Reviewing 2014, Penguin Porn, and Dropping Distros
Today in Linux news are several reviews of the events of 2014. Elsewhere Linux.conf.au lost its hashtag to an adult entertainment awards and another Linux security flaw is making the news rounds. KDE 3-clone Trinity desktop saw a new release and Bruce Byfield asks why the number of Linux distributions are declining.
The most interesting story today comes from Bruce Byfield saying, "The number of Linux distributions is declining. However, exactly why the decline is taking place and how much it matters remains unclear." He takes a stab at explaining it though beginning with the decline in Linux usage as a hobby. Less folks are downloading, installing, and hacking (probably lost to the smartphone craze). Most of those that do are aging and just don't have the time to hack due to work and family. Byfield also thinks that because most distros are so similar to each other these days perhaps folks are sticking to the most popular and independents are losing heart. Byfield isn't sure this trend is anything to worry about but suggests keeping an eye on it.
More folks are looking back at the year that was beginning with opensource.com's top 10 Open Source projects. Docker tops the list because everyone has been talking of it, it even made mention in one of mine once. Of course OpenStack made the cut too as well as OwnCloud and Hadoop. Even CMS favorite Drupal earned a mention.
ComputerWorld.com is running a "year in quotes" and two touch our community. They quote Jim Zemlin from the Linux Foundation on the success of Linux saying, "It is a frothy, hot market." IDG writer Nancy Weil also included "Theo de Raadt, founder of the OpenBSD project, on the waning enthusiasm for critical open-source projects in the aftermath of the Heartbleed flaw."
Linux Voice is asking what were visitors' top highlight of the year and most naturally said the launch of Linux Voice. Behind that were the systemd issue with resulting Debian fork, the commenter's favorite app or distro release, and Heartbleed.
Not Linux related, but Google said their top searches in 2014 included Robin Williams and associated topics like "depression," The World Cup, and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols looks at the declining use of the GPL in 2014 and Zacks.com asks if Red Hat can keep up their winning steak through 2015.
Another day, another security scare, this time it's the Grinch that tried to steal our Linux Christmas. Several outlets are carrying the news that Linux servers are yet again in peril and are urging admins who are dumb enough to allow sudo on their critical servers to eradicate it.
In other news:
* Penguin porn? NO! Linux folk in #LCA2015 standoff
* Trinity Desktop Environment R14.0.0 Released!
* 6 Ideal Last Minute Linux Xmas Gift Ideas
* FBI Used the Web’s Favorite Hacking Tool to Unmask Tor Users