Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Sponsor: Proton Mail
01:23 Ubuntu 26.10 beta released
03:58 Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade now possible
05:14 Toolpak introduced as the Flatpak for dev tools
08:24 F-Droid launches full rewrite of the app
10:00 Firefox 157 adds the new Nova theme
12:33 Igalia working on Firefox for SteamOS
14:35 PostmarketOS changes name
16:11 Dev proposes that GNOME accepts Al contributions
18:10 Ubuntu 26.10 has an image for Snapdragon laptops
19:33 New minimalist FOSS web browser
21:55 Meta found guilty of lying on data protection and moderation
24:15 Sponsor: Tuxedo Computers
Links
Ubuntu 26.10 beta released
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/...
Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade now possible
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/...
Toolpak introduced as the Flatpak for dev tools
F-Droid launches full rewrite of the app
Firefox 157 adds the new Nova theme
Igalia working on Firefox for SteamOS
PostmarketOS changes name
https://nura.eco/blog/2026/09/27/nura-rename/
Dev proposes that GNOME accepts Al contributions
Ubuntu 26.10 has an image for Snapdragon laptops
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/...
New minimalist FOSS web browser
Meta found guilty of lying on data protection and moderation
Don't expect that to last, such settings are traditionally temporary. Mozilla normally removes them a relatively short time after the big new feature is released and any related bugs have had time to get sorted out.
I'm not 100% sure about vanilla Firefox, but in Librewolf you can still enable "compact" toolbar density by setting "browser.compactmode.show" to "true" in about:config. I'm hoping they keep the option to disable Nova too.
I personally like the Nova design, BUT I know lots of people hate it and prefer the old one, so it really sucks that it's buried in about:config. I feel like boxy vs rounded should be a toggle, you know! If they eventually drop the about:config, maybe LibreWolf or other forks will continue to have the option for the old design (?)
I like it too. I don't really understand the hate, tbh. There's barely any change. Everything is still in the same place. Everything is still where you expect it to be. It just has an ever so slightly different shape, still as great click targets like before, if not better.
I'm always psyched for UI changes to see what the inspiration is now. Lately I feel like Chrome had been looking a little crappy. Like Chrome is the worst example of an implementation of material design, somehow. ππ«£
I like how the boxy ones sit more flushed to the screen.
Do people have the same complaints against Chrome? I don't hang in Chrome communities much, but I see rounded design is everywhere nowadays. I get the feeling there should be an equal amount of whining there?
I don't hate it completely, but everything feels "smaller" compared to the original, which I find mildly annoying.
Really. I feel like the opposite.
I did go into the settings to check out the new "Compact Mode" and I noticed my UI was set to "Automatic", and automatic for me meant compact for some reason. I changed it to be the "normal" one and it feels much more spacious now. Maybe that's why I feel like it's a nice change.
I don't mind a UI change if it's actually an improvement that brings something to the table. This was just annoying. Having the different graphic on the tabs was a pointless distraction that grabbed my attention unnecessarily so I turned it off.
This was just annoying.
Very subjective, of course. I enjoyed this change. I think it made the tabs in vertical mode a lot clearer to distinguish. It became a lot easier to tell which container a tab belongs to, for one. Better contrast as well, IMO. Tons of improvements.
So I think this simple exchange proves the fact that not every change will please everyone, but they don't do change for the sake of change. They do actually try to improve things.
I like how nova looks with normal sized tabs, but it makes the compressed (or whatever it's called when you have too many tabs and they shrink to fit) tabs not have enough room for their titles, or at least ot feels that way.
Librewolf has an option to disable Nova with a checkbox. It's one of the first things I did after I got the update. :D
Why are you going into about:config when you can just go to Settings > Extensions and Themes. And choose a different theme?
There are plenty to chose from and you can even install a custom one or make your own.
Because that doesn't disable the nova theming. it's on top of whatever theme you pick on Extensions and Themes.
Honestly, I'm just tired of Apple and Microsoft creating stupid new GUI design trends that everyone else feels like they have to copy.
I hate the rounded corners trend. I want every corner in my system to be sharp, but instead of giving me the choice, many projects just enforce the roundness.
Automatic rounded corner design built added by browser was a big reason I quit using other browsers. Of course, not the only reason but a big contributor.
Does ddg browser and librewolf exclude this enshitification?
it's gonna come to most forks eventually but the advantage of desktop firefox is that you can fix it with userchrome unlike any other browsers
I'm pretty sure librewolf doesn't touch stuff like that.
But idk β my setup has so much custom css that the only rounded corners I notice are at the bottom of the urlbar autocomplete dropdown, where they don't bother me. My tabs are still nice and square and below the url.
What about it don't you like? I didn't read the whole thing but the idea sounds great, I've been missing something like this
I like the Nova theme better. Feels modern and smooth.
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A community for everything relating to the GNU/Linux operating system (except the memes!)
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@programming.dev
A community for everything relating to the GNU/Linux operating system (except the memes!)
Also, check out:
Original icon base courtesy of lewing@isc.tamu.edu and The GIMP
go to feed...
For those like me who don't like the new Nova theme on Firefox.
save