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Plasma 5.8 Review

KDE Plasma 5.8 LTS Released, This Is What’s New

Plasma 5.8 LTS “marks the point where the developers and designers are happy to recommend Plasma for the widest possible audience be they enterprise or non-techy home users,” project lead Jonathan Riddell says.

• KDE Turning 20, Launches Plasma 5.8 LTS Desktop To Celebrate Its Birthday

Modifier-only shortcuts, a highly requested functionality for the Plasma desktop, has been added. This allows you to launch an application by pressing a Meta key. The inclusion of Wayland to the Plasma desktop has facilitated the addition of this feature which has also been backported the X11.

Another notable feature is the support for right-to-left scripts like Urdu, Hebrew, etc. The widget explorer, window switcher, activity manager can be seen on the right side of the screen for such languages.

Wayland debuted on Plasma with 5.4 release. Since then, it has been continuously improved for stability and features. In the Plasma 5.8 LTS, a lot of work has been done on Wayland which now supports the GTK+ toolkit. The support for multitouch gestures and touchscreen devices has been enhanced, although, no default gestures are actually present as of now. The X11 and Wayland-based applications can now have a shared clipboard.

Review Notes

• Now if you don’t recall KDE Neon is not a distro per sey, rather it’s a great way to play with KDE. Basically you get the Ubuntu base and the KDE Plasma Desktop and that’s it! Everything NOT KDE related is maintained by Canonical/Ubuntu. KDE Neon only cares about KDE’s stack.

• They provide downloads to make initial setup easier for users. You could just do minimal install of Ubuntu and then install Neon PPA to essentially get the same thing.

• They did however fix the wifi bug that some users experienced with Kubuntu so neon WILL fix other things if they need to but basically they “just care about KDE”

• If you need more infomation go back and take a look at LAS409 where Chris and I deep dive into what exactly is Neon

• The project leaders have said “If your last dalliance with a KDE desktop was somewhere south of now it may be time to ‘re+assess’, the team say. “Plasma is simple by default, powerful when needed.“ Well as it turns out my last experience with KDE was somewhere south of now so it’s high time we take a looksee.

• Neon makes sure that KDE’s entire stack is compatible with Ubuntu including updates. Every new release of KDE’s stack will be managed in Neon so if someone wants Ubuntu + KDE then Neon will always be up to date where as Kubuntu has the whole 6 months hold back still.

• 5.7 to 5.8 is mostly a polish release but a few things stand out for improvements

• 5.8 offers a very cohesive design, their tag line is “everything is designed to match the KDE experience, from startup to shutdown.” The breeze theme makes sure that everything looks amazing

• Right off the bat the fact that it’s an 18 month support cycle has me hooked.

• The nice thing I noticed about Plasma does colour scheme independent of theme. As such you can have any theme with any color scheme. As of the most recent versions of plasma this includes the colours in Icon’s of the default icon theme.

• I’ve always said there are a few things that make or break a distro for me. Firefox, Thunderbird, Telegram a terminal application and the ability to launch applications with the super key. Up until now we’ve had to rely on the super+space to launch an application. I was pleased to learn that launching Telegram is now as simple as superkey and typing it. Additionally unlike Ubuntu 16.04 with Unity I can launch Telegram immediately after installing it. I don’t need to reboot.

• Their package manager formally Moo On but now branded as Discover is a great package manager. Muon or Discover is an advanced program with a graphical program that as it’s name obviously implies will allow you to install and remove software. Additionally It will automatically notify you for updates (in the lower right hand corner), but you can use it at anytime to install new package

• Michael Tunnel our producer who uses this distro as his daily driver and has been invaluable to my review is pretty excited about something that seems like it’s just a minor improvement. The virtual desktop switcher applet now has an option to show only the current screen in multi+screen setups. This seemingly small improvement is great for him because it makes it easier to create the GNOME workflow in Plasma”

• Last thing to note is the improved global shortcuts. Global shortcuts configuration has been simplified and global shortcuts can now be configured to jump to specific tasks within an application via jump list functionality.

— PICKS —

Runs Linux

Hurricane Matthew is being tracked WITH LINUX

Desktop App Pick

PDFtk

PDFtk Server is our command-line tool for working with PDFs. It is commonly used for client-side scripting or server-side processing of PDFs.
It is also used by OEMs and ISVs to give their products the ability to manipulate PDFs. A commercial license is required to distribute PDFtk with your commercial product.

pdftk contract.pdf cat 1-9 output firstnine.pdf
pdftk firstnine.pdf lastpage.pdf output signedcontract.pdf

Spotlight

Paperwork by twostairs

Paperwork – OpenSource note-taking & archiving alternative to Evernote, Microsoft OneNote & Google Keep

— NEWS —

• Ting data price drop
• Ting drops data prices to $10 GB beyond the first gig

X crash during Fedora update when system has hybrid graphics and systemd-udev is in update

Here’s the short version: especially if your system has hybrid graphics (that is, it has an Intel video adapter and also an AMD or NVIDIA one, and it’s supposed to switch to the most appropriate one for what you’re currently doing — NVIDIA calls this ‘Optimus’), DON’T UPDATE YOUR SYSTEM BY RUNNING DNF FROM THE DESKTOP. (Also if you have multiple graphics adapters that aren’t strictly ‘hybrid graphics’; the bug affects any case with multiple graphics adapters).

elementary blog — We’ve Joined the Snap Format TOB!

Yesterday, Jamie Bennett had the pleasure of announcing the members of the new Snap Format Technical Oversight Board. This board has been formed to guide the shaping of the Snap package format and ensure that it remains useful for everyone. We’re very excited to have Cody Garver sit on this board as a representative of elementary!

• Canonical Announces Snapcraft 2.19 Snap Creator Tool for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

Canonical’s Sergio Schvezov announced recently the release and immediate availability of the Snapcraft 2.19 tool for creating Snap universal packages, in the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and Ubuntu 16.10 repos.

• Flatpak 0.6.12 Linux Application Sandboxing Makes Kernel Keyring Non-Containable

New features in Flatpak 0.6.12 include support for the “–device=kvm” option to be able to access /dev/kvm, support for the “–allow=multiarch” parameter to allow running 32-bit (i686) code in a 64-bit (x86_64) application, better error messages, robustness fixes for the build-commit-from command, and partial revert in application ID rules.

Pirate Kodi Add-Ons Gain Massive Popularity

Streaming piracy is on the rise with the popular media center Kodi at the center of attention. While Kodi itself is a neutral platform, millions of people use third-party add-ons to turn it into the ultimate pirate machine. In less than a year, the leading add-on repository has seen the number of unique users double, which may be just the beginning.

Torvalds Blows Stack Over Buggy New Kernel

“I’m really sorry I applied that last series from Andrew just before doing the 4.8 release, because they cause problems, and now it is in 4.8 (and that buggy crap is marked for stable too),” he wrote in a message to the Linux kernel mailing list. “In particular, I just got this — kernel BUG at ./include/linux/swap.h:276 — and the end result was a dead kernel.”

KDE Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary with the Release of KDE Plasma 5.8 LTS

KDE Plasma 5.8 LTS will be supported until the year 2018

and it shall receive no less than nine point releases. The first one, KDE Plasma 5.8.1, will come next week, on October 11, followed one week later by the second one, KDE Plasma 5.8.2. On November 1, KDE Plasma 5.8.3 will arrive with more improvements, and KDE Plasma 5.8.4 should see the light of day three weeks later, on November 22, 2016._

Feedback:

• Behind the Scenes: Engineering with David – YouTube

Product Engineer David Jordan shares what he’s working on in this behind the scenes video from the System76 office.

• Add User Error · Issue #55 · RobLoach/plugin.video.jupiterbroadcasting

Audio Hardware: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface

Mail Bag

Name: Joe H

Subject: Exploring Linux

Message: Hi Noah and Chris I was wondering if at some point on the LAS or the LUP you could cover some more bare-bones-like distros. I am not sure about the right name for these type of distros. I don’t believe that I am looking to roll my own distro, that is if I truly understand what that would entail.

Name: Eric W

Subject: Wanting to Switch Video Production to Linux

Message:: Hello Chris and Noah!

I am a small time video editor and for years have been using the Adobe CC Suite for editing video and creating graphics etc. I know there are Linux alternatives for Adobe Premiere and Photoshop, but I don’t know of anything that is similar to After Effects and that is the one really important application I need. Any Advice on this would be much appreciated! Love the show and keep up the good work!

Call in: 1-877-347-0011

New Show: User Error

• User Error | Jupiter Broadcasting

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The post Plasma 5.8 Shines Bright | LAS 438 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

We recap the recent mini-exodus in the Debian project & discuss how the tone of discussion around systemd has had some terrible consequences. We follow that with some concrete ideas of what we can do to change that tone.

Plus we take a stroll down fantasy lane and wave our magic wands and solve our top three Linux pain points, some great follow up & much more.

Thanks to:

• Get Paid to Write for DigitalOcean

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Show Notes:

Pre-Show:

• Hackers claim BitTorrent Sync should not be used for sensitive data

• Nokia’s first device after Microsoft is an iPad mini clone that runs Android

• Jolla – We are unlike

Something BIG is about to begin

FU:

• Chromium Challenge

• The ‘Simple systemd Survey’ Results

• Take Linux to the mainstream

• People loved my gnome3 + numix

• Best of JB Hunt Next Tuesday.
  LINUX Unplugged will start one hour EARLY.
  After Unplugged we team up with the Mumble room and go on the Hunt for the best moments of JB in 2014.

• Jupiter Holiday SWAG like new JB Polo

Debian sees a mini-exodus around systemd discussions

• Resigning from the Technical Committee

• Tollef Fog Heen

This morning, I resigned as a member of the systemd maintainer team.
I then proceeded to leave the relevant IRC channels and announced this
on twitter. The responses I’ve gotten have been almost all been
heartwarming. People have generally been offering hugs, saying thanks
for the work put into systemd in Debian and so on. I’ve greatly
appreciated those (and I’ve been getting those before I resigned too,
so this isn’t just a response to that). I feel bad about leaving the
rest of the team, they’re a great bunch: competent, caring, funny,
wonderful people. On the other hand, at some point I had to draw a
line and say “no further”.

• Resignation from the pkg-systemd maintainer team

I hereby resign from the systemd maintainer team in Debian. Please
remove me from Uploaders on the next upload. You’ve been an awesome
team to work with, but the load of the continued attacks is just
becoming too much.

• Bruce Perens (former Debian project leader) comments on systemd

• Chris’ comments on live stream of LAS about .net

• What can JB do to change the tone??

• Should we hold public round table discussions? How could we pull that off?

• Should we focus on getting more people into OSS?

What are the draw backs of Linux?

Hey there,

I’ve been considering more and more moving over to linux. Now, I use my computer a lot to work and unfortunately the business world is ridden with Windows. I’m currently on a Mac and the good thing with that has been that there’s Office for OS X. I don’t like office but it just makes life so much easier to run it as everyone else does and I’ve had my fare share of issues trying to send documents not created natively in office where layouts differ etc.
But more importantly besides the small thing that is MS office, what other drawbacks should I take into consideration.
I’m fully aware that Linux is awesome software, but I’m asking the question from the perspective of someone using ones computer mainly to work and casual surfing. Casual stuff I know won’t be a problem, just worried about the draw backs in a work environment.

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Post-Show

• Who in the Linux world do you follow on twitter?

The post Debian Community Divided | LINUX Unplugged 67 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

The systemd group has a proposal for universal software management scheme for all Linux distributions. We’ll share the technical details, debate the philosophical impact & explain why it’s all powered by btrfs.

Plus some thoughts on the ultimate desktop manager, the true cost of a MacBook, and much more!

Thanks to:

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Show Notes:

Pre-Show:

• Darwin’s Battle with Anxiety | Brain Pickings

FU:

• Pre-show discussion re: systemd

• My thoughts on Linux desktop managers…

• Helamonster’s Open Source System Administration Experiences: Kill Your Manager! (Desktop Manager, That Is)

• re-purposing desktop

• The real cost of a MacBook

• “The Future of the Linux Desktop”

Linus Talks about Whats wrong with Distros

Revisiting How We Put Together Linux Systems

DNF – The Next Generation Package Management Utility for RPM Based Distributions

Runs Linux from the people:

• Send in a pic/video of your runs Linux.
• Please upload videos to YouTube and submit a link via email or the subreddit.

New Shows : Tech Talk Today (Mon – Thur)

• Tech Talk Today Today | Jupiter Broadcasting

Support Jupiter Broadcasting on Patreon

The post One Packager for All | LINUX Unplugged 56 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

We debate the validity of recent anti-Linux comments made on a nationally syndicated radio show, and the more subtle and larger “built-in bias” many in the tech community still hold towards Linux.

Plus: Your follow up on the Mir/Wayland topic, Ubuntu’s Amazon lens goes opt-in, and more!

Thanks to:

Direct Download:

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Show Notes:

FU

• Thanks to Popey for saving the Graphical Civil War!

• Ubuntu and the Great Display Server Debate

• Look at display server from a different angle // Slexy 2.0

• A brief addition to your Mir discussion.

April Fool: Should I Install Linux on an Old Computer?: The Tech Guy 1069 – YouTube

Leo Laporte goes over the pros and cons of installing Linux on an old computer.

Ubuntu To Make Amazon Product Results \’Opt-In’

But before anyone unpacks the party poppers in jubilation there are caveats to note: **Amazon results are not being removed entirely, **and the change is not going to take effect in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.

• The headline is a little bit misleading. What actually is going to happen is that the next iteration of Unity8 will drop the concept of the \”Home scope\” in favour of a \”Scopes scope\”. That way, when you type a search term into the Dash, it\’s not a selection of results from different scopes that will surface, but a selection of scopes from which you choose the one you are interested in. So, yes, in a sense, that makes all scopes (and among them the Amazon scope) opt-in.

The post Drive-By Advice | LINUX Unplugged 34 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

How a Russian Spy ring used floppies to pass sensitive information, how Backblaze made it through the great hard drive shortage, and why the US congress is saying no to Chinese Telco manufactures.

Plus a big batch of your questions, and our answers.

All that and much more, on this week’s TechSNAP!

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