Linuxiac Weekly Wrap-Up: Week 47 (Nov 17 – 23, 2025)
Catch up on the latest Linux news: AlmaLinux 9.7, Debian Libre, Blender 5.0, Plasma 6.5.3, Bottles 60.0, Proxmox VE 9.1, PHP 8.5, iDescriptor brings iPhone management to Linux, and more.
iDescriptor Brings iPhone Management to Linux
iDescriptor brings iPhone management to Linux, enabling app installs, file access, AirPlay, and device controls in a free, open-source application.
MariaDB 12.1 Database Arrives with Faster Aria Engine
The new MariaDB 12.1 update introduces a segmented key cache, MDL scalability gains, and several enhancements across the database engine.
Thunderbird Pro Nears Launch with New Website and $9 Early Bird Plan
Thunderbird Pro’s new website goes live as the service nears launch, introducing a $9 Early Bird plan with Thundermail, Send, and Appointment.
KDE Plasma 6.6 Will Introduce Per-Window Screen-Recording Exclusions
KDE Plasma 6.6 desktop environment will introduce per-window screen-recording exclusions, richer blur effects for dark themes, and more.
Bottles 60.0 Launches with Native Wayland Support
Bottles 60.0, a Wine prefix manager for running Windows apps on Linux, adds native Wayland support, a refreshed UI, and more.
Self-Hosters Confirm It Again: Linux Dominates the Homelab OS Space
According to the 2025 Self-Host survey from selfh.st, Linux dominates self-hosting setups and homelab operating systems.
Mozilla Resolves 21-Year-Old Bug, Adds Full XDG Directory Support
Firefox 147 adds support for the XDG Base Directory Specification, ending a 21-year wait and aligning the browser’s Linux file storage with modern standards.
Calibre 8.15 E-Book Manager Adds Highlight Dates in Viewer
Calibre 8.15 e-book manager introduces highlight date tooltips, improved case-change handling, new shortcuts, and several key bug fixes.
Zorin OS 18 Hits 1 Million Downloads in Just One Month
Zorin OS 18 has reached 1M downloads, with 78% from Windows users, but the test upgrade path from 17 to 18 is currently broken.