Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Sponsor: Proton Mail
01:23 Ubuntu 26.10 beta released
03:58 Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade now possible
05:14 Toolpak introduced as the Flatpak for dev tools
08:24 F-Droid launches full rewrite of the app
10:00 Firefox 157 adds the new Nova theme
12:33 Igalia working on Firefox for SteamOS
14:35 PostmarketOS changes name
16:11 Dev proposes that GNOME accepts Al contributions
18:10 Ubuntu 26.10 has an image for Snapdragon laptops
19:33 New minimalist FOSS web browser
21:55 Meta found guilty of lying on data protection and moderation
24:15 Sponsor: Tuxedo Computers
Links
Ubuntu 26.10 beta released
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/10/ubuntu-2610-beta-released
Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade now possible
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-2604-upgrades-live-2404
Toolpak introduced as the Flatpak for dev tools
https://blogs.gnome.org/alatiera/2026/09/26/introducing-toolpak/
F-Droid launches full rewrite of the app
Firefox 157 adds the new Nova theme
https://linuxiac.com/firefox-157-nova-released-with-its-biggest-visual-refresh-in-years/
Igalia working on Firefox for SteamOS
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Steam-Deck-Better-Firefox
PostmarketOS changes name
https://nura.eco/blog/2026/09/27/nura-rename/
Dev proposes that GNOME accepts Al contributions
https://arunraghavan.net/2026/09/on-llms-and-free-software/
Ubuntu 26.10 has an image for Snapdragon laptops
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-2610-snapdragon-x2
New minimalist FOSS web browser
Meta found guilty of lying on data protection and moderation
I personally like the Nova design, BUT I know lots of people hate it and prefer the old one, so it really sucks that it’s buried in about:config. I feel like boxy vs rounded should be a toggle, you know! If they eventually drop the about:config, maybe LibreWolf or other forks will continue to have the option for the old design (?)
I like it too. I don’t really understand the hate, tbh. There’s barely any change. Everything is still in the same place. Everything is still where you expect it to be. It just has an ever so slightly different shape, still as great click targets like before, if not better.
I’m always psyched for UI changes to see what the inspiration is now. Lately I feel like Chrome had been looking a little crappy. Like Chrome is the worst example of an implementation of material design, somehow. 😄🫣
I don’t mind a UI change if it’s actually an improvement that brings something to the table. This was just annoying. Having the different graphic on the tabs was a pointless distraction that grabbed my attention unnecessarily so I turned it off.
Very subjective, of course. I enjoyed this change. I think it made the tabs in vertical mode a lot clearer to distinguish. It became a lot easier to tell which container a tab belongs to, for one. Better contrast as well, IMO. Tons of improvements.
So I think this simple exchange proves the fact that not every change will please everyone, but they don’t do change for the sake of change. They do actually try to improve things.
Yeah I didn’t even know there was a vertical mode so if it makes that better, that’s great. I’m just glad they left an option to turn off for those of us who only found it distracting.
I thunk the main problem is how it’s forced on everyone, whether they like it or not. Rounded corners should be an option, some people like their boxier corners!
I like how the boxy ones sit more flushed to the screen.
Do people have the same complaints against Chrome? I don’t hang in Chrome communities much, but I see rounded design is everywhere nowadays. I get the feeling there should be an equal amount of whining there?
There are much bigger concerns for Chrome for most people I guess (removal of Manifest V2 support, Google spyware, excessive RAM usage, monopoly, etc.)
So by that logic, people whining about design changes is a pretty good grade for Firefox? There’s nothing bigger to wine about? Sounds great. I’ll take it.
Note that Firefox does bake in some telemetry by default, which needs to be manually disabled, but if you don’t want to deal with that you have LibreWolf! (Zen is another good one if you like vertical tabs)
And still having Manifest V2 support and not supporting a monopoly is always good!
Not sure what this all had to do with my comment, but sure. Always good to have alternatives for people who can’t stand telemetry even if it’s not sold on for advertising purposes.
I don’t hate it completely, but everything feels “smaller” compared to the original, which I find mildly annoying.
Really. I feel like the opposite.
I did go into the settings to check out the new “Compact Mode” and I noticed my UI was set to “Automatic”, and automatic for me meant compact for some reason. I changed it to be the “normal” one and it feels much more spacious now. Maybe that’s why I feel like it’s a nice change.
I like how nova looks with normal sized tabs, but it makes the compressed (or whatever it’s called when you have too many tabs and they shrink to fit) tabs not have enough room for their titles, or at least ot feels that way.