LXer Weekly Roundup for 19-Feb-2012

LXer Feature: 19-Feb-2012 The latest installment of the LXer Weekly Roundup for your reading enjoyment.

The Kindle Fire After Two Months: This is a review of the Kindle Fire, based upon using it extensively for two months. It's not a perfect device, but it's fantastic for its price. Plus, it's a way for Linux users to stream Netflix.

Cradle, New Adventure Game With Stunning 3D Graphics Coming to Linux: A new 3D science fiction adventure game Cradle will be released this spring. Based on Unigine game engine, Cradle will feature beautiful surroundings and rich 3D graphics. The game is made by indie game studio Flying Cafe. The developers team have lots of experience as they have worked on games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Heroes of Might and Magic 5, Allods Online, Ascension to the Throne etc. Cradle will be available for Linux users.

Code in next Debian release valued at $A17 billion: If all the code in the upcoming release of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution were to be written today, it would cost $17 billion, according to an analysis by free and open source software consultant James Bromberger.

http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/162354/index.html: I think they have done a very good job with Gnome 3. Gnome 3 was an effort to figure out how they can substantially improve the desktop. One interesting thing they did with the shell was that they made it possible for end user to script the desktop in a very easy way with Javascript extension.

LibreOffice 3.5: Time for a Word Count: As a long time user of OpenOffice.org, it really is just thrilling to see the innovation present in LibreOffice 3.5, which was officially released today. As a writer, this release has at least one update which quite literally will change the way I work, (hopefully for the better). In my business, word counts – count. In older versions of LibreOffice (and OpenOffice), I've always had to first write then select what I've written to get a word count. It's a two step process, that when repeated over the course of a day (I write at least 4 stories a day), week, month and year takes a real toll on wrists and arms (can you say Carpal Tunnel?)

Accessibility Leaders in Linux: Accessibility to computers for people with vision, hearing, or physical impairments needs to be a part of fundamental design, and not an afterthought. Progress in the proprietary world is slow, and even slower in the Linux/FOSS world. But thanks to some dedicated people some significant work has been accomplished, and the groundwork laid for a common platform for all Linux distributions to build on.

Pre-Orders For KDE Plasma Active Tablet 'Spark' Now Open: All right everyone, there is a good news. Pre-orders for KDE Plasma Active/Mer based tablet Spark has just started. Plasma Active is a joint project by the KDE community, basysKom and open-slx. The goals for this open source project are to deliver a fast embedded UX platform with minimal memory requirements, provide customizable and modular to support different form factors and design an interface that adapts as users change Activities. Plasma Active is intended for all types of tablets, smartphones and touch computing devices such as settop boxes, smart TVs, home automation or in-vehicle infotainment.

Rant - Ur doin it right....: I don't often fill my personal blog space with entire articles or comments from someone else, but every now and then, every blue moon or so, you run across something that is just so good, you can't let it go.

Linux talent shortage drives up salaries: Pick your perquisites, Penguin people It pays to be a Linux expert, and if you have any needs that are not being met by your employer and you have Linux skills, now might be a good time to start making some demands.…