Survey says: KDE Plasma is the most popular desktop Linux environment

The KDE community has created some of the best of the breed open source software and they continue to win user’s hearts, according to a new LinuxQuestions survey.

The easiest way to start a flamewar within the Linux community is by asking what’s the best OS or application. You can then lean back in your chair and enjoy the fireworks.
We all know full well that there is no best, or right solution for everyone; what works for me may not work for someone else. The best tool is the one that works for you. Period.
But that political correctness doesn't stop us from trying to find which are the most popular open source projects; what other people use and love. It gives us an idea of what works for most people. LinuxQuestions is one of the most reputed user driven Q&A site and they run an annual survey (for over a decade now) to find the most popular open source applications and distributions.
They just concluded their latest survey and the results are not that surprising.

The top distro

The results didn't surprise me. What surprised me was that there was no clear winner. It was a tie with three players squeezed in - Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Slackware.
Ubuntu is the undisputed leader in the desktop Linux space thanks to the resources Canonical invested in marketing the desktop Linux. Ubuntu is also known for one of the most civilized online communities, which adheres to very strict code of conduct. The third factor that contributes to Ubuntu's popularity is its focus on ease of use.
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and benefits from some of the work done by Ubuntu developers. Linux Mint rose to popularity after the arrival of Gnome 3 Shell and Unity because the developer identified what a majority of users wanted and offered alternatives to Gnome and Unity.
I never used Slackware, I did try once but it did not last that long. But I have heard great things about it from hard core users.

The top desktop environment

The winner in the category didn't surprise me at all. And that's KDE's Plasma desktop. It received over 34% of the votes.


Source:
http://www.itworld.com/article/2881172/survey-says-kde-plasma-is-the-most-popular-desktop-linux-environment.html

Non-Free : Desktop Management

IT Management, Simplified

ManageEngine simplifies IT management with software solutions that are easy to use, easy to deploy, and easy on your budget - no costly consulting fees or over-priced licenses.

1. Active Directory
2. Application
3. Desktop
4. Help Desk
5. IT Security
6. Mobile
7. MSP
8. Network
9. On-Demand
10. Server
11. 
    

Source:

Where and how do Ars staffers work? Our computers, let us show you them!

Our quick "Chairs Technica" write up last Thanksgiving was a hit, and we all enjoyed showing you all the different awesome places where we put our butts while working. This year, though, we wanted to give you something a little more interesting to look at: our computers and desks.






Unlike a lot of other tech publications, Ars Technica is entirely remote-staffed—our core group of writers and editors and techies work from homes spread across the whole US, literally all the way from sea to proverbial shining sea. We spend hours in front of our computers each day, tirelessly bringing you guys interesting tech and science news and researching big, long-form features, and some of us even do it without any pants on because there’s no one around to stop us.

The last time we did this was in 2012, and the large number of Macs drew considerable comment from folks. The truth is that the Ars crew uses an eclectic mix of machines at home, and we’re all comfortable using any operating system—we’ve got Linux and Windows and OS X machines all represented, and everyone uses whatever they want as their daily driver.

So, as you relax with your turkey this Thanksgiving, if you're American, or wonder where the hell all the Americans are if you're not American, allow us to pull back the curtain once again on our inner sanctums (sancta?) and show you the secret places where we hide from the burning light of the Day Star, busily toiling away at our technological tasks!

Reviews Editor and Android Genius Ron Amadeo


Source:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/11/where-and-how-do-ars-staffers-work-our-computers-let-us-show-you-them/

WhatsApp comes to the desktop; only on Google Chrome to begin with

New Delhi: A piece of news that many WhatsApp users have been eagerly waiting for quite some time is finally here. WhatsApp is now officially available on your Web browser, a feature that many competing instant messaging services already have.

Though the WhatsApp roll out for desktop comes with a caveat - it is currently available only on Google Chrome browser. Though WhatsApp says it will add support for other browsers soon.

"Our web client is simply an extension of your phone: the web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device - this means all of your messages still live on your phone," WhatsApp said in a blog post.

Source:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/whatsapp-comes-to-the-desktop-only-on-google-chrome-to-begin-with/524250-11.html

Cutegram - Telegram client 1.0.0

Description:
 What is Cutegram?
Cutegram is a free and opensource telegram clients
for GNU/Linux focusing on user friendly,
compatibility with Linux desktop environments and
easy to use.
Cutegram using Qt5, QML, libqtelegram,
libappindication, AsemanQtTools technologies and
Faenza icons and Twitter emojies graphic sets.
It\'s free and released under GPLv3 license.

Source:
http://aseman.co/en/products/cutegram/

What is Telegram?
Telegram Messenger is a cross-platform instant
messaging system whose clients are open source and
servers are proprietary software. Telegram users
can exchange encrypted and self-destructing
messages, photos, videos and documents (all files
types are supported).

features:
* file sending and recieving
* Secret chat (Experimental)
* Native desktop notification
* Customizable fonts
* System tray icon
* Modern UI
* Fully drag and drop support to forward, delete
messages and send files.
* Twitter emojies
* Linux desktops full compatible.
* Beautiful and smooth user interface using QML
technology.
* It\'s free and OpenSource.Cutegram page on
aseman.co website.


Source:
http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=168559

The Perfect Desktop – Linux Mint 17.1 (Qiana)

The Perfect Desktop – Linux Mint 17.1 (Qiana) This tutorial shows how you can set up a Linux Mint 17.1 (Qiana) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e.that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a securesystem without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge. Linux Mint 17.1 is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu that has lots of packages in its repositories (like multimedia codecs, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Skype,Google Earth, etc.) that are relatively hard to install on other distributions; it therefore provides a user-friendly desktop experience even for Linux newbies.
Howtoforge Linux Howtos und Tutorials

Source:

http://www.linuxnews.pro/the-perfect-desktop-linux-mint-17-1-qiana-3/