News
News
In the news: Zorin OS 16 Educational Spin Now Available; System76 Releases AMD-Powered Kudu Laptop; Ubuntu Budgie Sets Its Sights on Gamers: Linux Mint Edge Is Ready for the Newest Hardware; Linux Kernel 5.17 Code Merge Window Is Closed; and Another Serious Flaw Found in All Major Linux Distributions.
Zorin OS 16 Educational Spin Now Available
Zorin OS 16 Education is a Linux distribution aimed at preschools as well as primary and secondary schools. Building on their already fantastic desktop experience, the developers have added a few tools to help educational institutions prepare students with the skills they need to navigate the waters of an ever-growing and complicated world.
One of the key pieces of software added is Kolibri, which aims to bridge the educational divide by providing access to an enormous library of educational content. Even better, an Internet connection isn't required to use the tool. With Kolibri, school administrators can either create their own curriculum or download materials from educational leaders such as Khan Academy, Open Stax, MIT, TED-Ed, and Sikana. Once downloaded, the content can be shared, peer-to-peer, over a local network.
Other educational apps include Minder (mind mapping), OpenBoard (whiteboard), Minuet (music knowledge), KTouch (typing), KTurtle (educational programming environment), KBrunch (practice exercises with fractions), KWordQuiz (flashcards), and Step (physics experiment simulation). Beyond educational apps, Zorin OS Education includes the likes of Firefox, LibreOffice, and Gimp.
Download a copy of Zorin OS 16 Education at https://zorin.com/os/education/, and read about what's new in the general Zorin OS 16 release at https://blog.zorin.com/2021/08/17/2021-08-17-zorin-os-16-is-released/.
System76 Releases AMD-Powered Kudu Laptop
System76 has finally brought back the popular Kudu laptop workstation powerhouse. This time around the laptop is equipped with a 3rd-gen AMD (Zen 3) Ryzen 9 5900HX H-class processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. The CPU runs at 3.3 GHz but can be boosted up to 4.6 GHz.
The Kudu is paired with NVidia RTX 3060 graphics and up to 64GB of Dual Channel DDR4 memory.
According to Ben Shpurker, Product Manager at System76, "This combination makes it the perfect machine for creating on the go."
The Kudu laptop has a 15-inch FHD matte display and a thin bezel, but for creators of all kinds, the laptop can manage up to three external displays with one HDMI port, one Mini DisplayPort, and one DisplayPort over USB-C.
Looking at ports, you'll find one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, one Mini DisplayPort 1.4 port, and one HDMI port with HDCP, as well as a headphone/microphone combo jack and a dedicated microphone jack.
Other features include a multitouch click pad, multi-color backlit US QWERTY keyboard, 2.5Gb Ethernet, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5, 1.0M 720p HD webcam, 48.96 Wh Li-Ion battery, and 2 x M.2 SSD (PCIe NVMe only) for up to 4TB total storage.
The Kudu is now available to the general public and has a base price of $1,799.
Ubuntu Budgie Sets Its Sights on Gamers
Ubuntu Budgie is already a well-designed Linux desktop distribution with a pleasant UI that makes interacting with Linux incredibly simple. And with the upcoming release of 22.04, the developers are adding a new layer of goodness to the platform.
First and foremost, the new release will include tools to vastly improve the gaming experience. Gamers will find tools such as MangoHUD (a Vulkan and OpenGL overlay for monitoring FPS, temperatures, CPU/GPU load, and more), CoreCtrl (allows you to control computer hardware with application profiles), Polychromatic and OpenRGB (RGP lighting management).
Next up comes the easy installation of apps such as Steam, Lutris, RetroARch, Discord, and OBS Studio. The developers are also mulling over adding GreenWithEnvy, the GTK system utility that is designed to provide information, control fans, and overclock NVidia video cards and GPUs.
Finally, the Budgie Welcome App will suggest the installation of gaming-specific libraries, based on any applicable hardware it detects.
All of the gaming features are currently in alpha but hopefully will be ready for the masses once the final release of Ubuntu Budgie 22.04 is made available this April. For those interested in testing the early release, you can download an ISO of the daily build for now (https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-budgie/daily-live/current/).
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.