Brian Fagioli

Microsoft owns the desktop with Windows -- it is undeniable. You know what? That's fine. But the success of Windows is not a failure for Linux. What I mean to say is, the open source kernel is omnipresent, whether you know it or not.

To highlight the ubiquitous nature of Ubuntu in particular, Canonical today releases an all-new infographic showing how this distribution "connects everything." I urge you to give it a look, as it will open your eyes to just how important Ubuntu -- and Linux overall -- really is. Apparently, this is an update to a previous infographic released in 2016, refreshed for 2018 following the release of Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver.

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If you are a regular reader of BetaNews, you may have noticed that many of our licensed images come from Shutterstock. That online service is wildly popular, thanks to its massive collection of images and other media. Quite frankly, it is a joy to use -- both its website and mobile apps are top notch.

Today, the company reaches an incredible milestone -- a 15th birthday! Yes, the site was founded on this day way back in 2003. To celebrate, Shutterstock has released 15 digital posters -- one for each year the company has been in business. Each poster commemorates an important event that happened in that year. This includes some important tech-related moments, such as the launch of Facebook and the release of the first-ever iPhone. Not to mention, who can forget Pokémon Go -- a game that made augmented reality mainstream.

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Microsoft’s Surface computers are quite popular, but unfortunately, they are quite expensive too. Some consumers simply can’t afford them. Thankfully, Microsoft today announces a new computer that puts Surface in reach of more people.

Called "Surface Go," it is is an affordable Windows tablet with a 10-inch, 1800 x 1200 display. How much does it cost? It starts at a rather low $399. Unfortunately, as with the more powerful Surface Pro tablets, a keyboard is not included, making the initial price a bit misleading.

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While all desktops (and most laptops) have video outputs, having a video input is much more rare. The reason why is simple -- most people don't need such a thing. Quite frankly, outside of some business use, home users never really had much of a need. With the invent of video gameplay streaming on platforms like Twitch, however, this changed. Now, more and more home users want video capture devices to connect a game console to their PC.

Today, StarTech releases its latest such product for both business and personal users alike. Called "UVCHDCAP," it is an HDMI to USB-C Video Capture Device for Mac, Windows, and Linux -- no drivers needed. It uses USB 3.0 Type-B for connectivity, and there is a Type-B to Type-C cable in the box. Your computer doesn't have a USB-C port? No worries, a Type-B to Type-A cable is included as well.

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Back in May, it was revealed that an anonymous donor was giving the GNOME Foundation a cool million bucks. For some in the Linux community -- including yours truly -- there were mixed emotions. On the one hand, it was positive news -- money makes things happen, and it should make the GNOME Project better. On the other hand, the anonymous nature of the donation was troubling -- what if the donor was an evil person or company? GNOME users and developers deserve to know who or what is funding the project, right?

While we still do not know the identity of the donor, we do know how the GNOME Foundation will be putting some of the money to work. The foundation is using part of the funds to hire four additional employees.

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Twitch started out as a platform that let users stream themselves playing video games. For the most part, that is still its main focus. Since Amazon bought it, however, Twitch has wisely embraced all video streaming -- even when no video games are involved. Slowly but surely, the service is becoming a big threat to YouTube, and Google should be worried.

There are so many passionate fans of Twitch, that every year, the company has an official conference. Called "TwitchCon," This 3-day event is dedicated to content creators and their fans. Today, tickets for the aforementioned conference go on sale.

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USB power banks are a dime a dozen these days. Believe it or not, they are often given away at trade shows and conferences -- they have become a ubiquitous throwaway promotional item, much like the USB flash drive. Not to mention, sites like Amazon are littered with these USB battery packs at rock bottom prices. Of course, that's not to say all power banks are created equally. Just like with flash drives, power bank specifications matter. It is still worth investing in a quality unit.

With all of that said, it can be very hard for such a device to stand out. Belkin has managed to do so, however. How? By adding an Apple MFi-certified Lightning port to its latest USB battery pack. Called "BOOST↑CHARGE Power Bank 10K," it features two USB-A ports for charging devices, but to charge the bank itself, you use a Lightning cable. How cool is that?

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People sometimes forget that when the first-ever iPhone launched in 2007, there was no App Store. Believe it or not, Apple's smartphone was limited to the apps with which it came -- hardly "smart." In fact, Steve Jobs famously didn't want third-party apps on the iPhone at all -- the man was a genius, but not always. Ultimately, the App Store was added in 2008 despite Jobs' initial push against it. This move changed the computer industry forever.

This month, the Apple App Store reaches an impressive milestone -- a 10th Birthday. This day is important for three groups -- Apple (of course), but more importantly, consumers and developers. Apple has made billions of dollars from the App Store, but third party developers have as well -- the company has literally transformed some devs into millionaires. Consumers have benefited from high-quality applications too. You may not remember, but before the iPhone came along, mobile apps were absolute garbage.

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There are countless Linux distributions these days, but one in particular seems to really get people excited -- elementary OS. Why is this? Well, the developers of the operating system focus heavily on the user interface and experience -- it is kind of like a mix between GNOME and macOS. For those that still believe the fabled "year of the Linux desktop" is coming, elementary OS' beauty and polish serves as a beacon of hope. Unfortunately, the distribution has not made a significant impact -- yet.

If you are a fan of the operating system, you will be happy to know elementary OS 5.0 "Juno" Beta 1 is available right now! Before you get too excited, however, you probably shouldn't install it. The developers are making it very clear that Juno Beta 1 is not yet ready for prime time, and it is not intended for end users. While you can install it if you want, you will not have a good experience -- it is really just intended for third-party app developers at this point.

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Tomorrow is July 4th -- a very special day for the United States of America. This is the day we celebrate our independence from the then-tyrannical British government. Thankfully, the Brits are now our allies -- we can enjoy some of their finest exports, such as Ed Sheeran, without guilt.

While you are celebrating America's freedom, why not also celebrate your computing freedom by switching from Windows to Linux? Rather than install a distro on your aging PC, you could totally buy a new computer that comes with Linux pre-installed! System76 sells such computers with either Ubuntu or its own Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS, and today, it announces a very rare sale.

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Back in May, we reported on several Ubuntu Linux-powered Dell Precision "Developer Edition" mobile workstations that would be released in 2018. At the time, only one of these laptops was available for purchase -- the Precision 3530.

Of course, the needs of all Ubuntu users cannot be met with just one machine. Thankfully, starting today, two more of these laptops become available for purchase. The Dell Precision 7530 and 7730, as they are called, are 15-inch and 17-inch laptops, respectively.

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Amazon Prime Day. Sigh. Yet another annual holiday dedicated to shopping -- we are at peak capitalism, I suppose. To be honest, it's not much different than Black Friday or Cyber Monday. If you have the money to spend, you might as well score some great deals and stimulate the economy, right? Heck, if you are an American, you will probably spend money even if you don't have it!

This year, Amazon Prime Day is on July 16. There will be many deals to be had on all product categories, including tech. If you are in the market for a new laptop, smartphone, or other device, it is probably a good idea to wait until July 16 before pulling the trigger on any purchases. For instance, this year, Huawei is offering some particularly nice deals on some of its smartphones and wearables.

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Pandora Premium may not be the most popular streaming music service, but apparently, it does have its fans. You can listen to the service on many devices, such as your computer, smartphone, and tablet.

Starting today, Pandora Premium users get yet another way to enjoy the service -- Samsung Smart televisions. You see, Pandora is delivering an application for these TVs. If you think enjoying music using a TV is crazy, think again -- you don't have to listen to Pandora using the television's internal speakers. For better audio, you can connect a receiver or sound bar to the TV.

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One of the best things about the Linux kernel, is that it can be used by lightweight operating systems to breathe new life into older hardware. Not all Linux-based operating systems focus on computers with aging and meager hardware, however. Instead, there are specialized distributions that focus on being light on resources.

One such excellent option for those with old hardware is Bodhi Linux. This is a lightweight operating system that is based on the wildly popular Ubuntu. It uses the Moksha desktop environment, which is a fork of Enlightenment 17. Today, Bodhi Linux 5.0.0 reaches release candidate status.

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Today is July 1, meaning BetaNews' month-long birthday celebration is officially over. We still have some active giveaways, however -- be sure to use the below links to enter them.

We want to thank all of our readers for visiting our site over the last two decades. We look forward to serving you all for another 20 years! To close out the celebration, we are launching one final giveaway today. Linux fans in particular will love this one -- we have three System76 "swag kits" to give away.

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