New toy: Installing Ubuntu on the HP Z2 Mini
The data sheet of my new AI focused mini workstation from HP mentions Ubuntu 24.04 as the supported Linux distribution. I have tried that, but I could not get the installer to run. However, 25.10 installed without any problems, even from an openSUSE branded USB stick :-)

Only the chameleon works with this machine:-)
I must admit that I’m not an Ubuntu fan, but installed it anyway, as Ubuntu is the “official” Linux distro for this machine. GNOME is heavily modified compared to other distros. For GUI apps the focus seems to be shifted to snaps from distro packages.
For now I did not test the in hardware AI support, just tried to collect some first impressions. I ended up installing a few 3D games and playing :-) Having AMD graphics has the advantage that everything works out of box. There is no need for binary only drivers, extra repositories, praying to the binary gods, etc. It just works. Fully open source.

SuperTuxKart :-)
This blog is part of a longer series about my adventures with my new machine and AI. You can reach me to discuss this blog on one of the contacts listed in the upper right corner. You can read the rest of the blogs under the toy tag.
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. 20 to 26.
Blogs this week highlight music and Saloons to NVIDIA GPUs and a Git workshop. Blogs also highlight Ubuntu and openSUSE installs on the HP Z2 Mini, KDE Plasma and Krita releases, syslog-ng 4.11’s new features, and openSUSE Tumbleweed’s latest snapshot updates.
Here is a summary and links for each post:
New Toy: Installing Ubuntu on the HP Z2 Mini
Peter Czánik’s Blog revisits and expands on a prior blog covered below about installing Ubuntu 24.04 as an officially supported Linux distribution for the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395-powered HP Z2 Mini workstation. The 24.04 installer failed to run—while Ubuntu 25.10 installed successfully even from an openSUSE-branded USB stick.
How to Configure KDE Plasma’s “Only Icons” Taskbar Behavior
The KDE Blog explains how to switch the Plasma task manager to “Icons Only” mode for a minimalist desktop layout that displays application icons without window titles or progress indicators. The tutorial walks users through right-clicking the task manager panel, accessing Task Manager Settings, and selecting the “Icons Only” option under the Display Style dropdown.
Version 4.11.0 of syslog-ng Is Now Available
Peter Czánik’s Blog announces the release of syslog-ng 4.11.0 that now enables bidirectional integration with Kafka pipelines. The update introduces Elasticsearch/OpenSearch data stream support, OAuth2 authentication for cloud destinations including gRPC-based modules, load-balancer failover functionality, and more. Fedora 44/Rawhide and openSUSE Tumbleweed updates are expected shortly as the project maintains its commitment to broad platform accessibility.
Krita 5.3 and Krita 6.0 Betas Released
The KDE Blog announces the second beta releases of both Krita 5.3.0 and Krita 6.0.0, which features a completely rewritten text tool with direct canvas editing and OpenType support plus a new knife tool for splitting vector objects in the 5.3 branch. The 6.0 beta introduces foundational Qt6 migration with native Wayland support including color management, fractional scaling, and HDR on Linux.
First Update for Plasma 6.6 Released
The KDE Blog reports that the KDE Community delivered the first bugfix update for Plasma 6.6 one week after its release. The update builds upon Plasma 6.6’s flagship features including OCR text extraction in Spectacle, the redesigned Plasma Keyboard for touch devices, Plasma Setup assistant for post-install configuration and more.
New toy: Installing openSUSE Tumbleweed on the HP Z2 Mini
Peter Czánik’s Blog details his successful installation of openSUSE Tumbleweed on the compact HP Z2 Mini AI workstation after Ubuntu 24.04’s installer crashed and the machine’s finicky USB boot support rejected older flash drives, which requires a USB-C stick and BIOS adjustments including Secure Boot disablement before Linux would install. The Tumbleweed installer with its classic YaST interface worked flawlessly on the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 hardware, though an unexpected snag emerged post-installation when GRUB2-BLS.
Git Workshop: The Premier Libre Collaboration Tool at LliureJam 2026 Valencia
The KDE Blog covers a Git workshop held at the LliureJAM 2026 event in Valencia, where participants learned about Git as a key free and collaborative version-control tool. The session taught fundamentals for software development, game creation, and documentation management. It was preceded by an install party offering GNU/Linux installation assistance, ad-blocking setup for mobile devices, and guidance on libre social networks.
Free Software Could Change the World of AI Music Overnight
The Assunto Nerd Blog discusses how open-source software is rapidly reshaping the landscape of AI-driven music generation. It highlights how combining open-source models like ACE-Step-1.5 with intuitive frontends such as ACE-Step UI, which allows users to generate full songs in seconds on consumer GPUs.
3 Native FPS Games for Linux
The KDE Blog highlights three free, open-source first-person shooters games available natively on Linux via Flathub. Total Chaos, Wolfenstein: Blade of Agony and The AMC Squad. All three titles offer substantial single-player campaigns with character progression systems while adhering to libre software principles.
Linux Saloon 188 | MX Linux 25.1 Distribution Exploration
The CubicleNate Blog highlights episode 188 of Linux Saloon. The discussion covered MX Linux’s unique positioning between traditional Debian stability and modern usability features, which includes MX Tools for system maintenance, snapshot capabilities via Timeshift, and seamless migration paths for former Windows users seeking a gentle Linux introduction. Participants also debated the distribution’s community-driven governance model and its pragmatic approach to balancing legacy hardware support with contemporary desktop expectations.
Installation of NVIDIA drivers on openSUSE and SLE (G07)
Stefan’s Blog explains how to install the G07 NVIDIA drivers on openSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise, which covers both the Open and CUDA repository methods. Users on Tumbleweed, Leap 15.6/16.0, and all current SLE versions must continue using G06 drivers until G07 packages complete QA and become available through official update channels.
Plasma 6.6 Is Here – This Week in Plasma
The KDE Blog covers the official release of Plasma 6.6. The update delivers practical workflow enhancements including per-application volume control via task manager hover, emoji skin tone selection, QR code Wi‑Fi scanning, customizable global themes with automatic day/night switching, and four colorblind accessibility filters including a new grayscale mode. It also introduces smoother high-refresh-rate animations, expanded Wayland accessibility support, flexible virtual desktop options, and gaming improvements.
Librsvg Got Its First AI Slop Pull Request
The Federico’s Blog reports that the librsvg project received two so-called “AI slop” pull request on GitHub despite its code being developed in gitlab.gnome.org with the README warning not to send PRs to GitHub. Both PRs were closed by the submitter within minutes of creation. The author reported the submissions as spam.
openSUSE Tumbleweed Weekly Review – Week 8 of 2026
Victorhck and dimstar report on the six snapshots there were delivered. The review highlights updates including KDE Plasma 6.6’s official arrival in the repository, Mesa 26.0.0 final release, and glibc 2.43 integration—marking major milestones for graphics performance, desktop experience, and core system libraries.
What Windows Doesn’t Let You Do But Linux Does
introduces a video and discussion about capabilities that Linux offers which Windows typically restricts or complicates, aimed at users reconsidering Windows as support ends. The article highlights practical examples like replacing display servers, customizing window management behaviors down to the pixel level, packaging applications in multiple formats without vendor lock-in, and maintaining full control over when and how system updates are applied.
View more blogs or learn to publish your own on planet.opensuse.org.
Version 4.11.0 of syslog-ng is now available
Version 4.11.0 of syslog-ng is now available. The main attraction is the brand new Kafka source, but there are many other smaller features and improvements, as well.
Before you begin
If you happen to use Debian, Ubuntu or the RHEL family of operating systems (RHEL, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux, Oracle Linux, etc.) then ready-to-use packages are already available as part of the release process. For details, check the README in the syslog-ng source code repository on GitHub: https://github.com/syslog-ng/syslog-ng/?tab=readme-ov-file#installation-from-binaries The syslog-ng container is also updated to this release: https://github.com/syslog-ng/syslog-ng/?tab=readme-ov-file#installation-from-binaries
I plan to update Fedora 44 and Rawhide soon, just like openSUSE Tumbleweed. For other distributions, you often need to wait a bit more or use third-party repositories. Our 3rd-party repo page has some pointers: https://www.syslog-ng.com/products/open-source-log-management/3rd-party-binaries.aspx
What is new?
The largest new feature is the Kafka source, which allows you to collect log messages from Kafka streams. For many years, syslog-ng had a Kafka destination, allowing you to send log messages to a Kafka-based data pipeline. The Kafka source enables syslog-ng to collect log messages from Kafka, parse and filter log messages, and route them to various destinations. You can learn more about the Kafka source from the syslog-ng documentation at https://syslog-ng.github.io/admin-guide/060_Sources/038_Kafka/README .
Support for Elasticsearch / OpenSearch data streams was also added: https://www.syslog-ng.com/community/b/blog/posts/changes-in-the-syslog-ng-elasticsearch-destination
4.11 also includes many other interesting new features and bug fixes, including:
- OAuth2 support in the cloud-auth module, including gRPC-based destinations
- Failover support in the load-balancer
- Improved performance and lowered resource usage on macOS
- cmake support feature parity with autotools
For a complete list of changes, check the release notes on GitHub: https://github.com/syslog-ng/syslog-ng/releases/tag/syslog-ng-4.11.0
As usual, while we make every effort to make all features work everywhere, it is not always technically possible. For example, compilers and / or dependencies are too old to support gRPC-based modules in older RHEL, SUSE and Debian releases.
What is next?
As usual: feedback is very welcome. If you have any problems with the syslog-ng 4.11.0 release, open an issue on GitHub at https://github.com/syslog-ng/syslog-ng/issues Your report helps us to make syslog-ng better. Of course, we are also very happy about any positive feedback :-)

syslog-ng logo
Originally published at https://www.syslog-ng.com/community/b/blog/posts/version-4-11-0-of-syslog-ng-is-now-available
New toy: Installing openSUSE Tumbleweed on the HP Z2 Mini
Last week I introduced you to my new toy at home: an AI focused mini workstation from HP. It arrived with Windows pre-installed, but of course I also wanted to have Linux on the box.
Documentation mentions that I have to disable secure boot and make a few more changes before installing Linux. I did all the suggested BIOS changes before installing Linux.
The data sheet mentions Ubuntu 24.04 as the supported Linux distribution. I have tried that, but I could not get the installer to run. Along the way I realized that the USB boot support is very picky on this box. Using my old USB sticks, which work perfectly in my laptop and old desktop, does not work at all. Also, changing the USB stick requires you to turn the machine off and on, a simple reboot is not enough. Finally I found a USB-C stick, and that almost worked with Ubuntu 24.04. It booted, but the installer crashed.

The USB sticks I tried
As I have been a S.u.S.E. / openSUSE user for the past 30 years, I did not mind this failure much. I downloaded the openSUSE Tumbleweed installer, and it worked like a charm. Best of all, unlike openSUSE Leap 16.0, Tumbleweed still has the good old YaST installer I used for decades. Installation was quick, easy and rock solid.
Surprise arrived when I rebooted the machine. Windows was not available in the boot menu. As it turned out, Tumbleweed used a new flavor of GRUB2 by default: grub2-bls, but that does not seem to boot other operating systems. There is no supported way to switch back to grub2-efi, so I reistalled openSUSE. Luckily it’s an easy job, and I did not have any data yet on the machine. So, it was just a few mouse clicks.
openSUSE is my daily driver, so I did not spend much time exploring the system. It seems to work just fine. Installing a few games and checking the in hardware AI support comes once I finished installing all operating systems on the machine. Next to Windows I plan to install openSUSE, Fedora and Ubuntu on the Linux side, and FreeBSD as well.
This blog is part of a longer series about my adventures with my new machine and AI. You can reach me to discuss this blog on one of the contacts listed in the upper right corner. You can read the rest of the blogs under the toy tag.
Linux Saloon 188 | MX Linux 25.1 Distribution Exploration
Installation of NVIDIA drivers on openSUSE and SLE (G07)
Important
This blogpost explained how to install the new G07 NVIDIA drivers. It was temporarily available as long as the content of the existing blogpost for installation of G06 NVIDIA drivers was still needed. The existing blogpost meanwhile has been updated to explain the installation of the new G07 drivers. So use that blogpost again from now on.
Librsvg got its first AI slop pull request
You all know that librsvg is developed in gitlab.gnome.org, not in GitHub. The README prominently says, "PLEASE DO NOT SEND PULL REQUESTS TO GITHUB".
So, of course, today librsvg got its first AI slop pull request and later a second one, both in GitHub. Fortunately (?) they were closed by the same account that opened them, four minutes and one minute after opening them, respectively.
I looked.
There is compiled Python code (nope, that's how you get another xz attack).
There are uncomfortably large Python scripts with jewels like
subprocess.run("a single formatted string") (nope, learn to call
commands correctly).
There are two vast JSON files with "suggestions" for branches to make changes to the code, with jewels like:
-
Suggestions to call standard library functions that do not even exist. The proposed code does not even use the nonexistent standard library function.
-
Adding enum variants to SVG-specific constructs for things that are not in the SVG spec.
-
Adding incorrect "safety checks".
assert!(!c_string.is_null())to be replaced byif c_string.is_null() { return ""; }. -
Fix a "floating-point overflow"... which is already handled correctly, and with a suggestion to use a function that does not exist.
-
Adding a cache for something that does not need caching (without an eviction policy (so it is a memory leak)).
-
Parallelizing the entire rendering process through a 4-line function. Of course this does not work.
-
Adding two "missing" filters from the SVG spec (they are already implemented), and the implementation is
todo!().
It's all like that. I stopped looking, and reported both PRs for spam.
Tumbleweed – Review of the week 2026/8
Dear Tumbleweed users and hackers,
Week 2026/08 delivered six snapshots to Tumbleweed (0213, 0214, 0216, 0217, 0218, and 0219). The pipeline remained clear of systemic blockers and integration hurdles, allowing the rebuild cycles to move directly into the repositories. While the usual noise persists in the bug tracker, core gating results remained green throughout the week, making for a steady and productive roll.
The most relevant changes this week were:
- Mesa 26.0.0
- AppArmor 4.1.6
- Postgresql 18.2
- libzypp 17.38.2: UAPI configuration file specification. Stop modifying /etc/zypp/zypp.conf, but add configuration extensions in your own /etc/zypp/zypp.conf.d/*.conf files.
- PHP 8.4.18
- Systemd 258.4
- KDE Plasma 6.6.0
- KDE Frameworks 6.23.0
- Linux kernel 6.19.2 (plus matching headers, strace)
- Python 3.13.12
- Mozilla Firefox 147.0.4
- Poppler 26.01.0
With those snapshots out, focus returns to the staging projects. Several stacks are already moving through validation in the Open Build Service. Below is the breakdown of what changed this week, followed by a look at what is currently in staging:
- DNF 5.4.0.0
- Linux kernel 6.19.3
- firewalld 2.3.2
- glibc 2.43: still quite some work to do
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. 13 to 19.
Blogs this week highlight several blog posts ranging from Linux Kernel CVEs to a collaborative Markdown editor. Blogs also highlights openSUSE elections and Leap 16.0 cloud images. Other blogs focus on building a self-hosted fintech solution and video AI going viral.
Here is a summary and links for each post:
Community Refines Git Packaging Workflow – openSUSE News
The openSUSE News site reports that contributors and developers gathered to refine the Git-based packaging workflow for Leap 16 and how updating package changes are proposed and managed across the project. The discussion emphasized adopting Git as the exclusive version control system, using pull requests for changes, and standardizing workflows to improve transparency and collaboration. Tumbleweed’s migration to a git workflow still requires additional work.
Reverting a Software Package to a Previous Version in openSUSE Tumbleweed
Victorhck explains how without the use of the Brtfs file system, he found a solution to safely roll back individual packages. The post describes finding an older RPM from the Tumbleweed snapshot history, installing it with zypper --oldpackage, and locking it to prevent immediate re-updates until a fix arrives. Practical tips include handling dependency conflicts and later removing the lock once an updated package fixes the issue.
Community Advances Governance Proposal After Virtual Meeting
The openSUSE News site reports that community members convened to refine a draft governance structure featuring four key bodies. The proposal—hosted as a living document on GitLab helps to formalize the draft proposal into a formal governance framework that can be voted on by those with openSUSE membership.
New Toy in the House for AI, Gaming, Linux, Windows and FreeBSD
Peter Czánik’s blog introduces a compact HP Z2 Mini workstation powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 chip and 128 GB RAM, acquired for local AI experimentation, Kubernetes cluster testing, home server duties, photo editing with Capture One Pro, and occasional gaming, which is all done within a footprint barely larger than a book. The plan is to install multiple operating systems including his primary desktop choice openSUSE, Fedora (to leverage AMD-specific AI acceleration features), and FreeBSD 15 for both server and desktop evaluation.
UDP Reliability Improved in syslog-ng Debian Packaging – Peter Czanik
Peter Czánik blogs about the improvements to UDP log collection reliability in the syslog-ng Debian packaging ahead of the upcoming 4.11.0 release. The enhancement leverages Linux’s eBPF capabilities to reduce packet loss during high-volume UDP traffic, which can be a common pain point for syslog-ng deployments relying on the widely used transport protocol.
Post-mortem: Service Degradation in OBS
The Open Build Service blog post reports on service degradations that affected the build infrastructure between Feb. 15 and 18. The post-mortem outlines the technical factors behind the instability, the remediation steps taken to restore full service reliability, and the preventive measures implemented to avoid a recurrence.
Introducing pass-exporter – Export your passwords from pass to Bitwarden CSV format
foursixnine introduces pass-exporter, which is a simple tool for extracting passwords stored with the pass password manager into a CSV format compatible with Bitwarden. The post explains how to export your GPG-encrypted keys and then run the tool to generate a pass_exported_passwords.csv that Bitwarden can import.
Protect Your Framework Laptop 13 — Why Bumpers Matter
CubicleNate explains why adding bumpers to a Framework Laptop 13 can help protect it from drops and daily wear. The post discusses how lightweight protective bumpers absorb shock without adding bulk and help to preserve the laptop’s modular design and repair-friendly design philosophy.
Building Self-Hosted Trading Infrastructure on openSUSE
The openSUSE News team explores how modern Linux systems like openSUSE are well-suited for running autonomous, self-hosting fintech trading infrastructure without depending on proprietary services. The article highlights using openSUSE to run reliable policy-driven trading agents with transparent, manageable configurations and logging through familiar tools like systemd. The setup leverages Node.js services controlled entirely through environment variables for indicators like RSI thresholds, trade fractions and more.
LliureJam 2026 Comes to Valencia Hosted by GNU/Linux Valencia and Hackerspace VLC
The KDE Blog announces the upcoming hackathon and community gathering in Valencia, Spain. The event will bring together developers, enthusiasts, and KDE contributors for hands-on coding sessions, workshops, and discussions focused on libre software development and community building in the Valencian region.
openSUSE Leap 16.0 Now Available on Google Cloud Platform
Ish reports that openSUSE Leap 16.0 is now offered as a public image on Google Cloud Platform with both x86_64 and Arm64 architectures available for Compute Engine instances launched directly from the GCP Console. However, the Google Cloud Ops Agent for monitoring and logging remains unsupported due to a repository mismatch—the installation script incorrectly identifies Leap 16.0 as SLES 16 and attempts to access a non-existent sles16 package repository, leaving users unable to leverage automated observability tooling.
Seedance 2.0: ByteDance’s Video AI Goes Viral and Triggers Hollywood Concerns
Assunto Nerd reports on ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0, a multimodal AI video generator that creates hyper-realistic 15-second cinematic clips from simple text prompts and has gone viral in China with millions of views for AI-generated scenes featuring celebrities and fictional characters. It also highlights how Hollywood studios and unions are sounding alarms over potential copyright violations and unauthorized use of actors’ likenesses.
Plasma 6.6 Released: KDE’s Latest Desktop Environment Update
The KDE Blog announces release of Plasma 6.6 and features major usability enhancements including OCR text extraction in Spectacle screenshots, a redesigned on-screen Plasma Keyboard for touch devices, and a new Plasma Setup assistant for streamlined user account and network configuration outside the installer. The update introduces practical workflow improvements like per-application volume control via task manager hover, emoji skin tone selection, QR code Wi-Fi scanning and more.
KDE Frameworks 6.23: Stability Updates and Dialog Improvements
The KDE Blog reports on the release of KDE Frameworks 6.23.0. The update continues KDE’s monthly release cadence for its foundational libraries, providing developers with refined APIs and end users with smoother file operations and more reliable core functionality. As part of the Frameworks 6 series built on Qt 6, this release paves the way for upcoming Plasma 6.6 features while maintaining backward compatibility for the entire KDE software ecosystem.
Call for Board Moves Forward: openSUSE Election Process Resumes
The openSUSE news site and Ish update followers about the nominations and candidacy for the regular openSUSE Board Elections. Voting is scheduled to begin March 1 to fill two open seats. Eligible openSUSE members can self-nominate through February 28 by emailing project@lists.opensuse.org and election-officials@lists.opensuse.org.
Linux CVE assignment process
Greg Kroah-Hartman’s Kernel Log explains how the Linux kernel CVE team automatically reviews and handles assigning CVE identifiers as its own CVE Numbering Authority. The blog emphasizes that most CVEs aren’t applicable to any single system and strongly recommends simply updating to the latest stable kernel rather than cherry-picking individual CVE fixes.
Free Study Cards with WordQuiz
KDE Blog introduces WordQuiz (KWordQuiz), a libre flashcard application from the KDE Education suite that helps users master vocabulary and terminology through an intuitive two-column editor and five distinct practice modes including flashcards, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank quizzes. The tool supports multiple vocabulary file formats. As part of KDE’s education-focused software collection, WordQuiz offers a privacy-respecting, offline-capable alternative to proprietary spaced-repetition tools for students and lifelong learners on Linux desktops.
Linux Saloon 187 | Open Mic Night
CubicleNate recaps the Linux Saloon 187, a two-hour open mic session. The post highlights lively conversations on topics such as home servers, using AI tools, rolling vs static distro relevance, and more. It also lists interesting project links and Strawpoll questions that encourage debate.
Final Preparations for Plasma 6.6 – This Week in Plasma
KDE Blog reports on the final polishing work for the upcoming KDE Plasma 6.6, with release expected within days of publication and packed with significant new features, UI refinements, and stability improvements. Highlights include unified HDR window appearance, a 50x performance boost when moving files to trash, seamless Samba sharing that auto-starts the required service, and numerous bug fixes for tiling behavior, monitor handling, and Wayland protocol workarounds.
Deskflow – Seamless Multi-Computer Control
CubicleNate introduces Deskflow, a tool for controlling multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse. The post highlights Deskflow’s evolution and its improved support for modern Linux display servers, including seamless operation under Wayland. Nate highlights use cases like multi-device productivity and streamlining workflows for users working on several machines at once.
openSUSE Tumbleweed Weekly Review – Week 7 of 2026
Victorhck and dimstar report on the steady stream of updates for openSUSE Tumbleweed during the seventh week of 2026. The review covers five snapshots with notable package updates like systemd 258.3, Mesa 26.0.0 RC3, KDE Gear 25.12.2, and Firefox 147.0.3. It also previews upcoming improvements with future versions of libzypp, KDE Plasma 6.6, glibc 2.43, and the Linux kernel 6.19.0.
Mist: A Collaborative Real-Time Markdown Editor
Victorhck introduces Mist as a Markdown editor enabling real-time collaborative editing with multiple users simultaneously working on the same document. The tool includes useful collaboration features like inline comments, suggestion modes for proposed changes, and live Markdown rendering to preview formatting as you write.
The syslog-ng Insider 2026-02: stats-exporter; blank filter; Kafka source
Peter Czanik summarizes the February 2026 issue of the syslog-ng Insider newsletter. The post explains how the stats-exporter() now covers all functionality of syslog-ng-ctl, making Prometheus metrics collection more complete. It also introduces the new blank() filter for simpler configurations and provides a hands-on tutorial for testing the Kafka source by building the package from source.
What’s New in LibreOffice 26.2
The KDE Blog highlights the new LibreOffice 26.2 release, which brings improved Markdown import/export support and overall performance enhancements. The update also improves compatibility with Microsoft Office formats and adds refinements to usability across Writer, Calc, and other components.
View more blogs or learn to publish your own on planet.opensuse.org.