-interactive equivalents.

Color greater than Less/More Hue, ... Light, ... Saturation

This title refers to six different extensions, starting with Color greater than Less Hue and working through all the combinations until you get to Color greater than More Saturation. Note that the extension names use 'Light' for some reason, but they're still talking about the 'Lightness' component of the H.S.L color model.

All six of these are simply the non-interactive versions of nudging the sliders in the H.S.L Adjust... extension and, as such, are pretty useless compared with having a U.I with the Live Preview option.

I'll finish up this instalment with an image that shows the effect of the color extensions I've discussed here, so far. Custom... R: r*2 G: g/2 + 0.5 B: b - 0.2 Selling Ice in the Arctic is Hard. but on the Other Hand, I Have No Competition!

● ● ●

shells. com

Image summary: The image shows two tablet computers. One tablet displays an interface similar to that of an iPad, showcasing various application icons. The other tablet presents a code editing environment, with a folder structure on the left and a code file open on the right, seemingly related to CSS styling for fonts. The code includes font-face declarations for 'Open Sans' with different unicode ranges, suggesting a focus on web development or design.

Linux on Your iPad

For as low as $4.95, you can have your own personal Linux cloud computer in minutes on any device.

Get it on macOS Get it on Windows 10 Download for Linux Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play For years, the Linux desktop has been playing a high-stakes game of "telephone". Every time a window moves or a video plays, your computer copies that data from the application, hands it through multiple compositing steps, passes it to the compositor, and finally pushes it to your monitor. This "Middleman" approach costs you battery life, generates heat, and adds those tiny micro-stutters we've all learned to ignore.

I set out to change that with the Wayland-to-X.11 Asynchronous Runtime Proxy, or simply: Warp.

The Search for a Chassis

I looked at the field. I wanted to build a modern, high-performance pipeline for the whole X.11 ecosystem, but I quickly realized that Moksha was one of the only candidates with an architecture flexible enough to handle this level of hardware-direct control. It's one of the few desktop "engines" that doesn't get in the way of the hardware. While other desktops are buried under layers of rigid toolkits, Moksha's structure allowed me to reach down into the "guts" of the Linux graphics stack.

Engineering the "Warp"

The result is Moksha Warp. By leveraging modern kernel technologies like dmabuf and K.M.S, Warp creates a specialized "Direct-to-Hardware" path. Instead of the CPU acting as a bottlenecked post office for every frame, Warp intelligently identifies high-demand windows and "warps" their data directly to the graphics hardware.

We aren't just keeping the lights on for X.11; we're introducing a Near Zero-Copy pipeline that targets the specific overhead that usually slows down older systems. By reducing the number of times a frame is copied in memory, Warp aims to provide a measurable boost in responsiveness and thermal efficiency, even on hardware that's seen a decade of service.

The Strategy of Selective Acceleration

Modern compositors aim for zero-copy rendering where possible, but the reality is that hardware has physical limits. Moksha Warp doesn't hide behind a "one-size-fits-all" promise. Instead, we are building the orchestration logic that intelligently assigns your limited hardware resources to the windows that need them most. It's not about forcing every window into a zero-copy path; it's about doing the right things perfectly to maximize the performance of the entire desktop.

From Research to Reality

The “impossible” part (bridging the X.11 architecture to modern K.M.S) has already been validated by the prototype. However, the jump from a research prototype to a stable, daily-driver integration within Moksha is the steepest climb for a solo developer.

The core logic is sound, but the final mile is where the real work begins. To reach a production-ready state, we need to implement full Overlay Plane support for peak efficiency and harden the resource lifecycle to ensure the system remains rock-solid during rapid window transitions.

The Path Forward

The prototype is functional, and the foundation is laid. We are looking for contributors to help refine this low-overhead X.11 pipeline on GitHub. Beyond the code, if you'd like to support the project's infrastructure and sustainability but lack the time or technical skills, feel free to visit my Open Collective or Liberapay pages. Your support keeps the R&D moving and the lead developer at the desk.

We aren't just maintaining a desktop; we're proving that with the right plumbing, the classic Linux desktop still has its best days ahead of it.

Links

Moksha Warp Demo 1 video: youtube.com U.R.L XfL J.U.c GitHub: github.com U.R.L moksha-warp Ko-Fi (donations): ko-fi.com U.R.L

Ubports at Installfest

On the 28th-29th March we were at Installfest, Prague. installfest.cz U.R.L We had our own booth and several devices on show and to try.

Adam Havelka was there for Ubports with Vojtech and said: "It went very well, people seem to be more interested every year like more and more crowds every event I am at."

Another event to put in the diary: linuxdays.cz U.R.L Ubuntu Touch Q&A 179 and 180 are available in video and audio versions. ubports.com U.R.L Ubuntu Touch Q&A 185 is available in both blog and audio versions. ubports.com U.R.L ubports.com U.R.L so What can you Tell me About the Ice?

M.M.M ... Slippery When Wet?

T

In a previous issue, I mentioned that I'd talk about the Vista fiasco. To understand that, you need to understand that Microsoft is driven by profit alone. Each iteration of Windows needs something the last did not have, making your hardware obsolete. This forces you to not only buy new software, but also hardware.

This alone is the reason people are moving to Linux. I mean, with the prices of hardware, who has money to spend every three years for new computers? E-waste is not a joke. If we turn the clock back 20 years, to 2006: lots of people just bought new computers, and suddenly there was this Longhorn on the horizon.

Open Source Christmas

To understand the issue, let's examine Windows X.P's requirements:

What are the System Requirements for Windows X.P?

“To run Windows X.P, you would need at least a 233-megahertz megahertz processor, 64 megabytes (M.B) of random-access memory (R.A.M), and 1.5 gigabyte (G.B) of available hard disk space. However, it is recommended to have a faster processor, 128 M.B of R.A.M, and more storage for optimal performance.”

At the time, we were rolling out new machines with Pentium 4 processors and 1 gigabyte of R.A.M (The base machines, however shipped with 256/512 megabytes's of R.A.M), and laptops with the Centrino certification, running at 2 gigahertz with 512 megabytes of R.A.M and 128/256 megabytes, for the base machines. This was more than Windows X.P needed and people's computers ran fast, with the base specs of machines so far over the required needs of X.P. I was forced to use Windows X.P, as the Windows 2000 that I used and liked, was not supported when it came to directx, or whatever it was, I needed at the time. I recall a lot of people buying new machines and playing games with things like positional audio and running multimedia applications without issue.

The only issue was the pesky viruses and anti-virus software. The mainboards at the time had the graphics on the board and you could set it in the B.I.O.S from 16-128 megabits memory. T.V tuners were all the rage and ran fine on 512 megabytes of memory.

Switching from Windows 2000 was not too painful as X.P only used a bit more resources to do the same things. Switching from X.P to Vista was not so easy.

What are the system requirements for Windows Vista?

"To run Windows Vista, you need a personal computer (P.C) with at least a 1 gigahertz gigahertz processor, 1 gigabyte (G.B) of random-access memory (R.A.M), 15 G.B of free hard disk space, and a DirectX 9-compatible graphics card with a windows display driver model W.D.D.M drive"

Quickly compare the two. The problem was that these specs just ran Vista: as soon as you loaded office, you were screwed. If you had 512 megabytes of memory, which was almost a luxury on X.P, Vista just barely ran.

Given that at the time, most main boards sold only supported 4x128 megabytes memory modules and the newer boards maximum memory capacity was 2 gigabytes, you can see the issue. Machines went to retailers with Vista on with 512 megabytes R.A.M and it looked O.K on the retail shop floor. As soon as the customer got the machine home and added anything to the machine, like say his T.V tuner, it would bottom out, causing customers to bring the machines back.

I remember telling management we needed 2 gigabytes of memory, but was told to "make it work" as I can't know better than Microsoft and Microsoft says these specs work and our current specs are the minimum. This meant that you did not load any drivers where a device worked natively with Vista. The drivers would increase performance, say like the graphics drivers, but loading them on a minimum spec machine caused it to bottom out. People who just bought, say, T.V tuners, found that these no longer worked on Vista as it was not supported (the equivalent of streaming boxes now).

A lot of people switched to Ubuntu during this time and it worked great, but they could not run their accounting software or games libraries, so they begrudgingly bought machines with the memory maxed at 2 gigabits or stayed with Windows X.P. Normies just did not know anything about Linux. They expected a money-free version of Windows when you tried to tell them about Linux. This is so bad that people will say Windows is better, just because they do not know how to even use Linux, but won't admit it. For me, it's like seeing someone eat from the garbage can and tell you how much better it is than your fresh sandwich.

Image summary: The image is a photograph of a bathroom sink faucet that has been modified with a screen displaying code. The screen shows what appears to be a directory listing of files and folders. Based on the code displayed on the screen, it can be inferred that the faucet has been hacked or modified to run custom software, possibly for malicious purposes or as a prank.

As much as people tell you the percentage of O.S use is Microsoft 90%, it's not. Maybe on the desktop P.C market, but in essence Linux is a lot more prevalent than you think. In the defense and aerospace industries, like Nasa, it's almost all Linux. Why? It's a lot more robust than any other operating system and it has lots of software that assist in data processing.

I even recall hearing that the I.S.S computers that matter, all run Linux. In the manufacturing industry, it is a mixed bag, but when you take into account all the embedded Linux stuff, it is also the top dog. In a famous tire brand company, the tire testing machines from Germany all still run Damn Small Linux! All the companies I have ever worked for that do anything on the internet, those servers are Linux. Sure, internally the servers are Microsoft, like Exchange server, but the machines hosting your websites and the machines controlling the battery management systems and the machines running your firewalls are Linux. Android is another famous one. I bet most normies do not have the foggiest they are using Linux on their phones. In scientific circles it is also a mixed bag, but the ones doing the work, like at the L.H.C, it's all Linux. Motor vehicle and airplane infotainment...Linux. While I have never seen or worked anywhere satellites are made, I hear that they, too, run Linux, meaning there is more Linux above your head than any other operating system. All the top supercomputers also run Linux. Smart T.V's and smart watches?

Linux. Speaking of those Chromecasts, et cetera, what do you think they run? The projectors and printers and switches and routers and security cameras...embedded Linux. The digital signage is also a mixed bag, but predominantly Linux and on and on. These days, if you don't know linux, you are behind, because it is literally everywhere.

Guidelines

The single rule for an article is that it must somehow be linked to Ubuntu or one of the many derivatives of Ubuntu (Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, etc).

Rules

• There is no word limit for articles, but be advised that long articles may be split across several issues.

• For advice, please refer to the Official Full Circle Style Guide: http://bit.ly/fcmwriting

• Write your article in whichever software you choose, I would recommend LibreOffice, but most importantly - Please Spell and Grammar Check it!

• In your article, please indicate where you would like a particular image to be placed by indicating the image name in a new paragraph or by embedding the image in the O.D.T (Open Office) document. • Images should be J.P.G, no wider than 1200 pixels, and use low compression.

• Do not use tables or any type of bold or italic formatting.

If you are writing a review, please follow these guidelines:

When you are ready to submit your article please email it to: articles@fullcirclemagazine.org

Translations

If you would like to translate Full Circle into your native language please send an email to ronnie@fullcirclemagazine.org and we will either put you in touch with an existing team, or give you access to the raw text to translate from. With a completed P.D.F, you will be able to upload your file to the main Full Circle site.

Write For Full Circle Magazine

Reviews

Games/Applications

• title of the game

• who makes the game

• is it free, or a paid download?

• where to get it from (give download/homepage U.R.L)

• is it Linux native, or did you use Wine?

• your marks out of five

• a summary with positive and negative points

Hardware

When reviewing hardware please state clearly:

• make and model of the hardware

• what category would you put this hardware into?

• any glitches that you may have had while using the hardware?

• easy to get the hardware working in Linux?

• did you have to use Windows drivers?

• marks out of five

• a summary with positive and negative points

You {don't} need to be an expert to write an article - write about the games, applications and hardware that you use every day.

Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 6 1.01

E mmabuntüs was last reviewed by Full Circle Magazine in December, 2017 in F.C.M#128 by Lucas Westermann. At that time, Emmabuntüs was at its Debian Edition 2 release. Now, nine years later, it is time for an update on this interesting project and a look at what it has to offer.

Emmabuntüs is a Linux distribution that I have been wanting to look at for several years. It has an interesting name, an interesting history and in many ways it embodies the altruistic goals of Linux and the larger free software movement. These reasons alone justify a fresh review, so let's dive in and see what Emmabuntüs is all about and whether it makes a good, general purpose desktop distribution.

Background

Emmabuntüs is developed by a group who call themselves “Le collectif” Emmabuntüs, which is based in France. The project has been around since 2011 and had its first release in 2012.

The group explains its aims: "This distribution was designed from the start to facilitate the refurbishment of computers donated to humanitarian organizations, particularly the Emmaus communities, and to encourage beginners to discover GNU/Linux, while also extending the lifespan of the hardware to limit waste caused by the overconsumption of raw materials. Emmabuntüs is used for computer reuse by numerous organizations in France and Africa." Its name results from its association with the Emmaus communities plus initially being based on Ubuntu 10.10, with its Gnome 2 desktop. Later it was based on Xubuntu with the Xfce desktop and, since February 2016, it has been based on Debian with Xfce, but the original name remains the same.

The Emmaü's community is an international solidarity movement founded in 1949, in Paris by Abbé Pierre, a Catholic priest and Capuchin friar, to combat poverty and homelessness. The Emmabuntü's project also collaborates with a number of organizations with complementary goals including Debian-Facile, Blabla Linux, Tugaleres.com, Jerry – Do It Together, JerryClan Ivory Coast, YovoTogo, Jump Lab'Orione, Friends of the Earth, Festival de la Récup, Trira T.R.I Rhöne-Alpes), Thot, Ailleurs Solidaires and Eisenia among many others. It works with the Lilo search engine to generate funds to support computer projects for schools in Africa, as Lilo returns 80% of its advertising revenue to charities that promote its use. To support the existing computer labs in Northern Togo and to establish new ones, in 2023 the Emmabuntü's collective decided to donate 100% of its Lilo revenue to YovoTogo & Jump Lab'Orione. So, it is much more of a social movement, rather than just a Linux distribution.

The current version, Emmabuntüs D.E.6, ships with the Xfce desktop by default, but also includes the L.X.Q.t desktop as a built-in alternative, using these lighter weight desktops to keep older hardware in use.

One of Emmabuntüs' aims is that it can be installed without any internet connection, so the "Full" I.S.O file download includes everything possibly needed, although that does make it a fairly hefty 4.6 G.B download.

Introduced with the release of Debian Edition 6 is a smaller "Core" I.S.O download, which is only 2.8 G.B and which omits some of the very extensive list of default applications, as well as educational software and accessibility features. The Core download does include an interface to selectively install applications and other features from the Full version, though.

As a size comparison, the latest Xubuntu release, Xubuntu 25.10, which uses the same Xfce desktop, is slightly larger at 4.7 G.B and it comes with a lot fewer default applications.

Getting Emmabuntüs

I downloaded the I.S.O for "Emmabuntus Debian Edition 6 Full – 64 bits (Debian 13 X.F.C.E/L.X.Q.t amd64)" using BitTorrent provided by Linux Tracker, although H.T.T.P.S downloads are also available directly from SourceForge. The BitTorrent download actually ran quite quickly. Three checksums are provided for each download: M.D.5, S.H.A.1 and S.H.A.256, which is a nice touch. S.H.A.256 is the most secure choice of the three, so I used it to confirm that my download was accurate.

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of a desktop environment, likely a Linux distribution, displaying file manager windows. The file manager windows show the contents of a directory, including folders for Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Public, Templates, and Videos. The desktop background includes a logo and a slogan promoting freedom. The file manager windows display similar directory structures, indicating a common organizational scheme. The presence of specific folders suggests typical user data and configuration.

Also provided is a dot txt file for download that lists all of the included packages, a useful tool. In case they are needed, Emmabuntüs includes all of their old version downloads as well. You can't fault the organization for completeness or attention to detail!

Installing

Emmabuntüs recommends using Ventoy to boot up the I.S.O file for live session testing and installation and even includes it on the I.S.O itself for installation on a U.S.B stick. I already had a stick equipped with Ventoy 1.1.10 and so just dropped the I.S.O file onto that for boot-up, which worked perfectly, as expected. Emmabuntüs is officially supported by Ventoy, as is its parent distribution, Debian.

Oddly, the distribution did not support the wifi card for drivers on my 15 year old desktop computer, although the previous release Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 5 did.

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of a computer desktop environment showing file manager windows. The file manager windows display the contents of a specific directory, including subdirectories and a text file. The file modification dates are also visible. The desktop background includes a slogan and branding for a software company.

System requirements

The last published hardware requirements were for the older Emmabuntüs 4 release and are:

- Processor: Intel or A.M.D (2.0 gigahertz or faster), minimum Dual Core R.A.M: 1 G.B minimum for 32-bit versions, or 2 G.B minimum for 64-bit versions Hard drive: 80 G.B minimum, more to allow for installing other software and your data Video card: nVidia, A.T.I, Intel, SiS, Matrox Sound card: Sound Blaster, A.C.97 or H.D.A compatible Other: D.V.D drive required or a P.C that can boot from the U.S.B port I will note that almost any computer used for web browsing these days really needs a minimum of 8 G.B of R.A.M.

Trying out Emmabuntüs

Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 6 1.01 is 64-bit only. Previous releases included 32-bit support, but that has ended now. It is probably worth noting that 32-bit computers are mostly at least 20 years old now so it probably is time to move on.

As I noted above, this release introduces the use of two different downloads: "Full" and "Core". The Full I.S.O file is a better fit for educational institutions and Emmabuntüs' other charitable installations, while the Core version is probably a better choice for personal use, particularly for experienced users.

Based on Debian 13.4 Trixie, this release includes the default Xfce 4.20 and optional L.X.Q.t 2.1 desktop environments and it runs on the Linux 6.12 L.T.S kernel.

Booting up to the Xfce desktop is quick and the result is a pretty stock Xfce interface, with the addition of the very "Mac-like" Cairo dock. It will certainly be an easy transition for both Mac and Windows users.

Settings

Image summary: The image shows a desktop environment with a window titled "Appearance" open. The window displays a list of different style options. The desktop background features a blue gradient and a slogan about freedom. The appearance window is likely used for customizing the look and feel of the operating system. The presence of various style options suggests a high degree of user customization. The slogan on the desktop background indicates a focus on freedom and user empowerment.

Emmabuntüs' Full I.S.O includes a wide range of accessibility features aimed at making computing easier for disabled people, especially the visually disabled. They have been working with the Togolese Federation of Associations of People with Disabilities FETAPH to develop and test these. In fact, they provide a whole manual on how to use these features.

The Core edition does not include these but Emmabuntüs also notes, "sighted and visually impaired users will also be able, from the Core edition, to install accessibility features via a dedicated audio-guided interface. This interface is activated automatically when starting in accessibility mode, making it easier for them to set up the appropriate tools."

Image summary: This is a screenshot of a desktop environment. The screenshot contains a window displaying the "About Falkon" information for the Falkon browser. The Falkon browser application version is 19.04.1 and the QtWebEngine version is 5.8.2. The desktop environment appears to be Linux-based, given the file system structure and icons visible. The screenshot provides a view of the Falkon browser's version details and the underlying operating system environment.

It also includes a wide range of the usual Xfce desktop user customization features, including 11 window color themes and a choice of 53 included wallpapers.

The Cairo dock has three different modes which can be selected at installation or later on from the settings. These modes are labeled child, beginner and expert, but in use are all pretty similar.

Applications

Some of the applications included with Emmabuntüs Debian Edition 6 1.01 Full are:

- Ancestris 12.0.12685 genealogy application

- Ark 25.04.3 file archiver

- Ark 25.04.3 file archiver Asunder 3.0.1 audio C.D ripper Audacity 3.7.3 audio editor BleachBit 4.6.2 file deleter Calibre 8.5.0 ebook reader Clementine 1.4 rc-2 music player Drawing 1.0.2 raster image editor Evince 48.1 P.D.F viewer Falkon 25.04.1 web browser File Roller 44.5 file archiver FileZilla 3.68.1 file transfer protocol client Geany 2.0 programming text editor Gimp 3.0.4 image editor Gnome Calculator 41.2 calculator Gnome Disks 46.1 disk manager Gnome Disk Usage Analyzer 48.0 disk usage and available space Gnome Packages 43.0 (gnome-packagekit) graphical distribution neutral package manager Gnome Software 48.3 software installer and updater Gnome Sudoku 48.1 game Gnote 48.0 note-taking application GeePartEd 1.6.0 disk partition manager gPodder 3.11.3 podcast client gscan2pdf 2.13.4 scanner for creating multipage P.D.F's gThumb 3.12.7 image viewer Guvcview 2.2.1 webcam Gufw Firewall 24.04.0 firewall controller

- HandBrake 1.9.2 video format converter

- converter Handytri 0.5 file sorter HardInfo2 2.2.10 system information and benchmarker HomeBank 5.8.6 accounting Htop 3.4.1 system use statistics Image Magick 7.1.1 command line image editor Inkscape 1.4 vector graphics editor Kaffeine 2.0.19 media player K.D.E Connect 25.04.2 wireless communications and data transfer between devices Kdenlive 24.12.3 video editor KeyPassXC 2.7.10 password manager Ktuberling 25.04.0 game LibreOffice 25.2.3.2 complete office suite

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of a desktop environment. The desktop displays an open Firefox browser window and a smaller window showing the 'About Mozilla Firefox' information. The 'About Mozilla Firefox' window provides details such as the version, release type, and information about Mozilla's mission. Based on the screenshot, the Firefox browser is running as an Extended Support Release. The desktop environment includes several application icons on the taskbar.

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of a desktop environment, specifically featuring the LibreOffice Writer application. The LibreOffice Writer application is open, with an "About LibreOffice" dialog box displayed on top of it. The dialog box provides information about the LibreOffice Community version, including its description as a modern, easy-to-use, open-source productivity suite. The presence of the LibreOffice dialog box suggests the user is likely checking the application's version or details. The desktop environment appears to be a Linux distribution, given the application window decorations and taskbar icons.

- Luanti 5.10.10 game L.X.I.Image-Q.t 2.1.1 image viewer OnBoard 1.4.1 white board OpenBoard 1.7.3 white board P.D.F Arranger 1.11.1 P.D.F editor Pidgin 2.14.14 I.R.C client clipper 5.1.2 clipboard manager Redshift 1.12 screen colour temperature adjuster Scratch 3.29.1 simplified programming language for children Scribus 1.6.3 desktop publishing Sweet Home 3 D 7.5 architectural design Synaptic 0.91.7 package management Thunar 4.20.2 file manager Thunar Bulk Rename 4.20.2 bulk file renaming Thunderbird 140.8.0 E.S.R email client Timeshift-gtk 24.06.6 system restore tool Transmission 4.1.0-beta.2 BitTorrent client TuxMath 2.0.3 math game TuxPaint 0.9.34 raster graphics editor for children TuxTyping 1.8.3 keyboard instruction Ventoy 1.1.10 I.S.O bootable U.S.B creator V.L.C 3.20.23 media player Xfburn 0.7.2 C.D/D.V.D creator xfce4-screenshooter 1.11.1 screenshot tool xfce4-terminal 1.1.4 terminal emulator

distribution. There is a lot of duplication here like two image viewers, two web browsers and three package managers, but the aim, even for an off-line installation, is to give a range of choices and it does accomplish that. If this list looks like there would be much that you would need to delete, then it may make sense to install the smaller Core version and then just add what you need instead.

Because these applications come from a wide variety of desktops, projects and sources, the end result is not what I would call a "well-integrated" desktop experience, but a bit of a mashmash of applications, some of which fit well into the Xfce desktop and some which don't, but at least everything does work. Given the huge number of applications included, this is probably hard to avoid.

Conclusions

Overall Emmabuntüs D.E.6 is a great release, with a lot going for it in both its Full and Core versions. What you get is a well thought out and complete Xfce distribution (with L.X.Q.t as an option, too) with a lot of applications and accessibility features included. The Full version probably makes sense for refurbishing old computers to be used for charitable donations in offline, educational or institutional settings, while the Core version is probably more suitable for personal use. Either way, it is a good general desktop operating system and an easy introduction to Linux for beginners.

Probably best of all, in using Emmabuntüs, is the feeling of contributing to a bigger and more altruistic project, whether you are preparing old donated computers for use, or just using the Lilo search engine to funnel some financial support back into the project.

External links

Official website: emmabuntus.org U.R.L When it comes to Linux variations attempting to look like Windows 7/10/11, there's no shortage of contenders. Variations include Windows/Linspire, ZorinOS, DeepinOS, Linux Mint Mate, Linux/LinuxFX/Wubuntu/WindowsFX (yes, that last O.S mentioned has changed names over the years) and AnduinOS.

AnduinOS?

Never heard of it? Join the crowd. In fact, it's been around about a year or so and has distinguished itself by cracking the Distrowatch top 20 ranking system, much to the surprise of its creator, Anduin Xue (complete background at Anduin Xue).

Although he worked for Microsoft as a software engineer, he had an interest in creating his own Ubuntu based Linux variation and, best as I can tell, has done so more as a hobby than a mainstream effort.

The end result of his labors is best described in one word - minimal.

And it's based upon, you guessed it, the Windows 11 desktop but with a stylized Gnome environment.

At 1.8 gigabytes, it's a good 4+ G.B smaller than the Ubuntu it's based upon and substantially lighter than any of the other M.S lookalikes I mentioned earlier.

You can find the downloads at anduinos.com, but do be aware you've got your choice of two offerings - L.T.S and the newest (support expires in June, 2026).

What's unusual is the treatment of the downloads offered - the L.T.S gets the leftover parts of the page while the short support version gets highlighted much more. And, the newest version gets the “Recommended” marker in blue.

So, I opted for the newer version with less support.

Word to the wise here - go with the torrent download as whatever server this O.S is on is bog slow, as in 2 hours for a 1.8 gigabytes download slow. The torrent version took less than a minute.

As with Ubuntu, you can play with the live version first and it was very quick to boot in my trials, but nothing beats a full install, which I'll get to shortly.

Yeah, sort of looks like Windows 11 complete with the weather app in the lower left corner (but no garbage news included) and the app taskbar across the bottom center. And parked off in the bottom right is your usual notifications about battery, wifi, etcetera

Don't like the wallpaper? You have your choice of light or dark and that's it. Easy enough to remedy that later on, though.

Now, what about included apps? Firefox is there, but that's about it for the ubiquitous standards. LibreOffice? Nope. Thunderbird or any email app? Not here. You do Once settled in, it was off to the included App Store. The “App Store” app is a link that opens Firefox and heads to Install an App Store - AnduinOS Documentation where you are given instructions to can't see this as being anything more than a novelty at this time. It requires a great deal of work to become workable and, if you can't install the apps you may want without adding another desktop, you may as well go to another O.S.

Plus, if it's a hobby, who is to say if it'll still be around a couple years from now?

Letters

Join us on:

mastodon.social U.R.L twitter.com/#!/fullcirclemag linkedin.com/company/full-circle-magazine ubuntuforums.org/ forumdisplay.php?f=270

Full Circle Needs You!

Without reader input Full Circle would be an empty P.D.F file (which I don't think many people would find particularly interesting). We are always looking for articles, reviews, anything! Even small things like letters and desktop screens help fill the magazine. See the article Writing for Full Circle in this issue to read our basic guidelines.

Have a look at the last page of any issue to get the details of where to send your contributions.

Q&A Compiled by EriktheUnready

Welcome back to another edition of Questions and Answers! In this section, we will endeavour to answer your Ubuntu questions. Be sure to add details of the version of your operating system and your hardware. I will try to remove any personally identifiable strings from questions, but it is best not to include things like serial numbers, U.U.I.D's, or I.P addresses. If your question does not appear immediately, it is just because there are many waiting, and I do them first-come-first-served.

For context, I do the QnA's well in advance, this gives me time to look up things for unanswered questions. At the time of writing, October 2025, it seems (I say "seems", I have yet to confirm) there is some instructor in India, who is giving out this amazing advice. If you change the readme.md file on an open source project, your name is added to that project as if you were part of it. (youtu.be U.R.L

If you have a Linux question, email it to: questions at fullcirclemagazine dot org, and Erik will answer them in a future issue. Please include as much information as you can about your query.

(github.com U.R.L While she may, or may not, have had good intentions, thousands of people have been putting in pull requests, fixing spelling mistakes for readme.md files. There have been many who just made things worse, as they do not have a good grasp of the English language. This brings me to the HIV of the software world, licensing. You see, when a project needs to change a license, as everyone is a contributor, they all need to agree on the change.

You now introduce hundreds of thousands of eager newbies, who followed some youtuber's advice, who need to be contacted and have to agree if a license needs to change. Since they only added a comma to the readme.md file, what do they know of the software? One of the reasons the Linux kernel is still G.P.L.2, is that there are thousands of contributors, who would have to agree to the change. Now imagine you were running a small project, and suddenly there are 5000 names added as they all contributed an update to the readme.md file. Imagine trying to get 5000 people to agree. This creates nightmares, the only other way to do it would be to fork your own project! I don't know if I'm over-thinking this, but I feel we are heading towards a "Boaty McBoatface" in open source, am I wrong?

Q: How do I stop a Snap from updating permanently? snapcraft.io U.R.L done that, still not permanent. Neither is this: askubuntu.com U.R.L A: Nice to see you putting effort in. The solution is simple. Try this: snap refresh --hold=forever chromium obviously replacing "chromium" with your app. Q : I have almost exclusively used Xubuntu since it launched, but it seems to be falling behind K.D.E and Gnome, so I have switched to Gnome. One of the things I feel is not as well implemented is the screen brightness. I can go low, when charging the battery, but nowhere near as low as with X.F.C.E. Where can I set the dimming to go even lower than the default?

A : I honestly don't know, but an easy fix for me was to get another Gnome extension to compliment the one already there in Ubuntu. You can try this to see if it is to your satisfaction: {{extensions.gnome.org U.R.L

Q: I have standard Ubuntu and I use the arcmenu gnome extension for my menu. I recently installed RapidRaw for my photos and it places it inside the other category and not the graphics category inside my menu. Arcmenu does not allow me to move items or drag items to other categories.

How can I set this right?

A : You can still use your favourite menu editor, like menulibre or alacarte or whatever. I suggest installing menulibre and finding the offending application. Then once you click on it, bottom right, there is a plus "+" icon. Click that, choose your category (use another to see what you need) and click save. Once complete, it should be fixed in arcmenu too, or alternatively, you can find the ".desktop" file and edit it yourself.

Q: I'm running Ubuntu L.X.L.E "Focal Fossa," which has been a total lifesaver for my old laptop. I wanted to dist-upgrade and it said that I needed security updates first with esm-infa enabled. How can I enable that? Could this be why my previous dist-upgrade from 16.04 failed?

A : As for the first part of your question, you need an Ubuntu One account and then you sign up for the extended upgrades. See: ubuntu.com U.R.L . As to the second part of your question, I cannot say, it depends when you tried the upgrade.

Q: My situation is dire. I have set up the update checking to "never" on my Ubuntu 24.04 machine, yet it does not seem to respect my settings. You see, I recode lots of videos with Handbrake. I set my processing queue then leave the computer to do its thing. Then when I return, sometimes the software updater will have launched and when it does, handbrake just closes. Problem is, if I run journalctl -xe | grep handbrake, there is no mention of it crashing, but I have seen it a few times now, with my own eyes, it simply closes. I have to restart and re-setup my queue.

A : I can imagine the frustration, software updater is called from"/usr/bin/update-manager". If you don't use it, you can uninstall it or rename it if you do. I'm thinking it may be called by lvfs? You can disable that in the following file sudo nano /etc/fwupd/fwupd.conf . I cannot think of another reason it should pop up by itself. Q : I would like some help with Discover rather than my O.S please. I tried asking Chatjipiti, but the stuff it tells me to do, I can't, as Discover crashes before I can tick the boxes. If I choose relaunch, I just get another crash notifier in my taskbar. I'm sort of at wits end now. I want to throw the laptop out the window.

A: O.K... But I still don't know what the error is that you are getting? So let me generalise, Discover is controlled via ~/.config/discoverrc, so you should be able to add entries there. For instance, if I use the problem of the ^^^ previous question, I could add: sudo sed -i 's/^ dollar sign fwupd dollar sign /[fwupd] equals lvfs/ ' /etc/fwupd/fwupd.conf and it would add that entry to the configuration file, which should override a tick box inside of Discover. Just remember to restart after making changes. : Why is it that in Files, when I click on 'other locations' I can see my drive has 511 gigabytes free, but when I check with df-h, I only see 476 gigabytes free? That's quite a big difference?

A : In one, you are seeing your entire drive, in the other, you are seeing your partition. When you use 'df', look at the first column, 'size', and it should be smaller than the full drive that "other locations" is showing you. Hope that helps.

When I use disk usage analyzer, I can see the little color wheel and my only choices are ring or tree. However, I saw a video of a webinar, where the display had the rings labelled. Everyone tells me I'm dreaming, but I definitely saw it.

A : Simply move your mouse pointer to the center of the ring. Have fun!

Q: If I open the log utility on Ubuntu Gnome, I see this error == Cannot retrieve headers for cdimage.ubuntu.com U.R.L

Operation canceled 20 == What does this mean? I have looked in my software updater and I do not see anything under installable cd-rom/D.V.D-rom???

A : First, click on that line that says 20 at the end, it will expand into 20 messages. Now click on any one of the lines below it. A pop-up box will appear with the same message, but with one extra, right at the top, it will say "sender". The sender is the offending application, trying to reach out to that U.R.L (which is an official repo).

Q : I live out in the sticks and I have to use mobile internet. The problem is that the I.P's are rotated, so sometimes I cannot access sites as cloudflare just outright blocks me, claiming the "owner of the website" blocked me kind of B.S. I don't want to run up a bill with a V.P.N provider who is going to sell all my data anyway. Is there a way around this?

I tried some proxy addons for Firefox, but they are painfully slow. Should I install the Cloudflare addon in Ubuntu 24.04? A : I'm not familiar with the Cloudflare addon, but I can suggest that you search for your site inside of Startpage. Startpage will offer you the option to "visit the site anonymously". They hide all your data like your I.P for you and you can access the website without middlemen.

Q : I have a doozie, I tried to install thonny and pyvenv with pip3, for a course. However, I can't get the dollar Path to stick. I tried googling it, but all the advice is just Wrong. Please help. I go, export Path equals double quote dollar Path colon slash home slash francois slash dot local slash bin, which is what the helper text suggested and I can see it is there, with echo dollar Path. Then I reboot, and it is gone. I tried askubuntu, I tried stackexchange, I tried others too, but all talk about dot bashrc and dot profile. I have neither. Source slash dot profile does nothing as there is no such file.

I'm pulling my hair out. I'm still on Ubuntu 20.04.

A : Mmm... Sounds like an upgrade. Try: sudo nano /etc/environment Now add your path variable, save and log out and in. It should stay.

Erik has been in it for 30+ years. He has seen technology come and go. From repairing washing machine sized hard drives with multimeters and oscilloscopes, laying cable, to scaling 3 G towers, he's done it.

Website: https:// horticulargame.com/ Price: $9 to 19 (can be more)

Blurb: "Horticular is a relaxing garden-builder that begins with mysterious gnomes summoning you. Their wish? For you to breathe new life into a long-lost garden, abandoned by its previous caretaker.

Enter a magical world where you build up and expand a lush garden at your own pace. In your journey, you attract adorable animals to inhabit every corner; uncover helpful upgrades; and assist quirky characters for rewards and story development—all while juggling decay and fending off corruption sent by your nemesis!"

The game has a base game as well as D.L.C, “Frozen Frontier: Tundra Creatures and Plants” that may double the price of the base game. A gain we went with the Gog version as the installers are great. First we will talk about the base game. Though the D.L.C was released in March of 2025, we are only now (September 2025) getting to actually play the game, so we are going into it blind. We knew it was sort of like Terra Nil.

Installation

The main installer is 199 megabytes to download and the D.L.C is 4.5 megabytes Launching the Gog installer and installing the game was quick. Even on a low end laptop. The installer did not try to call home, which is great.

Sound and Music

The non-base game (bundle edition?) that includes the D.L.C, comes with a soundtrack in M.P.3 and flack formats. Honestly, it is one of those soundtracks that works in-game, but not really as a stand alone album. If you are bandwidth constrained, don't bother downloading it, unless you are looking for music to fall asleep to. It's not *bad, it is actually good, but somehow it reminds us of hote music, you know, that soft music in the background in the lounge or bar, during the early evening. You can listen to the soundtrack here: youtube.com U.R.L The game sounds are bright and charming, making you feel welcome in your own game.

Image summary: This is a screenshot of a video game menu. The menu includes options such as starting a new story, starting a new sandbox game, accessing an album, modifying game settings, viewing credits, and quitting the game. The game is called "Horticular" and the version is 1.6. The game appears to be related to gardening or farming, given the title and the background image, which resembles soil. The main menu provides several options for starting a new game or accessing different features of the game.

Graphics

Just like Terra Nil, this is a pixelated graphics game. Some people do not like pixel graphics games, so you have been warned. However, it is not trying to be faux 8-bit. Instead it reminds us of Roller coaster Tycoon, or Theme Park because of the viewing angle as well. We do like isometric games, but they need to be done in a way that your view is not obstructed.

The developer describes the game as a spiritual successor to Viva Piñata, but we have no idea what that is. If that makes sense to you, great. Though the pixel art is not outstanding, it is good, but that rubber stamp thing is a bit tired. What do we mean by that? Well, when you place an object the second and third time, it is 100% the same thing. Some games overcome this by placing a variant down, of the stone or plant out of a few templates, so that everything does not look the same. Some games will create a new graphic if 2 or more of the same thing is placed next to each other. Just like the sounds, it is adequate for the game, but it could be better.

Gameplay

If the sound and graphics are 6/10, this is where the game shines, with 9/10 gameplay. There is a story and we do recommend that you play through the story mode, before playing on endless mode. You need to know that the game is a 'sim' game that leans into decorations. If you got the game via Steam, you would also need to complete the game on hard mode, to get all your achievements, should you be an achievement hunter.

Because the game is a cozy builder, it works well on endless mode, so your time on the game will vary greatly. Though it is a cozy game, there are enemies, but once you have completed the game in story mode and hard mode, the enemies just become an annoyance. We understand they are meant to bring some stress into the game, but it is almost like garden pests. Well... This is a garden game...

Just like Terra Nil, you need to create the right conditions for animals to move into your garden. (Wouldn't it be grand to have your own nature preserve?) In the beginning, you have no idea what they are and you discover them as you play. This gives the game that sort of 'exploration vibe'. You also get a bit of a 'puzzle vibe', as animals will not move in, if they do not have the correct neighbours.

This gives you goals other than just making things pretty. If you get stuck, I'm sure there will be plenty of game guides by the time you read this. The game saves your progress every morning in the game world, just B.T.W. steep at all and new things are introduced very gradually. One can even say that the game leans into the idle game genre, as you start to get your own workers who can also zap those nasty invaders, the game almost plays itself. You don't have to worry about finances too much, though in the beginning, the shop feels expensive, but it all balances out.

The financial stress angle is also very low. It's just a gate keeper, to keep you from messing with too many items at once. The game features friendly fire and you may notice that friendly fire is not friendly at all. If you don't like hurting animals, be careful!

Image summary:The image shows a document, seemingly a letter within a game. The letter is addressed to General Panick and welcomes them. It explains that the inbox is an energy-efficient way to communicate and that the recipient will eventually reclaim a dung pile, fill it with life, and become a legendary horticulturist. The letter also mentions that a spade and a supply of grass have been attached and that the recipient should convert some waste into grass. The letter is signed by the friendly keepers. The game seems to be focused on resource management and development with a touch of humor.

Re-playability is a thing, as there is a bit of randomness as well as the fact that you can play on harder modes. Each run will be different and you can try out things that you learned in your last run.

Image summary: The image is a screenshot of a game. The game appears to involve resource collection and building, as indicated by the visible resources and structures. The player is tasked with collecting a certain amount of gold, suggesting a progression or expansion mechanic within the game.

If you have a Steam Deck, the game is Steam Deck certified, and looks really good on the small screen. This is a family game, where almost every member of the family can have a go and enjoy the game. are only half as many Steam achievements as the base game. As you can see from the name, it features frozen terrain and a new story, but the main game loop is the same. It does come with one new mechanic and that is temperature based unlocks and temperature based challenges.

The plants and animals are also different from the base game. This switch-up breathes new life into the game. The D.L.C is not a must buy, but if you enjoyed the base game, you will enjoy the D.L.C. If you are looking for a chilled experience that will last all day, look no further than this.

The only thing we are still puzzled by is the game icon. No one is sure what it is.

Image summary: The image shows a screen capture of a video game interface. The left side of the screen lists several in-game items or characters, most of which are currently unknown to the player. The right side of the screen provides a description of one of these items, the "Council Member". Council Members are special keepers that oversee a world and work together in a council. They summon a Horticultural steward to run the show and primarily advise and assist.

Erik has been in it for 30+ years. He has seen technology come and go. From repairing washing machine sized hard drives with multimeters and oscilloscopes, laying cable, to scaling 3 G towers, he's done it.

Patrons

Monthly Patrons

Alex Crabtree Alex Popescu Andy Garay Bill Berninghausen Bob C Brian Bogdan Carl Andersen SeeBinM.V Darren Dennis Mack Devin McPherson Doug Bruce Duncan Bell Elizabeth K. Joseph Eric Meddleton Francis Gernet Gary Campbell George Smith Henry D Mills Hugo Sutherland Jack Jack Hamm Jason D. Moss Joao Cantinho Lopes John Andrews John Malon John Prigge Jonathan Pienaar Joseph Gulizia j s

J.T

Katrina Kevin O'Brien Lee Allen Lee Layland Leo Paesen Linda P Mark Shuttleworth Moss Bliss Norman Phillips Oscar Rivera Paul Anderson Paul Readovin Rino Ragucci Rob Fitzgerald Robin Woodburn Roy Milner Scott Mack Sony Varghese Taylor Conroy Tom Bell Tony Hughes Vincent Jobard Volker Bradley William von Hagen

Single Donations

2025: Louis W Adams Junior Borso Zsolt Brian Kelly Frits van Leeuwen Randy Brinson Frank Dinger Robert JERÔme Yvo Geens 2026: Louis W Adams Junior The current site was created thanks to Arun (from our Telegram channel) who took on the task of completely rebuilding the site, from scratch, in his own time.

The Patreon page is to help pay the domain and hosting fees. The money also helps with the new mailing list.

Several people have asked for a PayPal (single donation) option, so I've added a button below.

A big thank you to all those who've used Patreon and the PayPal button. It's a Huge help.

patreon.com U.R.L

Donate with PayPal

paypal.me U.R.L donorbox.org U.R.L

How to Contribute

Full Circle Needs You!

A magazine isn't a magazine without articles and Full Circle is no exception. We need your opinions, desktops, stories, how-to's, reviews, and anything else you want to tell your fellow *buntu users. Send your articles to: articles at fullcirclemagazine dot org

F.C.M#229

Deadline: Sunday 10th May 2026 Release: Friday 29th May 2026 We are always looking for new articles to include in Full Circle. For help and advice please see the Official Full Circle Style Guide: bit.ly U.R.L Send your comments or Linux experiences to: letters at fullcirclemagazine dot organization Hardware slash software reviews should be sent to: reviews at fullcirclemagazine dot organization Questions for Q and A should go to: questions at fullcirclemagazine dot organization Desktop screens should be emailed to: miscellaneous at fullcirclemagazine dot organization Or you can visit our site via: fullcirclemagazine dot org

Full Circle Team

Editing & Proofreading

Our thanks go to Canonical, the many translation teams around the world and Thorsten Wilms for the F.C.M logo.

For the Full Circle Weekly News:

You can keep up to date with the Weekly News using the R.S.S feed: fullcirclemagazine.org U.R.L back on Spotify: open.spotify.com U.R.L and now on YouTube: youtube.com U.R.L list=P.L.n.v.0.U.8.w.O.z.X.u.4.8.7.g.i.5.l.2.l.s.f-r.Q.j.E.y.K.P.A.i.f E.P.U.B Format - Most editions have a link to the epub file on that issue's download page. If you have any problems with the epub file, email: mobile at fullcirclemagazine dot org

F.C.M Patreon: {https://www. patreon. com/fullcirclemagazine}

You have reached the end of the document.