In today's open source roundup: DuckDuckGo gets a facelift and new features. Plus: A Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon slideshow, and China bans Windows 8 from government computers DuckDuckGo – the search engine that doesn’t track you – has gotten a redesign and a number of new features. It has a new look, along with smarter answers, images and videos, local places, and auto-suggest search results. According to DuckDuckGo: Here’s a list of some of the changes: Auto-suggest – See suggested search results as you type your search term. Redesign – Less clutter and default, classic or dark theme options. Images and videos – Always available on search results page via a carousel. Places – Find local places of interest. Meanings – Better search for ambiguous words. Recipes – Search for cooking recipes. Weather – Get instant weather forecasts. Answers – Answers to your questions. More at DuckDuckGo Image credit: DuckDuckGo DuckDuckGo is my favorite search engine these days, so I’m quite happy to see these improvements. I like being able to choose a theme, and the new features should prove very useful to most searchers. It’s nice to have an alternative to Google, Bing or Yahoo. The new version of DuckDuckGo is live right now, so check it out if you prefer not to be tracked while searching. Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon Slideshow I did a slideshow here on ITworld that highlights many of the new features coming in Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon. According to ITWorld: There’s quite a bit to look forward to in Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon. Changes in this release include Update Manager and Driver Manager improvements, Login Screen enhancements, a new Language Settings tool, tweaks to the Software Sources menu, and a redesigned Welcome Screen, among other things. More at ITworld Image credit: ITworld I suspect there are going to be a lot of happy Linux Mint users out there when the final release appears. My experience with the release candidate has been quite good so far. If you’d rather not wait for the final, check out these Linux Mint 17 release candidate download links. Chinese government bans Windows 8 Engadget reports that the Chinese government has banned Windows 8 from being installed on new government computers, and is seeking its own Linux-based solution instead. According to Engadget: China believes that Windows 8 poses enough of a future security risk that it’s banning government agencies from installing the operating system on any of its new computers. The government will now focus its efforts on its own Linux-based OS, which is an idea it’s been flirting with for a while already, firstly by promoting its use in an official capacity and then by attempting to persuade consumers in China to switch too. More at Engadget I can’t blame the Chinese government for doing this. Windows 8 seems to be a cursed operating system, it’s been nothing but a giant headache for Microsoft and it’s clear the Chinese government means to steer clear of it entirely if at all possible. What’s your take on all this? Tell me in the comments below. The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of ITworld. Software DevelopmentOpen Source