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Firefox Gets (too) Rounded, Flatpak for CLI & Dev tools, Ubuntu does tiling now - Linux Weekly News (tilvids.com)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/linux@programming.dev
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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

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/f-droid-gets-its-biggest-update-in-a-decade-with-new-ui-and-smoother-app-installs/

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

https://blancbrowser.com/

Meta found guilty of lying on data protection and moderation

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local%20news/new-mexico-wins-second-suit-against-meta/articlee4a95a15-5303-473d-9005-fdedb1ebd619.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-mexico-wants-meta-pay-up-40-billion-penalties-after-data-privacy-trial-2026-10-01/

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[–] 27 points 1 month ago* (23 children)

For those like me who don't like the new Nova theme on Firefox.

  • Open a new tab/window
  • In the URL bar type "about:config"
  • Firefox will warn you to proceed with caution. Click to accept the risk and continue.
  • In the search bar search for "nova" we are looking for a field called "browser.nova.enabled"
  • Once located, either double click on the line for this setting, or the two way arrow on the far right to toggle it off.
  • Close the tab/window and you're done!
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  • [–] 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Don't expect that to last, such settings are traditionally temporary. Mozilla normally removes them a relatively short time after the big new feature is released and any related bugs have had time to get sorted out.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 month ago (14 children)

    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 (?)

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago* (12 children)

    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. 😄🫣

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (6 children)

    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!

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (4 children)

    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?

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    There are much bigger concerns for Chrome for most people I guess (removal of Manifest V2 support, Google spyware, excessive RAM usage, monopoly, etc.)

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    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!

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    I don't hate it completely, but everything feels "smaller" compared to the original, which I find mildly annoying.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    This was just annoying.

    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.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Why are you going into about:config when you can just go to Settings > Extensions and Themes. And choose a different theme?

    There are plenty to chose from and you can even install a custom one or make your own.

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