Best of The New Stack — March 2025

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   The New Stack·1y

   Garuda Linux Might Be the Best Looking Desktop OS on the Market

   Garuda Linux, based on Arch Linux, offers a visually stunning desktop experience with its KDE Plasma desktop and Catppuccin theme. The latest release, Broadwing, includes several editions and enhanced features such as improved system responsiveness, customization options, and an extensive welcome app. While it may not be suitable for all users due to its higher system requirements and the technical know-how needed, it stands out for its aesthetics and functionality.

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   The New Stack·1y

   FerretDB 2.0: Open Source MongoDB With PostgreSQL Power

   FerretDB, an open-source MongoDB proxy running on PostgreSQL, has released version 2.0 with significant performance improvements using the DocumentDB extension from Microsoft. This extension enables SQL queries for BSON data, making FerretDB a flexible on-premises alternative to MongoDB-compatible cloud services. FerretDB seeks to provide an open-source solution for MongoDB users, emphasizing vendor-neutrality and community-driven development through the OpenDocDB initiative.

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   The New Stack·1y

   Goodbye SaaS, Hello AI Agents

   The shift from SaaS to Services as Software driven by AI agents is revolutionizing the landscape. AI agents will automate tasks traditionally done by humans, necessitating new orchestration tools similar to Kubernetes for containers. This change will make data more actionable and computing more dynamic, transforming enterprise software management.

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   The New Stack·1y

   The New Look and Feel of Apache Kafka 4.0

   Apache Kafka 4.0 introduces significant upgrades, including the replacement of ZooKeeper with KRaft for metadata management, enhancing stability and reducing complexity. The release features Queues for Kafka to allow scaling consumers beyond topic partitions, improved consumer group rebalancing, and new capabilities for code injection and observability. These updates aim to streamline Kafka's operations and improve the developer experience.

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   The New Stack·1y

   Rust Gets Its Missing Piece: Official Spec Finally Arrives

   Ferrous Systems has donated the Ferrocene Language Specification (FLS) to the Rust Project, addressing the critical need for an official language specification. This move enhances the existing documentation ecosystem and supports the creation of more reliable tools that depend on predictable compiler behavior. The official Rust specification, formed by integrating the FLS with the Rust Reference, will promote confidence and standardization within safety-critical and regulated industries.

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