• Lubuntu Planning Switch To Wayland, Porting Openbox To Mir

  Ubuntu derivative Lubuntu that is now using the LXQt desktop environment has laid out more of their plans to switch over to Wayland rather than the existing X.Org based session.

  In order to achieve their Wayland support with the LXQt desktop, they intend to port the Openbox window manager to using the Mir display server and also leveraging QtLayerShell. Mir, of course, has been focused on Wayland compatibility the past year and is becoming quite solid as of late with its core Wayland protocol support.

• Lubuntu Development Newsletter #9

  We’ve been polishing the desktop more, but work has been blocked by the still ongoing Qt transition.

  The 16.04 to 18.04 upgrade has now been enabled! Please do let us know if there’s any issues. Here’s a video we made when 17.04 went End of Life; the instructions are still current.

  Our main developer, Simon Quigley, became an Ubuntu Core Developer this past Monday! He now has access to the entire Ubuntu archive.

It has been a while since ASUS last offered any Linux options for laptops, but they appear to have a new effort underway with Endless OS.

For those that remember Eee PC from a decade ago, ASUS used to offer some Linux laptops/netbook options that back was using Xandros Linux during the netbook fad...

• How to install Linux apps on your Chromebook

  Chromebooks are great because they're simple: there's a lot you can get done with web services without exposing yourself to the troubles and security issues that plague more complex platforms.

  But if you need to do a bit more with your Chromebook, you have a few options. Most Chromebooks these days allow you to install apps from the Google Play Store, which should fill most productivity gaps. If not, you'll soon have one more option: installing Linux apps. To be clear, you've been able to install Linux apps on Chromebooks for years because Chrome OS is Linux. But, it's about to get much easier.

• Top 5 Features Still Missing From Chrome OS

  Google’s Chrome OS gets a lot of things right, and the platform has evolved considerably over the years. Not only does it offer an always up-to-date version of the Chrome browser, but there are also Android apps, stylus input, and even Linux support on some devices. However, Chrome OS is far from perfect. You have to make compromises if you choose to live with a Chromebook, but you shouldn’t have to make quite this many. Here are the top five things Google should fix.

• Walmart's selling an all-aluminum Chromebook with a comfy keyboard for just $220

  If you’re not considering a Chromebook when you're shopping for a notebook, you’re doing it wrong. Google's low-cost laptops are typically light, fast, secure, and have almost everything you need for remote work a.k.a. the Internet. Today, you can get in on the action for a great price. Walmart is selling the Acer Chromebook 14 (CB3-431-C6ZB) for $220. That’s about $30 to $40 cheaper than you’d usually pay for this laptop.

• Valve seems to be working on tools to get Windows games running on Linux

  Valve appears to be working on a set of "compatibility tools," called Steam Play, that would allow at least some Windows-based titles to run on Linux-based SteamOS systems.

  Yesterday, Reddit users noticed that Steam's GUI files (as captured by SteamDB's Steam Tracker) include a hidden section with unused text related to the unannounced Steam Play system. According to that text, "Steam Play will automatically install compatibility tools that allow you to play games from your library that were built for other operating systems."

• Valve could be working on compatibility tools to make gaming on Linux easier than ever

  Something to look forward to: Gaming on Linux has never been the ideal experience, and the lack of AAA game compatibility is one of the main reasons for this. That's where Valve comes in, apparently - the company seems to be quietly working on a compatibility tool of its own, called "Steam Play."

  It seems Valve could be taking another shot at bringing Linux to the forefront of PC gaming if recently-discovered Steam GUI files are anything to go by.

  Curious Reddit users dug into Steam database files obtained by Steam Tracker. Recent updates to the database include numerous hints at something called "Steam Play," which is beginning to sound like a compatibility tool of sorts.

• Steam may be getting tools that will enable Windows games to run in Linux

  Valve announced the Linux-based SteamOS in 2013, just prior to the reveal of the vaguely console-like Steam Machine PCs. It was a big, bold move that ultimately petered out: Valve ditched the Steam Machines section of its website in April, aalthough you can still hit it directly if you know the URL.

• Looks like Steam’s getting built-in tools to run Windows games on Linux

  A few lines of code uncovered in Steam suggest that Valve is working on compatibility tools to allow users to play games regardless of operating system. Put another way, Steam’s going to let you run Windows games on Mac and Linux with a set of software built directly into the client.

  Uncovered strings all come under the “Steam_Settings_Compat” header, and all reference back to Steam Play. That’s currently the moniker Valve used to distinguish games that come as a single purchase playable across Windows, Mac, and Linux, but the strings suggest a new definition on the way.

• Rumour: Valve May Be Adding Windows Steam Game Compatibility to Linux

  In a very interesting move, sleuths over at GamingOnLinux appear to unearthed evidence that Valve is experimenting with tools that could allow Windows Steam games to be playable on Linux operating systems.

  Up until this point, a game has to be specifically developed for Linux in order to be compatible with Unix-based operating systems. There are workarounds available right now, but it’s notoriously unreliable and a major hassle to get sorted.

  However, updates posted to the Steam Database github indicates Valve is at least testing an automatic method for running Windows games on Linux. Picking through the github notes, the tool appears to be called ‘Steam Play’, which the compatibility info says “Steam Play will automatically install compatibility tools that allow you to play games from your library that were built for other operating systems.”