Untitled Linux Show 240: I Like the Frosting

Date: February 1, 2026

Host: Jonathan Bennett
Panelists: Ken, Jeff
Producer: TWiT Network

Episode Overview

This episode of the Untitled Linux Show brings nerdy camaraderie and practical insight as the hosts discuss new Linux-friendly hardware (including Argon 40’s 1Up laptop for Raspberry Pi CM5), the latest in ebook and partition management software, advances in desktop environments, AMD and Intel’s server CPUs, Nvidia’s GeForce Now on Linux, and much more. The episode has a relaxed, fun vibe with lively banter, detailed technical explanations, and hands-on commentary from the hosts.

Main Discussion Topics

1. Argon 40 1Up Laptop for Raspberry Pi CM5

[02:23]

• Hardware Review: Jonathan shows off the new Argon 1Up – a laptop shell designed for Raspberry Pi CM5 compute module, sharing his mixed initial impressions.
• Likes: Sturdy build, good keyboard and trackpad for the price, generally “serviceable.”
• Major Annoyance: No thermal pads included for the CPU/NVMe, affecting cooling. Ordered pads separately to fix this.
• Performance: Comparable to other Pi 5s – plays 60fps YouTube, runs Linux smoothly. After running Argon's setup scripts, WiFi improved significantly.
• Expansion: Includes a unique breakout "gizmo" for the 40-pin GPIO, enabling creative hardware add-ons.
• Use Cases: Not a desktop or laptop replacement, but could be a handy, hackable, portable device for web or projects.
• Cooling Discussion: Active cooling (fan) vs. passive (heat sink) for Pi 5 is debated. Fan recommended for full performance, but passable without for lighter tasks.

“Once I get the thermal pads on there, that entire metal strip will turn into a passive heat sink.” – Jonathan [07:04]

2. Calibre 9.0 eBook Software Update

[13:45]

• Bookshelf View: New visually-dynamic library with book spines; panelists prefer table/list view for fast searching.
• Feature Upgrades:
  • "Edit Book" button for on-the-fly ePub edits.
  • Jump to page by number (versus endless arrow-key scrolling).
  • Momentum scrolling for touchpads, improved shutdown speed, bug fixes.
• Real-world Syncing: Ken details syncing ebooks to Android, Chromebook, and Kindle Fire with FBReader and Google Drive integration.
• Library Organization: Tips on structuring multiple calibre libraries (fiction, reference, juvenile, etc.).

"On the Android phone...I use FBReader. It has a network where it basically uses a folder on your Google Drive to sync between the various devices.” – Ken [16:46]

3. Epic Showdown: AMD EPYC vs. Intel Xeon 6 CPUs

[18:17]

• Phoronix Super-Benchmarks: Michael Larabel reran 500+ benchmarks on newest EPYC 9755 and Xeon 6, both dual-CPU, 256-core, 512-thread monsters.
• Test Setup: Ubuntu 25.10, kernel 6.18.1, gcc 15.2, 24x64GB DDR5 RAM per system.
• Findings:
  • AMD Dominates: Most benchmarks, performance, and efficiency trends favor AMD.
  • Power Matters: Real-world server workloads weighed in with power usage—crucial for datacenters.
• New Interactive Tool:
  • Phoronix now offers a web interface for granular benchmark filtering by workload (e.g., audio encoding, zipping, Blender, FFMPEG).
  • “Super useful...cuts through 500 test results to just what you care about.”
• Panel Jokes: $10,000 CPUs plus sky-high RAM limits—firmly enterprise gear.

“Scrolling through 500 tests to find what you want is a task of drudgery...Now you'll have a very definitive ‘oh, yes, this is exactly what I want.’” – Jeff [22:09]

4. Desktop Environments: KDE, Cosmic, XFCE, and More

[30:49]

KDE in VR, Air Theme Returns

• Brody Robertson's sneak peek: KDE getting VR mode—map windows and desktop to floating 3D space, much like Apple's Vision Pro.
• Plasma 6.7 Air Theme: The classic KDE 4 “Air” theme is back with liquid glass effects; new background blur API, notification shortcuts, emoji, bug fixes.

Cosmic Desktop Developments

• Frosted glass effect and smoother animations coming; Bluetooth fixes; more polish—Cosmic is now a real competitor.

Panelist Opinions

• Jonathan’s favorites: “KDE and Cosmic...the rest are dead to me.”
• Lightweight DEs: Discussion on whether to abandon XFCE, CDE, Gnome.
• Performance: Current KDE is not the “resource hog” it once was, nearly as light as XFCE.

“I just love all these fun extra bits—the frosting. I like the frosting on my desktop.” – Jonathan [38:22]

XFCE Wayland Progress

• New Wayland Compositor: XFCE is moving to a Smithay-based Wayland compositor (written in Rust), ensuring modern protocol support and maintaining XFCE’s lightweight ethos.
• Funding: XFCE has successfully raised enough donations to fund this development full-time.

5. Nvidia GeForce Now on Linux – Cloud Gaming Arrives

[43:37]

• Official Flatpak Beta: Nvidia's game streaming service is out for Linux as a Flatpak. Play PC games in the cloud; your machine just needs to decode video.
• Hardware Requirements:
  • Nvidia: 580 or newer.
  • Intel/AMD: Mesa 24.2+, recommends Wayland.
• Tiers:
  • Free (one-hour sessions, 1080p/60, ads, 2,000 games),
  • Priority ($10/month, better quality/more games),
  • Ultimate ($20/month, best quality/priority).
• AMD & Intel Supported: As long as the GPU supports H264/H265 and is up-to-date, you can stream.
• Panel Thoughts: Not a Steam replacement, but a handy workaround for hard-to-run games on Linux or lower-end hardware. Free tier lets you experiment.

“...if there’s one thing that Linux users love, it’s choices, and now we have another one. So happy gaming!” – Jeff [47:33]

6. Remote Desktop & Partition Tools: TigerVNC and GParted Updates

TigerVNC 1.16

[51:01]

• Still Alive & Kicking: Outlasts RealVNC/TightVNC.
• Major News: Now supports Wayland desktops via W0VNC server.
• Minor Polishes: Global hotkeys, keyboard shortcuts, drops old OS support, still hosted on Sourceforge.

GParted 1.8 and GParted Live 1.8.0-2

[55:02]

• Crash Fixes: Stability improvements, better FAT filesystem handling.
• Copy Safety: Wipes FS signatures before copy for data integrity.
• GParted Live: Latest Debian Sid, kernel 6.18.5; greatly improved hardware support and a fix for blank screen issues.
• Panel Usage: Preferred GUI for disk management; GParted Live ideal for multiboot or problematic Windows machines.
• Humorous Upgrades: Sometimes it’s best to “drop the machine in the trash” rather than upgrade bargain-bin laptops!

7. Proton 10.0-4: Boosted Linux Gaming Compatibility

[61:25]

• Key Fixes:
  • Many Windows games newly playable on Linux via Steam.
  • Higher HDR on Steam Deck OLED, fix for driver warning messages, multiple regression/compatibility fixes, Steamworks SDK updated, etc.
• Advice: If a favorite game wasn’t working, “give the new version a try.”
• Panel Recommendations:
  • Always try the latest Proton Experimental before giving up on a title.
  • Submit issues upstream as most games are fixable over time.

8. Raspberry Pi Smart Display Module

[66:04]

• Industrial Pi: New hardware module (CM5-based) for digital signage, fits the Smart Display Module spec (for integrating whole PC into a monitor or projector).
• Features: Slide-in “blade” form factor, accessible for businesses and hobbyists alike, potentially fun for rackmount or custom hacking.

“I like rack mounting Raspberry Pis. Something about it makes me feel good.” – Jonathan [68:45]

Tips & Tricks Segment

[71:35]

• Ken – Libcaca for ASCII Art: Kaka Utils package ("libcaca"): Color ASCII art, command-line fun with tools like cacafire (ASCII flame), cacaview, and cacademo. Great for avatars, command line play or desktop decoration.

  “You can even see the bookcases. You can’t make out the titles, can you?” – Ken [73:16]

• Jeff – Pacman 'I Love Candy': Easter egg: Add ILoveCandy and Color (with capital letters, no spaces) to /etc/pacman.conf on Arch-based systems, and the update progress bar turns into Pac-Man eating dots.
• Jonathan – Shellbeats (CLI Music): Command-line YouTube player powered by YT-DLP backend. Hit by recent YouTube API changes requiring workarounds—but a cool idea for terminal music lovers.

Notable Quotes & Banter

• “The frosting—I like the frosting on my desktop.” – Jonathan [38:22]
• “No, probably wouldn’t even fit in the case.” – Jonathan, after being told the new server CPUs cost $10,000+ [27:33]
• “[KDE]...is not the memory hog it used to be.” – Jeff [37:36]
• “Just to be able to say that yes, they have a water-cooled Pi.” – Jonathan [09:38]
• “IN some cases those things are so underpowered, you’re not even going to have a good time running Linux on them.” – Jonathan on Walmart-bought netbooks [60:07]
• “If there’s one thing that Linux users love, it’s choices—and now we have another one.” – Jeff [47:33]

Additional Resources

• Find details, articles, and links for all stories at the show notes (not included here).
• Calibre, KDE, Cosmic/XFCE dev blogs and Phoronix for benchmarks and new hardware news.
• Flatpak beta releases for Nvidia Now directly from Nvidia; do not rely on unverified Flathub links.
• GParted Live and TigerVNC latest images are a safe bet for system recovery/maintenance.

Conclusion

This episode was packed with hardware experiments, valuable tips, desktop environment debates, and gaming compatibility advancements. Whether you’re a tinkerer, sysadmin, or pure Linux desktop user, the show’s technical depth and accessible banter make it a must-listen. Stay tuned weekly for the latest, geekiest Linux news and community happenings.

End of summary.
(Please refer to individual timestamps above for exact moments and attributions.)