Debian NEW dispute, Core Desktop restart, OpenWrt fixes

Debian developers are refusing NEW-queue uploads over LLM reviews, while Canonical restarts Ubuntu Core Desktop and Fedora proposes dropping the DNF4 stack. A Nixpkgs CUDA split, an OpenWrt security release, and a reported NixOS backdoor kept the rest of the plumbing discussion active.

Debian developers halt NEW uploads over LLM reviews

Debian developers say they will no longer upload packages to the NEW queue, arguing that LLM-assisted reviews there violate a recent General Resolution on AI use. The debian-devel thread drew 154 messages from 57 participants and turned heated. NEW is the gate for packages entering the archive, so a refusal to upload can stall new software.

Canonical restarts Ubuntu Core Desktop

Canonical is restarting Ubuntu Core Desktop as an immutable, snap-based operating system, with a dedicated team and defined use cases. Discussion on Ubuntu Discourse ran to 50 messages from 26 participants and stayed technical. The restart is another attempt to ship a locked-down desktop built on snaps.

Fedora proposes retiring DNF4 and Modularity in F46

A Fedora change proposal would remove the entire DNF4 stack and Modularity in Fedora 46, forcing a full transition to DNF5. The system-wide proposal drew 16 messages from nine participants on fedora-devel. Packagers and users still on DNF4 or modular repositories would need to move before that release.

Nixpkgs CUDA team splits

The Nixpkgs CUDA team has split after accusations of hijacking NVIDIA talks, a domain, and infrastructure, tied to disputes over corporate funding and project scope. The NixOS Discourse thread, titled CUDA is Dead: Long Live CUDA, drew 27 messages from 16 participants and turned heated. The split affects how NixOS packages and maintains NVIDIA CUDA support.

OpenWrt 25.12.6 fixes remotely exploitable uhttpd flaws

OpenWrt 25.12.6 is a service release that fixes multiple high-severity remotely exploitable vulnerabilities in the default uhttpd. The forum thread drew 255 messages from 116 participants and ran hot. Operators of default installs should treat the update as urgent because the flaws are remotely exploitable in the stock web server.

NixOS user reports reverse-tunnel backdoor

A NixOS user reported a backdoor on a laptop disguised as a nix-update service: a garbled ligolo-ng-based reverse tunnel using post-quantum cryptography and a flagged command-and-control endpoint, later linked to a fake fwupd unit. The Discourse thread drew 32 messages from 14 participants and stayed technical. The report is a user finding rather than a confirmed upstream compromise, but it puts update-looking units on NixOS hosts under scrutiny.

OpenWrt mainline support for the LTC Velo 7 Max

OpenWrt mainline support has been added for the LTC Velo 7 Max, which uses the MT7988A. Users in a 165-message thread discussed sysupgrade, dual-boot slot checks, and U-Boot rootfs verification. Owners of that router can track mainline images while boot-slot and verification details are still being worked through.

OpenWrt port progresses for the Spectrum SBE1V1K

An active porting thread for the Spectrum SBE1V1K (IPQ9574) reports working regulators, Wi-Fi MLO, and a TFTP boot method, plus a submitted pull request that fixes kernel load address alignment. The forum thread drew 182 messages from 24 participants. The work moves that IPQ9574 device closer to usable OpenWrt images.