Hello TUXEDO Fans and Open-Source Enthusiasts!
Telemetry in browsers is a topic that concerns many users. Some reject all data collection, while others see it as a valuable tool to make software more secure, stable, and performant. Tom Ritter, Security Engineer at Mozilla with a focus on Anti-Exploitation and Tor, puts it clearly : you always have the right to disable telemetry. If you feel uncomfortable or oppose it on principle, you should flip the switch. But telemetry is by no means useless – it helps identify real problems, fix crashes, and roll out features safely. Without such data, many of the functions you rely on daily would be riskier.
At TUXEDO OS, we follow a strict opt-in model: Firefox is shipped with telemetry disabled by default. Regarding AI, we leave the browser’s default settings in place. It is up to you whether you want to use the local AI features or not. The relevant configurations are always available in the browser settings. Telemetry is not a spying tool but a feedback mechanism that only becomes active when you consent – giving you control over your data while simultaneously helping to improve the software.
In this edition of This Week in TUXEDO OS , we introduce the App of the Week : Klaro , a lightweight translator for KDE Plasma that quickly translates text between many languages and runs on both the desktop and Plasma Mobile. We also share a practical tip : integrate menus directly into the title bar and minimize applications to the system tray – this makes better use of screen space while keeping important apps within reach. Additionally, we inform you about the latest updates in TUXEDO OS , including kernel, firmware, and driver updates, Ubuntu security patches, and improvements to TUXEDO tools. This way, you stay up to date and can make the most of your TUXEDO systems.
Enjoy reading,The TUXEDO OS Team
Note: We would like to keep you updated on the latest developments in TUXEDO OS with the TWIX series and introduce you to exciting applications as well as practical tips related to the KDE desktop and TUXEDO OS. However, this section should not be a one-way street: your feedback, ideas, and suggestions for improvement are very welcome! For this purpose, we have created a thread on Reddit, where you can reach us directly.
Updates in TUXEDO OS
linux 6.17.0–108014.14~24.04.1tux1
Fixed issue: No keyboard after suspend on InfinityBook Max 16 Gen10 AMD
Corrected display flickering on InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 AMD
Fixed HDMI audio after boot on InfinityBook S 14 Gen6 Intel
linux-firmware 20240318.git3b128b60–0ubuntu2.25
Updated aic100 firmware for temperature reporting
Added ISH firmware for Intel Panther Lake platform
Added missing firmware file iwlwifi-bz-b0-gf-a0–100.ucode
ath12k: WCN7850 hw2.0 firmware updates to enable Wi-Fi 7
tuxedo-drivers 4.21.0
Implemented Simple Package Creator
Fixed pulsating fans on InfinityBook Pro 15 Gen10
Corrected keyboard color scaling on InfinityBook Max 15 Gen10
Enabled hidden overclocking BIOS menu on supported devices
tuxedo-calamares-configuration 4.2.1
Added support for Fedora 43
Release for Fedora only
FAI 6.0.5–2.2.1
Moved Kubuntu 24.04, Kubuntu 24.04 (Crypt), Ubuntu MATE 24.04, Ubuntu MATE 24.04 (Crypt), Xubuntu 24.04, Xubuntu 24.04 (Crypt), Linux Mint 22.3, and Linux Mint 22.3 (Crypt) to Limited Support / Advanced Users Only
Removed Basic Support & Recovery section entirely
Current ISO for TUXEDO OS
Includes latest TUXEDO Kernel
yt6801-dkms installed only if required by hardware
Minor bug fixes
Updated packages, mirror status: Monday
KDE App of the Week: Klaro – Quick Text Translation
In this week’s KDE App of the Week, we introduce the lightweight translator Klaro . Klaro is a simple and fast translation app for KDE Plasma that translates text between many different languages. The app is optimized for touch input and runs both on the Plasma Desktop and on devices with Plasma Mobile.
What Klaro Offers
Klaro uses the CLI tool translate-shell (formerly Google Translate CLI) as its backend, which supports hundreds of languages and connects to services such as Google Translate, Bing Translator, LibreTranslate, and Yandex Translate. Keep in mind that the texts you translate are sent to the servers of these providers, so they are not fully protected from prying eyes.
If you want to translate texts locally, it’s best to use Firefox’s built-in translation feature. Locally running Large Language Models (LLMs) can also translate texts, but they require a bit more time. Currently, Firefox’s translation quality does not yet match that of major online translators.
How It Works
Klaro provides a very simple interface that hardly needs any explanation. The title bar is preset to Auto-Detect for the input and German for the output. By clicking the Change Language button, you can open a window to adjust Input Language and Output Language according to your needs.
Klaro’s interface is minimalistic, intuitive, and allows quick switching of input and output languages with just a few clicks.
Enter the text you want to translate in the lower text field and click the Translate button to start the translation.
Availability
Klaro is not preinstalled in TUXEDO OS but is available as a Flatpak in the Discover software store. If you want to build the package from source, you can find more information on GitHub .
Alternatively, you can translate texts directly in the terminal by installing the CLI tool translate-shell :
sudo apt update && sudo apt install translate-shell
Info: Are you interested in Plasma development and want to know what new features are planned and which programs have been recently updated? You can find a detailed overview in the weekly column This week in Plasma by KDE developer Nate Graham.
TUXEDO OS Tips & Tricks: Menus in the Title Bar and Apps in the Tray
With the rise of ultra-compact netbooks, many users wanted to use the limited vertical screen space more efficiently. Title bar, menu bar, then a toolbar – and only then does the actual application window begin. This classic setup consumes a lot of precious space, so alternative concepts can noticeably free up room, especially on smaller displays.
In the KDE environment, this led to solutions like the Global Menu, which displays the menu of the currently active application in the panel. While this saves space, it also has limitations: only the active application’s menu is visible. The transition to Wayland additionally required overcoming some technical hurdles.
TUXEDO OS with menus integrated into title bars and the option to minimize windows directly to the system tray, freeing up more screen space.
Menus in the Title Bar: Material Decoration
As an alternative to the Global Menu, the KWin decoration theme material-decoration – a fork of a fork of the original material-decoration project – integrates the application menu directly into the title bar, including a search function.
The release is still very new, so you currently need to build the theme yourself and install the required libraries. On TUXEDO OS, do the following:
sudo apt install cmake extra-cmake-modules libkf6i18n-dev libkdecorations3-dev libkf6config-dev libkf6configwidgets-dev libkf6iconthemes-dev libkf6windowsystem-dev kwin-dev libdrm-dev libkf6kcmutils-dev libkf6service-dev
git clone https://github.com/guiodic/material-decoration.git
cd material-decoration
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DQT_MAJOR_VERSION=6 -DQT_VERSION_MAJOR=6
make
sudo make install
Then activate the Material theme under System Settings » Appearance & Style » Colors & Themes » Window Decorations . Using Configure Titlebar Buttons… , drag the Application Menu into the title bar, for example next to the window menu with the TUXEDO-X on the left. Remove the pin for On All Desktops , as the icon is not displayed correctly.
After installing the Material window theme, select it as the window decoration. Open the configuration via the pencil icon to adjust settings.
Drag the Application Menu button into the title bar. Remove the pin for „Apply to All Desktops“, as it may render incorrectly in the Material theme.
If you have keen eyes, you may notice a small black corner between the application area and the title bar. This occurs because KDE rounds the application area. To fix it, click the pencil icon in the Material theme box and reduce the corner radius to zero pixels.
In the Material theme settings, set the corner radius to zero pixels to correctly display the transition between application window and title bar.
Once done, the new menu is active immediately. For KDE applications like the Dolphin file manager or the Konsole terminal, you no longer need to open the hamburger menu – the application menu with File , Edit , or View appears directly in the title bar.
For KDE apps like Dolphin or Konsole, the application menu now appears directly in the title bar. No need to open hamburger menus separately.
Minimizing Apps to the System Tray: KWin Minimize2Tray
Another practical addition is KWin Minimize2Tray . This script minimizes applications not just to the taskbar but directly to the system tray – regardless of whether the app itself supports it. Important programs stay unobtrusive in the background and remain quickly accessible.
Here too, you build the script with the required dependencies yourself. We assume the libraries listed above are already installed.
sudo apt install libkf6package-dev libkf6statusnotifieritem-dev
git clone https://github.com/luisbocanegra/kwin-minimize2tray.git
cd kwin-minimize2tray
./install.sh
Log out and back in, then check under System Settings » Window Management » KWin Scripts that Minimize to Tray is enabled. With material-decoration active, clicking the close button minimizes a window to the system tray. Clicking the tray icon restores the application. A short click closes the program as usual.
With the Material Decoration theme active, clicking the close button minimizes a window to the system tray. Clicking the tray icon restores the application.
Note that this feature only works when KDE Plasma draws the window frame. For GTK applications, a long click on the close button sends the window off-screen. To restore it, simply restart the application – the current session remains intact. Programs that draw their own window frames, like Firefox, do not respond to a long click.
Note: The scripts and extensions presented here are still in active development. Errors or incompatibilities, for example with non-KDE apps under Wayland, are possible. Use these extensions with caution and check that they do not disrupt your personal workflow. Also note that future KDE updates may render the extensions unusable or affect KDE’s own functionality.
Ubuntu Security Updates
The security updates listed here from Ubuntu are directly integrated into TUXEDO OS:
USN-8076–1: Qt vulnerabilities
USN-8075–1: GIMP vulnerabilities
USN-8073–1: QEMU vulnerabilities
USN-8074–2: Linux kernel (Azure FIPS) vulnerabilities
USN-8074–1: Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
USN-8059–7: Linux kernel (AWS FIPS) vulnerabilities
USN-8072–1: PostgreSQL vulnerabilities
USN-8071–1: NSS vulnerability
USN-8069–1: ImageMagick vulnerabilities
USN-8068–1: Intel Microcode vulnerability
