News, Tutorials, Howtos for Ubuntu Linux
Modern GNOME apps do NOT support traditional themes, but you may change the look with custom color schemes!
As you know, GNOME has moved to use GTK4 + LibAdwaita for its applications and desktop components. And, so many apps use the LibAwaita library for their modern UI, which however do not support theming (see this thread).
GNOME with custom color scheme
GNOME 49, the default desktop environment for next Ubuntu 25.10 and Fedora Workstation 43, is available for Beta testing.
This Beta is available more than a month after the first Alpha. There will also be a RC release, while, the final of GNOME 49 is planned for September 17.
The first alpha release of GNOME Desktop 49 is out for testing purpose!
The developer team announced the release of this alpha one day ago. And, if everything goes well, GNOME 49 will be default in Ubuntu 25.10 and Fedora Workstation 43.
Packet, free open-source Android Quick Share app for Linux, updated with GNOME Files (aka Nautilus) context menu option support!
For those who don’t know about Packet, it’s new Linux file transferring application written in Rust programming language, and uses GTK4 + LibAwaita for its modern interface designed for GNOME.
Need to use your Linux laptop, desktop PC, or mobile screen as a second monitor for another Linux device? Here’s an application that can do the job easily.
As you may know, GNOME since v41 added support Remote Desktop (RDP) protocol support with ability to create virtual monitors. And, I’ve written about how to manually create virtual monitor in Ubuntu to share with others.
My Laptop is using Desktop PC screen as a second monitor
To follow the upstream GNOME’s road-map, Ubuntu confirmed to remove the classic X11/Xorg session in the next Ubuntu 25.10 release!
GNOME development team is planning to disable X11 session by default in next GNOME 49 and remove the code in v50.
TLDR: The X11 session for GNOME 49 will be disabled by default and it’s scheduled for removal, either during this development cycle or more likely during the next one (GNOME 50).
For those who need to compare files, folders, and version controlled projects regularly, Debian and Ubuntu are adding back the nautilus-compare extension for GNOME Files (aka Nautilus) in default repositories for current development releases.
nautilus-compare is a Nautilus extension that adds “compare” option to right-click menu of selected files/folders, allowing to quickly launch Meld tool, and view, edit, and merge the differences graphically.
Due to GTK4 port, GNOME introduced some new core apps to replace the old ones. They include Loupe Image Viewer, Gnome Console, Gnome Camera, Decibels Audio Player, Gnome Text Editor.
Now, the developer team is going to replace the default video editor Totem with Showtime in the next 49 desktop release.
GNOME 48, the default desktop for Ubuntu 25.04 & Fedora 42, introduced built-in break reminders support to protect your eyes from eye strain. The Settings (aka GNOME Control Center) however offers only few configure options for it.
For those who like this feature, there are more configure options about it, though hidden by default. And, this tutorial will show you how to configure them.
Looking for a MacOS Hand Mirror alternative app for Ubuntu? Here’s one for the GNOME desktop.
It’s CamPeek, an extension adds an icon on GNOME top-bar, allowing to one-click to preview your webcam. It’s lightweight and fast! And, it streams your webcam feed directly without recording or saving any data.
image from app’s Github project page
