KDE's goals, Apple & Google giant fines, Square Enix funds a Linux distro: Linux & Open Source News

Summary

This week's Linux and open source news covers KDE's three broad future goals, the release of KDE Plasma 6.2 beta with new features like per-monitor brightness control, and Square Enix's funding of a gaming-focused Linux distribution. The video also discusses ProtonMail's privacy features, GNOME's new executive director search, advancements in GNOME's technology, and the potential impact of the Steam Deck on Linux gaming. Additionally, it touches on Apple and Google's recent losses in EU court cases and the need for a more powerful Linux device to ensure developer support for AAA game titles.

Takeaways

• 📢 KDE has announced three main goals: streamlining app development, improving input device support, and gaining new contributors for Plasma and key projects.
• 🔧 The release of KDE Plasma 6.2 beta introduces features like per-monitor brightness controls and better color management support.
• 💻 Square Enix has funded a Linux distribution, Platron OS, which is a gaming-focused OS aiming for partnerships with device manufacturers.
• 🔗 Proton Mail is sponsoring the video, offering end-to-end encrypted email with privacy features and tools like Proton Scribe, an AI assistant for emails.
• 🎯 The GNOME project is advancing with new features and improvements, including home directory encryption and better accessibility support.
• 💼 The search for a new executive director for the GNOME Foundation is underway, with applications open until September 20th.
• 🛡️ Auntu is working on enhancing snap package security with more granular permission controls for snap apps.
• 💰 Apple and Google have both lost appeals against the European Commission, resulting in large fines for tax and antitrust issues, respectively.
• 🕹️ The Steam Deck's capability to run the latest AAA games is being questioned, with concerns that its hardware may not be sufficient to maintain relevance in the gaming market.
• 🖥️ Tuxedo Computers, a Linux-focused laptop and desktop provider, is highlighted as a sponsor, known for their Linux-out-of-the-box hardware solutions.

Q & A

What are the three main goals announced by KDE for the future?

The three main goals announced by KDE are: 1) Streamlining the app development experience, particularly enhancing the experience of building KDE apps without using C++ and embracing languages like Rust and Python. 2) Improving input methods for KDE to ensure support for various forms of input such as drawing tablets, controllers, mice, and accessibility features. 3) Gaining new contributors for Plasma and key projects like Kdenlive, KRITI, and others, not just individuals but also institutions and organizations.

What new features are included in the KDE Plasma 6.2 beta release?

The KDE Plasma 6.2 beta release includes features such as per-monitor brightness controls, improved color management support for better HDR, sticky keys support, the ability to disable smooth scrolling in KDE applications, a new 'apply updates and shut down' option, more accurate license information for apps in Discover, and various system settings page improvements.

What is the significance of Square Enix's investment in Platon OS?

Square Enix's investment in Platon OS signifies the company's intention to expand its games distribution and explore possibilities that are unique to harnessing the full power of an operating system. This investment also indicates potential support for the development of the gaming-focused Linux distribution.

What is the role of Matthew Commo in Platon OS after joining their team?

Matthew Commo, the founder and main developer of Lutris, joined the Platon OS team to work on UI-related aspects of the operating system. His involvement is expected to bring expertise in Linux gaming and user interface design to the project.

What is the status of open-source development in Platon OS?

Currently, not all of Platon OS's work is open source. The team has confirmed that only the OS code will be open source at first, with plans to open more components as time progresses, although there is no guarantee that the entire project will become open source.

What are some of the recent developments in the GNOME project?

Recent developments in the GNOME project include the search for a new executive director, advancements in the Sovereign Tech Foundation projects, improvements in accessibility features, new APIs for Flatpak and Whand, and updates to GNOME apps like Papers and Pipeline.

How does the new USB portal in GNOME aim to enhance security?

The new USB portal in GNOME is designed to enhance security by ensuring that apps do not require access to all of a user's devices just to interact with a USB drive. It aims to provide more granular access control for peripherals.

What is the impact of Apple and Google losing their appeals against the European Commission?

The impact of Apple and Google losing their appeals is that they are required to pay significant fines. Apple owes approximately $14 billion to Ireland for receiving illegal tax benefits, while Google must pay €2.4 billion for abusing its dominant position by favoring its own shopping service in search results.

Why is there a concern that the Steam Deck might become less relevant in the future?

There is a concern that the Steam Deck might become less relevant because it may not be capable of running the latest AAA titles at acceptable performance levels. This could lead developers to disregard Linux compatibility if they see no chance of their games running on the device, even at low settings.

What does Tuxedo Computers offer to Linux users?

Tuxedo Computers offers a range of laptops and desktops that come with Linux pre-installed, allowing users to avoid the need to install a new operating system over a Windows partition. They actively support the development of drivers for their hardware, catering to a variety of budgets and needs.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Linux and Open Source News Roundup

This week's Linux and open source news includes KDE's three main goals for the future, which are aimed at enhancing the app development experience, improving input support, and increasing contributions to KDE projects. The release of KDE 6.2 beta introduces features like per-monitor brightness controls, better color management, and various UI/UX improvements. ProtonMail, the sponsor of the video, offers end-to-end encrypted email services with privacy-focused tools like Proton Scribe, an AI assistant for email management. The video also discusses the funding of a gaming Linux distribution by Square Enix, aiming to expand game distribution and explore the full potential of an OS.

05:02

🎮 Platron OS and Gaming on Linux

Platron OS, a Linux-based gaming operating system, is in development with financial backing from Square Enix and Samsung. The OS is designed to work with device manufacturers and has been tested on various devices. It features a unique interface for syncing Steam accounts and browsing games. While not all of its work is open source, the OS code will be open, and more components may be opened up over time. The involvement of Square Enix may encourage anti-cheat developers to support the platform. Matthew Commo, the founder of Lutris, has joined Platron OS to work on UI, bringing his experience in Linux gaming to the project.

10:03

🖥️ Gnome Developments and EU Fines on Tech Giants

The Gnome project is advancing with a search for a new executive director and numerous feature developments. These include home directory encryption, improved shell notifications, and work on accessibility tools. Liber V, Gnome's app development platform, is also seeing updates with new widgets and support for accent colors. Meanwhile, Apple and Google have lost appeals against the European Commission, resulting in fines for tax evasion and anti-competitive practices, respectively. These fines, while significant, are minor compared to the companies' valuations and may not have a substantial impact on their operations.

15:05

📱 Steam Deck's Future and Tuxedo Computers

The Steam Deck, a Linux-powered handheld gaming device, faces challenges in running the latest AAA game titles, which may affect its relevance and Linux compatibility efforts. The article suggests the need for a more powerful Linux device to maintain developer interest in Linux compatibility. Tuxedo Computers, the video's sponsor, offers Linux-ready laptops and desktops, supporting the development of drivers for their hardware and providing a range of devices for various needs. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content and support the channel.

Keywords

💡KD

KD refers to KDE, a well-known desktop environment for Linux and Unix-like operating systems. In the video, KDE's future goals and the release of KDE Plasma 6.2 beta are discussed, highlighting the project's ongoing development and commitment to improving the user experience.

💡Plasma 6.2 beta

Plasma 6.2 beta is a pre-release version of the KDE Plasma desktop environment, indicating new features and improvements are being tested before the final release. The script mentions features like per-monitor brightness controls and better color management support, showcasing KDE's focus on user customization and accessibility.

💡Proton Mail

Proton Mail is an end-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland, mentioned as the sponsor of the video. The script emphasizes its privacy features, such as no access to emails by Proton employees and a suite of privacy-focused tools, illustrating the video's theme of promoting open-source and privacy-centric technologies.

💡Gaming Linux distribution

A gaming Linux distribution refers to a customized version of Linux tailored for gaming, which is the focus of the script's discussion on the Platron OS. The video addresses the investment in this distribution by Square Enix and its potential impact on gaming and Linux compatibility, highlighting the growing intersection of gaming and open-source software.

💡App development experience

The app development experience is a concept discussed in relation to KDE's goals, emphasizing the need for a streamlined and enjoyable process for developers creating applications for the KDE environment. The script suggests enhancing this experience without relying on C++, indicating a push towards more accessible and diverse programming languages.

💡Input methods

Input methods refer to the various ways users interact with a computer system, such as drawing tablets, controllers, or mice. The script mentions KDE's goal to improve support for these, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all users, which is a key aspect of the video's focus on user experience and open-source development.

💡Contributors

Contributors are individuals or organizations that contribute to open-source projects through code, testing, marketing, or other tasks. The script discusses KDE's goal to attract new contributors, which is crucial for the growth and sustainability of open-source projects like KDE Plasma.

💡GNOME

GNOME is another popular desktop environment for Linux-based systems. The script mentions GNOME's advancements, such as home directory encryption and new widgets for app developers, positioning GNOME as a competitor and counterpart to KDE in the open-source ecosystem.

💡Snap packages

Snap packages are a software packaging and deployment system developed by Canonical for operating systems that use Linux. The script discusses Ubuntu's efforts to improve snap package management, reflecting the video's broader theme of continuous innovation and refinement in Linux distribution management.

💡European Commission

The European Commission is mentioned in the context of legal cases against Apple and Google for tax and antitrust issues. The script uses these examples to discuss the regulatory environment affecting major tech companies, which ties into the video's exploration of the broader implications of technology and business practices.

💡Steam Deck

The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming device developed by Valve Corporation. The script discusses the device's capabilities and limitations, particularly in running AAA titles, which is relevant to the video's theme of gaming on Linux platforms and the need for more powerful hardware to ensure compatibility and developer interest.

Highlights

KD states three main goals for the future, focusing on app development experience, input device support, and gaining new contributors.

Release of KD 6.2 beta with improvements like per-monitor brightness controls and better color management support.

Sponsor segment featuring ProtonMail's end-to-end encrypted email service with privacy-focused features.

ProtonMail's new features include Proton Docks and Proton Scribe, an AI assistant for email management.

Platron OS, a Linux-based gaming operating system, receives funding from Square Enix and others.

Platron OS aims for partnerships with device manufacturers to ship the OS pre-installed.

Matthew Commo, founder of Lutris, joins Platron OS to work on UI-related aspects.

GNOME's search for a new executive director and various feature updates in the ecosystem.

GNOME's ongoing projects include home directory encryption, better shell notifications, and accessibility improvements.

Liber V introduces new widgets and support for accent colors, which will be utilized by GNOME 47.

App updates in GNOME include digital signing support in the Papers PDF reader and improvements to Pipeline.

Auntu's efforts to improve snap packages with more control over permissions.

Apple and Google lose appeals against the European Commission, facing significant fines for tax and market abuse issues.

Discussion on the need for a more powerful Linux-powered device to ensure compatibility with AAA game titles.

Sponsor segment for Tuxedo Computers, highlighting their Linux-compatible laptops and desktops.

Transcripts

hey everyone and welcome back to your

weekly Linux and open source news video

this week we've got KD stating their

three main goals for the future and

they're nice if a bit vague we also have

the release of KD 6.2 beta with a few

improvements but it doesn't look like a

huge release like 6.0 or even 6.1 were

and we also have square enex funding a

Linux distribution of course a gaming

Linux distri and we also have a lot of

stuff including this message from our

sponsor so this video is sponsored by

proton mail you probably all heard about

them but if that's not the case just

know that they provide you with an

endtoend encrypted email account hosted

in Switzerland with all the Privacy

bells and whistles you will ever need to

ensure that your email stays private not

even proton employees can access their

contents just you and proton mail

doesn't just give you a solid email

calendar contact online Drive VPN and

password manager in the same account

they've actually been firing on all

cylinders lately they launched proton

docks a private alternative to Google

Docs and they also added proton scribe a

privacy focused assistant that can write

emails for you from a simple prompt it

can also shorten or expand emails

proofread them or make them more formal

all in one click it supports a lot of

languages already and if you're worried

about the Privacy implications of AI

tools scribed is trained using open-

Source models its code is open source as

well and it doesn't use any of your

email data for training nothing you type

is logged or saved anywhere you can even

run it locally instead of on proton

server so straight from the device if

you prefer that so if you feel the need

for privacy click your free proton

account using the link in the

description below and you can also check

out their other plans for more storage

space and more features okay so you

might remember that a while back KD

asked the community to submit goals that

KD could try and Achieve longterm and

these goals have been announced at

Academy now and they're pretty

interesting if a bit vague the first is

streamlining the app development

experience as in making sure developers

have a good time creating apps for KDE

the goal is notably to enhance the

experience of building KD apps without

using C++ so with rust Python and other

languages that's a really solid goal

gnome did achieve this a while back with

Liber V and they now have the absolute

best app ecosystem on Linux that we've

ever seen so if KY can manage that as

well that would be cool the second main

goal is improving inputs for KD as in

making sure drawing tablets controllers

mice handhelds complex input methods for

people who need accessibility features

tablets touchscreens twoin ones

basically any form of input has to be

well supported on KDE so anyone can use

that desktop with their peripherals of

choice and the last goal is to make sure

KD can gain new contributors for plasma

but also for key projects like Kaden

life CR jumi and others the goal isn't

only to recruit individuals to

contribute code testing marketing

triaging and other important tasks but

it's also to recruit institutions and

organizations that could support these

projects this goal is obvious without

contributions you can't make good

software and you can't grow to make sure

everyone has a good time with your

desktop and your apps and these are all

pretty good goals to have but they feel

a bit vaguely defined to me I was

expecting more actionable stuff like for

example finish HDR support in a year and

a half or things along those lines now

maybe it's just because these goals were

just announced and all the actions that

need to be taken to reach them will be

announced later as a plan is formulated

for each of those goals still on KDE

plasma 6.2 now has a beta for testing

with a bunch of interesting changes the

main one is per monitor brightness

controls meaning you can switch the

brightness for your integrated laptop

display or the external monitor

individually we've got better whand

color management support so better HDR

support there's sticky keys support

under whand or the ability to disable

smooth scrolling in KD applications you

will also have a new apply updates and

shut down option when turning off your

computer you'll get more accurate

license information for apps in discover

and the usual system settings Pages

improvements this time to accessibility

to the keyboard settings or the

Thunderbolt settings users of drawing

tablets will also get much better

support here plus some more whand

protocol support in kwin and a lot of

smaller ux and UI touches here and there

like the ability to rename audio devices

or double clicking a ovpn file to

automatically install and configure a

new VPN the final release of plasma 6.2

should come around early October I think

it's on the 8th and of course you'll get

a dedicated video showcasing all those

new features straight here on this

channel now you might remember platron

OS the Linux based gaming focused

operating system that is currently in

development and only aims to work with

Device manufacturers they don't want to

make their own devices they want to have

Partnerships to ship platron OS as the

default on new devices and platron Os

now has financial investments from

Square enex alongside Samsung with their

Samsung next fund and other less

well-known investors Square Enix

actually said that this investment is to

make sure that their games distribution

is expanded and also to explore the

possibilities that are only possible

when harnessing the full power of an OS

yes the possible possibilities

repetition is is theirs not mine so

platron OS also has a First Alpha that's

apparently been tested across the a neo2

the Rog Ally the GPD Win 4 the Lenovo

Legion go and both models of the steam

deck LCD and OLED it looks like it has

its own interface to sync and link your

Steam account to platron and then it has

its own interface to browse games it

looks like sort of a cross between the

Steam deck interface and the end of the

PS3 era interface it's nothing shocking

bad or exciting here not all of their

work is open source for now they confirm

that only the OS code will be open at

first and then they will open more

things as time goes on but there's no

guarantee that the entire project will

be open source they also acknowledged

the issue of NTI cheet and they said

they want to work with Partners to

enable these hopefully the involvement

of Square Enix might put a little bit

more pressure on some anti-che

developers to make that work but yeah

who knows and also platron hired lrc's

founder and Main developer Matthew commo

he joined their team to work on UI

related things and he posted this on

patreon as a public post that everyone

can see saying that he simply could not

rely on his savings and donations

anymore to make a living of of lutris

and that he had to take a job he says

that platron OS has a mission that he

likes and he also touches on a few

issues that the community had with

platron as a disto the first one was the

fact that this OS announced they would

not support native Linux games only

games running through wine and proton

and Matthew said that this support will

come in the future the other sticking

point was the involvement of platron

with web 3 and crypto and Mato clarified

that yes the first partner to ship with

platron OS installed is a web 3 company

but platron itself is not and they're

not involved in that kind of stuff

themselves so this is reassuring

regarding platron OS the fact that they

will some point support native Linux

games the fact that they're not involved

with crypto specifically them hiring a

well-known person uh that has worked on

Linux related stuff Linux gaming related

stuff all of this is reassuring them

having the backing of big companies is

also kind of nice for their future the

only thing is I wish they would develop

everything in the open as open source

but let's remember that valve doesn't

open source their steam client their big

picture interface and all the UI parts

of steam o so if we don't knock Val for

that we can't really knock platron for

that either there's a lot going on with

gnome this week first they've now

officially started their search for

their new executive director as the

previous one left to do other things

than managing nonprofits if you feel

like you would know how to run something

like The Gnome Foundation the package

doesn't look too bad and you have until

September the 20th to apply now in terms

of features and new things there's also

a lot all of the Sovereign Tech

Foundation projects are moving forward

with home directory encryption better

shell notifications work on supporting

CIS updates d a system D tool to let

immutable dis row apply Delta updates we

also have a lot of work on accessibility

with a lot of stuff happening in Orca

the screen reader there are also some

new apis for flatback and whand notably

work on a USB portal to make sure that

apps don't need to have access to all of

your devices just so they can access a

USB drive work on making sure flat pack

apps can interact with accessibility

tools is also under way and if that's

not enough there are also plenty of

things happening in Liber V with a new

spinner widget to replace the gtk 1 that

could introduce lag and wasn't really

suited to different app window sizes

they also added other widgets for

developers like button row or a new

alert dialogue that looks very mosos

like and they added support for accent

colors in Liber V which will be used by

gnome 47 next week now app will still be

able to override this accent color if

they want if they have their own color

and identity of course these accent

colors are supported through the

settings portal meaning all other

desktop environments and apps from those

Dees can pick that color and use it as

well and as per gnome apps papers the

new PDF reader will support digital

signing of documents which is nice

pipeline also got an update it's an app

that lets you follow YouTube or peer

tube creators and get all their videos

in one interface without having to

navigate to each Services subscription

fee and of course I couldn't help but

being pleased to see my channel being

displayed in the screenshot for this

application which might have contributed

to why I'm mentioning here who knows I

think it's an interesting app

nonetheless to escape the for you or

subscription feed of those giant

platforms such as YouTube uh anyway all

of this cool stuff in Gnome is sort of

triggering my need to change desktops

again just as I settled into KD so uh

please tell me good things about KD in

the comments so I do not switch please

it looks like auntu is trying to improve

their snap packages a bit more they're

working on adding more control over the

permissions of each snap I mentioned

their new prompting client as I talked

about open 2 24.10 a few weeks ago and

it looks like this addition is confirmed

for 24.10 this is a little demon that

will run in the background and will let

you control permissions for your snap

apps through modal windows for example

when the web browser wants to access a

file that is in a subdirectory in your

downloads folder then you'll get a

little popup which lets you decide if

you let the app access the entire home

folder the folder where the file you're

looking for is just the file you

requested all the files of the same type

or a custom path pattern that you can

set you can then choose to give the app

read write and execute permissions over

this path or file or choose if you want

to Grant this permission one once or

always all of this is then stored in

aun's new security Center where you will

be able to revoke those permissions or

change them apparently for each path and

not for each app judging from the

screenshot this is all experimental for

24.10 and in the future it won't just

support directories it will also cover

devices like cameras or mics and you

know what it is super nice to have that

kind of granularity but also this

interface just will not work for 9 9% of

normal users it is way too busy and

people will just not understand why

you're asking them all of this of course

it is experimental and early days so it

will very very likely be tweaked and

improved in the future now it was also a

great week for EU finances as both Apple

and Google lost appeals against the

European commission meaning they both

have to pay sizable find in the case of

Apple it's $14 billion that have to be

paid to Ireland because were deemed to

have skipped on taxes this is a court

case that dates back to

2016 which once again shows how

unbearably slowly these issues are

resolved and apple was deemed to have

received illegal tax benefits from

Ireland and had to repay all of them

Ireland didn't even really want that

money they actually said they felt they

treated Apple fairly but let's be fair

by taking that stance they would have

won on both sides if Apple had won the

appeal Ireland could have said hey see

we told you we didn't give any illegal

tax benefits and if Apple lost the

appeal just like they did Ireland can

say oh no well we really thought we did

a good thing and then pocket 14 billion

which is pretty nice as per Google it's

a €2.4 billion e fine so about $2.65

billion this one is for abusing Google's

dominant position by favoring its own

shopping service on its search engine

again this dates back to 2017 so really

slow as well Google was ordered to pay

they appealed and the appeal has now

been resolved by the European court of

justice Google said that they're

disappointed because they had

implemented changes since 2017 so after

the investigation concluded that they

were abusing their dominant position

which isn't exactly how things work you

can't build a monopoly and abuse it for

years and when someone says hey you have

a monopoly and you're abusing it say oh

it's okay I just implemented changes

yesterday so it's fine fine no you're

still going to get sued for the years of

abuse now of course these amounts are

ridiculous compared to these company's

valuations or even annual revenue at

that point these fines should be dealt

in a year at most not over eight years

for the legal case and they should be

probably 10 times as high to have any

form of impact but right now companies

probably just budget them every 10 years

and it's like they place it somewhere

where they generate interest and so so

they make more money off of the interest

than what they have to pay 10 years from

now so not pretty efficient but yeah

that's more money for the EU so why not

and finally there was an interesting

article on Forbes written by Jason

evangelo looking at how we kind of need

a steam deck too soon if we want the

deck to stay relevant the issue being

that the steam deck is awesome for Indie

titles and relatively old triaa games

but it's just not capable of playing the

latest AAA titles anymore Space Marine

Tu Final Fantasy 16 or Star Wars Outlaws

none of them run properly on the deck

even at their lowest settings they just

don't even reach 30 FPS and we can only

assume most brand new AAA games just

won't be playable in good conditions in

the future on the deck especially

compared to competing handhelds which

will ship with more powerful AMD apus or

even the latest Intel CPUs which if we

can believe they marketing beat all of

what's available right now now the thing

is the deck doesn't need to run every

game but if developers see that this

device has no chance of ever playing

their game even at 30fps low settings

then they won't bother with Linux

compatibility at all because right now

Linux compatibility for developers it's

just a steam deck if the steam deck

can't run your game then you don't even

bother trying to make sure that any

Linux platform could run that title and

I do agree with Jason that we need

something more powerful than the steam

deck to run those triaa titles not

necessarily because we can't run these

games because we don't necessarily need

to run all of these games on a handheld

but because if we don't have that kind

of Linux powered device that is able to

run these games and that has good

sizable market share then developers

will just never bother implementing any

kind of compatibility with Linux they

won't test on any Linux device with

proton and I don't think valve can fix

every single issue with proton

themselves without developers at least

making sure that stuff isn't too

terrible now what I'll make sure of is

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description if you want to know more

about them so thanks everyone for

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the next one bye

[Music]