Linux Release Roundup (February 2026)
Linux Release Roundup (February 2026)
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/03/linux-release-roundup-february-2026
Publish Date: 2026-03-01 19:44:00
Source Domain: www.omgubuntu.co.uk
February 2026 delivered a fresh batch of Linux app releases, with updates to VLC, GIMP, Vivaldi, and VirtualBox among the many that filtered out.
I covered some of the month’s biggest releases with full-length features, including Firefox 148’s new AI ‘kill switch’, the ONLYOFFICE 9.3 and LibreOffice 26.2 productivity suite updates, and Linux weather app Typhoon’s Qt 6 port.
But they weren’t the only software updates to slip out.
Below, I run through a fleet of other app updates February play host to. Some updates were of the modest maintenance variety, while others saw more substantial change-logs.
Ardour’s big update finally arrived
Plenty of new piano roll options provided in Ardour 9.2
Ardour, the open-source digital audio workstation (DAW), saw its first major release since 2024, adding a stack of features users have requested “over a long period of time”, like Region FX, pianoroll windows, cue recording and more.
Ardour 9.0 landed in early February (and a v9.2 hot fix release was issued a few weeks later). Given it’s the first release a while, the change set is huge. I have pulled out the major highlights below, but there are plenty of smaller quality-of-life tweaks included also.
Region FX enables plugins to be applied to individual audio regions, with the effect (and any automation) tracking that region wherever it gets moved on the timeline. All processing happens at disk-read time, so there’s no additional DSP load.
Dedicated pianoroll windows make it easier to edit tracks away from the main timeline. Double-click on a MIDI region to edit it in a floating window or in a bottom pane. There’s also a new note brushing feature – press shift + drag to fill a pattern of notes.
Ardour’s official announcement video showcases new features
If you’ve wanted to use Ardour as a looper, the new Cue Recording feature…
