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Development Release: Ubuntu 25.10 Beta

19 September 2025 at 08:40
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Utkarsh Gupta has announced the availability of the beta release of Ubuntu 25.10, inclusive of most of the usual Ubuntu flavours, with the notable exception of Ubuntu MATE: "The Ubuntu Release team is pleased to announce the beta release of the Ubuntu 25.10 Desktop, Server, WSL and Cloud....

Development Release: Linux Mint 7 Beta "LMDE"

19 September 2025 at 05:30
The DistroWatch news feed is brought to you by TUXEDO COMPUTERS. Clement Lefebvre has announced the availability of the beta release of Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 7, the popular distribution's alternative branch, based on the recently-released Debian 13: "Linux Mint 7 comes with updated software and brings refinements and many new features to make your desktop experience more....

Denmark’s Strategic Leap Replacing Microsoft Office 365 with LibreOffice for Digital Independence

Denmark’s Strategic Leap Replacing Microsoft Office 365 with LibreOffice for Digital Independence

In the summer of 2025, Denmark’s government put forward a major policy change in its digital infrastructure: moving away from using Microsoft Office 365, and in part, open-source its operations with LibreOffice. Below is an original account of what this entails, why it matters, how it’s being done, and what the risks and opportunities are.

What’s Changing and What’s Not

  • The Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs has committed to replacing Microsoft Office 365 with LibreOffice.

  • Earlier reports said that Windows would also be entirely swapped-out for Linux, but those reports have since been corrected: Windows will remain in use on many devices for now.

  • For LibreOffice, the adoption is being phased: about half of the ministry’s employees will begin using LibreOffice (and possibly Linux in some instances) in the summer months; the rest are expected to transition by autumn.

Why Denmark Is Making This Move

Digital Sovereignty & Dependence

A primary driver is the concern over reliance on large foreign tech companies, especially suppliers based outside Europe. By reducing dependency on proprietary software controlled by corporations abroad, Denmark aims to gain more control over its data, security, and updates.

Cost and Licensing

Proprietary software comes with licensing fees, recurring costs, and often tied contracts. Adopting open-source alternatives like LibreOffice can potentially reduce those long-term expenditures.

Security, Transparency, Flexibility

Open-source software tends to allow more auditability, quicker patching, and the ability to adapt tools or software behavior to specific local or regulatory requirements.

Implementation Plan & Timeline

Phase What happens Approximate Timing
Phase 1 Begin by moving about 50% of Ministry of Digital Affairs employees to LibreOffice (and in selected cases, using Linux tools) Summer 2025 (mid-year)
Phase 2 Full transition of the ministry’s office productivity tasks away from Microsoft Office 365 to LibreOffice Autumn 2025

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β€œFull” here is understood in the scope of office productivity tools (word processing, spreadsheets, slides, etc.), not necessarily replacing all legacy systems or moving everything off Windows.

Challenges & Concerns

While the vision is ambitious, there are several hurdles:

Google Chrome is Becoming an AI Browser β€” Starting Today

19 September 2025 at 07:01

Google Chrome web browserGoogle Chrome is to become an AI browser powered by Gemini and agentic abilities to 'fundamentally change the nature of browsing', the search giant has announced.

You're reading Google Chrome is Becoming an AI Browser β€” Starting Today, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Ubuntu 25.10 Beta Released for Final Bout of Testing

19 September 2025 at 05:51

It’s time to get testing β€” or do I mean questing?Β β€” as the beta release of Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) is available to download. The Ubuntu 25.10 Beta brings a number of user-facing changes to the desktop, the majority of which come via the GNOME 49 release. There’s an accessibility menu on the login screen, media controls on the lock screen, and a Yaru theme update with new icons and smoother spinner animation on the boot screen. Canonical’s engineers have also plumbed in lower-level enhancements, designed to improve the distribution’s security, reliability and compatibility ahead of next year’s important Ubuntu […]

You're reading Ubuntu 25.10 Beta Released for Final Bout of Testing, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

Vivaldi 7.6 Released with New Tab Bar Editor, Tab Button Menu + More

18 September 2025 at 22:15

Vivaldo logo on a colourful backgroundCustomisable tab bar, searchable tab overview menu and address bar actions are new features on offer in the latest update to the Vivaldi web browser.

You're reading Vivaldi 7.6 Released with New Tab Bar Editor, Tab Button Menu + More, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

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