cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/solus/p/1993391/solus-4-9-released

Solus 4.9 featured image It’s time for the first Solus release of 2026! We’ve made some under-the-hood changes aimed at making it easier and more intuitive for users to manage their systems, and we’ve addressed some parts of the installation process. > Welcome to Solus 4.9 Serenity! In a world filled with turbulence, we aim to provide a calm harbor. Read on to see what’s new.

The openSUSE Project is part of a growing coalition of open-source advocates urging Microsoft users to install a Linux operating system as Microsoft prepares to end support for Windows 10 this October, and urgency to get that message out is building.

Some in the IT industry are suggesting that as many as 50 percent of the devices remain using Windows 10, which comes at great risk to users and businesses.

Those who remain on Windows 10 and don’t upgrade to an operating system providing security and maintenance updates like a Linux OS or Window 11 will be susceptible to vulnerabilities, malware infections, software incompatibilities, and an increasing amount of system instability and failures over time.

The End of 10 campaign and its initiative aims to promote migration-focused type events to help these users shift from Windows 10 to Linux-based operating systems.

The amount of PCs that will become unprotected on October 14 is unprecedented, and getting people to migrate to Linux operating systems like openSUSE’s is reaching a critical juncture as millions face the looming deadline this Fall.

October 14 is just 12 weeks away and the end-of-support deadline for Windows 10 will expose those who have not migrated to increasing cyber threats.

In additions to the the threats, a big part of the End of 10 movement emphasizes environmental responsibility, digital sustainability and long-term cost savings for those with aging computers that could potentially end up recycled or in landfill.

End of 10 advocates and supporting organizations like NextCloud, REPAIR CAFE, KDE, GNOME, FSFE, EU OS and several other organizations would prefer users find a Linux solution for their older hardware rather than have this event create an environmental disaster. Installing Linux on these old systems can breathe new life into perfectly functional machines that may otherwise be discarded.

Several open-source software projects and organizations and been collaborating for more than a year to create unified resources, tutorials, migration tools and support channels to help lower the barrier to entry for those who seek to install a Linux new operating system.

Members of the openSUSE community and others have been vocal about appealing to Windows 10 users that can’t upgrade their devices to Windows 11.

For those ready to act, the campaign website has resources available and links to community events to help people install Linux.

Anyone who wants to install an openSUSE distribution can follow this A Step-by-Step Guide.

The message to Windows 10 users is clear; don’t replace your computer; reimagine it!

April 27th 2000, Breath of Fire IV first captured hearts as one of Capcom’s most beloved RPGs. 25 years later, it returns – revived by popular demand and fully updated for modern PCs, this iconic classic is now available DRM-free on GOG!

The game joins the GOG Preservation Program with essential upgrades: our enhanced version is fully optimized for modern systems, with Windows 10 and 11 compatibility. Players can enjoy both English and Japanese localizations, along with improved graphics powered by an upgraded DirectX renderer, new display options like Windowed Mode, V-Sync, Anti-Aliasing and refined gamma correction for better visuals. The audio engine has also been upgraded, restoring missing environmental sounds and adding new configuration options.

This is the ultimate way to experience Breath of Fire IV like never before – now, to celebrate on its silver anniversary, and for years to come!

Happy Easter holidays! we made fruitful use of this time to provide you a nice surprise.

The independent, community controlled distribution OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 fixed point release (as opposed to the rolling release branch), is out right now.

The European Commission sees open-source software as more than an IT tool. Policy makers are encouraging open-source ecosystems to drive innovation, autonomy and collaboration in a world where global trade is being redrawn.

This trade dispute highlights something most open-source advocates have known for years: open source is freedom. It’s freedom from monopolies, freedom from arbitrary pricing, and freedom from foreign influence.

Over the past few months, and especially since the last holiday season, many exciting things have happened in Mobian: new devices are (about to be) officially supported, many new and improved packages have made their way into both Debian and Mobian, and we’re getting ready for our next stable release!

From the official release video:

New stuff includes (but is not limited to) tournament mode, correct video renderer (now with 100% more OpenGL), new audio backend, new enemy AI, new release types (e.g. windows ARM), and a kiloton of bugfixes and other minor features. It's been over ten years since the last release, so we got tired of trying to hunt down the full changelog ;)

Note that if you played the automated releases from github, then this probably does not have anything new to you. We just felt we had enough stuff for a new milestone. Also, note thet network play is still currently disabled, as we felt if requires more work before actual playtesting.