Linux Mint 17.1 KDE released

Linux Mint 17.1 KDE released

Linux Mint 17.1 drew mostly rave reviews when the Cinnamon and MATE versions were released. Now the KDE version of Linux Mint 17.1 is available to download.

The Linux Mint blog has the release announcement:

The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 17.1 “Rebecca” KDE.

Linux Mint 17.1 is a long term support release which will be supported until 2019. It comes with updated software and brings refinements and many new features to make your desktop even more comfortable to use.

More at Linux Mint

The Linux Mint site also has a page that includes a list of new features in Linux Mint 17.1 KDE:

The previous version of Linux Mint used KDE 4.13. In this release, KDE is upgraded to version 4.14.

The Update Manager now groups packages together according to their source package. A line no longer represents a single package but a software update which consists in one or several packages. When a developer fixes a bug or writes new features, the source code is modified and all packages which are related to it become available under a new version. It is therefore futile and sometimes dangerous to apply some package updates and not others within the same source package.

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The Linux Mint 17.1 KDE release notes includes a list of known issues:

Issues with Skype DVD Playback with VLC EFI Support Misconfigured Swap when using home directory encryption Solving freezes with some NVIDIA GeForce GPUs Booting with non-PAE CPUs Other issues

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Linux Mint

A look at Manjaro Linux 0.8.11

Manjaro Linux 0.8.11 is based on Arch Linux, and it offers an easier option for users who might not be experienced enough to use Arch itself. Manjaro offers a number of different desktops including KDE, Xfce, and GNOME.

JA Watson at ZDNet reports on Manjaro Linux 0.8.11:

I’m pleased and impressed: installing Manjaro was easier than I expected. Not only was it easier to install than some of the other distributions I have tried recently, but it is also UEFI-compatible, only requiring that UEFI Secure Boot be disabled.

The applications and packages included are a good selection, pretty much appropriate for the general intent or most common use of their respective desktops, and of course the software repositories contain all sorts of other things which are not included in the base distributions, so if something you want is missing after installation, you are almost certainly going to be able to install it with very little effort.

If you have been looking for a reasonably easy entry into the Arch Linux family of distributions, I can certainly recommend Manjaro based on my experience so far. But beyond that, if you are just looking for a good Linux distribution that installs easily and works well, I can recommend Manjaro for that as well.

More at ZDNet

The Manjaro site recently announced the release of the GNOME community edition:

Just a quick note that our Gnome community edition installation media has been updated. This edition now provides Gnome in a highly vanilla state with only the baseline Manjaro tools, which we believe is the best long-term installation media solution for this particular DE.

This release comes with Gnome 3.14 series and all the usual Manjaro and upstream updates.

More at Manjaro

Manjaro

Steam Machines might launch at GDC 2015

Recent rumors abound that Valve may launch its Steam Machines at GDC 2015. Take this with a grain of salt as there has been no official confirmation by Valve. But it’s still a tantalizing possibility for Linux gamers.

Ryan Glovinksy at Not Operator on the possible launch of Steam Machines at GDC 2015 and its effect on Windows 10:

…despite silence from Valve over the recent months, it has been confirmed by multiple sources that Steam Machines will have an official launch at GDC (the Game Developers Conference) in early March of 2015. The Steam Controller design has been finalized, and Steam OS is apparently ready to come out of beta. Multiple PC boutique builders are already ready to launch a variety of products designed from the ground up as Steam Machines.

What this means for Microsoft is that they’ll have some new competition to face when Windows 10 comes out later this year. Valve is working quickly to bring games to Linux systems such as Steam OS, and PC builders might opt to go for Steam OS for gaming focused PCs in order to save money by not having to purchase a Windows license.

More at Not Operator

Gamasutra reports that there will be no Steam Dev Days conference but Valve will have a larger presence at GDC:

So why haven’t we heard anything about Valve’s plans for this year’s Steam developer conference? Because, simply enough, the company doesn’t see a reason to host one. “Steam Dev Days was a great way to brief a large number of Steam developers,” a Valve representative told Gamasutra, explaining that hosting Dev Days made more sense in a year when Valve debuted an array of new technology.

“This year our focus will be a bit different, so we are planning a larger than usual presence at GDC. So, there will not be a Steam Dev Days this year, but we will certainly consider doing it again in the future.”

More at Gamasutra

Redditors in the PC Gaming subreddit had some thoughts to share about a possible Steam Machine launch in 2015:

Gundamnitpete:“Didn’t they say the same thing last year…? I’m assuming they’ll ship when they’re ready.”

Santsi:“I was going to get a Steam Machine but got bored waiting and I started upgrading my current PC. Now I just want the controller.”

Edward_81:“What is pissing me off every time I read comment on steam machine news is the amount of people that say “why someone should buy a steam machine? Is basically a pc” and bla bla bla. So What was the original xbox? An intel x86 cpu, nvidia gpu, hard drive, dvdrom and a gui running on a stripped down version of windows2000 kernel. So I can ask you why bothering buy a modern console that is basically a pc with component soldered and a proprietary OS. Basically you hare missing the target of steam machine. Someone that don’t have, or don’t want a pc and play pc games on couch.”

Himmatsj:“Does anyone know what exactly will be a “Steam Machine”? Must it run on (only?) Steam OS? Also, while the Linux/SteamOS library is growing, it is still not that big. Can they seriously make inroads into the living room with this beast?”

More at Reddit

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