Calculate Linux Xfce

Tra le varie derivate di Gentoo, ce n'è una poco conosciuta, ma che riserva 
ugualmente delle sorprese.
Si chiama Calculate Linux, si basa su Gentoo, proviene dalla Russia, fornisce diverse versioni sia desktop che server, si caratterizza per una ottima compatibilità hardware e soluzioni software di prima importanza ed è il tema di questa recensione.

Calculate Linux 15.0 Xfce, è una distribuzione Linux liveDVD, orientata all'uso desktop, basata su Gentoo Linux, ottimizzata per processori i686 e x86-64. 
Per le sue caratteristiche e dotazioni, si addice ad una utenza con medie capacità informatiche, ma non è una distribuzione indicata ai principianti.

Dotazioni Software

Le dotazioni software di Calculate sono di prim'ordine e praticamente un utente medio può effettuare una qualsiasi delle funzioni maggiori, oggi richieste ad un sistema operativo.

L'utente può soddisfare le sue esigenze di Grafica con il monumentale GIMP, che gli consentirà non solo di modificare immagini e foto, ma di produrre contenuti grafici con i numerosissimi strumenti a sua disposizione.

Anche la Multimedialità è fruibile ottimamente con diversi strumenti, a cominciare da Audacious2 per i contenuti musicali, Gnome Player ed MPlayer per i contenuti multimediali anchConnettività e Internet sono ben supportati con strumenti importanti come Firefox per navigare in internet, Claws Mail per la posta elettronica,Pidgin per la messaggeria e XChat IRC per le chiacchiere in rete. GnomePPP permette la connessione dial-up, Wicd permette la connessione ADSL e wireless, Transmission permette il file sharing con il protocollo BitTorrent ed OpenOffice.org Writer/Web consente la produzione e la modifica elementare di contenuti webe visivi ed Xfburn per procedere alla masterizzazione di supporti DVD/CD.

Le applicazioni per ufficio e di produttività sono garantite per intero dalla completa sutie OpenOffice.org. Per la consultazione di documenti PDF c'è il lettore ePDFViewer.

L'usabilità di Calculate Linux è di buon livello quando l'utente sia in possesso di una certa esperienza con sistemi Linux in generale e di Gentoo nello specifico. Solo un utente di questo tipo può affrontare le difficoltà determinate dal modo con cui Gentoo gestisce i pacchetti.
Il sistema Live è ben responsivo e ha tempi di latenza ai comandi, molto contenuti. Non è un sistema che possa essere usato per recuperare dati dal disco fisso del computer.
L'installazione non è semplice, richiede esperienza, oculatezza e non è operazione da raccomandarsi a principianti o da fare in fretta.
Una volta installato è presumibile sostenere che possa trattarsi di un sistema dalle elevate prestazioni, anche in considerazione del sistema principale da cui deriva.

Linux Mint

My current desktop Mate

About Linux Mint : is the most popular desktop Linux distribution and
the 3rd most widely used home operating system behind Microsoft
Windows and Apple Mac OS.
Some of the reasons for the success of Linux Mint are:
-  It works out of the box, with full multimedia support and is extremely
easy to   use.
-  It's both free of cost and open source.
-  Based on Debian and Ubuntu, it provides about 30,000 packages and
one of the best software managers.

The MATE Desktop Environment is the continuation of GNOME 2.
It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using
traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.
MATE is under active development to add support for new technologies
while preserving a traditional desktop experience

Manjaro Fluxbox

My current desktop

Manjaro-Fluxbox aims to be light, fast and resource friendly, yet at the same time complete and ready to use for all typical everyday office- and multimedia-needs. The applications are easily accessible from the native right click menu with detachable submenus aswell as from the appealing docklike launcher wbar on the side or by easily configurable keyboard shortcuts.
Install media are available with both init systems Systemd or OpenRC.
Download here

Fluxbox is a windowmanager for X that was based on the Blackbox 0.61.1 code. It is very light on resources and easy to handle but yet full of features to make an easy, and extremely fast, desktop experience.

Fedora 22 & Mate

My current desktop

Fedora (formerly Fedora Core) is a Linux distribution developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and owned by Red Hat. Fedora contains software distributed under a free and open-source license and aims to be on the leading edge of such technologies. Fedora has a reputation for focusing on innovation, integrating new technologies early on and working closely with upstream Linux communities. The default desktop in Fedora is the GNOME desktop environment and the default interface is the GNOME Shell. Other desktop environments, including KDE, Xfce, LXDE, MATE and Cinnamon, are available.
https://getfedora.org/en/workstation/

Mate Desktop Environment
It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.

6 Features That Windows 10 Has Taken From Linux

Microsoft has announced its upcoming operating system Windows 10.

Six Windows 10 features inspired by Linux

Multiple desktops aka workspaces

 

While this feature is being introduced i Windows in 2015 with Windows 10, 

 in Linux this, perhaps, dates back to 1998 when Kde 1.0 was released.

All the major Linux desktop environment support multiple desktop feature.

Task view aka window spread

Windows 10 boasts of a feature called ‘task view’. Clicking on the task view button brings up an array of running apps.

Window spread feature was introduced with the new age desktop environments. Both Unity and GNOME have this feature. Pressing the super key (Windows key) lays out all the running applications in GNOME 3.

Desktop plus online search

Windows 10 will have improved search. Entering a search term in the field will result in either a file on the local machine, an installed application or application available in Windows Store or from the internet (to be opened in Internet Explorer).

Ubuntu has done the same with Unity Dash and lenses/scopes. When you search for something in Unity Dash, it provides you suggestion in local files, local applications, applications from Ubuntu Software Center, the infamous Amazon search results, along with other results categorized in various ‘lenses’. This includes search results from social networks, Wikipedia and You Tube.

Borderless windows and flat icons

This is very minor tweak but the windows in Windows 10 will be border-less and will have flat icons in Windows Explorer. This results in a cleaner look

If you remember well, borderless windows were among one of the new features introduced in Ubuntu 14.04.

 

Convergence of mobile and desktop OS

Microsoft has promised better convergence across mobile and desktop devices with Windows 10.

While there is not a single mobile device out yet, Ubuntu was first to foresee the need of convergence. It will be interesting to see how Ubuntu Unity performs on mobile devices when  Miezu will launch the first Ubuntu Phone later this year.

Windows 10 (finally) has a package manager

Windows 10 will be coming with a package manager of its own. That means you can install applications via command line in Power Shell. An image from HowTo Geek will give you a glimpse of it:

As you can seem using the command Install-Package Firefox, you can install Firefox in Windows. But as a Linux user, you know that package management is an integral part of a Linux OS. It has been in Linux since forever. One more Linux feature that inspired Windows 10.

This article is actually inspired by a post I saw on itsfoss.com

Open_Suse

Open_Suse  Tumbleweed Kde Plasma
The Tumbleweed distribution is a pure rolling release version of openSUSE containing the latest stable versions of all software instead of relying on rigid periodic release cycles.
The project does this for users that want the newest, but stable software.
https://en.opensuse.org/Main_Page

Plasma Desktop
 If you are looking for a familiar working environment, Plasma Desktop offers all the tools required for a modern desktop computing experience so you can be productive right from
the start.
Plasma Desktop offers a beautiful looking desktop that takes complete advantage of modern computing technology. Through the use of visual effects and scalable graphics, the desktop experience is not only smooth but also pleasant to the eye. The looks of Plasma Desktop not only provide beauty, they are also used to support and improve your computer activities effectively, without being distracting.

Arch_Linux

Arch_Linux Openbox
Openbox is a highly configurable window manager.
It allows you to change almost every aspect of how you interact with your desktop and invent completely new ways to use and control it.
It can be like a video game for controlling windows.
But Openbox can also be kept extremely simple, as it is in the default setup, meaning that it can suit just about anybody.
Openbox gives you control without making you do everything.