Untitled Linux Show 245: Not a Supernova

Date: March 8, 2026
Host: TWiT (with the regular crew: Rob, Ken, Jeff, etc.)

Overview

This week’s episode is a lively, in-depth look at recent Linux and open-source news, focusing on:

• Fallout from California's age verification laws and their impact on Linux distros
• Why Ubuntu gets so much hate (and whether it deserves it)
• GNOME 50 nearing release, Wine 11.4 updates, Linux From Scratch 13.0’s changes
• EA’s new anti-cheat moves toward Linux/Proton, and the ever-present gaming hurdles
• Hands-on reviews and tips: Armbian updates, Firefox’s Nova design leak, MusicBrainz Picard, and command line insights

True to the Untitled Linux Show’s relaxed and geeky style, the team banters through major headlines and the hidden technical details, peppering discussion with history, personal stories, and hard-earned perspectives.

Age Verification Laws and Linux Distros

[02:05 – 10:10]

• Theme: Broad confusion and resistance among Linux distributions regarding new US age verification laws (California, Colorado, New York).
• System76:
  • CEO Carl Richel:

    “Effectiveness is lost... Liberty is lost.” [03:04]

  • Laws do little to stop tech-savvy kids, encourage lying about age, and shift toward data control over real protection.
• Canonical (Ubuntu):
  • Playing it cautiously; consulting legal counsel but not rushing compliance.
  • "One of the biggest Linux vendors... is not rushing to announce compliance." [~04:00]
• Fedora:
  • Also seeking legal advice; recognizes ecosystem-wide consequences.
• MidnightBSD:
  • Blunt approach: bans California residents from using their desktop version due to legal complications.
• Listener/Speaker Quotes:
  • “The distro world is in three camps: legal review, uncertainty, and open resistance.” [06:00]
  • “As an end user, all I can say is I’m not going to give you my age. I don’t want you to know how old I am.” [09:48]
• Notable moment: Group jokes about faking ages and wishing for senior discounts on Linux licenses.

Why Everyone Hates Ubuntu (Or Do They?)

[10:20 – 19:25]

• Jeff breaks down an opinion piece about Ubuntu’s reputation:
  • Early Days: Praised as the “Linux for human beings” and easiest for new users.
  • Controversies:
    • Amazon affiliate search results in Unity
    • Closed-source Snap Store backend, push for Snap over Flatpak
    • Choosing AppArmor over SELinux
    • General “not invented here” syndrome
• Snaps:
  • Major reason for ongoing complaints, but have improved over time.
  • Users still “heavily suggested” to use Snaps, which some call heavy-handed.
  • “The Mafia heavily suggests you pay your share.” [17:25]
• Jeff: “I still use Ubuntu on my servers and recommend it to new users.” [18:35]
• Rob: “If you don’t want me to get it native... tell me. Don’t all of a sudden install it as a snap.” [15:59]
• Reflection:
  • Once Ubuntu “became the man,” community backlash grew.
  • Ubuntu’s high visibility makes it an easy target, but it remains a solid, stable choice for many.

Wine 11.4 Release

[19:38 – 22:25]

• Summary of Wine 11.4:
  • Major update: reimplemented the SAX reader for MSXML, modernizes XML parsing.
  • Improved audio resampling.
  • Better Unix time zone matching, various translation updates, and bug fixes—“a lot of little things.” [21:42]
  • Lays some groundwork for future Windows compatibility.
• Quip:
  • “No huge changes... the big changes will happen once they start trying to incorporate Windows 11.” [21:55]

GNOME 50 Release Candidate Nears

[23:12 – 29:12]

• Rob covers GNOME 50 (release March 18):
  • Major under-the-hood performance and graphics improvements:
    • Better Nvidia, HDR, remote desktop, color management, faster rendering, etc.
  • User facing changes:
    • Improved keyboard navigation, software remembers window size, enhanced screen reader support.
    • Session save and restore delayed to a future release.
  • “Wayland is a necessity”—most new GNOME features will be Wayland-only. [25:30]
• Historical Perspective:
  • GNOME is over 25 years old (initial release 1999).
  • “They’re about due to totally redo the interface and torque everybody off again.” [28:36]

Debian: Diversity, AI, and Leadership

[29:28 – 41:03]

• Debian Leader Andreas Teitel’s giant update email:
  • Urges for gender, geographic, and especially generational (age) diversity within Debian.

    • “Diversity does not happen automatically... It requires us to make space for newcomers.” [29:42]

  • Advocates explicit recognition/encouragement for contributors.
  • AI in Contributions:
    • Acceptable if humans remain fully responsible for quality and review.
    • Cites both benefits and pitfalls—consensus is “trust but verify” with AI output.

    • “AI-based contributions are acceptable only if humans remain fully responsible for quality, legality and review...” [32:28]

  • Acknowledges failure to attract new contributors at some sprints; upholds transparency about what didn’t work.
  • Announces he won’t run for Debian Project Leader again; invites new leadership.
• Discussion:
  • Panelists note the necessity of injecting young talent into older projects.
  • Concerns about how AI might impact the “apprenticeship” process for new developers.
  • “How do we get new senior programmers if AI does all the junior work?” [40:00]
  • “Even the most bullish people... are still wondering how do we make this work?” [39:57]

Armbian 26.2 Release — ARM Boards Galore

[42:56 – 48:23]

• Ken summarizes:
  • Supports a huge list of new ARM boards.
  • Kernel 6.18 LTS on stable; 6.19 on edge branch.
  • KDE Neon builds arrive; expanded desktop and display management versatility.
  • “Their naming is just alphabet soup—crazy, but funny.” [45:46]
• Fun Fact:
  • The project supports hundreds of devices; many ship with ancient kernels or aren’t using Armbian as the default OS.

EA Anti-Cheat: A New Hope for Linux Gaming?

[49:37 – 55:41]

• Rob unpacks EA’s job posting:
  • Hiring an engineer for their Javelin anti-cheat system—Windows on ARM is first, but the posting explicitly mentions future “Linux and Proton” support.
  • Indicates major publishers are finally taking Linux gaming seriously, especially as anti-cheat is a major remaining hurdle for multiplayer games.
  • EA’s own Apex Legends dropped Steam Deck support in 2024 due to anti-cheat limits.
  • “Whatever is good for Linux gaming is good for the entire Linux ecosystem.” [53:49]
• Technical musings:
  • Discussion on how anti-cheat operates at the kernel level; challenges of securing “open” Linux systems vs. Windows.
  • “I’m not a cheater! ...There’s a show title.” [55:39]

Firefox’s Nova Redesign Leak

[55:59 – 65:27]

• Jeff reviews Firefox’s “Nova” UI (leaked mockups):
  • Notable for its heavily rounded shapes, new gradients, more color, and floating-like UI elements.
  • Compact mode might return as an officially supported, visible option.
  • Possible split-screen groupings for tabs.
  • “I just want a sharp interface—this is too much like Duplo blocks.” [61:03]
  • Panel’s consensus: UI looks fresh but “maybe a little too round.”
• Host reactions:
  • “Looking at the screenshot, I actually kind of like it!” [62:28]
  • “We’re splicing pixels here...” [65:21]

Linux from Scratch 13.0 — SystemD Takes Over

[65:46 – 71:44]

• Ken recaps:
  • This release is the first LFS to go all-in on SystemD (no more SystemV init by default).
  • 36 package updates, Linux kernel 6.18 LTS, and comparable BLFS updates.
  • Discusses history, prior choices, and the fact that most alternatives aren’t well-maintained (“easy to fork, hard to maintain”).
  • “There's a group that really don't like systemd and want to go back.” [68:53]
• Opportunity for experimentation:
  • Still possible to fork or use LFS with other init systems, but project momentum is firmly with SystemD.

Quick Linux Tips & Tools

[73:36 – 87:37]

Waydroid — Running Android on Linux

[74:04 – 78:49]

• Rob demos running full Android (with Play Store) on Linux via Waydroid.
• Tips on initialization, Google registration, firewall setup, and app compatibility limitations.

Journalctl -f for Real-Time Log Tailing

[79:12 – 81:56]

• Jeff found “journalctl -f” invaluable for tracking down a USB error live during device changes.
• Grep “error” for an even tighter debug filter.

MusicBrainz Picard — Cross-Platform Music Tagger

[82:06 – 87:34]

• Ken walks through how he uses Picard and MusicBrainz’s cloud database to manage and organize music collections, including vintage vinyl rips.
• Supports extensive formats, plugins, and even acoustic fingerprinting.

Block vs. Character Devices

[87:37 – 90:27]

• Jonathan explains the differences and where you'd encounter each in /dev.
• Looks ahead to covering system calls in a future episode.

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s easy to fork, but hard to maintain.” [71:44]
• "That's a nice computer you got there. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it." [17:31]
• “Once Ubuntu became 'the man', some of us just couldn’t put up with that anymore…” [14:58]
• “I just want a sharp interface – this is too much like Duplo blocks.” [61:03]
• “How do we get new senior programmers if AI does all the junior work?” [39:57]

Episode Highlights by Topic

| Segment | Timestamp | Notes | |-----------------------------------|----------:|---------------------------------------------------------| | Age Verification Laws | 02:05 | Distro reactions, legal/technical uncertainty | | Ubuntu Hate & Snaps Debate | 10:20 | History, packaging choices, trust | | Wine 11.4 Changes | 19:38 | Under-the-hood, steady improvements | | GNOME 50 RC | 23:12 | Wayland-only features, milestone release imminent | | Debian: Diversity, AI, Leadership | 29:28 | Teitel’s email, the panel's takes | | Armbian 26.2 ARM Board Bonanza | 42:56 | Massive hardware growth, KDE Neon builds | | EA Anti-Cheat & Linux Gaming | 49:37 | EA’s job posting, kernel anti-cheat, Steam Deck | | Firefox Nova Redesign | 55:59 | Early mockups, panel opinion divided | | Linux From Scratch 13.0 | 65:46 | SystemD default, init system nostalgia | | Waydroid (Android on Linux) | 74:04 | Setup walkthrough, Play Store notes | | MusicBrainz Picard | 82:06 | Power-user’s music tagging | | Block vs. Character Devices | 87:37 | Deep dive for power users |

Closing Thoughts

• The panelists riff on their favorite tools, habits, and the ever-changing nature of Linux, from OS philosophy right down to interface ergonomics.
• Ubuntu remains stable and crucial, if not always beloved.
• Gnome and Wine make incremental but crucial progress.
• The “age verification apocalypse” remains more bark than bite (for now), but there’s growing legal complexity.
• Diversity and new contributors (plus how we use AI) are existential issues for core open source projects.
• Tons of ground covered, with humor and perspective, for both casual listeners and power users.

For further reading, see the articles referenced in the show notes or hit the TWiT Discord for community discussion.