Hoping to catch the attention of those upgrading from dead-end Microsoft operating systems, Canonical this week released Ubuntu 14.04 LTS for the desktop.

I’ve spent a good share of my time asking myself what would have to change in order to make Linux on the desktop a viable choice for the mainstream user. I became curious enough to ask you a question: if you could wave your magic wand and change only one thing about Linux or even the Linuxsphere in general, what would it be? Let’s take a look at what some of you had to say.

A joyful, casual puzzle game that will tease both your wits and your memory! Well that's what the developers claim anyway.

Announcing the release of Lubuntu 14.04, a lightweight variant of Ubuntu that provides the minimalist LXDE desktop and a selection of light applications. Based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment; PCManFM, a fast and lightweight files manager using GIO/GVFS; Openbox, a fast and extensible default window manager of LXDE; LightDM, a simple GTK+ greeter; Firefox, the famous web browser; based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Improvements since Lubuntu 13.10: LTS Support (3 years), and more.

Fifteen years ago Linux was going to take over the world. Today, Linux is everywhere and no one blinks when a company builds on an open source stack. Microservers may be the same way. But this revolution will take some time to play out. In our microserver special report, Nick Heath noted that microservers, ARM and Intel-based, are being used for specific workloads such as serving Web content, but enterprises are all about multipurpose computing for a wide range of applications.

Emmabuntüs is a desktop GNU/Linux distribution which originated in France with a humanitarian mission. It was designed with 4 primary objectives – refurbishing of computers given to humanitarian organizations like the Emmaüs communities, promoting GNU/Linux among beginners, extending the life of older equipments and reducing waste by over-consumption of raw materials.

Tails is a kind of computer-in-a-box. You install it on a DVD or USB drive, boot up the computer from the drive and, voila, you’re pretty close to anonymous on the internet. At its heart, Tails is a version of the Linux operating system optimized for anonymity. It comes with several privacy and encryption tools, most notably Tor, an application that anonymizes a user’s internet traffic by routing it through a network of computers run by volunteers around the world.

The media's coverage of Heartbleed has gone way over the top and has regressed into mindless bashing of open source software.

Ubuntu Kylin is an official flavour of Ubuntu developed specially for users in China and, unlike other official variants, generously promoted on the Ubuntu website. What's new in version 14.04? "In this final release, the Linux kernel is upgraded to 3.13 and Unity is upgraded to 7.2. Specifically designed for efficient Chinese input, 14.04 LTS uses the Sogou Input Method, a typing tool that provides intelligent predictive search and auto-completion. Sogou, combined with the Kingsoft WPS office suite, makes Ubuntu Kylin 14.04 LTS even faster and easier to use when creating documents and browsing the web.

Here's how you can enable the one-click to minimize feature in Ubuntu 14.04.

How to switch back to the old lock screen in Ubuntu 14.04.

An interesting little note is that when you look into how many games Steam has that are now on Linux, the figure has surpassed 400!

This article identifies the finest open source vector graphics editors. Vector editors are ideal for technical illustrations, diagramming, flowcharting, artistic illustrations, promotional posters, banners, signage, logos, typography, vehicle wraps and layout. Bitmap editors are more suitable for retouching, photo processing, photorealistic illustrations, collage, and illustrations drawn by hand with a pen tablet.

Add GNOME Tweak Tool and Unity Tweak Tool to your Ubuntu 14.04 system.

Can search results this high really have another explanation?

I still find Ubuntu with Unity the best desktop of all for users who don't know computers and just want something easy to use.

The Heartbleed bug has cast a bright and not entirely flattering light on the open-source movement’s incentive model. When a crucial and ubiquitous piece of security code like OpenSSL — left vulnerable for two years by the Heartbleed flaw — can be accessed by all the world’s programming muscle, but only has one full-time developer and generates less than $2,000 in donations a year, clearly something is amiss. But then there’s Linux.

How to add programs to the panel, desktop or favorites in Linux Mint 16 Cinnamon.

Heartbleed has dominated tech headlines for a week now. News outlets, citizen bloggers, and even late-night TV hosts have jumped on the story, each amping up the alarm a little more than the last one. But while it's true Heartbleed is a critical flaw with widespread implications, several security experts we've spoken with believe the sky-is-falling tone of the reporting is a bit melodramatic.

Welcome to Kubuntu 14.04 LTS, a brand new long-term supported version with the latest KDE software to enjoy. Long-term support means that bug fixes and security updates will be added for the next 5 years, so you can be safe to use it until 2019. New releases of important KDE software will also be available from the Kubuntu Updates and Kubuntu Backports PPAs.

Microsoft MSFT -0.97% has been on a roll lately. Office for iOS (and soon Android), free Windows licenses for small devices, universal Windows and Windows Phone apps, Siri rival Cortana, even a promise to eventually return the start menu before Windows 9. But when it comes to Windows 8, it seems the company has a permanently loaded pistol aimed squarely at its feet.

So it fits that just one week on from the launch of ‘Windows 8.1 Update 1’ (the smart upgrade mouse and keyboard users have long awaited) stupidity would strike once again.

Canonical released Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, with five-year support, enhanced touchscreen support, and the first stable build of Ubuntu for Tablets. Back in November 2011 when Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth announced Ubuntu would support apps that ran on smartphones and tablets, as well as desktop PCs, Ubuntu 14.04 was heralded as the “convergence” release that would […]

Forget bad headlines generated by the Heartbleed flaw, when it comes to code defects open source is still well ahead of proprietary software, generating fewer coding defects for every size of project, according to a new analysis by scanning service Coverity.

Here's how you can use a script to disable online searches in the Ubuntu 14.04 Dash.

Everything's been hacked! Change all your passwords but not yet! Security experts cut through the Heartbleed hype. But while it's true Heartbleed is a critical flaw with widespread implications, several security experts we've spoken with believe the sky-is-falling tone of the reporting is a bit melodramatic.

That's right folks Valve are bringing the easter cheer lighting the way for another 34 Linux games to come out on Steam!

It's smooth, pretty, and, in short, it's the nicest Ubuntu Linux desktop that's ever been.

The Ubuntu GNOME team is proud and happy to announce the release of Ubuntu GNOME 14.04 LTS. Ubuntu GNOME is an official flavour of Ubuntu, featuring the GNOME desktop environment. Ubuntu GNOME is a mostly pure GNOME desktop experience built from the Ubuntu repositories. This is our very first long-term support (LTS) version. Features: Most of GNOME 3.10 is now included, the few missing bits of 3.10 are available in PPA.

Cloud hosting provider Linode has relaunched its services with a $45M investment in SSD storage, more memory, better CPUs and other high-performance upgrades for its cloud infrastructure.

Deploying an open source enterprise cloud just got a little bit easier yesterday with the release of the newest version of the OpenStack platform: Icehouse. To quote an email from OpenStack release manager Thierry Carrez announcing the release, "During this cycle we added a new integrated component (Trove), completed more than 350 feature blueprints, and fixed almost 3000 reported bugs in integrated projects alone!"