This Week in TUXEDO OS #40-2025 - TUXEDO Computers

Hello TUXEDO Fans and Open-Source Enthusiasts!

After an eventful week, the TUXEDO penguins are looking forward to a long weekend, as October 3 is a public holiday in Germany. During this short week, we have provided you with KDE Plasma 6.4.5 and KDE Gear 25.04.3.  A fresh ISO image with the new packages is included on top of that. In addition, our kernel has been rebased to a new Ubuntu kernel version.

Enjoy reading,
The TUXEDO OS Team

Updates TUXEDO OS

• KDE Plasma 6.4.6
• KDE Gear 25.04.3
• TUXEDO OS 202509301157

New Kernel

linux v6.14.0–111032.32₂₄.04.1tux1

• Rebase to new Ubuntu version
• Fixes freeze after Hibernation

KDE App of the Week: Finding Differences with KDiff3

Small changes between files or folders are often not easy to spot. This is precisely why the Linux command diff exists. It is part of the GNU Diffutils and can be found in every Linux distribution. The package also includes the tool diff3, which allows you to compare three files or folders.

With KDiff3, the KDE developers have created a graphical implementation of the diff command, based on diff3, which offers the following features:

• Compares two or three text files or folders and can merge them if necessary.
• Can display differences line by line or conduct a character-wise comparison.
• Includes an editor to resolve conflicts during merging.
• Is network-transparent thanks to KIO support.
• Can highlight or hide differences in whitespace characters or comments.
• Supports Unicode, UTF-8, and other file encodings.
• Supports keywords for version control and history merging.

Typical use cases for KDiff3 include comparing configuration or source code files or comparing entire directories, for example, when synchronizing projects between two computers.

Installation

On TUXEDO OS, you can install KDiff3 via Discover, either as a native package from our repository or as a Flatpak. You can select the desired option in the dropdown menu at the top right.

Usage notes

After launching KDiff3, select two or three files or folders you want to compare. To include hidden files in the selection window, press CTRL+H.

The positions of the differences between the objects, referred to as conflicts in KDiff3, are shown next to the scrollbar. The total number of conflicts is displayed in the status bar. Color highlighting helps to quickly recognize changes or missing lines.

In addition to comparison, a merge mode is available, allowing you to merge changes in the files. You can merge all conflicts or only specific ones. The result can be saved either as a new file or by overwriting an existing one.

TUXEDO OS Tips & Tricks: KDE Activities

KDE Activities are a little-known feature within the Plasma desktop, but they represent a unique selling point compared to other desktop environments. This feature allows you to create multiple separate workspace containers, each of which can contain its own combination of Plasma widgets, wallpapers, open applications, and their saved states. Unlike virtual desktops, which are mainly used to organize windows, activities go conceptually deeper and are designed to separate complete task areas or workflows.

For example, you can set up a Work activity with specific widgets such as a calendar, RSS feed, or calculator, and another activity for Leisure with suitable widgets such as a music player, chat programs, comics, or games. The Study activity, on the other hand, could be equipped with a PDF reader for academic literature, a notes app, and a mind map.

When switching activities, the respective environments are loaded so that you have optimally configured desktops for different workflows. In addition, activities allow certain files, folders, or programs to be directly bound to an activity. A document will then only open in the appropriate context. You can switch between these worlds with individual keyboard shortcuts or via the Plasma menu.

Setup and usage

You start setting up activities with the shortcut META+Q or via System Settings » Activities, where you first create a new activity. To achieve this, select a name and, optionally, a meaningful symbol as well as a description for your activity. After saving, you will see your new activity together with the standard activity, which you can either delete or customize.

If you now press META+Q again, you can switch between the activities you have set up and configure them as you wish. You can also create virtual desktops within an activity to further subdivide it. To switch between activities as fast as possible, you can assign keyboard shortcuts for the individual activities. You can do this in the system settings under Shortcuts, where you search for Activity Manager.

When Plasma 6 was introduced, there were developers who advocated removing activities. The reason was that, in their opinion, the functionality was outdated and contained too many bugs. Nevertheless, the activities were carried over to Plasma 6, and many bugs were fixed. The concept is now being further refined.

Ubuntu Security Updates

The security updates listed here from Ubuntu are directly integrated into TUXEDO OS:

• USN-7794–1: Django vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in Django.  IDs: CVE-2025–59681, CVE-2025–59682  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS, 18.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS, 14.04 LTS

• USN-7792–1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.  IDs: CVE-2025–38618, CVE-2025–38477, CVE-2025–37785 + 2 others  Affects: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS

• USN-7791–1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.  IDs: CVE-2025–38477, CVE-2025–38618, CVE-2025–38500  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS

• USN-7790–1: Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi) vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.  IDs: CVE-2025–37889, CVE-2025–21997, CVE-2025–21885 + 97 others  Affects: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

• USN-7789–1: Linux kernel (Oracle) vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.  IDs: CVE-2025–38092, CVE-2025–38091, CVE-2025–38069 + 181 others  Affects: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

• USN-7786–1: OpenSSL vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in OpenSSL.  IDs: CVE-2025–9232, CVE-2025–9230, CVE-2025–9231  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS, 18.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS, 14.04 LTS

• USN-7785–1: Open VM Tools vulnerability: Open VM Tools could be made to run programs as an administrator.  IDs: CVE-2025–41244  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS

• USN-7784–1: Rack vulnerability: Rack could be made to crash if it received specially crafted network traffic.  IDs: CVE-2025–59830  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS

• USN-7783–1: LibTIFF vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in LibTIFF.  IDs: CVE-2025–9900, CVE-2025–8961, CVE-2025–9165  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS, 20.04 LTS, 18.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS, 14.04 LTS

• USN-7782–1: Ghostscript vulnerabilities: Several security issues were fixed in Ghostscript.  IDs: CVE-2025–59799, CVE-2025–59800, CVE-2025–59798 + 1 other  Affects: Ubuntu 25.04, 24.04 LTS, 22.04 LTS