Affinity comes to Linux, Proton explains recent issues, macOS apps run on Linux | Linux Weekly News

Summary

The video covers software compatibility, Linux desktop development, AI-related company changes, security research, and gaming.

Affinity for Linux

Affinity confirmed that a Linux version of its creative software is in active development, but gave no release date or packaging details. The host says earlier attempts to run some Affinity apps through Wine were unstable, with issues including GPU acceleration and dialog boxes, making an official port preferable.

Proton’s AI controversy

Proton’s CEO apologized on Reddit for decisions that fell short of community expectations. The company said it would cancel planned employee interviews about AI use, would not make AI-related job cuts, and would not let AI use compromise security. Proton also said it would open-source some internal tools and share information about its code and security reviews.

Employees offered additional context about internal statements and role consolidation. The host remains unconvinced by Proton’s AI manifesto and says more detail is needed on how privacy and security standards will be maintained.

Running macOS apps on Linux with Cutefish Reef

Cutefish developers are building a compatibility layer for macOS applications. In early tests, a small selection of Intel Mac apps ran as native binaries rather than through emulation, using components including a custom Objective-C runtime and Apple-framework replacements.

Support is limited: Mac App Store apps, iCloud, and in-app purchases are not supported. Intel apps require an Intel Linux system, and ARM apps require ARM. The project was not yet public or open source at the time of the video.

SUSE layoffs

SUSE plans to cut about 10% of its workforce, citing automation, AI, and organizational changes. The company had not specified which roles would be affected. The host argues that replacing workers with AI carries risks if the tools become expensive, unavailable, or unviable.

Fedora 45

The release includes GNOME 51, reproducible package builds, a new KMSCON-based console, signature verification for RPM packages, and the Anaconda web installer across Fedora Atomic systems. It also adds remote web installation for Atomic desktops and enables systemd’s out-of-memory feature by default.

The host characterizes Fedora as a reliable, well-supported distribution rather than one focused on dramatic desktop changes.

Linux Mint 27 previews

Mint is adding graphical hibernation settings, a file-manager preview pane, and a storage analyzer that distinguishes Steam and Flatpak games. The team also previewed Velocity, a terminal with tab-management and customization features, and Unfold, a new archive manager.

The host likes Mint’s focus on a consistent set of applications designed to fit its desktop.

OpenAI’s Linux kernel security research

OpenAI said its model identified 948 vulnerabilities and 1,724 potential exploit paths in the Linux kernel, mostly described as local privilege-escalation issues. The company reportedly spent $1.2 million in API credits on the effort.

The host sees public code as a potential advantage for Linux security, while noting the substantial resources used and that OpenAI is also promoting its AI products.

Nvidia drivers and Wayland

Driver version 620 adds Wayland-related improvements, including faster explicit synchronization, Vulkan-related fixes, reduced visual glitches on some multi-GPU systems, improved frame generation, and game-specific and kernel-crash fixes.

Discord’s planned Rust client

Discord is replacing its Electron-based client with an app written in Rust using the GPU-accelerated GPUI toolkit. Discord claims the new client uses substantially less memory and starts faster. No release timeline was given.

Lawsuits against Brave

The New York Times and other publishers allege that Brave scraped and repackaged their content, bypassed paywalls, and sold material to AI companies without authorization. These are allegations, and the host notes that the lawsuits will determine whether they are substantiated.

The host also describes past Brave business practices as reasons for distrust.

Hadron for macOS gaming

Hadron modifies the macOS Steam client to run Windows games through a Proton-like compatibility layer that translates graphics for Apple’s Metal API. It targets Apple Silicon and uses FEX to support older Intel Mac games on ARM hardware.

The host says it could make macOS a more capable gaming platform, while noting that Linux could face greater competition.

Reviews, Tests, and Guides Mentioned

• The host tested Cutefish Reef with several macOS apps. Most did not work, but the supported apps reportedly ran with their macOS interfaces and functionality. The host refers viewers to a separate video about the test and the Cutefish desktop.
• The host gives a brief hands-on assessment of Fedora, describing it as reliable and well supported, but does not present a full review.
• No step-by-step tutorial or guide is described in the subtitles.

Main Speakers and Sources

The video is presented by The Linux Experiment’s host/narrator. Reported statements and claims come from Affinity, Proton’s CEO and employees, SUSE’s CEO, Cutefish developers, Linux Mint, OpenAI, Nvidia, Discord, and publishers involved in the Brave lawsuits. Internxt and Tuxedo Computers appear as sponsors.