Phoronix·23wUbuntu Studio 26.04 May Modernize Its Desktop Layout
Ubuntu Studio is considering changing its default desktop layout for the upcoming 26.04 LTS release. Currently using KDE Plasma with a top panel (inherited from its previous Xfce setup), the distribution is polling its community to choose between a macOS-like layout with top panel and bottom dock, or a Windows-like layout with a single bottom panel. The change would only affect new installations, not upgrades.
omg! ubuntu!·24wUbuntu 26.04 Will Look More Like Vanilla GNOME Shell
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS will adopt a new approach to theming GNOME Shell by using symlinks to point directly at default GNOME style files and applying overrides, rather than maintaining a separate custom stylesheet. This reduces maintenance burden for the Yaru theme team while keeping Ubuntu-specific elements like the Ubuntu font, panel sizing, and orange accent color. The change means Ubuntu will present GNOME Shell closer to upstream design intentions, with some visual elements like rounded corners and button spacing matching vanilla GNOME defaults.
omg! ubuntu!·21wMake GNOME App Grid Scroll Vertically (Like it Used to)
A new GNOME Shell extension called Vertical App Grid restores vertical scrolling to the app grid, reversing the horizontal scrolling behavior introduced in GNOME 40. The extension allows users to navigate app pages up and down instead of left and right, with customizable icon sizes and spacing. While drag-and-drop reordering and app folders aren't currently supported, it's particularly useful for portrait monitors or vertically-stacked multi-monitor setups. The extension requires GNOME 49 and works on Ubuntu 25.10 or similar distributions.
It's Foss·25wGood News! Canonical Plans to Rebuild Ubuntu Wiki From Scratch
Canonical is rebuilding Ubuntu's community wiki from scratch, with the current wikis at wiki.ubuntu.com and help.ubuntu.com set for decommissioning in August 2026. The rebuild addresses critical issues including outdated MoinMoin software running on unsupported Python 2, poor content quality with obsolete information appearing in search results, and usability problems like slow page loads and mobile incompatibility. A cross-functional team is developing the replacement, targeting an alpha release in 2026 with community consultation throughout the process.
RUBYLAND·22wPassenger 6.1.1
Passenger 6.1.1 application server has been released with support for Ubuntu 25.10, improved Ruby 4 compatibility, and a critical bug fix for Nginx uploads. The bug affected requests with buffering disabled where request bodies larger than client_body_buffer_size would become corrupted. The release also upgrades Boost to 1.90, updates Nginx to 1.28.0, and includes numerous library updates in precompiled binaries including OpenSSL 3.6.0, curl 8.17.0, and Ruby versions up to 3.4.8.