I released Newsflash 5.0-beta1 to the beta channel of flathub. The headlining feature is a new native article view rendering everything with the help of Gtk. This also made it possible to overhaul everything media related (images, videos and audio). It should now closer resemble what can be found in fractal or tuba.
In related news: Newsflash now has a brother. The core newsflash library was used to create a TUI application by Christopher Auer. So if you like what Newsflash has to offer but prefer to stay in the terminal, check out eilmeldung: https://github.com/christo-auer/eilmeldung
I’ve released RustConn 0.8.9, a major update driven largely by user feedback and feature requests. This version expands protocol support, security and refines the user experience.
Key highlights:
New Protocols: Added full Kubernetes support (shell access/exec), Serial Console (via picocom), and SFTP integration (via URI or Midnight Commander).
Virtualization: Added support for importing Virt-Viewer (.vv) files (Proxmox/oVirt) and SPICE proxy tunneling.
Connectivity & Security: Added FIDO2/Security Key support for SSH, Wake on LAN (WoL) GUI, and improved RDP rendering on HiDPI displays.
UX & i18n: Added Regex-capable terminal search and translations for 14 languages (including UK, DE, FR, IT, PL).
Phosh’s overview now shows a splash for launching apps and the Polkit dialog has more user details. The on-screen keyboard scales better in landscape and adds new completion dictionaries. The Wayland compositor phoc got initial support for the xx-cutout-v1 Wayland protocol to inform clients about notches and display cutouts.
I’ve released GNOME Crosswords 0.3.17. This is a strong release,
featuring both a new interface for the game and multiple features for
the editor. Read the announcement
here.
Crosswords
The game got a full UI refresh in preparation for GNOME Circle.
The game sports a new layout and design, including a sidebar for
easier navigation
The welcome screen was cleaned up
A hints dialog was added to help players learn game controls
Fullscreen support was redone
Sorting and filtering was added to puzzle pickers
We improved the adaptive functionality and accent color support
Many polishing touches and bug fixes
Crosswords Editor
The editor also got some quality of life improvements as a result of
user testing.
The new puzzle dialog got a complete overhaul, including the
addition of almost a thousand additional templates
This dialog also gained a theme word editor to preset crossword
themes before grid creation.
A new wordplay indicator dialog was added to help write cryptic clues
Printing support was added, so the final product can be printed.
Many polishing touches and bug fixes
Finally, a request for TWIG readers. GNOME Crosswords could really
benefit from improved artwork, and we’ve reached the limits of my
Inkscape skills. If you’d like to get involved with artwork for GNOME,
this could be a great place to begin. Drop me a
line if you’re interested!
Matrix Status Monitor v5 has been released, focusing on deeper desktop integration and security awareness.
New features include:
End-to-End Encryption Indicators: Encrypted rooms now feature a lock icon in the room list for immediate security verification.
Selectable Matrix Clients: Users can now toggle between Element and Fractal in the preferences. The extension handles URI dispatching to ensure the correct application is launched.
Settings UI Update: A refined preference window for easier API configuration and client selection.
Performance: Optimized asynchronous /sync calls using Libsoup3 to minimize impact on Shell performance.
As a result, debugging tools (like gdb) running in GNOMEOS and the upcoming version 50 release of the GNOME flatpak SDK can dynamically fetch the debug symbols they need at that moment, no longer requiring developers to download and update large debug extensions on their system for debugging.
A new GNOME Foundation update post is available this week, covering highlights from the past two weeks. Notable items include the LAS 2026 announcement and a report from the latest Board of Directors meeting.
That’s all for this week!
See you next week, and be sure to stop by #thisweek:gnome.org with updates on your own projects!
