Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn is here -- Linux fans, download now!
Not only is Ubuntu one of the most user-friendly Linux distributions, but it also gets many timely releases. Say what you want about it, but the overall experience is second to none. I would not hesitate to recommend Ubuntu to both Linux beginners and experts alike.
After we just learned the name of the future version of the OS (15.04) to be Vivid Vervet (it is coming in 2015), Canonical releases Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn today. Linux fans can download it now!
OpenClonk 5.0 adds Worlds League, new scenarios, music, more
OpenClock.org has announced the release of OpenClonk 5, a major new version of its open source Worms/ Settlers/ Minecraft/ Terraria- like action game.
The new release adds two missions targeted at new players, two more "which can provide a challenge for the more experienced Clonkers”, and “an action-packed, cooperative scenario where you defend against waves of attackers".
Simple Secure -- open source security organization backed by Google and Dropbox
Strong security is necessary nowadays. However, some solutions can be overwhelming to many users, so they are often not implemented or simply misunderstood. In other words, regardless of how strong a security implementation is, if users do not understand how it works or how to use it, it may be worthless.
Today, Dropbox, Google and the Open Technology Fund come together for a new organization called Simple Secure. This organization is designed to spread knowledge of open source security tools and empower people to use them properly.
HP embraces open source in the cloud with Eucalyptus acquisition
There was a time, when open source software was synonymous with being cheap or on the fringe. In other words, companies embraced closed source options, because that was the thing to do -- there were not many options. Quite frankly, I do not blame businesses for playing it safe.
Today however, open source software and technologies, including Linux, are viable and attractive options. Companies like Red Hat have paved the way for others to move open source from the fringe to the spotlight. Today, major player HP acquires a company named Eucalyptus to bolster its open source technology in the cloud.
Gentoo Linux 20140826 Iron Penguin Edition -- open source fans, download now!
There are so many Linux distributions to choose from. Depending on your perspective, this can be a good or bad thing. You see, for many, using Linux is about choice -- you get to choose the distro, packages and environment. There is truth to this; however, many others, including myself, often wonder if the community's efforts are too fragmented. In other words, when talent is spread thin, progress may be slowed.
One distro which should not be discussed in this debate is Gentoo; it has been around for 12 years and is not some recently launched project. Hell, Google chose this distro as the base for Chrome OS, so it must be good; seriously, the search-giant's operating system is pretty darn stable. Gentoo Linux has reached version 20140826 and it looks like a winner.
HDD Guardian tests and monitors your hard drive health
SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a monitoring system which reports on various reliability indicators, and sometimes highlights imminent hardware failure of HDDs and SSDs.
These predictions can sometimes be questionable, but SMART still has plenty to offer, and the open source HDD Guardian (also available in a portable edition) provides a simple and straightforward way to find out more.
Linux distro KaOS 2014.08 is here with KDE 4.14.0
The Linux desktop community has reached a sad state. Ubuntu 14.04 was a disappointing release and Fedora is taking way too long between releases. Hell, OpenSUSE is an overall disaster. It is hard to recommend any Linux-based operating system beyond Mint. Even the popular KDE plasma environment and its associated programs are in a transition phase, moving from 4.x to 5.x. As exciting as KDE 5 may be, it is still not ready for prime-time; it is recommended to stay with 4 for now.
In the midst of disappointing releases from the big names, relative newcomer KaOS keeps plugging away and focusing on getting better and being on the forefront of all things KDE. Today, KaOS 2014.08 is made available and it looks amazing. The exciting news is that KDE 4.14.0 is present, making it very modern and stable.
HaveClip synchronises clipboards across your network
There are many ways to exchange data between applications, but the clipboard is probably the simplest. Copy here, paste there: easy.
The open-source HaveClip takes this idea to the next level by synchronizing clipboards across your network. Copy text, an image, maybe a file on one computer -- Windows, Mac or Linux -- and it’ll be (almost) immediately available from another.
UK government turns its back on Microsoft Office
The UK government has formally announced that all government departments are to use the open document format [ODF] for documents immediately in a move that is part of the government’s total savings target of £1.2 billion.
A press release stated that the ODF standard is being used for sharing and collaborating on government documents whereas PDF/A or HTML is becoming the standard for viewing government documents.
Google and some nerdy teenagers improve KDE
As a teenager, I wasted much of my life and loved every minute of it. Rather than do anything productive, I would vegetate in front of the TV watching movies like Smokey and the Bandit on WPIX. The concept of actually learning something outside of school was foreign -- who wants to learn during their free time? In my defense though, the 90's didn't offer much outside of TV and AOL chat rooms.
Nowadays however, teens are afforded some very cool opportunities, including Google's Code-In. If you aren't familiar, it is a program for teens aged 13-17 to both learn about and participate in open source technologies. Today, Google announces that it has improved KDE with the help of some of these teens.
Ubuntu saves Munich millions -- should all governments switch to Linux?
Trust in government is not exactly at an all-time high. Sure, there are oppressive governments such as Iran and China that filter and block web content, but even the USA has a spotty record. With all the news of PRISM and other spying programs, it is hard to tell which way is up anymore.
One way to solve this dilemma is through transparency and honesty. Unfortunately, as long as governments use closed-source software, it is hard to audit and trust the actions. Today, Canonical announces that not only has Munich taken an open approach to computing with Ubuntu, but the city is saving millions of euros too. Using open-source software and saving money? Hell, maybe all governments should make the switch to Linux.
Customize and configure your PC with Windows Tweaker 5.0
Windows is a highly configurable operating system, with hundreds of settings and options available. But taking full advantage of this can be a challenge, as many settings are buried deep in the Registry, while others are scattered around a host of programs and applets.
Windows Tweaker aims to help by giving easy access to 100-plus system tweaks (on Windows Vista and later) from a single interface. It’s portable, open source and entirely free of adware and other annoyances, so we downloaded the latest version 5.0 to take a look.
Linux Mint 17 'Qiana' KDE now available
I love using and tinkering with Linux -- it is a very rewarding hobby. However, I am quite busy most days and don't have as much time for tinkering and playing around as I would like. Still, I enjoy using Linux-based operating systems for general use, and for that I demand something easy and mindless. There are so many distributions to choose from (some may argue, too many), but lately I just go with dependable and easy-to-use Mint.
I am a huge fan of Gnome 3, but I will concede that it isn't the most productive environment when working with a large monitor. While Cinnamon is great, it cannot be customized to my liking and is overall not as pretty as the superior KDE. Today, the Mint Team announces the availability of Linux Mint 17 KDE and I am excited.
Opera decides to support Linux (again)
Even though it has gone to the effort of switching to another rendering engine to reach more users, Norwegian software company Opera, in mid-2013, ceased to further update the Linux version of its browser, leaving users without new features, bug fixes and security patches. In the meantime, Opera's main competitors, like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, continued to give them the level of support that they deserve.
Now, after close to a one-year hiatus, the company behind the well-known browser announces the availability of Opera Developer 24 for Linux (and, of course, OS X and Windows). It is an unexpected release, and also great news for those hoping to witness the browser's triumphant return in the land of the open-source kernel.
Quickly transcribe audio or video files with easytranscript
Accurately transcribing audio and video files can be a long and difficult process. No matter how fast you can type, it seems there’s always someone who can talk faster. And then mumble half of what they say, leaving you frequently rewinding to try and figure it out.
There is no simple solution to this, but specialist transcription software should at least save you some time. It doesn’t have to be expensive, either -- the open source easytranscript offers some useful starting features entirely for free.
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