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Flock 2026 CfP open now until Feb 8nd 2026

Apply now for the Flock to Fedora 2026 Call for Proposals (CfP) at cfp.fedoraproject.org. This year, the submission deadline for the Flock CfP is Monday, February 8nd, 2026.

Flock 2026 registration is open

Last month we announced that we’ll be convening again in Prague for Flock 2026 in June. Everyone interested in attending can head over to the Flock 2026 website and register today! For those of you who want to contribute to Flock by presenting your thoughts and ideas in front of your fellow contributors, we’ve got some inspiration for you in the form of updated proposal themes.

Flock 2026 proposal themes

This year’s proposal themes are inspired by Fedora’s four foundations:

  1. Freedom: The Open Frontier — This theme explores how Fedora pushes the boundaries of technological freedom. We invite proposals on FOSS approaches to Artificial Intelligence, the advancement of open hardware like RISC-V, the development of open standards, and the protection of data privacy. Sessions should focus on how our work in the Fedora Project creates a more free and collaborative technological world for everyone.
  2. Friends: Our Fedora Story — This theme celebrates the people and practices that make our community unique. We seek proposals that share stories of mentorship, successful team collaboration, and effective onboarding within Fedora. Collaboration is key to our success. Sessions about our partnerships with other FOSS communities should center on the mutual benefits and the positive impact these relationships have on the Fedora Project.
  3. Features: Engineering Fedora’s Core — As a contributor conference, this theme dives deep into the craft of building our distribution and other Fedora outputs. We welcome sessions on improvements to our infrastructure, release engineering processes, quality assurance, packaging, and community tooling. This is the place for technical talks that showcase our engineering excellence and the collaborative work that makes Fedora’s deliverables possible, from code to final artifact.
  4. First: Blueprint for the Future: Fedora Linux 45 & 46 — This theme focuses on the near-term innovations that will define the next generation of Linux. With the next few Fedora Linux releases serving as the foundation for RHEL 11 and EPEL 11, this is a critical time. We are looking for forward-looking technical talks on the changes, features, and architectural decisions in F45 and F46 that will shape the future of the operating system, from the community desktop to the core of the enterprise platforms.

These themes are here to help get you thinking about topics you’d like to present. If you have something you want to talk about that doesn’t quite fit neatly into these themes, but you feel it belongs at Flock, go ahead and submit anyways! The reviewers are open to alternative topics. They are on the look out for topics that Fedora contributors are interested in discussing.

Flock financial travel assistance available

Financial travel assistance applications are now open as well. When you go to register to attend on the Flock 2026 website, you should also see links on how to apply for travel assistance if you need it. Financial assistance will be open until March 8th (several weeks after CfP closes on Febuary 8th). This is to give those with accepted talks an opportunity to figure out if they’ll need travel assistance.

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Flock 2026 CfP open now until Feb 2nd 2026

Apply now for the Flock to Fedora 2026 Call for Proposals (CfP) at cfp.fedoraproject.org. This year, the submission deadline for the Flock CfP is Monday, February 2nd, 2026.

Flock 2026 registration is open

Last month we announced that we’ll be convening again in Prague for Flock 2026 in June. Everyone interested in attending can head over to the Flock 2026 website and register today! For those of you who want to contribute to Flock by presenting your thoughts and ideas in front of your fellow contributors, we’ve got some inspiration for you in the form of updated proposal themes.

Flock 2026 proposal themes

This year’s proposal themes are inspired by Fedora’s four foundations:

  1. Freedom: The Open Frontier — This theme explores how Fedora pushes the boundaries of technological freedom. We invite proposals on FOSS approaches to Artificial Intelligence, the advancement of open hardware like RISC-V, the development of open standards, and the protection of data privacy. Sessions should focus on how our work in the Fedora Project creates a more free and collaborative technological world for everyone.
  2. Friends: Our Fedora Story — This theme celebrates the people and practices that make our community unique. We seek proposals that share stories of mentorship, successful team collaboration, and effective onboarding within Fedora. Collaboration is key to our success. Sessions about our partnerships with other FOSS communities should center on the mutual benefits and the positive impact these relationships have on the Fedora Project.
  3. Features: Engineering Fedora’s Core — As a contributor conference, this theme dives deep into the craft of building our distribution and other Fedora outputs. We welcome sessions on improvements to our infrastructure, release engineering processes, quality assurance, packaging, and community tooling. This is the place for technical talks that showcase our engineering excellence and the collaborative work that makes Fedora’s deliverables possible, from code to final artifact.
  4. First: Blueprint for the Future: Fedora Linux 45 & 46 — This theme focuses on the near-term innovations that will define the next generation of Linux. With the next few Fedora Linux releases serving as the foundation for RHEL 11 and EPEL 11, this is a critical time. We are looking for forward-looking technical talks on the changes, features, and architectural decisions in F45 and F46 that will shape the future of the operating system, from the community desktop to the core of the enterprise platforms.

These themes are here to help get you thinking about topics you’d like to present. If you have something you want to talk about that doesn’t quite fit neatly into these themes, but you feel it belongs at Flock, go ahead and submit anyways! The reviewers are open to alternative topics. They are on the look out for topics that Fedora contributors are interested in discussing.

Flock financial travel assistance available

Financial travel assistance applications are now open as well. When you go to register to attend on the Flock 2026 website, you should also see links on how to apply for travel assistance if you need it. Financial assistance will be open until March 8th (several weeks after CfP closes on Febuary 8th). This is to give those with accepted talks an opportunity to figure out if they’ll need travel assistance.

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Fedora at Kirinyaga University – Docs workshop

Kirinyaga University students group photo

We did it again, Fedora at Kirinyaga university in Kenya. This time, we didn’t just introduce what open source is – we showed students how to participate and actually contribute in real time.

Many students had heard of open source before, but were not sure how to get started or where they could fit. We did it hands-on and began with a simple explanation of what open source is: people around the world working together to create tools, share knowledge, and support each other. Fedora is one of these communities. It is open, friendly, and built by different people with different skills.

We talked about the many ways someone can contribute, even without deep technical experience. Documentation, writing guides, design work, translation, testing software, and helping new contributors are all important roles in Fedora. Students learned that open source is not only for “experts.” It is also for learners. It is a place to grow.

Hands-on Documentation Workshop

A room full of kirinyaga students on a worskhop

After the introduction, we moved into a hands-on workshop. We opened Fedora Docs and explored how documentation is structured. Students learned how to find issues, read contribution instructions, and make changes step-by-step. We walked together through:

  • Opening or choosing an issue to work on
  • Editing documentation files
  • Making a pull request (PR)
  • Writing a clear contribution message

By the end of the workshop, students had created actual contributions that went to the Fedora project. This moment was important. It showed them that contributing is not something you wait to do “someday.” You can do it today.

“This weekend’s Open Source Event with Fedora, hosted by the Computer Society Of Kirinyaga, was truly inspiring! 💻

Through the guidance of Cornelius Emase, I was able to make my first pull request to the Fedora Project Docs – my first ever contribution to the open-source world. 🌍
– Student at Kirinyaga University

Thank you note

Huge appreciation to:

  • Jona Azizaj — for steady guidance and mentorship.
  • Mat H. — for backing the vision of regional community building.
  • Fedora Mindshare Team — for supporting community growth here in Kenya.
  • Computer Society of Kirinyaga — for hosting and bringing real energy into the room.

And to everyone who played a part – even if your name isn’t listed here, I see you. You made this possible.

Growing the next generation

The students showed interest, curiosity, and energy. Many asked how they can continue contributing and how to connect with the wider Fedora community. I guided them to Fedora Docs, Matrix community chat rooms, and how they can be part of the Fedora local meetups here in Kenya.

We are introducing open source step-by-step in Kenya. There is a new generation of students who want to be part of global technology work. They want to learn, collaborate, and build. Our role is to open the door and walk together(I have a discourse post on this, you’re welcome to add your views).

A group photo of students after the workshop

What Comes Next

This event is part of a growing movement to strengthen Fedora’s presence in Kenya. More events will follow so that learning and contributing can continue.

We believe that open source becomes strong when more people are included. Fedora is a place where students in Kenya can learn, grow, share, and contribute to something global.

We already had a Discourse thread running for this event – from the first announcement, planning, and budget proposal, all the way to the final workshop. Everything happened in the open. Students who attended have already shared reflections there, and anyone who wants to keep contributing or stay connected can join the conversation.

You can check the events photos submitted here on Google photos(sorry that’s not FOSS:))

Cornelius Emase,
Your Friend in Open Source(Open Source Freedom Fighter)

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Join Us for the Fedora Linux 43 Release Party!

The Fedora community is coming together once again to celebrate the release of Fedora Linux 43, and you’re invited! Join us on Friday, November 21, 2025, from 13:00 to 16:00 UTC on Matrix for our virtual Fedora 43 Release Party.

This is our chance to celebrate the latest release, hear from contributors across the project, and see what’s new in Fedora Workstation, KDE, Atomic Desktops, and more. Whether you’re a long-time Fedora user or new to the community, it’s the perfect way to connect with the broader community, learn more about Fedora, and hang out in Matrix chat with your Fedora friends.

We have a lineup of talks and updates from across the Fedora ecosystem, including updates directly from teams who have been working on changes in this release. We’ll kick things off with Fedora Project Leader Jef Spaleta and Fedora Community Architect Justin Wheeler, followed by sessions with community members like Timothée Ravier on Atomic Desktops, Peter Boy and Petr Bokoč on the new Fedora Docs initiative, and Neal Gompa and Michel Lind discussing the Wayland-only GNOME experience. You’ll also hear from teams across Fedora sharing insights, demos, and what’s next for the project.

Registration is free but required to join the Matrix event room. Once registered, you’ll receive an invitation in your Matrix account before the event begins.

Sign up on the Fedora Linux 43 Release Party event page. We can’t wait to see you there to come celebrate Fedora 43 with us!

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Announcing Flock to Fedora 2026 (14-16 June): Join Us in Prague!

Banner image for the Flock to Fedora 2026 conference. The image shows Colúr, the animated mascot of Flock, holding a megaphone. The "Flock" logo appears with "Prague, Czech Republic" and "June 14 - 16, 2026" written below the Flock logo.

The official dates and location are set for Flock to Fedora 2026, the premier annual conference for Fedora Project contributors. The event will take place from 14-16 June 2026, in Prague, Czechia.

For Flock 2026, we are returning to the Vienna House by Wyndham Andel’s Prague, located at:

Stroupeznickeho 21
Prague, 150 00
Czech Republic

While all three days will be full conference days, the arrangement of the schedule will change slightly in 2026. Sunday, 14 June, will be designated as Day 0, featuring workshops, team meetups, and hands-on contributor sessions. The main conference activities, including streamed content, the opening keynote, and other sessions, are scheduled for Monday, 15 June, and Tuesday, 16 June.

Coordinated Scheduling with DevConf CZ

Following community feedback from last year, Flock 2026 has been scheduled to align more closely with DevConf.CZ. The conference will conclude just before DevConf.CZ begins in Brno (18-20 June 2026). This compressed travel schedule is intended to make it easier for community members who wish to attend both events.

Call for Proposals & Conference Themes

The Call for Proposals (CFP) for Flock 2026 will open in early December 2025 and close shortly after FOSDEM 2026 (31 January – 1 February). Speaker confirmations are scheduled to be sent in March 2026.

For Flock 2026, we are taking a more focused approach to session content. The Fedora Council, FESCo, and the Mindshare Committee are shaping key themes for the CFP. All presentation and workshop submissions should align with one of these themes. More details will be shared when the CFP opens.

Planning for Flock 2026

Here is what you need to know to plan your attendance:

  • Registration: Conference registration is scheduled to open in January 2026.
  • Sponsorship: Is your company or organization interested in sponsoring Flock 2026? Our sponsorship prospectus for Flock 2026 is now available on the Flock 2026 website. Organizations interested in supporting Flock and the Fedora community are encouraged to review the prospectus and contact the organizing team with any questions.
  • Hotel Block: A discounted block of rooms is arranged at the conference hotel. More information about the discounted hotel block can be found on the Flock website.
  • Travel Day & Connections: 17 June is designated as a free travel day between Flock to Fedora 2026 and DevConf.CZ. Frequent bus and train connections are available for travel between Prague and Brno.
  • Sponsored Travel: We intend to offer sponsored travel again for Flock to Fedora 2026. More details will follow in December 2025.

Get Involved & Ask Questions

The official Flock to Fedora 2026 Matrix room, #flock:fedoraproject.org, is the best place to connect with organizers and other community members. We encourage you to join the channel for the latest updates and to ask any questions you may have.

Flock to Fedora 2026 web site

A Note on Our Flock to Fedora 2026 & 2027 Plans

We recognize that returning to the same city and venue for a second consecutive year is a departure from Flock’s tradition. This decision was made intentionally with two key goals in mind.

First, by working with a familiar venue, our organizing team can optimize its processes and plan further in advance. This stability for Flock to Fedora 2026 will give us more opportunity to improve our internal processes and explore new ways to incorporate community input into the design of Fedora’s flagship contributor conference.

Second, this allows us to plan for a significant change in 2027. The Flock organizing team is committed to exploring new locations for Flock 2027, with a particular focus on regions outside of North America and Europe. We acknowledge the travel difficulties many of our contributors in regions like LATAM and APAC face. We learned valuable lessons from past planning cycles and are eager to achieve this goal, while also recognizing that unforeseen circumstances can impact our plans. We will work with community members in these regions to explore possible options and conduct thorough research on pricing and availability for 2027.

We look forward to seeing you in Prague for Flock 2026, 14-16 June.

— The Flock to Fedora Planning Team

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How to rebase to Fedora Linux 43 on Silverblue

Fedora Silverblue is an operating system for your desktop built on Fedora Linux. It’s excellent for daily use, development, and container-based workflows. It offers numerous advantages such as being able to roll back in case of any problems. If you want to rebase to Fedora Linux 43 on your Fedora Silverblue system, this article tells you how. It not only shows you what to do, but also how to revert things if something unforeseen happens.

Update your existing system

Prior to actually doing the rebase to Fedora Linux 43, you should apply any pending updates. Enter the following in the terminal:

$ rpm-ostree update

or install updates through GNOME Software and reboot.

Note

rpm-ostree is the underlying atomic technology that all the Fedora Atomic Desktops use. The techniques described here for Silverblue will apply to all of them with proper modifications for the appropriate desktop.

Rebasing using GNOME Software

GNOME Software shows you that there is new version of Fedora Linux available on the Updates screen.

First thing to do is download the new image, so select the Download button. This will take some time. When it is done you will see that the update is ready to install.

Select the Restart & Upgrade button. This step will take only a few moments and the computer will restart when the update has completed. After the restart you will end up in a new and shiny release of Fedora Linux 43. Easy, isn’t it?

Rebasing using terminal

If you prefer to do everything in a terminal, then this part of the guide is for you.

Rebasing to Fedora Linux 43 using the terminal is easy. First, check if the 43 branch is available:

$ ostree remote refs fedora

You should see the following in the output:

fedora:fedora/43/x86_64/silverblue

If you want to pin the current deployment (meaning that this deployment will stay as an option in GRUB until you remove it), you can do this by running this command:

# 0 is entry position in rpm-ostree status
$ sudo ostree admin pin 0

To remove the pinned deployment use the following command:

# 2 is entry position in rpm-ostree status 
$ sudo ostree admin pin --unpin 2

Next, rebase your system to the Fedora Linux 43 branch.

$ rpm-ostree rebase fedora:fedora/43/x86_64/silverblue

Finally, the last thing to do is restart your computer and boot to Fedora Linux 43.

How to roll back

If anything bad happens (for instance, if you can’t boot to Fedora Linux 43 at all) it’s easy to go back. At boot time, pick the entry in the GRUB menu for the version prior to Fedora Linux 43 and your system will start in that previous version rather than Fedora Linux 43. If you don’t see the GRUB menu, try to press ESC during boot. To make the change to the previous version permanent, use the following command:

$ rpm-ostree rollback

That’s it. Now you know how to rebase Fedora Silverblue to Fedora Linux 43 and roll back. So why not do it today?

Known Issues

FAQ

Because there are similar questions in comments for each blog about rebasing to newer version of Silverblue I will try to answer them in this section.

Question: Can I skip versions during rebase of Fedora? For example from Fedora 40 Silverblue to Fedora 43 Silverblue?

Answer: Although it could sometimes be possible to skip versions during rebase, it is not recommended. You should always update to one version above (40->41->42->43 for example) to avoid unnecessary errors.

Question: I have rpm-fusion layered and I get errors during rebase. How should I do the rebase?

Answer: If you have rpm-fusion layered on your Silverblue installation, you should do the following before rebase:

$ rpm-ostree update --uninstall rpmfusion-free-release --uninstall rpmfusion-nonfree-release --install rpmfusion-free-release --install rpmfusion-nonfree-release

After doing this you can follow the guide in this blog post.

Question: Could this guide be used for other ostree editions (Fedora Atomic Desktops) as well like Kinoite, Sericea (Sway Atomic), Onyx (Budgie Atomic),…?

Yes, you can follow the Rebasing using the terminal part of this guide for every Fedora Atomic Desktop. Just use the corresponding branch. For example, for Kinoite use fedora:fedora/43/x86_64/kinoite

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Fedora Linux 43 is here!

I’m excited to announce my very first Fedora Linux release as the new Fedora Project Leader. Fedora Linux 43 is here! 43 releases! Wow that’s a lot. I was thinking about proposing special tetracontakaitrigon stickers to celebrate this release, but I’m not sure anyone would notice they weren’t circles.

Thank you and congrats to everyone who has contributed to Fedora to this release, and in all the releases leading up to this one. I’m grateful to be back with a chance to take stewardship of the collaboration as the Fedora Project leader. I’ve been getting my feet under me as much as I can in these first few months. I’m looking forward to writing up some longer missives about where I want to steer this ship, but for right now I just want to highlight some of the changes you should expect to encounter in the latest release of Fedora Linux. Read the highlights below to find out more. Or if you are ready just jump right in!

Upgrade

If you have an existing system, Upgrading Fedora Linux to a New Release is easy. In most cases, it’s not very different from just rebooting for regular updates, except you’ll have a little more time to grab a coffee.

Fresh Install

If this is your first time running Fedora Linux, or if you just want to start fresh with Fedora, download the install media for our flagship Editions (Workstation, KDE Plasma Desktop, Cloud, Server, CoreOS, IoT),  for one of our Atomic Desktops (Silverblue, Kinoite, Cosmic, Budgie, Sway), or for alternate desktop options (like Cinnamon, Xfce, Sway, or others).

What’s new?

As usual, with Fedora, there are just too many individual changes and improvements to go over in detail. You’ll want to take a look at the release notes for that.

Notable User Visible Changes

There are, however, a few notable user visible changes in this release. For those of you installing fresh Fedora Linux 43 Spins, you may be greeted with the new Anaconda WebUI. This was the default installer interface for Fedora Workstation 42, and now it’s the default installer UI for the Spins as well.

If you are a GNOME desktop user, you’ll also notice that the GNOME is now Wayland-only in Fedora Linux 43. GNOME upstream has deprecated X11 support, and has disabled it as a compile time default in GNOME 49. Upstream GNOME plans to fully remove X11 support in GNOME 50.

Plumbing Upgrades

Beyond the user-visible changes, there are a couple of significant bits of plumbing that should go unnoticed for most users but are a big deal, nonetheless.

Fedora Linux 43 will be the first release with RPM 6.0. Like I said, this should go unnoticed to end-users, but it is a significant change. RPM 6.0 provides some interesting security enhancements, like multiple key signing of packages. This should help future-proof package signing as we transition to post-quantum-crypto OpenPGP keys in future releases.

We’re also moving forward with our bootc enablement story. Fedora CoreOS is now buildable from a Fedora base bootc image using a Containerfile, instead of needing to be composed with a custom tool. That means anyone with podman can build the Fedora CoreOS image, whether manually or via CI/CD automation.

Fedora CoreOS (FCOS) is also changing how it’s issuing updates to users in Fedora 43. Instead of using an OSTree repository, FCOS updates will be delivered exclusively as OCI images. FCOS 42 provided both OSTree repository and OCI registry as a transition for users. In FCOS 43, the OSTree updates are disabled entirely.

Save the Date: Fedora Linux 43 Release Party!

To celebrate all this incredible community work, we’ll be hosting a virtual Fedora Linux 43 Release Party! Please save the date for Friday, 21 November. We’re still finalizing the schedule and speakers, so registration isn’t open just yet, but more details will be shared soon. You can keep an eye on the Fedora Linux 43 Release Party Schedule wiki page for the latest updates!

If you hit a snag

If you run into a problem, visit our Ask Fedora user support forum. This forum includes a category where we collect common issues and solutions or work-arounds.

Just drop by and say “hello”

Drop by our “virtual watercooler” on Fedora Discussion and join a conversation, share something interesting, and introduce yourself. We’re always glad to see new people!

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What’s New in Fedora Workstation 43

Below are a few noteworthy changes in the latest release of Fedora Workstation that we think you will love. Upgrade today from the official website, or upgrade your existing install using GNOME Software or through the terminal with dnf system-upgrade.

GNOME 49

Fedora Linux 43 Workstation also ships with the brand-new GNOME 49 release, bringing a host of refinements to your desktop. This update introduces significant enhancements for multiple display setups, an improved and streamlined workflow for taking screenshots and screen recordings, and a new “Focus Mode” to help you minimize distractions. Under the hood, resource-smart background throttling improves performance and battery life, while the Settings app has been polished with a refined UI. These are just the highlights. Check out the official GNOME 49 release notes to find more information about all the new features.

Wayland-only GNOME

One significant change we want to forewarn you about is that Fedora Linux 43 is removing the GNOME X11 packages from the Fedora repositories. All users of the GNOME X11 session will be migrated to the GNOME Wayland session with the upgrade to Fedora Workstation 43.

The transition to the GNOME Wayland session in Fedora Workstation 43 has been in the works for nearly a decade. There have been several prior steps toward this goal, such as the work in Fedora Linux 41 to remove legacy X11 dependencies from core media components.

Wayland has been the default GNOME session on Fedora Workstation for many years, but this release completes the change. The legacy gnome-session-xsession packages have been removed from the Fedora Linux 43 repositories.

This change will unlock a new level of performance and hardware compatibility. You’ll immediately notice smoother, cleaner visuals thanks to triple buffering, which dramatically reduces screen tearing. This change also improves support for a range of hardware, including enhanced drivers for Intel Xe graphics and improvements for systems using NVIDIA Optimus and Hybrid Mode.

A new default video player — Showtime

The default video player has been changed from Totem to Showtime. Showtime is built on the newer GTK 4 and Libadwaita libraries.

Use COLR for Noto Color Emoji

The Noto Color Emoji fonts have released some new files with the COLRv1 format. The COLRv1 format is a color scalable font compared with the previous color bitmap fonts. This new scalable font format should have better or similar rendering results compared to the old bitmap font format. See the change notes for more details.

Peas 2.0

If you are an app developer, you might be interested in the upgrade to Peas 2. Peas is a gobject-based plugins engine that is used by several GNOME applications.

Wrap-up

Be sure to check out the Fedora Linux 43 Change Set wiki for even more details about all the features and changes that went into Fedora Linux 43. Use the Fedora Discussion forum or Fedora’s Matrix chat server if you want to converse with the Fedora community about this new release!

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Contribute to Fedora 39 Upgrade, Virtualization, and Cloud Test Day

Fedora test days are events where anyone can help make certain that changes in Fedora work well in an upcoming release. Fedora community members often participate, and the public is welcome at these events. If you’ve never contributed to Fedora before, this is a perfect way to get started.

There are three test days occurring in the next two weeks covering three topics:

  • Tuesday October 03, is to test the Fedora Cloud
  • Thursday October 05 , is to test the Fedora Upgrade
  • Monday October 09 , is to test Virtualization

Come and test with us to make Fedora 39 even better. Read more below on how to do it.

Fedora Cloud test day

Fedora Linux 39 is coming close to the release date and the Fedora Cloud SIG would like to get the community together to find and squash some bugs.

The test day will occur on Tuesday October 03. This event will test Fedora Cloud Base content. See the wiki page for links to the Beta Cloud Base Images. We have qcow, AMI, and ISO images ready for testing.

Upgrade test day

As we come closer to Fedora Linux 39 release dates, it’s time to test upgrades. This release has a lot of changes and it becomes essential that we test the graphical upgrade methods as well as the command line methods.

This test day will happen on Thursday, October 05. It will test upgrading from a full updated F37 and F38 to F39 for all architectures (x86_64, ARM, aarch64) and variants (WS, cloud, server, silverblue, IoT). See this wiki page for information and details.

Virtualization test day

This test day will happen on Monday, October 09 and will test all forms of virtualization possible in Fedora. The test day will focus on testing Fedora or your favorite distro inside a bare metal implementation of Fedora running Boxes, KVM, VirtualBox and whatever you have. The general features of installing the OS and working with it are outlined in the test cases which you will find on the results page.

How do test days work?

A test day is an event where anyone can help make certain that changes in Fedora work well in an upcoming release. Fedora community members often participate, and the public is welcome at these events. Test days are the perfect way to start contributing if you not in the past.

The only requirement to get started is the ability to download test materials (which include some large files) and then read and follow directions step by step.

Detailed information about all the test days are on the wiki page links provided above. If you are available on or around the days of the events, please do some testing and report your results.

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Share your game achievements with Gamerzilla

Gamerzilla is an open source game achievement system that stores and shares your game achievements. Games use libgamerzilla to easily add achievements. The Gamerzilla library is written in C but bindings exist for other languages.

Two years ago I described how to setup a Gamerzilla server. In addition to the .net implementation, php and python implementations are available. But you probably don’t want to run your own server. Here is an introduction to a public server and the Gnome interface.

Public server

My web server now hosts an instance of Gamerzilla with public registration enabled. To create an account click on the Sign In link on the top right corner. From there click the Register link next to the Login button.

The user accounts collect very little information. Simply enter a username and password. You do not need to enter your real name or email address. As a result, forgotten password is not implemented.

Accounts start as invisible. If you want the public to see your achievements after login, click on your username on the top right of the page and select Make Visible. New users must be approved before they can upload achievements. Currently no indication appears whether you are approved or not.

Getting an achievement

Before you get your first achievement, you need to install the Gamerzilla gnome shell extension with:

sudo dnf install gnome-shell-extension

After installation you will need to logout and log back in. The extension needs to be enabled with the the following:

gnome-extensions enable gamerzilla@gamerzilla.identicalsoftware.com 

The game controller icon appears in the top bar of the gnome shell.

Click on the controller icon and select preferences. On the resulting screen enter your gamerzilla url including the trailing slash but without the ‘trophy’ destination for the UI. If using my server, the value will be ‘https://identicalsoftware.com/ ‘. Fill in your username and password. Click on save. By default Automatic Connect is enabled. If you don’t want to always connect disable this.

Gamerzilla Controller menu

Unfortunately a bug prevents the shell extension from working right away. You need to logout and log back in again. Fixing this is high priority.

Currently Supported Games

Several games in the Fedora repository support Gamerzilla achievements. If you want to get one to try it out, I suggest Shippy 1984, Seahorse Adventures, or Anagramarama. Seahorse Adventures will store some progress as soon as you complete a single level. If you play Super Tux Kart, you may already have achievements. Simply starting the game will synch any previous completed achievements. Gamerzilla does not display any notification when achievements complete but games may implement it on their own.

Going Forward

Besides fixing the bug with connecting the first time, I want a local browser for achievements. That way you can view all your game achievements without forcing you to upload them.

Achievements do have negative aspects. Some people feel compelled to complete them. This can lead to negative play experience, if the achievements are very difficult. I understand this concern but some people enjoy these aspects as well. More importantly, to attract and retain players, I feel open source games need a game achievement system.

We need more games to implement Gamerzilla achievements. We need players to show their support for the system. I continue to add achievements to my games and other open source games I try out.