Planet News Roundup

This is a roundup of articles from the openSUSE community listed on planet.opensuse.org.

The community blog feed aggregator lists the featured highlights below from Feb. 6 to 12.

Blogs this week highlight a reflective moment for the Linux ecosystem alongside practical tools for everyday use and a landmark Spanish Supreme Court ruling. Blogs also highlight the openSUSE Board members’ roles within the project and AudioTube emerging as a lightweight, privacy-conscious solution for streaming YouTube music directly on the Linux desktop. Other blogs focus on progress within the KDE ecosystem, which includes blogs about Plasma 6.6 and KDE’s immutable Linux distribution.

Here is a summary and links for each post:

openSUSE Board on Participation, Governance and Community – Interview with Board Members

A news.opensuse.org post features an interview with current openSUSE Board members Ish Sookun, Jeff Mahoney and Rachel Schrader about the Board’s role, responsibilities, and motivations as the 2026 elections approach. The interviews discuss what the Board does, challenges they face, and offers advice for those considering running for election.

Progress Summary for KDE Linux: The Operating System of the Future Is Now 62 Percent Complete

The KDE Blog reports that KDE’s official immutable operating system is under development by the KDE community and has reached approximately 62 percent completion. The distribution features an immutable base architecture with atomic A/B image updates powered by systemd, automatic Btrfs snapshots, and application delivery exclusively through Flatpak, Snap, or AppImages rather than traditional package management. It’s similar to openSUSE’s Kalpa Desktop.

The Big Problem of Linux – Video

The KDE Blog shares a thought-provoking video titled “The Big Problem of Linux”, which examines challenges facing the Linux ecosystem and reflects on the evolution of Free Software. The video encourages viewers to consider both the progress made by open source communities and the persistent hurdles that limit wider adoption. The video argues that the issue isn’t technical but lies in perception such as a “hacker” stigma and outdated narratives about usability, which can alienate adoption.

Episode 13 of Accessibility with Free Technologies – Returning in 2025 with 5 Sections and an Interview

The KDE Blog presents the thirteenth episode of the “Accessibility with Free Technologies” podcast series, which returns with an expanded format featuring five distinct segments and a special guest interview. The episode explores practical approaches to making free and open source software more accessible for users with diverse abilities and highlights tools and workflows within the KDE ecosystem and beyond.

Legal Precedent in Spain: Software Access as a Guarantee of Real Democracy

A blog by victorhck examines a landmark Spanish Supreme Court ruling establishing that the freedom to study source code is constitutionally necessary for democratic oversight of public administration algorithms. The precedent affirms citizens’ right to access and examine software used in government decision-making processes, reinforcing transparency as a fundamental democratic safeguard. This ruling strengthens the legal foundation for open-source software advocacy in Spain.

How to Listen to YouTube Music on Linux with AudioTube

The KDE Blog introduces AudioTube, a lightweight Qt-based application that lets users stream music directly from YouTube without opening a web browser. The app features a clean interface with search functionality, playlist support, and background playback capabilities while respecting YouTube’s terms of service. AudioTube is available in repositories and as a Flatpak. It offers a privacy-focused alternative to web-based YouTube music consumption on the Linux desktop.

Root and absolute power in GNU/Linux on Compilando Podcast

The KDE Blog shares a new episode of the Compilando podcast exploring the concept of root privileges and administrative power in GNU/Linux systems. The discussion covers essential security practices around root access, the responsibilities that come with elevated permissions, and why modern distributions encourage using sudo instead of direct root logins. It’s an educational episode that aims to help both newcomers and experienced users understand the balance between system control and security when managing Linux environments.

Improved plasmoid window list – This week in Plasma

The KDE Blog highlights improvements to the Window List plasmoid in Plasma 6.6, introduces new sorting capabilities and clearer window grouping to streamline multitasking workflows. These improvements are part of the ongoing refinements leading up to Plasma 6.7.0. The post also covers other UI polish and bug fixes throughout the Plasma desktop.

openSUSE Tumbleweed Weekly Review – Week 6 of 2026

Victorhck and dimstar summarize key new snapshots that reached the repositories. Notable package updates include Mesa 25.3.4, Firefox 147.0.2, the Linux kernel 6.18.8, GNOME 49.4 components, Qt 6.10.2, GRUB 2.14 and cryptsetup 2.8.4. The blogs also preview upcoming updates such as KDE Gear 25.12.2, systemd 258.3, and Plasma 6.6.

Second Update of KDE Gear 25.12

The KDE Blog announces the second maintenance release for KDE Gear 25.12. The update addresses issues discovered since the initial release and enhances the overall user experience for applications like Dolphin, Konsole, and other core KDE tools. Issues were addressed like input handling and file sharing bugs in core components.

View more blogs or learn to publish your own on planet.opensuse.org.