LINUX Unplugged

We chat about our time with the new Plasma 5 desktop from KDE, then using the latest situation with Manjaro we discuss the poor state of Linux news, root causes, and what the real solution is that has major ramifications for the open source community. Plus some fantastic feedback, a Command Line challenge update and our big plans for next week!

We chat with Jos Poortvliet about the future of KDE, Plasma 5 Desktop, then review a KDE distribution with a direction: KaOS. Plus: The great news for the Blender project, our OSCON plans and much more!

We come clean on our struggle with loving every Linux desktop, until we start up the hate. Plus we discuss the huge news for CoreOS and take a closer look at OwnCloud 7’s server-to-server syncing. Plus troubleshooting KDE sound problems, and a new community initiative!

We’ve got another round of great exclusive interviews from the floor of SouthEast LinuxFest 2014. Find out why Slackware is still going strong, the BSD kindness brigade & more!

Chris shares his experience with triple booting Firefox OS, Ubuntu Touch and Android on his Nexus 5 and the surprising results. Plus some grounded feedback and much more!

The founder of Bedrock Linux joins us to discuss their ambitious distribution that lets you utilize the userland of all your favorite distributions at once Plus Alienware slaps Linux users in the face with a dead fish, your feedback, and more!

We’ll take a look at the new features of Linux Mint 17, and discuss the new Cinnamon release. Then we’ll debate if distro derivatives are a bad thing. Plus: Is Red Hat too over controlling of Gnome? Candidates for the Gnome Foundation’s board think so, we’ll discuss.

Liam from Gaming on Linux joins us to discuss the Witcher 2 port fiasco, and why Linux’s reputation as a gaming platform could be on the line. Plus a heated Manjaro discussion, your feedback, and a BIG announcement!

Is this the year of Arch? We dig through the results from our listener home server survey, and compare our audience’s answers with another recent large survey, and find some surprising results. Plus how the “Power Linux User” is underrepresented by developer attention, and we share some Linux switching stories that go horribly wrong!

We chat with two of the LXQt developers, and find out what’s behind this major undertaking. Then we discuss our favorite packages for a Linux home server, and the brand new Ubuntu Orange cluster box. Plus your feedback, our follow up, and much more!

In the not too distant future the Linux desktop will face a landscape comprised of users running Wayland, Mir, and X11. Ubuntu will be rolling out their first generation Qt based desktop environment, and developers are crying fragmentation. But how would we shape the future if we could wave a magic wand? And is fragmentation a real problem in practice? Plus: Our thoughts on Magea, producing video...

We had a chance to chat with folks from Firefox, the EFF, SUSE, and more. Plus we discuss the real benefits to Linux conventions like LinuxFest Northwest.

The GTK camp is pushing hard for Client Side Decorations, but there are some major drawbacks on non-Gnome desktops. We discuss the pros and cons, and if this is going to lead to a new kind of desktop Linux fragmentation. Plus our thoughts on the best password managers, your follow up, and more!

Are boutique distributions a bag of hurt for new users? We love a good underdog, but sometimes our excitement gets the best of us and we recommend something that’s not appropriate for a switcher to land on. Plus some quick thoughts on the beating open source is taking as fallout from the Heartbleed bug.

XP support ends today and we’ll celebrate the occasion by debating what prevents technical users switching to Linux, address some common myths, and set a course for our new howto show. Plus why Chase and Matt are wrong about DS9, blaming choice, your feedback, and more!

We debate the validity of recent anti-Linux comments made on a Leo Laporte's nationally syndicated “Tech Guy” 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!

Is devastating fragmentation going to doom Desktop Linux, can a case for multiple display servers? Don’t care about the display server? We’ll make the case why you need to care, and why the biggest community confrontation could be brewing.

The co-founders of SoyldXK join us to discuss their origins, what they focus on, how they hope to make a profit, and what the future might hold. Plus we have some “solid” AutoCAD replacements for Linux, your emails, and more!

Is the Linux community’s animosity towards Ubuntu turning away new switchers? We’ll analyze what has the community so upset, and how that can color a new Linux users first impressions. Plus Vale promise to make transitioning from DirectX to OpenGL much easier, but we have our doubts, and why Wil Wheaton loves his Mac but plays with his Linux.

Two developers from the TOX project, an open source secure Skype killer join us to discuss their new project, the future, and how they hope to become your new messaging system. Plus getting more battery life out of a Linux laptop, the Steam problem, and your feedback.

A cautionary tale for anyone thinking about starting their own Linux distribution, and then we’ll put it all out on the table and discuss our ideas and goals for Howto Linux, and take the live feedback of our virtual LUG. Plus should we trust Valve? Your feedback, and more!

Michael Hall from Canonical joins us to discuss his personal views on what he’s coined the new 80/20 rule for open source. Are the consumers of open source the biggest hurdle to projects becoming sustainable? Plus Valve might looking at your DNS history, getting young users to try Linux, and your feedback!

One of the bumpier chapters in Debian’s history looks to be drawing to a close, at least for now. But what was all the drama about? And where do things stand now? We’ll dig into the latest developments in the Debian init system debate. Plus inspiring a new generation to use Linux, your emails, and more!

The MATE Desktop is about to see some big improvements, we bring on Martin Wimpress from the MATE project to discuss his new MATE Live CD, and what the future holds for MATE. Plus our renewed commitment to improving the state of Linux news, and the recent mistake that has Chris green with Hulk Rage!

Aaron Seigo joins us to call out the new and shiny culture that’s pervasive in the free software community. And even your own humble hosts have been afflicted with from time to time. The reality is users want new features, but hate reduced functionality. And often free software developers want to build something new. But what is the cost of this constant form of “progress”? How do we shift value f...