Fedora 22 alpha released

Fedora 22 alpha released

The next version of Fedora is well underway. Fedora 22 has reached the alpha stage, and you can download it to give it a test in a virtual machine.

Joe Brockmeier at Fedora Magazine reports:

The Fedora 22 Alpha release has arrived, with a preview of the latest free and open source technology under development. Take a peek inside! The Alpha release contains all the exciting features of Fedora 22’s editions in a form that anyone can help test. This testing, guided by the Fedora QA team, helps us target and identify bugs. When these bugs are fixed, we make a Beta release available. A Beta release is code-complete and bears a very strong resemblance to the third and final release. The final release of Fedora 22 is expected in May.

As always, Fedora carries a number of improvements to make life better for its desktop users! Here’s some of the goodness you’ll get in Fedora 22 Workstation edition.

Enhancements:

The GNOME Shell notification system has been redesigned and subsumed into the calendar widget.

The Terminal now notifies you when a long running job completes.

The login screen now uses Wayland by default. This is a step towards replacing X with Wayland, and users should not actually notice the difference.

Installation of GStreamer codecs, fonts, and certain document types is now handled by Software, instead of gnome-packagekit.

The Automatic Bug Reporting Tool (ABRT) now features better notifications, and uses the privacy control panel in GNOME to control information sent.

Appearance:

The Nautilus file manager has been improved to use GActions, from the deprecated GtkAction APIs, for a better, more consistent experience.

The GNOME Shell has a refreshed theme for better usability.

The Qt/Adwaita theme is now code complete, and Qt notifications have been improved for smoother experience using Qt-based apps in Workstation.

More at Fedora Magazine

Marius Nestor at Softpedia has a screenshot tour of the Fedora 22 Xfce alpha:

We’ve grabbed the Xfce Spin of Fedora 22 Alpha to make a screenshot tour of the final Xfce 4.12 desktop environment, for your viewing pleasure (check it out below). We can report that Xfce 4.12 uses its standard and traditional layout in Fedora 22. The distribution is powered by Linux kernel 4.0 RC1.

Among the included applications, we can mention the Thunar 1.6.6 file manager, Midori 0.5.9 web browser, Transmission 2.84 BitTorrent client, AbiWord 3.0.1 word processor, Claws Mail 3.11.1 email client, Pragha Music Player 1.2.2, and Gnumeric 1.12.20 spreadsheet editor.

More at Softpedia

Use multiple workspaces in Linux

Windows 10 is getting a lot of press for including multiple workspaces. But Linux has had them for many years. PC World has an overview of how to use multiple desktops in Linux.

Chris Hoffman reports for PC World:

Windows users have long been jealous of workspaces—also called virtual desktops or multiple desktops—on Linux. But many Linux desktops have hidden this feature by default in recent years. Soon, Windows users will have multiple desktop workspaces enabled by default—and many Linux users won’t.

That’s crazy! Virtual desktops have long been one of the standout features of the Linux desktop, and it shouldn’t be lost. Here’s how you can get started with workspaces on Ubuntu’s Unity or another desktop environment today.

So, what can you do with workspaces? Anything you want! Let’s say you work on your computer, as many of us do. You could have one workspace dedicated to work with all your work applications. You could have another for goofing off and browsing Reddit when you need to recharge. It’s a way to organize all your open windows into different groups.

More at PC World

Android Wear to get gesture control and Wi-Fi support

Apple just had its big Apple Watch event, but Android Wear developers aren’t standing still either. The next update to Android Wear will bring Wi-Fi support, gesture control and easier access to apps and contacts.

Dieter Bohn reports for The Verge:

A source knowledgeable with Android Wear’s product road map tells The Verge that the next software release will turn on Wi-Fi support, meaning that features like notifications and Google Now will work when a Bluetooth connection is unavailable. Most Android Wear watches already have Wi-Fi built in, so a simple software update should activate the feature for them.

Along with the Wi-Fi update, there will be at least two additional, smaller updates. The first is gesture control. Users will be able to flick their wrist to scroll through notifications and Google Now cards, rather than needing to use their other hand to swipe on the screen. The UI will also get some tweaks, with easier access to both Android Wear applications and contacts. Finding applications in Android Wear right now requires either spoken commands or digging through an extra layer of menus.

More at The Verge

Redditors shared their thoughts in a thread about the article at The Verge:

Bluewall1: “Do we know exactly which android wear devices have Wi-Fi?”

Sokrisba: “I hope battery life won’t suffer as a result of these added features 🙁 (I’m looking at you gesture control). Otherwise, it’s a wise move and especially the addition of contacts and easier access to apps since this will eliminate the need for a launcher.”

Koooookalo: “Gesture control is the one thing I’ve been missing from my G Watch R. I’ve wanted to be able to keep my cards hidden, and show the latest one with a flick of my wrist. Perfect for when I’m carrying something with one hand and get a text, or when I’m eating and my hands are too gross to want to touch my watch.”

ImPersianMeow: “I’d rather have a feature to draw some pattern to trigger some functionality. For example, draw a circle to launch the stopwatch or draw a W to trigger a call to my wife.”

More at Reddit

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