Open Source
Ongoing coverage on Open Source.
Latest coverage
Dusk is a reverse-engineered reimplementation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
A new open-source project called Dusk has been released, offering a reverse-engineered reimplementation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for PC. This project allows players to experience the game on platforms like PC and Steam Deck, with a native Linux version available. Dusk does not include copyrighted assets, requiring users to provide their own copy of the original game.
Ubuntu servers restored after DDoS attack sends services down for days
Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system, has confirmed that its services, including websites and repositories, are back online after a major Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The attack, which began around April 30th and lasted for five days, disrupted critical infrastructure and access to security updates. While services are largely restored, some degraded performance may still be experienced as systems fully recover.
Disgusting! Depraved monster adds effective quest markers to Morrowind, shows no remorse
A new mod called Quest Markers Plus for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, specifically for the OpenMW engine, adds effective quest markers to the game. This mod aims to reduce player frustration by clearly indicating quest objectives, similar to modern game design. The author humorously suggests the modder deserves to be imprisoned for making the game easier.
Valve released the new Steam Controller and Puck CAD files for modders
Valve has released the CAD files for the Steam Controller and Puck under a Creative Commons license, enabling modders to design and create accessories. This move follows Valve's similar open approach with the Steam Deck hardware, encouraging community innovation in hardware modification.
RAZER AIKIT EXPANDS TO OMNI-MODAL AI AND ARM64 ARCHITECTURES
Razer has expanded its free, open-source AI development toolkit, AIKit, to support image, video, and audio models, along with Arm64 architectures. The update enables developers to build and deploy AI models locally without cloud subscriptions, offering faster iteration and predictable costs. The toolkit powered Razer's AVA Mini April Fools campaign, demonstrating significant cost reductions in inference compared to traditional cloud APIs.
Germany's Sovereign Tech Agency launches Sovereign Tech Standards to support open standards
Germany's Sovereign Tech Agency has launched the Sovereign Tech Standards initiative to support open source maintainers. This program will provide funding, training, and mentoring to individuals contributing to open standards through organizations like the IETF, W3C, and ISO, ensuring digital infrastructure remains interoperable and open.
More retro goodies - Microsoft open sources 86-DOS and PC-DOS
Microsoft has open-sourced the source code for 86-DOS 1.00 and PC-DOS 1.00, including the kernel and utilities like CHKDSK. This release, made available on GitHub, offers a rare glimpse into early operating system development and includes original notes from 86-DOS creator Tim Paterson.
'Eventually the slop will just fall to the bottom': Garry's Mod sequel launches to 'mixed' reviews, but Garry himself isn't worried about AI games on the main page
s&box, the open-source successor to Garry's Mod, has launched on Steam to mixed reviews, with many negative comments citing the prevalence of AI-generated content. Creator Garry Newman acknowledges the issue but believes that eventually, low-quality AI content will be filtered out by the community. He also discussed the studio's use of AI in development, comparing its utility to programming.
Anthropic begin funding Blender as a Corporate Patron
The Blender Foundation has announced that the AI company Anthropic has become a Corporate Patron, committing to donate at least €240,000 annually. Blender is a popular free and open-source 3D creation software used in video games and movies. Anthropic joins other patrons like Epic Games and Netflix, with the funding supporting core development and foundational features of the software.
Facepunch launches s&box, the highly anticipated successor to Garry's Mod
Facepunch Studios has launched s&box, the spiritual successor to Garry's Mod, built on the Source 2 engine. This game creation platform allows developers to release and monetize games, with plans for standalone Steam releases. While the platform is open source and aims for constant updates, early reports indicate significant performance and download speed issues.
Canonical developer lays out some AI plans for Ubuntu Linux
Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, is planning to integrate Artificial Intelligence features into its operating system over the next year. Technical leader Jon Seager outlined a strategy that favors open-weight models and local inference, aiming to enhance existing OS functionality and introduce new AI-native workflows. The company emphasizes a principled approach, respecting user privacy and security, with Snap packages potentially playing a role in delivering these features.
Linux GPU tool (LACT) gets a new UI and a NVIDIA Voltage-Frequency Curve Editor
The open-source application Linux GPU Configuration And Monitoring Tool (LACT) has released version 0.9.0, featuring a completely redesigned UI built with libadwaita for improved aesthetics and usability. Key new features include an NVIDIA Voltage-Frequency Curve Editor and target temperature setting, along with AMD hardware block information and various bug fixes.
DeepSeek promises its new AI model has 'world-class' reasoning
DeepSeek has launched its new V4 Pro and Flash AI models, featuring a 1 million token context length and enhanced reasoning capabilities. The open-source models aim to rival top closed-source alternatives, with V4 Pro showing strong performance in reasoning and world knowledge, while V4 Flash offers faster response times. The company previously went viral and topped the App Store charts before facing bans on US federal devices due to national security concerns.
Classic 90s platformer Moon Child gets the source code released and a modern port
The classic 90s platformer Moon Child, originally developed for Amiga and later released on PC, has had its source code released under the MIT open-source license. A modern source port called Moon Child FE has also been created, offering compatibility with the latest Windows and Linux versions, browser playability, and controller support.
Ubuntu 26.04 ('Resolute Raccoon') LTS is out now
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, codenamed 'Resolute Raccoon', has been released with long-term support until April 2031. This update brings GNOME 50, Linux kernel 7.0, and Mesa 26, along with numerous software and feature enhancements for PC users. Canonical highlights the release's focus on resilience and innovation in open-source technology.
Heroic Games Launcher Gets Steam Deck Overhaul With Big Picture Mode
The Heroic Games Launcher has received a significant update for Steam Deck users, introducing a new fullscreen interface that mimics Steam's Big Picture Mode. This overhaul aims to improve usability for handheld and couch gaming, alongside new features like GOG achievements, a deals page, an improved Wine manager, and SteamGridDB integration.
Colorado Age Attestation bill gets amendments to have open source excluded
System76 Founder and CEO Carl Richell provided an update on the Colorado Age Attestation bill, announcing amendments that exclude open-source operating systems and applications, code repositories, and containers. Richell is seeking stories from the open-source community about positive contributions made by children to aid in the bill's passage and potentially serve as a template for similar legislation in other states.
Streaming or recording on Linux? Check out the audio management tool Pipeweaver
Pipeweaver is a new free and open-source audio management tool for Linux, built on PipeWire and designed for streamers. It allows users to create virtual audio sources, manage volumes, and route audio through a web-based interface accessible from any device. While still under heavy development, it offers features like virtual channel creation, physical device mapping, and application routing, with plans for future additions like latency tuning and LV2 plugin support.
Open-Source Cultist Simulator game launches demo, kickstarter, thanks to unique & permissive license
The narrative strategy game The Matter of Being, set in the Cultist Simulator universe, has launched a demo and a Kickstarter campaign. Developed by Common Logic under Weather Factory's permissive license, the game allows players to act as an otherworldly spirit. If the Kickstarter reaches $100,000, all game assets will be released for commercial use under the same license.
Mozilla announced "Thunderbolt", their open-source and self-hostable AI client
Mozilla has announced Thunderbolt, an open-source and self-hostable AI client designed for organizations. This client allows businesses to interact with AI through chat, search, and research, connect to enterprise data, and choose their preferred AI models and tools. Developed in partnership with deepset, Thunderbolt aims to provide a sovereign AI solution that prioritizes data security and user control.
