News : Fedora can be tested online

You ca test Fedora distro linux on the distrosea :

News : Linus Torvalds fixes critical Linux kernel bug using AI-assisted debugging.

Linus Torvalds resolved a critical memory corruption bug in the Intel Xe driver for Battlemage G21 by combining traditional kernel debugging with AI-assisted instrumentation.

The issue caused black screen failures during boot on systems using the Battlemage G21 GPU, making the bug difficult to reproduce and trace manually.

Torvalds began by isolating the problematic code path inside the Xe driver, focusing on memory handling routines that interacted with the Battlemage G21 hardware.

To accelerate the debugging process, he used AI to automatically generate instrumentation code that logged internal driver states during each boot attempt.

The AI-generated instrumentation allowed Torvalds to capture detailed memory access patterns and identify the exact moment where corruption occurred.

He performed eighteen kernel boots with different instrumentation patches, gradually narrowing down the faulty memory operation.

After collecting enough diagnostic data, Torvalds confirmed that a specific memory write operation inside the Xe driver was overwriting GPU state buffers.

He created a series of twenty-four patches that corrected the memory handling logic, added safety checks, and improved buffer validation for Battlemage G21.

The final patch was reviewed, refined, and integrated into the Linux kernel, ensuring stable boot behavior for systems using Intel’s Battlemage GPUs.

This debugging session demonstrated how AI tools can assist kernel developers by generating targeted instrumentation and reducing the time required to diagnose complex hardware-related bugs.

The fix is now part of the Linux 7.2 kernel release, improving stability and compatibility for Intel’s next-generation Battlemage graphics hardware.

News : Darktable 5.6.1: Stability, GPU fixes and AI improvements for Fedora and other Linux distributions.

Darktable 5.6.1 was released on August 27, 2026, with a technical focus on improving stability, memory handling, and GPU compatibility specifically on Fedora and other Linux distributions that adopt cutting‑edge toolchains and graphics stacks.

Fedora users benefit from native Wayland support in the official AppImage, allowing Darktable to run directly on GNOME’s Wayland session without relying on XWayland, while still providing automatic fallback to X11 for systems with incomplete OpenCL or Vulkan implementations.

The update addresses AMD GPU issues encountered frequently on Fedora due to Mesa Rusticl, eliminating pixel corruption and reducing OpenCL buffer allocation failures that previously caused crashes in modules such as denoise, sharpen, and tone equalizer.

Darktable 5.6.1 improves the RAW processing pipeline by enhancing ONNX model handling, adding automatic retry for interrupted downloads, and ensuring full metadata preservation for AI‑generated images, including EXIF, geotags, ratings, and color labels.

The AI RAW denoise module now rejects Fujifilm Super CCD sensors explicitly, preventing incorrect processing results caused by unsupported training data and ensuring predictable behavior across Fedora’s diverse camera workflows.

Multiple stability issues in wavelet decomposition, path masks, and raster masks are resolved, addressing crash patterns that were more visible on Fedora due to its early adoption of GCC 14 and Clang 18, whose aggressive optimizations exposed subtle bugs in previous Darktable builds.

Export reliability is improved through corrections in JPEG 2000 YCbCr 4:2:0 decoding and PNG 16‑bit color handling, fixing inconsistencies triggered by Fedora’s up‑to‑date libpng and openjpeg libraries.

On macOS, Darktable 5.6.1 provides separate builds for x86_64 and ARM64, ensuring optimized performance on Apple Silicon devices through improved integration with Metal and OpenCL layers, although the primary technical impact of this release remains centered on Linux and Fedora.

The update reduces crash frequency on macOS when applying 3D LUTs or running AI modules, thanks to adjustments aligned with recent Apple Clang and SDK changes, maintaining parity with Fedora’s stability improvements.

Windows users receive a fix for AMD OpenCL devices that were previously disabled, restoring full GPU acceleration, but Fedora remains the distribution with the most significant improvements due to its modern graphics stack and rapid package updates.

Package distribution for Linux is updated through OBS, PPA, Flatpak, and Fedora’s community repositories, ensuring that Fedora users receive the latest Darktable 5.6.1 builds compiled against current system libraries and toolchains.

News : COSMIC Desktop 1.1 - System76.

System76 has released COSMIC Desktop 1.1, the latest update to its Rust-based desktop environment for Pop!_OS and other Linux distributions.

See the official website - system76.

Fedora immutable : Immutable Linux distributions and their development by the Fedora team.

What Are Immutable Linux Versions?

• Immutable Linux distributions are operating systems where the core system is read-only and cannot be modified directly by the user.
• Examples include Fedora Silverblue (GNOME-based) and Fedora Kinoite (KDE Plasma-based) ...
• The system is built from atomic images, similar to how mobile operating systems update.
• Applications and development tools run in containers instead of modifying the base system.

Main Characteristics and Functionality

• The base system is read-only, preventing accidental or harmful changes.
• Updates are atomic: the entire system updates as one unit and can be rolled back instantly.
• Applications are installed through Flatpak or container environments like Toolbox and Distrobox.
• System integrity is preserved because the OS image remains consistent across reboots.

Security Features

• The read-only system reduces the attack surface by preventing unauthorized modifications.
• Atomic updates ensure that incomplete or corrupted updates do not break the system.
• Containerized applications isolate software from the core system, improving security.
• Rollback capability allows users to revert to a previous working state after a failed update.

Hardware and Software Limitations

• Some proprietary drivers may require manual workarounds because the base system cannot be modified directly.
• Legacy hardware may not be fully supported due to the modern design of immutable systems.
• Traditional package managers like dnf or apt cannot install software into the base system.
• Advanced system customization is limited because configuration files are protected.

Advantages

• High stability due to the read-only system design.
• Fast and reliable updates with rollback support.
• Improved security through isolation and immutability.
• Ideal for developers using container-based workflows.
• Consistent system state across reboots and installations.

Disadvantages

• Less flexibility for users who want to modify system internals.
• Some software may not work if it requires direct system-level installation.
• Learning curve for users unfamiliar with Flatpak or container tools.
• Not ideal for niche hardware requiring custom drivers.

Immutable Fedora Linux Versions: Silverblue and Kinoite

What Are Immutable Linux Versions?

• Immutable Linux distributions are operating systems where the core system is read-only and cannot be modified directly by the user.
• Examples include Fedora Silverblue (GNOME-based) and Fedora Kinoite (KDE Plasma-based).
• The system is built from atomic images, similar to how mobile operating systems update.
• Applications and development tools run in containers instead of modifying the base system.

Main Characteristics and Functionality

• The base system is read-only, preventing accidental or harmful changes.
• Updates are atomic: the entire system updates as one unit and can be rolled back instantly.
• Applications are installed through Flatpak or container environments like Toolbox and Distrobox.
• System integrity is preserved because the OS image remains consistent across reboots.

Security Features

• The read-only system reduces the attack surface by preventing unauthorized modifications.
• Atomic updates ensure that incomplete or corrupted updates do not break the system.
• Containerized applications isolate software from the core system, improving security.
• Rollback capability allows users to revert to a previous working state after a failed update.

Hardware and Software Limitations

• Some proprietary drivers may require manual workarounds because the base system cannot be modified directly.
• Legacy hardware may not be fully supported due to the modern design of immutable systems.
• Traditional package managers like dnf or apt cannot install software into the base system.
• Advanced system customization is limited because configuration files are protected.

Advantages

• High stability due to the read-only system design.
• Fast and reliable updates with rollback support.
• Improved security through isolation and immutability.
• Ideal for developers using container-based workflows.
• Consistent system state across reboots and installations.

Disadvantages

• Less flexibility for users who want to modify system internals.
• Some software may not work if it requires direct system-level installation.
• Learning curve for users unfamiliar with Flatpak or container tools.
• Not ideal for niche hardware requiring custom drivers.

Why Fedora Atomic Desktop Versions Lag Behind Workstation

Fedora Atomic Desktops (immutable editions - 40) do not follow the same release pace as Fedora Workstation 44 – April 2026. While Workstation receives a new version every six months, the immutable editions often remain several versions behind. This happens because immutable systems require additional testing, image validation, and stability checks before release.

Main Reasons for Version Differences

• Immutable systems use rpm-ostree, which requires more complex testing than traditional package-based systems.
• Atomic updates and rollback functionality must be verified for every release.
• Desktop environments must be adapted to work correctly in a read-only system.
• The Fedora Atomic team is smaller and focuses on stability over rapid version progression.
• New immutable editions (Onyx, Aurora, Sericea) increased development workload.

Current Immutable Editions

• Fedora Silverblue (immutable, GNOME)
• Fedora Kinoite (immutable, KDE Plasma)
• Fedora Sericea (immutable, Sway)
• Fedora Onyx (immutable, Budgie)
• Fedora Aurora (immutable, LXQt)

Release Timeline for Immutable Editions

• Fedora releases occur twice per year: April and October.
• Workstation versions advance regularly (e.g., Fedora 44 in 2026).
• Immutable editions often remain at older versions (e.g., Silverblue 40) until stability is guaranteed.
• Development for immutable editions happens first in Rawhide, then moves to a stable branch.
• Version numbers for immutable editions may skip or delay compared to Workstation.

Development

• Atomic Rawhide (future Fedora 41 Atomic)
• Rawhide is the testing ground for all new immutable features.
• New images are built and validated before becoming a stable release.

How Development Works for Immutable Fedora

• All new changes are introduced in Rawhide, the rolling development branch.
• The system is built as an OSTree image instead of traditional packages.
• Each image must pass atomic update and rollback validation.
• Flatpak integration and container tools (Toolbox, Distrobox) must be tested for compatibility.
• Only after stability is confirmed, the immutable edition receives a new version number.

Why Immutable Editions Prioritize Stability

• Atomic systems must guarantee that updates never break the OS.
• Rollback must work flawlessly for every release.
• Desktop environments must behave correctly in a read-only environment.
• Consistency and reliability are more important than rapid version progression.

News : Linux 7.2 kernel big changes without 486 and new Panther Lake changes.

The x86/cpu changes have been merged for the Linux 7.2 kernel.

In Linux 7.1 the Intel 486 CPU support was retired and began to see the code removed.

This pull request also includes Panther Lake R as the new version of Panther Lake.

See the real kernel progress on the git area.

The full list of x86/cpu changes for Linux 7.2 can be found on this pull from mingo@kernel.org to torvalds@linux-foundation.org.

Thank you. Good work!

News : F44 Election Results ...

I saw a few days ago that there was a vote, but I didn't vote. I didn't participate nor did I follow what the fedora team was working on. From past experiences I can say that it is a very refined distribution. I use it all the time. It should be emphasized that each Linux distribution has different characteristics and specifications. Good luck.

The F44 election cycle has concluded. Below are the results. We are posting the results early this year as we are currently on the eve of Flock to Fedora 2026 and the results were ready. Thank you to all candidates and voters, and congratulations to the newly elected members!

See the official website.

News : HandBrake 1.11.2 added WebM MIME type to the list of the supported formats.

HandBrake 1.11.2 has been released with WebM MIME type to the list of supported formats on Linux systems, improve the Core Audio AAC encoder 7.1 channel layout, improve handling of unsupported presets on macOS and Windows systems, and improve queue low space pause behaviour on Windows systems.

See the GitHub project.

News : Release v0.15.1 for Black Box .

Black Box is a native terminal emulator for GNOME that offers superb theming options.

With Black Box you can:

• Set colors schemes and integrate them with the rest of the window
• Customize font and size
• Customize keyboard shortcuts
• Render Sixel escape sequences
• Fully hide the window headerbar
• Quickly open links and files by ctrl+clicking file paths and URLs
• Easily paste file paths by dragging them into the window

See the official gitlab repo project.

Fedora 44 : the Zert plugin manager.

Zert is a pure-Zsh plugin manager built around a simple idea: your plugins should be declared directly in your .zshrc, pinned to exact commits, and reproducible on any machine just like npm does for Node projects.

This project can be found on this GitHub repo.

Let's see some commands:

zert zert                           # zert manages itself
zert use ohmyzsh                     # enable Oh-My-Zsh compatibility
zert ohmyzsh lib/clipboard           # OMZ library
zert use prezto                      # enable Prezto compatibility
zert prezto modules/utility          # Prezto module
zert zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions   # GitHub shorthand
zert https://github.com/user/repo    # full URL
zert user/repo --branch dev          # track a branch
zert /home/me/my-plugin              # local plugin

zert user/plugin --pin abc123        # pin to commit
zert user/plugin --branch dev         # track branch
zert user/plugin --no-alias           # skip aliases
zert user/plugin --no-completion      # skip completions
zert user/plugin --only-completion    # completions only

zert list      # show installed plugins
zert update    # update all plugins
zert prune     # remove unused plugins

Fedora 44 : Fedora 44 Server with budgie ...

The old laptop on which I was running Fedora broke down. That didn't stop me from testing Fedora Server version 44 beta 12 with the Budgie environment in VirtualBox, and I also made a beginner tutorial video that I share on my YouTube channel - Catalin George Festila.

See this video:

News : Fedora Budgie Spin intro

Today, I saw this good environment and will test with Fedora server on virtualbox because I don't have hardware to test it.

You can see more about this with the Fedora Spin.

The Fedora Budgie Spin showcases the Budgie Desktop, a feature-rich, modern desktop designed to keep out the way of the user. Budgie Desktop uses common desktop design metaphors while offering users sophisticated functionality such as its Raven widget and notification center, and an approachable method to personalization.

Fedora 38: First official release of Fedora Budgie Spin was on 2023.

Fedora 39–44: Continuous updates, better Wayland support, and alignment with upstream Budgie.

Fedora 44 Beta: Ships with Budgie 10.10 and improved integration.

The basic commands for install this fedora package with gdm.

$sudo dnf5 install @budgie-desktop-environment
$sudo dnf5 install budgie-desktop
$sudo dnf5 install @base-x gdm
$sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target
$sudo systemctl enable gdm --now
$sudo reboot

NOTE: If these commands not work then you need to make one update with all packages.

News : the new Linux 7.0 kernel series.

Good news for linux users, see the official website:

From Linus Torvalds Date Sun, 22 Feb 2026 14:40:09 -0800 Subject Linux 7.0-rc1 You all know the drill by now: two weeks have passed, and the kernel merge window is closed. We have a new major number purely because I'm easily confused and not good with big numbers. We haven't done releases based on features (or on "stable vs unstable") for a long long time now. So that new major number does *not* mean that we have some big new exciting feature, or that we're somehow leaving old interfaces behind. It's the usual "solid progress" marker, nothing more. With our normal release schedule of 5-6 releases per year and my antipathy to big version numbers, you should basically expect us to bump the major number roughly every 3.5 years. And yeah, I don't have a solid plan for when the major number itself gets big. But doing the math - by that time, I expect that we'll have somebody more competent in charge who isn't afraid of numbers past the teens. So I'm not going to worry about it. Anyway - despit eany lingering ".0 release" worries that people might have due to experiences with other projects, this was one of those fairly smooth merge window for me. I define those as the merge windows where I don't have to bisect boot failures on any of my machines. Admittedly this time around that was because I caught one failure case early before I *actually* booted into it, but hey, that still technically counts as "smooth" to me. But your milage may vary. Which is why you should now all drop everything, run to your computers, and test-build and test-boot a shiny new kernel. The fact that it all works for *me* is good, but let's make sure it works for others too, ok? Just kidding. A leisurely stroll after you've finished chewing is fine. ...

News : Fedora 42 (Adams) !

Fedora 42 is a version of Fedora released to the public on 15 April 2025[1], under the codename "Adams". This version is notably the first version since Fedora 23 to use a codename. This version updates GNOME to version 48.

See the wikipedia article.

Yesterday I installed the Fedora Linux distro with version 42 also known as Adams, on the old Cosmic environment.

The packages were installed correctly and updated to version 42. The Cosmic environment, although it has a pretty good design, is just as poor as some of the implemented applications. I tried with about three screenshot applications to take a screenshot and I couldn't succeed. I noticed some packages for basic and cosmic implementation, but they didn't solve anything. Moreover, it seems that cosmic is related to rust and it's throwing me some strange messages!!!

I had to take a picture of the screen for this installation ... after all, it is a test version from the Fedora team based on RedHat linux!

News : Fedora team schedule for a long period of time .

It remains my favorite linux distribution so far. I didn't have time to work with Fedora, I see the development team initiated a larger plan over a longer period of time, which is very good.

Fedora Linux 41 End of Life will be on Wed 2025-11-19 and Fedora Linux 43 End of Life will be on Wed 2026-12-02.

Now : Notify Mirrors of Final Release , see this schedule.

• Fedora Linux 43
• Fedora Linux 42
• Fedora Linux 41
• Fedora Linux 40
• Fedora Linux 39

News : Bluefin Linux from Fedora Silverblue.

Fedora 41 : evtest basic tool for linux devices.

The evtest is c - Input device event monitor and query tool.

root@fedora:/home/mythcat# dnf5 install evtest
Updating and loading repositories:
Repositories loaded.
Package                                           Arch         Version                                           Repository                      Size
Installing:
 evtest                                           x86_64       1.35-8.fc41                                       fedora                      63.0 KiB

Transaction Summary:
 Installing:         1 package

Total size of inbound packages is 30 KiB. Need to download 30 KiB.
After this operation, 63 KiB extra will be used (install 63 KiB, remove 0 B).
...
root@fedora:/home/mythcat# evtest
No device specified, trying to scan all of /dev/input/event*
Available devices:
/dev/input/event0:	Sleep Button
/dev/input/event1:	Lid Switch
/dev/input/event10:	HDA Intel Line
/dev/input/event11:	HDA Intel Headphone
/dev/input/event12:	PixArt USB Optical Mouse
/dev/input/event2:	Power Button
/dev/input/event3:	AT Translated Set 2 keyboard
/dev/input/event4:	SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad
/dev/input/event5:	Video Bus
/dev/input/event6:	ST LIS3LV02DL Accelerometer
/dev/input/event7:	Quickstart Button 1
/dev/input/event8:	HP WMI hotkeys
/dev/input/event9:	HDA Intel Mic
Select the device event number [0-12]:

Fedora 41 : the pref tool under Fedora.

Today I tested the perf tool in Fedora 41 and it is a bit difficult to use. I documented myself and found some information on the web and in the online linux community. Here is what I thought was worth remembering and what I tested.

The performance of Python with `perf` support is not great, and is going to get a lot worse.

Python - pref profiling

perf engineering with python

The pref tool can't run anyway:

mythcat@fedora:~/PythonProjects$ perf record -e cache-misses,page-faults,minor-faults,major-faults,cpu-migrations,L1-dcache-load-misses,L1-dcache-store-misses,L1-icache-load-misses,LLC-load-misses,LLC-store-misses,dTLB-load-misses,dTLB-store-misses,iTLB-load-misses
Error:
Access to performance monitoring and observability operations is limited.
Enforced MAC policy settings (SELinux) can limit access to performance
monitoring and observability operations. Inspect system audit records for
more perf_event access control information and adjusting the policy.
Consider adjusting /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid setting to open
access to performance monitoring and observability operations for processes
without CAP_PERFMON, CAP_SYS_PTRACE or CAP_SYS_ADMIN Linux capability.
More information can be found at 'Perf events and tool security' document:
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/admin-guide/perf-security.html
perf_event_paranoid setting is 2:
  -1: Allow use of (almost) all events by all users
      Ignore mlock limit after perf_event_mlock_kb without CAP_IPC_LOCK
>= 0: Disallow raw and ftrace function tracepoint access
>= 1: Disallow CPU event access
>= 2: Disallow kernel profiling
To make the adjusted perf_event_paranoid setting permanent preserve ...

I used with sudo , wait and Ctrl + C to stop:

mythcat@fedora:~/PythonProjects$ sudo perf record -e cache-misses,page-faults,minor-faults,major-faults,cpu-migrations,L1-dcache-load-misses,L1-dcache-store-misses,L1-icache-load-misses,LLC-load-misses,LLC-store-misses,dTLB-load-misses,dTLB-store-misses,iTLB-load-misses ...

To get the accurate number of events count then number of results:

mythcat@fedora:~/PythonProjects$ perf report -D -i perf.data | grep RECORD_SAMPLE | wc -l
22461

I get my pref data and I saw all my system data with:

mythcat@fedora:~/PythonProjects$ sudo perf report -f -i perf.data 

Fedora 41 : Fix size of logical volume ... happy new year 2025!

Happy New Year 2025!

Today I come with this issue, is very old one ...

mythcat@fedora:~$ sudo vgs
[sudo] password for mythcat: 
  VG     #PV #LV #SN Attr   VSize  VFree 
  fedora   1   1   0 wz--n- 73.51g 58.51g
mythcat@fedora:~$ sudo lvresize -l +100%FREE --resizefs /dev/mapper/fedora-root
  Size of logical volume fedora/root changed from 15.00 GiB (3840 extents) to 73.51 GiB (18819 extents).
  File system xfs found on fedora/root mounted at /.
  Extending file system xfs to 73.51 GiB (78932606976 bytes) on fedora/root...
xfs_growfs /dev/fedora/root
meta-data=/dev/mapper/fedora-root isize=512    agcount=4, agsize=983040 blks
         =                       sectsz=512   attr=2, projid32bit=1
         =                       crc=1        finobt=1, sparse=1, rmapbt=1
         =                       reflink=1    bigtime=1 inobtcount=1 nrext64=1
data     =                       bsize=4096   blocks=3932160, imaxpct=25
         =                       sunit=0      swidth=0 blks
naming   =version 2              bsize=4096   ascii-ci=0, ftype=1
log      =internal log           bsize=4096   blocks=16384, version=2
         =                       sectsz=512   sunit=0 blks, lazy-count=1
realtime =none                   extsz=4096   blocks=0, rtextents=0
data blocks changed from 3932160 to 19270656
xfs_growfs done
  Extended file system xfs on fedora/root.
  Logical volume fedora/root successfully resized.

Fedora 41 : Flutter first steps ...

Today, I tested flutter starting steps on Fedora 41.

You can find a good tutorial on the Fedora Magazine.

$ uname -a
Linux fedora 6.12.5-200.fc41.x86_64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Sun Dec 15 16:48:23 UTC 2024 x86_64 GNU/Linux
mythcat@fedora:~$ sudo su 
[sudo] password for mythcat: 
root@fedora:/home/mythcat# dnf5 clean all
Removed 53 files, 35 directories. 0 errors occurred.
root@fedora:/home/mythcat# dnf5 update
...
root@fedora:/home/mythcat# dnf5 install bash curl file git unzip which xz zip mesa-libGLU clang cmake ninja-build pkg-config
...
root@fedora:/home/mythcat# exit
exit
mythcat@fedora:~$ mkdir ~/FlutterProjects
mythcat@fedora:~$ cd FlutterProjects/
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ wget https://storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/releases/stable/linux/flutter_linux_3.16.9-stable.tar.xz
Saving 'flutter_linux_3.16.9-stable.tar.xz'
HTTP response 200  [https://storage.googleapis.com/flutter_infra_release/releaseflutter_linux_3.16.9 100% [=============================>]  627.00M   10.42MB/s
                          [Files: 1  Bytes: 627.00M [9.41]
...
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ tar xf flutter_linux_3.16.9-stable.tar.xz
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ ll
total 642064
drwxr-xr-x. 11 mythcat mythcat      4096 Jan 25  2024 flutter
-rw-r--r--.  1 mythcat mythcat 657467644 Jan 25  2024 flutter_linux_3.16.9-stable.tar.xz
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ export PATH="$PATH:`pwd`/flutter/bin"
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ cd flutter/bin/
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects/flutter/bin$ pwd
/home/mythcat/FlutterProjects/flutter/bin
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ flutter doctor
mythcat@fedora:~/FlutterProjects$ flutter upgrade
...