Ubuntu releases tech preview of #Myna, its AI voice dictation tool
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/10/ubuntu-release-myna-tech-preview
Canonical announce that Myna, its AI-powered speech-to-text tool for Ubuntu desktop, is available to install as a technology preview. You’re reading Ubuntu releases tech preview of Myna, its AI voice dictation tool, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Ubuntu websites offline due to ‘sustained’ DDoS attack
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/10/ubuntu-website-ddos-part-2
Canonical reports a ’sustained distributed denial of service attack’ on its websites, leading to outages. It says its teams are working to get them back online. You’re reading Ubuntu websites offline due to ‘sustained’ DDoS attack, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu speeds up #kernel #security updates because of AI
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-kernel-security-updates-faster
Your Ubuntu kernel updates are about to get more frequent, as #Canonical tries to keep pace with the ‘explosion’ of security vulnerabilities being found with the help of AI. The company has announced it’s adopting a ‘unified’ two-week stable release update (SRU) cycle for kernel updates, which will speed up patching, testing and releasing fixes to users. The distro’s kernel engineers previously used a 4/2 schedule that was introduced in 2023 following criticism over its taridness in patching the Zenbleed issue. It’s new cadence takes effect from 28 September, 2026. Why a change is needed Canonical says the “explosion” in […] You’re reading Ubuntu speeds up kernel security updates because of AI, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu pulls 24.04.5 downloads due to installer bug
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-pulls-24-04-5-download
Canonical has pulled the Ubuntu 24.04.5 desktop ISO because of a bug that crashes the installer when users select the extended install options. The fifth point release to 24.04 landed on 10 September, bringing refresh install media powered by the Linux 7.0 kernel. But some who downloaded it found they couldn’t complete an OS installation if they chose the extended install option. Leftover references to Ubuntu’s TPM-backed full-disk encryption support in the desktop ISO appear to be the cause, confusing the underlying subiquity installer, despite the feature’s required components having been removed. Only the standard amd64 Ubuntu desktop image is […] You’re reading Ubuntu pulls 24.04.5 downloads due to installer bug, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without (…)
#Ubuntu_26.10 daily ISOs add amd64v3 installer
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-amd64v3-iso-downloads
Ubuntu 26.10 daily builds now include an #amd64-v3 installer, allowing you to try out a CPU-optimised package set from the off, without any post-install reconfiguration. The distro began building amd64v3 packages as an opt-in archive last year, though Ubuntu 26.04 LTS continues to use the standard amd64 (v1) baseline by default (and since there have been hiccups along the way, that decision was a wise one). Ubuntu 26.04 LTS can be manually converted to an amd64-v3 package set after install, but the sudden appearance of Ubuntu 26.10 daily builds offering them baked in, skips the hassle: it boots from and installs v3-optimised […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.10 daily ISOs add amd64v3 installer, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu 24.04 splits #firmware packages for faster updates
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/ubuntu-firmware-split-packages-24-04
Firmware updates on #Ubuntu_24.04_LTS have got smaller, as #Canonical has backported the split Linux firmware packages it introduced in 26.04. To make the change in noble, the linux-firmware package is now a meta-package that pulls in all of the individual firmware packages. Functionally, nothing changes; all installs get the full whack. The binary blobs the distro uses are now split across 18 vendor-specific sub-packages: Some non-default firmware was already available to install as a sub-package, e.g., linux-firmware-xilinx-vcu, so those don’t change (but aren’t looped into the new metapackage). The linux-firmware package was a bundle of mostly closed-source binary […] You’re reading Ubuntu 24.04 splits firmware packages for faster updates, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not (…)
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#Canonical joins the Open Secure AI Alliance
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/canonical-joins-open-secure-ai-alliance
Canonical recently joined the #linux_foundation’s Open Secure AI Alliance to help make open-source security tools for AI systems and autonomous agents. The alliance formed in July 2026 in response to the security breach at #Hugging_Face, when OpenAI models undergoing a safety test broke out of their sandbox to access Hugging Face’s systems – aided by config errors rather than super-intelligence. Commercial AI models refused to help in assessing attack logs due to their guardrails, so Hugging Face engineers had to run an open-weight model on their own infrastructure to complete their analysis – and underscore the need for […] You’re reading Canonical joins the Open Secure AI Alliance, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu’s #IRC support channels to be ‘sunset’, some aren’t happy
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-irc-channels-official-sunset
Getting is planning to ‘sunset’ IRC as an official support method, and some long-time users aren’t happy. The recently Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS release announcement didn’t include a link to the Ubuntu Support IRC channel under its “if you have a question” section – though, from looking, the last announcement to list IRC was the one for Ubuntu 24.10). That led to questions on if the Ubuntu support IRC channel is still an official community support option (the Help app in Ubuntu 26.04 still has links to pages which mention IRC). Aaron Rainbolt, an Ubuntu Community Council member, said the omission […] You’re reading Ubuntu’s IRC support channels to be ‘sunset’, some aren’t happy, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#ubuntu_phone engineer reunion over a decade-old bug closure
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/08/ubuntu-phone-bug-reunion
A decades-old bug on Ubuntu’s Launchpad marked as invalid at the weekend led to an impromptu reunion for many of #Canonical’s former engineers. Bug #1589796 was filed in 2016 by a user who’d spent £700 on Ubuntu phone and tablet hardware but, on visiting the official website, found no documentation to tell him how to use them. Canonical axed the Ubuntu Phone project in 2017, leaving this bug unresolved. Until now. Adolfo Jayme Barrientos, on the Ubuntu bug triage team, marked the bug invalid this weekend, closing it with a comment to explain (nearly a decade late) that phone “efforts […] You’re reading Ubuntu Phone engineer reunion over a decade-old bug closure, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu 26.04 virtualization #HWE stack offers newer #QEMU & libvirt
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/ubuntu-26-04-virtualization-hwe-stack
Ubuntu’s hardware enablement (HWE) effort has expanded to include backports of newer virtualisation tech to users of the current LTS release. The virtualization HWE stack from #Canonical will let users benefit from newer versions of QEMU, libvirt and related firmware on top of their exiting LTS install, refreshed every 6 months for 2 years, without the need to seek out via third-party repos. Or, to quote Canonical’s Ijlal Loutfi, it gives companies “the operational confidence of an LTS release, with a path to newer virtualization capabilities when they need them”. If you’re not familiar with the HWE, it’s what brings newer […] You’re reading Ubuntu 26.04 virtualization HWE stack offers newer QEMU & libvirt, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#snap_store will be down for maintenance this weekend
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/07/snap-store-offline-july-2026
Canonical’s Snap Store will be shutting down for database maintenance at the weekend, meaning users won’t be able to install or update snaps until it’s back online. The planned downtime is expected to last for four hours, starting on Sunday, 5 July 2026 at 22:00 UTC and ending on Monday, 6 July at 02:00 UTC. During the maintenance you will not be able to install or update snaps. If there’s an app you’ve been wanting to try, or your IoT or core device runs automated tasks during the affected window, you’ll want to plan accordingly To make that planning less […] You’re reading Snap Store will be down for maintenance this weekend, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu brings #livepatch to arm64 for rebootless kernel updates
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/ubuntu-livepatch-arm64
Canonical has brought Livepatch to Arm64 devices for the first time, allowing Ubuntu systems on #arm hardware to apply critical kernel security patches without a full reboot. Livepatch is one of Ubuntu’s best hidden security features – it’s not enabled by default, requires Ubuntu Pro – as it allows kernel security updates to be applied in memory while your system is running. Normally, a restart is needed. Perfect if you’re a bit lazy running a task or workload you don’t want interrupted. Livepatch is now available on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and Ubuntu Core 26 running on Arm64 devices for the first time […] You’re reading Ubuntu brings Livepatch to arm64 for rebootless kernel updates, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu flavours now need a beta release to ship
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/ubuntu-flavours-mandatory-beta-release
Ubuntu has announced an ‘important policy update’, making beta releases mandatory for all Ubuntu flavours, no exceptions. Most flavours already hit the beta milestone every six months without issue. But until now a flavour that missed the deadline could still be granted a one-off exception. During the Ubuntu 26.04 LTS cycle, that’s what happened with Ubuntu Kylin, the Chinese-orientated spin that uses the UKUI desktop. It missed the Beta window but still made the final release. That won’t happen again. To get an official stable release, a flavour now must have a beta release out the same time as every […] You’re reading Ubuntu flavours now need a beta release to ship, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Canonical’s Steam Snap for ARM64 is now stable
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/steam-arm64-snap-stable
Canonical has bumped its Steam Snap for ARM64 to the stable channel. First announced in January, the snap has been tested across ARM64 hardware including the NVIDIA DGX Spark, Radxa Orion O6 and Lenovo ThinkPad X13s, with Canonical now reporting ‘solid performance’ across many popular games. Valve doesn’t provide a native #arm Linux client (not yet, anyway), so Canonical bundles the Intel/AMD Steam binary with the FEX emulator. The stable release of the Steam snap for ARM64 exposes FEX’s configuration options to users, including its library forwarding (“thunking”) toggles, of which which Mitchell Augustin, a software engineer on Canonical’s NVIDIA DGX […] You’re reading Canonical’s Steam Snap for ARM64 is now stable , a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without (…)
#News #Gaming #linux_gaming #Snaps
#Canonical takes over #flutter desktop maintenance
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/05/flutter-desktop-canonical-maintained
Google confirmed at Google I/O 2026 that Canonical is the new lead maintainer and ‘strategic steward’ of Flutter desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux. The announcement of an expanded partnership with Canonical came during the ‘What’s new in Flutter’ presentation at Google I/O 2026, where Kate Lovett, Engineer Manager on the Flutter Framework team at Google, touched on their existing work: “[The Flutter] desktop experience has reached a new level of maturity this year, driven by our incredible engineering partnership with Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu”. She later confirmed that Canonical’s ‘deep technical expertise’ will now oversee maintenance of Flutter […] You’re reading Canonical takes over Flutter desktop maintenance, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere (…)
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#Canonical’s #Workshop : sandboxed, reproducible dev environments
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/05/canonical-workshop-dev-environments
Canonical has released Workshop, a new open-source tool to create reproducible development environments from a single YAML configuration file. The same setup can be reproduced across different hardware and devices, it reduces dependency issues and configuration drift within teams. Environments in Workshop are built from SDKs (packages that install languages, frameworks and tools). Most of these come from the SDK Store, which supports versioned channels similar to the Snap Store so that projects can define specific SDK versions to use. Canonical offers SDKs for Ollama, OpenCode, NVIDIA CUDA and AMD ROCm at launch, but users can create and define project-specific […] You’re reading Canonical’s Workshop: sandboxed, reproducible dev environments, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not (…)
#Canonical to shutter Ubuntu #pastebin after 18 years of service
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/05/canonical-ubuntu-pastebin-shutdown
Canonical will decommission its long-running text-hosting service Ubuntu Pastebin on May 31. The company is pulling the plug as part of a broader “infrastructure modernization and migration project”. Ubuntu Pastebin, which works similarly to GitHub’s Gist, albeit without the revision history, has been available to the community since late 2007 It originally launched under the paste.ubuntu.com domain before adding pastebin.ubuntu.com, which is live until the end of the month. The service was partly launched to stop thedistro’s official IRC support channels from being flooded with reams of terminal output by users seeking help. It was also used by community members to […] You’re reading Canonical to shutter Ubuntu Pastebin after 18 years of service, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not (…)
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Can Someone Please Explain Whether Cloudflare Blackmailed #Canonical? | flyingpenguin
▻https://www.flyingpenguin.com/can-someone-please-explain-whether-cloudflare-blackmailed-canonical
30 April 2026, 16:33:37 UTC. Canonical’s incident monitoring system marks blog.ubuntu.com as Service Down.
Within ten minutes the rest of the company’s public web was down as well: the main site #ubuntu.com, the security advisory APIs that downstream package management depends on, the developer portal, the corporate site, the training platform. These disruptions ran for roughly twenty hours.
1 May 2026, 12:44 UTC. Service Restored.
The group claiming responsibility for the attack said it used a paid service. They named one tool they had rented: a commercial denial-of-service product called #Beamed, sold under multiple TLDs, with beamed.su serving as the marketing and blog site and beamed.st serving as the customer login portal. The April 2026 blog post “How to Bypass #Cloudflare with Advanced Stresser Methods” advertises three named techniques for defeating Cloudflare protection, including residential IP rotation and manual “endpoint hunting” to locate origin servers. Beamed is explicit about what it sells:
– Cloudflare acts as a #reverse_proxy, hiding the origin server’s #IP_address. Many low-quality booters fail against “Under Attack Mode” or Bot Fight Mode. Beamed.su employs several advanced techniques to effectively stress test websites protected by Cloudflare and similar #CDNs.
The blog post hosting this paragraph is itself served by Cloudflare. The product sold is Cloudflare bypass. The hosting provider for the seller is Cloudflare.
#Canonical finally gives #launchpad (a bit of) a glow-up
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/04/ubuntu-launchpad-website-revamp
Launchpad, the home of Ubuntu development, has finally received some design attention. Canonical last updated the site’s homepage back in 2024, but many of the pages that the distro’s developers actually use or reference on a regular basis have remained untouched for the best part of a decade. Now that’s starting to change. Canonical UX designer Enzo Deng has announced that the company has “begun […] a complete redesign of the series page” for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, describing it as the start of “the journey of modernizing the Launchpad user experience” (sic). Save for a line on how the company […] You’re reading Canonical finally gives Launchpad (a bit of) a glow-up, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
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You can now enable #ubuntu_pro from the OS setup tool
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/04/ubuntu-pro-initial-setup-tool
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS makes it easier to enable Ubuntu Pro, #Canonical’s opt-in (but free for home users) subscription that extends security update to more packages in the wider Ubuntu repos, straight after installation. An Enable Ubuntu Pro step has been added to the distro’s Welcome tool (package namegnome-initial-setup, with Ubuntu-specific modifications). This tool pops up to new users the first time they login after installing the OS. In #Ubuntu_26.04_LTS, the first step of the Welcome tool in now offers to help you enrol your system in Ubuntu Pro: The flow is presented simply: either select ‘Enable Ubuntu Pro’, […] You’re reading You can now enable Ubuntu Pro from the OS setup tool, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
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Ubuntu’s New Telemetry Tool to ‘Phone Home’ Monthly
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/12/ubuntu-insights-telemetry-26-04-lts
Changes are afoot for Ubuntu’s opt-in telemetry service, including greater transparency with the open-sourcing of the server backend that processes data when users opt-in. Ubuntu 25.10 added Ubuntu Insights, a newer hardware metrics reporting service that’s preinstalled alongside the distro’s existing #ubuntu_report telemetry tool. The latter used by those who upgrade to 25.10, the former on fresh installs only. But 26.04 LTS coming, having two metric-gathering tools is a bit OTT. #Canonical aims to make Insights the default tool for all users, including those who upgrade from an older version where consent was managed by Ubuntu Report (i.e., Ubuntu […] You’re reading Ubuntu’s New Telemetry Tool to ‘Phone Home’ Monthly, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without (...)
#ubuntu_pro is Now Available to Windows Users (on #WSL, Obvs)
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/12/ubuntu-pro-wsl-free-personal-use
Canonical announce Ubuntu Pro for WSL, bringing extended security coverage to users running Linux on Windows. As on desktop, it’s free for personal use. You’re reading Ubuntu Pro is Now Available to Windows Users (on WSL, Obvs), a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
Ubuntu Upstreams Patches to Bring #flutter Apps to #RISC-V
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/11/ubuntu-risc-v-flutter-support
Canonical’s engineers have submitted pull requests to add RISC-V support to Google’s Flutter toolkit, which Ubuntu uses to built many of its desktop apps. You’re reading Ubuntu Upstreams Patches to Bring Flutter Apps to RISC-V, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#xubuntu Reveals How its Website Was Hijacked
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/11/xubuntu-website-breach-report
The Xubuntu team has shared an incident report on its October website breach. Attackers brute-forced the site to inject #malware - but was anything else affected? You’re reading Xubuntu Reveals How its Website Was Hijacked, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
#Canonical Make It Easier to Install #NVIDIA #CUDA on Ubuntu
▻https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/09/canonical-adds-nvidia-cuda-ubuntu-repos
Canonical will package and distribute NVIDIA CUDA in the Ubuntu repositories, making it easier for developers to install with a single, simple APT command. You’re reading Canonical Make It Easier to Install NVIDIA CUDA on Ubuntu, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.
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