This Week in TUXEDO OS #51-2025 - TUXEDO Computers

Hello TUXEDO Fans and Open-Source Enthusiasts!

Sometimes progress simply requires patience. While some manufacturers retire hardware after just a few years, open source regularly proves the opposite: good things take time – sometimes even half a century. This week, kernel developers show why sustainability in the Linux world isn’t just a buzzword, but a practiced reality. Anyone who thought drivers and hardware support came with an expiration date is in for a surprise.

A particularly striking example comes from the Linux kernel itself: 53 years after its introduction, the General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) finally receives stable support in the mainline kernel starting with version 6.19. What enthusiasts maintained for decades is now officially part of Linux – as Phoronix reports. It shows that Linux forgets neither people nor proven laboratory technology. Patience pays off, especially when old oscilloscopes suddenly communicate seamlessly with modern systems.

With that in mind: Merry Christmas!
The TUXEDO OS Team

Updates in TUXEDO OS

Linux Kernel: Successful Upstreaming

• Input (i8042): Added TUXEDO InfinityBook Max Gen10 AMD to the i8042 quirk table
• platform/x86/uniwill: Added support for the TUXEDO Book BA15 Gen10

WebFAI 6.0.5–2.1.4

• update-grub is now automatically executed at the end of FAI if it hasn’t run already.

TUXEDO Tomte 2.61.0

• Introduced timeouts for processes started by Tomte to improve overall stability.

New TUXEDO OS ISO Image

• Correct system localization according to the language selected during installation
• Ubuntu updates through 15.12.2025
• Firefox updated to 146.0.1
• Thunderbird updated to 140.6.0 ESR

Nextcloud Desktop 4.0.4

• Fixed crash when removing a sync folder
• Fixed crash when a WebView is displayed
• Full changelog: https://github.com/nextcloud-releases/desktop/releases/tag/v4.0.4

KDE App of the Week: KDiskFree: Partitions at a Glance

Last week, we introduced Filelight, an application for visualizing disk usage. It allows you to easily assess how much storage space each directory in your file system occupies. Today, we’re taking a step back to get an overview with KDiskFree, which lets you see your partition usage at a glance.

KDiskFree displays usage information for hard drives, floppy disks, CD drives, USB sticks, and other external storage devices. By default, it shows not only the device name but also the partition type, total size, mount point, as well as free and used space.

Installation

KDiskFree is not preinstalled in TUXEDO OS, but it can be added within seconds as a native package or Flatpak via the Discover software center or the terminal.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install kdf

Open the application from the main menu by searching for KDiskFree. In a terminal, simply use the package name kdf. Once launched, it displays the values of all mounted internal and external partitions. The File menu provides options to refresh or close the application. Under Settings, you can enable the status bar, set the language, define keyboard shortcuts, and open the configuration dialog for KDiskFree.

Keeping an Eye on Your System

In this dialog, you can deselect items you don’t want to display and adjust the update interval. You can also decide whether to keep Dolphin as the default file manager for opening partitions or select an alternative application. Additionally, you may configure KDiskFree to start automatically with the system and alert you when storage space runs low.

In the main window, a right-click opens a context menu with options to unmount the device, view its contents in Dolphin or your chosen file manager, and open a partition in Filelight, if installed.

TUXEDO OS Tips & Tricks: White Christmas on the KDE Desktop

The weather forecast for the upcoming Christmas days promises little winter magic here. Instead of snow, fog, sleet, and gray skies dominate. If flakes aren’t falling outside, at least we can bring some winter wonder to the TUXEDO OS desktop during the last workdays of the year.

To create a snowy KDE desktop, right-click on an empty area, open the context menu, and select Desktop and Wallpaper. Next to Wallpaper Type, click Get New Plugins…. In the download assistant, search for „Snow“ and install the Live Wallpaper Snow module. Afterwards, the new wallpaper type Snow will be available.

Within the plugin, first choose a wallpaper, then define how it should snow: fine flakes or more crystalline ice rain. The preinstalled wallpapers are located under /usr/share/wallpapers. You can also adjust the number, size, and falling speed of the snowflakes. After clicking Apply, it starts snowing – only in the background, without overlaying your open windows or interrupting your workflow.

Of course, artificial snow isn’t entirely free: it requires some computing power. On our TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro with NVIDIA graphics, this impact is negligible, and the fan remains quiet. A glance at the system monitor, however, shows that even at idle, Plasma generates a slight load due to the continuous snowfall.

If background snow isn’t enough, check out Xsnow. This small tool isn’t preinstalled but is available in TUXEDO OS package sources. After installation, you can start it via the terminal with xsnow or conveniently from the applications menu, where it is listed under Games.

sudo apt install xsnow

Xsnow takes it a step further: snow falls across the entire screen and even stays on windows. Additionally, moons, shooting stars, and flocks of birds pass by while Rudolph pulls Santa’s sleigh across the desktop. Its practical use is limited, but during the holiday season, a little playful fun is welcome. With that in mind, we wish you a Merry Christmas!

Ubuntu Security Updates

The security updates listed here from Ubuntu are directly integrated into TUXEDO OS:

• USN-7927–1: urllib3 vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in urllib3.
  IDs: CVE-2025–66418, CVE-2025–66471
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

• USN-7924–1: libpng vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in libpng.
  IDs: CVE-2025–64720, CVE-2025–64506, CVE-2025–64505, CVE-2025–64504
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

• USN-7921–1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.
  IDs: CVE-2025–40018, CVE-2025–39946, CVE-2025–39993, CVE-2025–39992
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

• USN-7919–1: GNU binutils vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in GNU binutils.
  IDs: CVE-2025–11412, CVE-2025–11414, CVE-2025–11495, CVE-2025–11496, CVE-2025–11497, CVE-2025–11498, CVE-2025–11499, CVE-2025–11500
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

• USN-7918–1: Netty vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in Netty.
  IDs: CVE-2025–58056, CVE-2025–58057
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

• USN-7917–1: fontTools vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in fontTools.
  IDs: CVE-2025–66034, CVE-2023–45139
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• USN-7916–1: python-apt vulnerability: python-apt could be made to crash if it opened a specially crafted file.
  IDs: CVE-2025–6966
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

• USN-7915–1: Radare2 vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in radare2.
  IDs: CVE-2025–60360, CVE-2025–60359, CVE-2025–60361
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

• USN-7914–1: WebKitGTK vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in WebKitGTK.
  IDs: CVE-2025–43392, CVE-2025–43429, CVE-2025–43431, CVE-2025–43432, CVE-2025–43433, CVE-2025–43434, CVE-2025–43435, CVE-2025–43436, CVE-2025–43437, CVE-2025–43438
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• USN-7913–1: MAME vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in MAME.
  IDs: CVE-2021–46143, CVE-2022–34300, CVE-2018–16981
  Affects: Ubuntu 25.10, Ubuntu 25.04, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

Current BIOS/EC Versions

An EC/BIOS update affects key system components. Please ensure that you follow the instructions carefully and take your time. The process is usually completed quickly. If you have any doubts, our support team is happy to assist you. The following devices have BIOS/EC updates available: