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New MakuluLinux Deserves a Spot in the Majors

MakuluLinux developer Jacque Montague Raymer on Thursday announced the first major release of this year. It is a whole lot more than a mere upgrade of distro packages. MakuluLinux Series 15 offers much more than new artwork and freshly repainted themes and desktop styles. If you crave a Linux OS tha...

The Future of Open Source

The Linux desktop has yet to find a home on the majority of consumer and enterprise computers. However, Linux-powered technology has long ruled the Internet and conquered the cloud and Internet of Things deployments. Both Linux and free open source licensing have dominated in other ways.

Widespread use of unpatched open source code in the most popular Android apps distributed by Google Play has caused significant security vulnerabilities, suggests an American Consumer Institute report. Thirty-two percent -- or 105 apps out of 330 of the most popular apps in 16 categories sampled -- ...

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Cinnamon Mint for Debian Just as Tasty

Codenamed "Cindy," the new version of LMDE is based on Debian 9 Stretch and features the Cinnamon desktop environment. Its release creates an unusual situation in the world of Linux distro competition: Linux Mint developers seem to be competing with themselves.

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Enlightenment Has Limits in Bodhi Linux

Bodhi Linux is an alternative to traditional Linux OSes that can change your desktop user experience. It is one of a very few Linux distros using Moksha, a forked version of the Enlightenment desktop. Enlightenment is a Compositing Window Manager and Desktop Shell. It is radically different from oth...

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Quirky Linux: Pleasingly Peculiar

Quirky Linux is a classic example of what makes Linux such a varied and useful operating system. Puppy Linux developer Barry Kauler earlier this month released Quirky Xerus 64 version 8.6, which comes packed with the latest innovations for doing Linux stuff differently. This latest in the "Xerus" se...

The Document Foundation has announced the availability of its second major release this year, LibreOffice Fresh 6.1, with enhanced editing on Desktop, Cloud and Mobile platforms. One of its most significant new features is Notebookbar, an improved experimental user interface option that resembles th...

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ExTiX 18.7 Is Not Quite an ‘Ultimate Linux System’

The latest release of the ExTiX Linux distro is a major disappointment. ExTiX 18.7 has several shortcomings that make it troublesome to use. The flaws easily might be fixed in a patched follow-up release. Still, to a new Linux user, the problems inherent in ExTiX 18.7 give the Linux OS in general a ...

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FreeOffice Suite Is Almost Blue Ribbon-Worthy

SoftMaker's FreeOffice 2018 Linux office suite is a high-end product that provides performance and compatibility with Microsoft Office and other office suites. FreeOffice 2018 is a free version that is nearly identical to the features and user interface of Softmaker's commercial flagship office suit...

Google has announced the rebranding and expansion of its Cloud Launcher platform. Going forward, it will be known as the "Google Cloud Platform Marketplace," or "GCP Marketplace." It will offer production-ready commercial Kubernetes apps, promising simplified deployment, billing and third-party lice...

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Pinguy OS Puts On a Happier GNOME 3 Face

Pinguy OS 18.04 is an Ubuntu-based distribution that offers a non-standard GNOME desktop environment intended to be friendlier for new Linux users. This distro is a solid Linux OS with a focus on simple and straightforward usability for the non-geek desktop user. If you do not like tinkering with se...

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Ribbons and Tabs Give OnlyOffice Suite a Fresh Look

Ascensio System SIA recently released its free office suite upgrade -- OnlyOffice Desktop Editors -- with a ribbon and tab interface plus numerous updated features. The refresh makes version 5.1 a potential alternative to Web versions of the Microsoft Office suite and Google Docs for Linux users. Th...

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Peppermint 9 Offers Some Cool New Options

Peppermint 9 accomplishes something most other Linux distros don't: It melds the best components from other desktop environments and integrates them into a solid operating system. The latest release nearly completes a process begun several upgrades ago, using more Xfce elements and fewer LXDE compon...

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