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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Sponsor: Proton VPN
01:30 GrapheneOS won't comply with age verification laws
03:10 SystemD adds date of birth field for age verification
04:56 SystemD forked to remove date of birth field
07:54 Fedora project lead suggests using standard Age check API
10:16 SteamOS adds Steam Machine support, Wayland by default
11:59 LibreOffice adds donation banner
13:19 GNOME starts their fellowship program
15:24 Ubuntu makes changes to GRUB for security
17:05 Ubuntu 26.04 beta released
18:50 Plasma 6.6 beats GNOME 50 in graphics performance
20:18 NVK + Nouveau not ready to replace official nvidia drivers
21:52 Github will use all your user data to train Copilot
23:45 Sponsor: Tuxedo Computers


Links:

GrapheneOS won't comply with age verification laws
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/grapheneos-refuses-to-comply-with-age-verification-laws

SystemD adds date of birth field for age verification
https://itsfoss.com/news/systemd-age-verification/

SystemD forked to remove date of birth field
https://itsfoss.com/news/systemd-fork-strips-out-age-verification/
https://itsfoss.com/dylan-taylor-systemd-controversy/

Fedora project lead suggests using standard Age check API
https://itsfoss.com/news/fedora-leader-suggests-age-verification-api/
https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/a-practical-architectural-solution-to-os-level-age-verification-laws/183387

SteamOS adds Steam Machine support, Wayland by default
https://www.phoronix.com/news/SteamOS-3.8-Preview
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/steam-deck/valves-steam-machine-gets-its-first-support-update-ahead-of-launch-via-steamos-preview-3-8-0-and-it-includes-one-major-fix-ive-been-waiting-for

LibreOffice adds donation banner
https://redmine.documentfoundation.org/issues/3867

GNOME starts their fellowship program
https://blogs.gnome.org/foundation/2026/03/24/introducing-gnome-fellowship/

Ubuntu makes changes to GRUB for security
https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/streamlining-secure-boot-for-26-10/79069
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/ubuntu-security-center-ubuntu-pro

Ubuntu 26.04 beta released
https://documentation.ubuntu.com/release-notes/26.04/changes-since-previous-interim/
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/ubuntu-2604-new-folder-icons

Plasma 6.6 beats GNOME 50 in graphics performance
https://www.phoronix.com/review/ubuntu-2604-gnome-kde/4
https://www.phoronix.com/review/nvidia-595-kde-gnome/5

NVK + Nouveau not ready to replace official nvidia drivers
https://www.phoronix.com/review/linux-70-nouveau/7

Github will use all your user data to train Copilot
https://github.blog/news-insights/company-news/updates-to-github-copilot-interaction-data-usage-policy/

#linuxdesktop #linuxdistro #technews #linuxnews

The Linux Experiment

A weekly Linux and open source news roundup covering several topics: the age verification debate in the Linux ecosystem, with GrapheneOS refusing compliance and systemd adding an optional birth date field that sparked controversy and a fork called 'liberated systemd'; SteamOS preview update adding Steam Machine support and switching to Wayland by default for desktop mode; LibreOffice planning a donation banner; GNOME launching a fellowship program funding contributors; Ubuntu 26.10 planning to strip GRUB to reduce attack surface; Plasma 6.6 benchmarks showing ~47% performance advantage over GNOME 50 on AMD GPUs; Nouveau+NVK reaching 38% of official Nvidia driver performance but tripling its previous results; and GitHub enabling opt-out user data collection for Copilot AI training.

Linux Age verification, SteamOS moves to Wayland & Other Linux Weekly News