GNOME Theming API, Qt fork, and Ubuntu going Deepin – Linux News – 1-15th April 2020

Visit http://linode.com/linuxexperiment for a 20$ credit on your new Linode account !
These are your Linux and Open Source news for the first half of march 2020. This month, we have a bunch of stuff to cover, including discussions on the future of GNOME and a GNOME theming API, a Deepin remix of Ubuntu, and some fears around the libraries that enable the KDE team to create their desktop.

Support the channel on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment

Follow me on Twitter : http://twitter.com/thelinuxEXP

My Gaming on Linux Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaw_Lz7oifDb-PZCAcZ07kw

Follow me on LBRY: https://lbry.tv/@TheLinuxExperiment:e

The Linux Experiment merch: get your goodies there! https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/the-linux-experiment

The Linux Foundation Training program is back on, with 500 scholarships offered this year. You have until April 30th to apply, and try and learn some new skills, and get certified. https://training.linuxfoundation.org/announcements/up-to-500-linux-foundation-training-scholarships-to-be-awarded-apply-by-april-30/

Adrien Plaza from the GNOME team has published an interesting article on how GTK and GNOME could support some kind of theming through a coloring API. https://aplazas.pages.gitlab.gnome.org/blog/blog/2020/04/02/coloring-api.html

You can now buy the Pinephone preinstalled with Ubuntu Touch, or UBPorts, however you want to call it. This version of the phone ships with UBPorts preinstalled, a custom etched case with the UBPorts logo.
https://www.pine64.org/2020/04/02/pinephone-ubports-community-edition-pre-orders-now-open/

Linux users of Proton Mail, rejoice, because ProtonMail Bridge, the little program that allows you to sync your ProtonMail with a desktop client, is now available on our platform.
https://itsfoss.com/protonmail-bridge/

Clear Linux now has access to Chrome, FFmpeg, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and VS Code. The distro now support third party repos in their package management system. https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Third-Party-Swupd-Repo

Proton, the windows compatibility layer aimed at gaming on Linux, will now start releasing betas and release candidates prior to the final release. The first one to be available this way is Proton5.0-6 RC1.
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/3721

Ubuntu Deepin DE, or Ubuntu DDE, has released its first beta, based on Ubuntu 20.04. This new unofficial spin on Ubuntu uses the Deepin desktop, a desktop environment that is beautiful and novel in terms of how it works and how you can customize it.
https://ubuntudde.com/

Firefox 75 was released, with a revamped address bar showing your top sites, making search suggestions more readable, and adjusting the selection mechanism on Linux.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/75.0/releasenotes/

Some Mockups have popped up for a GNOME tablet interface. These mockups would create an interface that looks amazing on smaller tactile form factors.
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2020/04/gnome-mobile-convergence-concept

Microsoft has announced a new Linux Security Module called IPE. https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-announces-ipe-a-new-code-integrity-feature-for-linux/

GNOME announced the GNOME Community Engagement Challenge. It’as a competition that aims to attract developers to engage with open source software. There is no limit on the type of propositions people can submit, and there is a global pool of 65 thousand dollars. https://www.gnome.org/challenge/

Wine 5.6 has been released, with a very interesting load of fixes, notably on the Media Foundation.
https://www.winehq.org/announce/5.6

There is a bit of a scare in the KDE / Qt community, as the Qt Company CEO said they might be forced to restrict all Qt releases to paid license holders, for 12 months.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Qt-Open-Source-Statement

The Lemur Pro, System 76’s lightest Linux laptop yet has been released. It weighs less than a kilogram, and can handle 14 hours of battery life. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2020/04/09/meet-the-lightest-linux-laptop-from-system76/#4703a90f7162

Asus released a graphics card based on a 2016 design, the GT 710. It is the last design that didn’t require any proprietary firmware, so it can run using the Nouveau driver by default, without any additional drivers installed.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Nouveau-K2020-Low-End-Card

Proton 5.0-6 was released after a brief period of being available as a beta. It’s got a lot of fixes, and improvements, for Doom Eternal, Resident Evil 2 remake, Dead Space, Elder Scrolls Online, and the RockStar Launcher. https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/wiki/Changelog

Continuing their efforts to lay out their plans clearly, the GNOME team has published a new blog post explaining the various areas they’d like to focus on in the future.
https://blogs.gnome.org/shell-dev/2020/04/15/gnome-shell-ux-plans/