Canonical is ‘ramping up’ AI in Ubuntu this year

AI features are coming to Ubuntu in 2026, though Canonical has made clear that the distro is not becoming an AI product. In a community post, Jon Seager, VP of engineering at Canonical, says the company is “ramping up its use of AI tools in a focused and principled manner” this year, with a bias toward local inference and open-weight models whose licence terms match Canonical’s values. AI features in Ubuntu will take one of two forms. Implicit features improve existing capabilities using on-device AI models, for things like text-to-speech and speech-to-text to bolster accessibility. The plan is to make […]

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Firefox’s free VPN is getting the one feature it was missing

Firefox VPN.Mozilla has attracted kudos since it added a free built-in VPN to its Firefox web browser, not least because of the generous 50 GB a month usage limit. Now it’s set to add another sweetener: server location choice. Mozilla began rolling out VPN integration in Firefox 149 for Windows, macOS and Linux to users in the UK, USA, France and Germany as a privacy shield: it hides your real IP address when browsing by routing traffic through a secure proxy server hosted by Fastly. Canada was added to that list with Firefox 150. The only hard requirement is that users must be […]

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Thunderbird 150 Lands on Linux: Smarter Encryption, Better Tools, and a Polished Experience

Thunderbird 150 Lands on Linux: Smarter Encryption, Better Tools, and a Polished Experience

Mozilla has officially rolled out Thunderbird 150.0, the latest version of its open-source email client, bringing a mix of security-focused enhancements, usability upgrades, and workflow improvements for Linux and other platforms. Released in April 2026, this update continues Thunderbird’s steady evolution as a powerful desktop email solution.

For Linux users, Thunderbird 150 delivers meaningful updates that improve both everyday usability and advanced email handling, especially for encrypted communication.

Stronger Support for Encrypted Email

One of the standout improvements in Thunderbird 150 is how it handles encrypted messages.

Users can now:

  • Search inside encrypted emails (OpenPGP and S/MIME)
  • Generate “unobtrusive” OpenPGP signatures that appear cleaner to recipients

These changes make encrypted communication far more practical, especially for users who rely on secure email for work or privacy-sensitive tasks.

New Productivity and Workflow Features

Thunderbird 150 introduces several small but impactful workflow improvements:

  • A new Account Hub opens automatically on first launch, simplifying setup
  • Recent Destinations in settings can now be sorted alphabetically
  • Address book entries can be copied as vCard files
  • A new custom accent color option allows interface personalization

These updates make Thunderbird easier to configure and more flexible to use daily.

Improved Built-In PDF Viewer

Thunderbird’s integrated PDF viewer gets a useful upgrade: users can now reorder pages directly within the viewer.

This is particularly helpful for:

  • Managing attachments without external tools
  • Editing documents quickly before sending
  • Streamlining email-based workflows

Combined with ongoing security fixes, the PDF viewer becomes both more capable and safer.

Calendar and Interface Enhancements

Several improvements focus on usability and accessibility:

  • Calendar views now support touchscreen scrolling
  • Fixed issues with calendar layouts and navigation
  • Better screen reader support and accessibility fixes
  • General UI refinements across the application

These changes contribute to a smoother, more consistent user experience across devices.

Bug Fixes and Stability Improvements

Thunderbird 150 also resolves a wide range of issues, including:

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Linux Kernel 6.19 Reaches End of Life: Time to Move Forward

Linux Kernel 6.19 Reaches End of Life: Time to Move Forward

The Linux kernel continues its fast-paced release cycle, and with that comes an important milestone: Linux kernel 6.19 has officially reached end of life (EOL). For users and distributions still running this branch, it’s now time to upgrade to a newer kernel version.

This isn’t unexpected, Linux 6.19 was never intended to be a long-term release, but it does serve as a reminder of how quickly non-LTS kernel branches move through their lifecycle.

Official End of Support

The final update in the 6.19 series, Linux 6.19.14, has been released and marked as the last maintenance version. Kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman confirmed that no further updates will follow, stating that the branch is now officially end-of-life.

On kernel.org, the 6.19 series is now listed as EOL, meaning it will no longer receive bug fixes or security patches.

Why 6.19 Had a Short Lifespan

Unlike some kernel releases, Linux 6.19 was not a long-term support (LTS) version. Short-lived kernel branches are typically supported for only a few months before being replaced by newer releases.

Linux follows a rapid development model:

  • New major versions are released frequently
  • Short-term branches receive limited updates
  • Only selected kernels are designated as LTS for extended support

Because of this, 6.19 was always meant to be a stepping stone rather than a long-term foundation.

What Users Should Do Now

With 6.19 no longer maintained, continuing to use it poses risks, especially in environments where security and stability matter.

Recommended upgrade paths include:

Upgrade to Linux 7.0

The most direct path forward is the Linux 7.0 kernel series, which succeeds 6.19 and introduces new hardware support and ongoing fixes.

This is a good option for:

  • Desktop users
  • Rolling-release distributions
  • Users who want the latest features

Switch to an LTS Kernel

For production systems, servers, or long-term stability, moving to an LTS kernel is often the better choice.

Current LTS options include:

  • Linux 6.18 LTS (supported until 2028)
  • Linux 6.12 LTS (supported until 2028)
  • Linux 6.6 LTS (supported until 2027)

These versions receive ongoing security updates and are better suited for stable environments.

Why EOL Matters

When a kernel reaches end of life:

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Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) release date & schedule

Grab your diary and jot down the date, as Ubuntu 26.10 ‘Stonking Stingray’ is going to be released on 15 October, 2026. The Ubuntu 26.10 release date and those of other notable milestones in the next development cycle have now been shared by Canonical but, given the nature of development, should be considered tentative – plans can and do change. The most significant date in the 26.10 schedule, besides the final release, is that of feature freeze on August 10, 2026. This is the date at which (in theory) new features stop being added so that the focus can move to […]

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Canonical finally gives Launchpad (a bit of) a glow-up

Launchpad, the home of Ubuntu development, has finally received some design attention. Canonical last updated the site’s homepage back in 2024, but many of the pages that the distro’s developers actually use or reference on a regular basis have remained untouched for the best part of a decade. Now that’s starting to change. Canonical UX designer Enzo Deng has announced that the company has “begun […] a complete redesign of the series page” for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, describing it as the start of “the journey of modernizing the Launchpad user experience” (sic). Save for a line on how the company […]

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