Hello TUXEDO Fans and Open-Source Enthusiasts!
Do you have a bit of spare cash and have always dreamed of owning your own software company? One that specializes in Open Source and Linux – and on top of that, belongs to the true veterans of the scene? One of those distributions with which many of us took our first steps into Linux, armed with thick manuals and stacks of floppy disks or CDs?
Then now might be a good time to take a closer look at SUSE. According to recent media reports , the Linux company originally founded in Fürth and now based in Luxembourg is up for sale. The Swedish private equity firm EQT is reportedly asking around six billion euros. Compared to the roughly 30 billion IBM paid for Red Hat in 2019, that sounds almost like a bargain – at least if you happen to have a few billion lying around.
One could argue that traditional software companies are under some pressure these days because of AI. On the other hand, AI rarely runs on air and good intentions; it usually needs a solid Linux foundation. So the business model is probably not out of fashion yet. SUSE itself seems to be in good shape: the offer to minority shareholders was 16 EUR per share, valuing the company at around 2.72 billion euros. If a sale in the targeted six-billion range goes through, the company’s value would roughly double in about three years.
If, however, your piggy bank is more in the “coffee fund” range, there’s still a great alternative for the rest of us: keep using, improving, developing, and sharing Linux and Open-Source software. This model has been working remarkably well for decades – very much in the spirit of GIMP founder Spencer Kimball: Keep it free man, keep it free .
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
nvidia-driver-assistant 0.23tux5
Updated to the latest Pascal-ready configuration
Added Debian pinning logic
tuxedo-lutris 0.5.20
tuxedo-common-settings 1.3.9~tux2
Set log level to info
Removed libreoffice-dialog-hack from the postinst script
kdevelop-python 25.08.1–0ubuntu1~tux1
Fixed an issue where the Python plugin did not appear in the plugin list even though the package was installed
Package built as a backport
KDE App of the Week: Glaxnimate - 2D-Animations at your fingertips
This week we introduce the vector graphics tool Glaxnimate . The project was recently released in version 0.6, marking its first publication as part of the KDE ecosystem. The somewhat unusual name combines the developer’s nickname Glax with the English word animate , which hints at the application’s main focus: creating 2D vector animations.
What does Glaxnimate do?
At its core, Glaxnimate is not a traditional vector editor like Inkscape . Instead of static illustrations, the focus here is on animated graphics. The program is aimed at users who want to animate vector objects along a timeline, similar to tools such as Adobe After Effects or specialized Lottie editors .
A particular emphasis is placed on the Lottie format. This is a JSON-based animation format supported by many web and app frameworks. Lottie animations are typically much more compact than video files and can be integrated directly into user interfaces. Typical examples include animated icons, loading indicators, or small UI transitions.
How it works
Glaxnimate operates similarly to other animation programs. Graphic elements such as rectangles, curves, or text are created as vector objects. These objects can then be animated along a timeline. Changes in position, scale, rotation, or color are stored as so-called keyframes, between which the program automatically calculates transitions.
Glaxnimate creates 2D vector animations and is specifically designed for the Lottie format for web and app interfaces.
Typical features
Creation of shapes, paths, and text objects
Keyframe animation via a timeline
Groups and layers to organize more complex scenes
Import and export of Lottie animations
Export as video or image sequence
Integration with other graphics tools via the SVG format
Typical use cases
Glaxnimate is aimed less at traditional illustrators and more at developers and designers who need lightweight animations for digital products. Typical use cases include:
animated icons for apps
loading and status animations
UI micro-animations for websites
animated illustrations for presentations
Thanks to the open Lottie format, the generated animations can be integrated directly into web projects or mobile applications.
Availability
Glaxnimate is not preinstalled in TUXEDO OS but is available in the software center Discover as a Flatpak. Since the project is now part of KDE, it may eventually appear as part of KDE Gear and thus become available as a native package in the repositories of many distributions.
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: Control Smart Home Devices Directly from the Plasma Desktop
If you run your smart home with Home Assistant , you can control many devices directly from your Linux desktop. With the Plasma Home Assistant widget, you can easily integrate your smart home server into the KDE Plasma desktop.
The widget displays selected devices from your Home Assistant setup directly on the desktop or in a panel. This allows you to switch on or off lights in your office, activate sockets, or operate other switches – all with a single click.
For devices you use regularly, such as a light switch, this is much more convenient than reaching for your smartphone or opening the web interface in a browser. Your smart home thus becomes a seamless part of your work environment.
KDE Plasma Widget for Home Assistant
Setting it up is quick: first, install the qml6-module-qtwebsockets package via the TUXEDO OS package manager and then restart the Plasma shell. The following commands handle the installation and shell restart.
sudo apt install qml6-module-qtwebsockets
systemctl --user restart plasma-plasmashell
Next, download the widget from the KDE Store and install it via the Plasma widget dialog (right-click on the panel, Add or Manage Widgets… » Get New… » Download New Plasma Widgets , search for „Assistant“ and install the Home Assistant widget).
Install the Home Assistant widget directly from the KDE Store to conveniently integrate your smart home devices into the Plasma desktop.
Drag the Home Assistant widget from the widget manager onto the desktop or a panel to get quick access to your devices.
Smart Home Features for KDE Plasma
In the next step, drag the widget onto the desktop or a panel and connect it to your Home Assistant server. To do this, open the Home Assistant web interface, create a so-called long-lived access token in your user security settings, and enter it along with the server address in the widget configuration. You can then add any devices and place simple on/off switches directly on your desktop.
In your Home Assistant server settings, create a long-lived access token required to connect the widget.
Enter the generated access token and your Home Assistant server URL in the widget configuration to connect your devices.
Now add all the required switches or sensors to the widget so you can control lights, sockets, and automations directly from your desktop.
This way, your Linux desktop becomes a compact smart home control center – ideal for quickly managing lights, sockets, or other automations without interrupting your current work.
Tip: To assign an icon to a list entry, choose the appropriate symbol from the Material Design Icons (MDI) using its code, and enter it in the Icon field in the format mdi:tag – for example mdi:lamp or mdi:printer .
Ubuntu Security Updates
The security updates listed here from Ubuntu are directly integrated into TUXEDO OS:
USN-8092–1: Sudo vulnerability
USN-8091–1: util-linux vulnerability
USN-8090–1: OpenSSH vulnerabilities
USN-8089–1: Go Networking vulnerabilities
USN-8088–1: go-git vulnerabilities
USN-8087–1: python-cryptography vulnerability
USN-8085–1: .NET vulnerabilities
USN-8084–1: curl vulnerabilities
USN-8083–1: GeoPandas vulnerability
USN-8082–1: GIMP vulnerabilities
USN-8059–8: Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities
USN-7968–2: Apache HTTP Server regression
USN-8018–2: Python regression
