Nate explores the top FOSS including the latest KDE app suite, a secure passphrase generator, a post-apocalyptic roguelike, and an Al-powered tarot card reader.

Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software

- BY NATE DRAKE

The Battle for Open Source

The US government contributes a lot to open source development. In 2024, the Tor Project received around half a million dollars, while Let's Encrypt was given roughly $800,000. Traditionally, the funding is done through the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which in turn donates to the Open Technology Fund (OTF).

Unfortunately, the OTF has been the latest casualty of the White House's efficiency drive. In a statement by USAGM executive CEO Kari Lake, the OTF was declared a “huge rot and burden on the American taxpayer” and funding was cut, leading to an ongoing lawsuit.

As I was reading through the comments on this story in the r/linux subreddit, I noted one user had troubled to visit the white-house.gov website. Sure enough, it uses SSL certificates supplied by Let's Encrypt, as do a number of other federal agencies. The Tor Project is likewise used by the US Navy, who originally developed the onion routing software TOR uses. The OTF is also a staunch supporter of OpenVPN, a protocol used by people living under repressive regimes to evade censorship.

The bottom line here is that open source funding is like the tide: When it rises, we all benefit. When it falls, we all sink.

Applications suite

KDE Gear 25.04

Fans of KDE know that it comes with a powerful set of supporting applications and libraries. The official release of version 25.04 comes with huge improvements to a number of apps, so I hope readers will forgive me for providing only a brief summary here.