A newly published Nix flake automates installing Microsoft 365 (click-to-run Office) on Linux without a virtual machine, using the umu-launcher tool alongside GE-Proton, the gaming-focused Wine build from Valve and GloriousEggroll, with Bottles' ProtoSoda Wine core offered as an alternative runner. The project doesn't bundle any Microsoft software itself; instead its ms365 script fetches the Office Deployment Tool and Office files at install time, requiring users to supply their own Microsoft 365 license and sign in. The approach builds on prior community work, including Bottles' reports of Office 365 running on Wine and older ruados/eylenburg registry and DLL tweaks.
Alongside Proton, Valve is deploying additional compatibility layers to make Windows games playable on the Arm-based Steam Frame headset running SteamOS. Chief among these is FEX, an open-source x86-to-Arm binary recompiler that Valve has funded since 2018, well before the Steam Frame's existence, working with lead developer Ryan Houdek to make it robust enough for production use.
A new project called cpak introduces an OCI-compliant application package format aimed at Linux desktops, servers and devices. It packages software with a legible manifest and traceable origin, supports Dockerfile-style builds with layer caching but no container daemon, and lets apps bind directly to host GPU drivers rather than bundling their own.
Proton is experiencing a partial outage that has disrupted access to most of its services, including Mail, VPN, Calendar, and Wallet. The company's website remains operational, but it has acknowledged the issue on its status page and says it is investigating the cause.
Proton's new report examined VPN apps available in the US and found that 64 are linked to Chinese companies, many collecting device IDs, network data, carrier information and even user location. These apps were downloaded more than 13 million times in June alone, and 31 relied on shell companies in places like Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK to obscure ownership. About a quarter of the flagged apps were found actively tracking location data.
Proton confirmed a major outage affecting Proton Mail, VPN, Calendar, Drive, Pass, SimpleLogin, Wallet and its Lumo AI assistant, first detected around 6:09 p.m. ET as Downdetector reports surged. The company said user data remained safe and later reported a fix had been implemented, restoring service for most users while recovery continued for others.
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