Another Linux Tablet?

Fedora turns 40, Ubuntu gets longer, Thunderbird makes an exchange, and someone’s working on another Linux tablet.

Listen:

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:58 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
07:58 Volla Linux tablet
11:54 Fedora 40
14:15 Thunderbird Exchange support

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ubuntu-24-04-same-as-it-ev

The highly anticipated Ubuntu Linux 24.04 Long Term Support is scheduled to release tomorrow, Thursday April 25th, 2024, but it is possible that may change.
Ubuntu 24.04 “Noble Numbat” being a LTS release, will receive 5 years of bug fixes and security updates, and Ubuntu Pro adds an extra seven years of support, for 12 years of support!
And it is powered by Linux Kernel 6.8 and the GNOME 46 desktop, just like the latest Fedora 40 release that came out yesterday.
Yesterday I tested out the Ubuntu 24.04 Beta, and like Ubuntu 23.10, was impressed with how slick and fast GNOME was running.
Ubuntu has always had one of the easiest and streamlined installers, and this release it is even better.
There is an accessibility page now, so you can customize Ubuntu for your needs right at the start.
The Software Center is greatly improved, faster, easier to use and more organized.
And something I have always loved about Pop!_OS, Ubuntu 24.04 has a dedicated firmware updater.
- Ubuntu 24.04 automatically found an update for my Logitech unified USB dongle for my mouse and keyboard, sweet!
And one of my favorite features of this release are the beautiful “Noble Numbat” wallpapers, especially the pink ones, both the one that is more graphical, and the one that is drawn more photoreal.
The Numbat is a cute extinct marsupial from Australia.

Another Linux tablet

Volla is the latest company taking a crack at making the elusive Linux tablet.
With a 12.3-inch Quad HD display, MediaTek Gaming G99 SOC, 12GB RAM and 256 GB of storage it could be a little bit of neat.
Out of the box it ships with Volla OS 13 Android but is capable of running Ubuntu Touch.
It lacks support for cellular data in the US.
At $563 it’s about $60 more than a Samsung S9.
Estimated delivery Oct 2024
The Volla phones are loved by the Linux community, and the privacy and security focused Volla Tablet sounds like the tablet that a Linux enthusiast would love.
It looks beautifully built, and running Ubuntu Touch on it with an external keyboard and mouse could turn this powerhouse into a very nicely priced hybrid laptop.

Fedora 40

https://fedoramagazine.org/whats-new-fedora-workstation-40/

If you would like to play around with the default GNOME 46 desktop, then take the latest Fedora Workstation 40 for a spin that was released Tuesday!
GNOME 46 includes a much improved focus on accessibility, upgrades to the Files app, more refinement of the Settings app and other core apps.
One of the cool new things about the Software app is that the Flathub apps are displayed with their verified badges.
And the Files app has a new global search feature, which lets you search files from any location you desire.
And great work to the Fedora team for another beautiful default desktop wallpaper, a loosely painted blueish green forest when used in dark mode has the glow of fireflies.
All the Fedora 40 spins, including the KDE Plasma 6 spin and Budgie desktop spin, are available to download as well.

Rusty Exchange

If you work for a company chances are your work email is powered by Exchange.
Using Exchange with Thunderbirb has required the use of a paid 3rd party plugin.
Or at least it did.
Starting with the next ESR (Extended Support) release of Thunderbird this July Exchange support will be baked in.
Well, at least the email bits.
Calendar and address support will show up at a later date.
This will be using EWS instead of the new Graph API so expect things to work for a year or so.
Having all the Microsoft Exchange support natively in Thunderbird is huge, and will help greatly increase its adoption outside of the Linux circle.
One of the many benefits of Thunderbird using the Rust programming language, is that it will make it easier for their small team to reuse their work for the likes of Thunderbird for Android, otherwise known as K-9 Mail.
Also, this helps the team go through the old infrastructure of code, and years of build up on the existing code base, and reconsider using a language in an active community.
And Firefox has Rust support built in, and Thunderbird is built on top of Firefox code.