No Ubuntu Back Doors, Windows and Mac Migrations
Today in Linux news Microsoft's market share has dipped below 90% and Mac is disappearing from Linux conventions. Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth said in an interview today that security and encryption are a commitment of Ubuntu's. Jesse Smith reviewed the latest version of Ubuntu and OMG!Ubuntu! shared some glimpses of Ubuntu in the wild. Bryan Lunduke listed 12 "Linux geeks" all users should follow on social media and Sandra Gittlen highlighted six colleges that "immerse students in Open Source."
Mark Shuttleworth said in an interview with eWeek.com today, "We will never backdoor Ubuntu." He said, "We don't do encryption to hide things; we do encryption so we can choose what to share. We will never weaken encryption." Watch the full interview for more on Ubuntu development, in particular plans for Mir. Speaking of Ubuntu, another announcement coming out of the UOS is that the size limit of Ubuntu desktop image will be raised. Releases surpassed the limit a while back anyway, so they're making it official according to OMG!Ubuntu! The new limit is up from one gigabyte to two. OMG!Ubuntu! also posted of Ubuntu in the wild, April 2016 edition. And finally, one more Ubuntu note, Jesse Smith said today of 16.04, "Ubuntu 16.04 is a very nice release."
Microsoft may still be the king of the desktop, but they're losing market share. It was reported today that for the first time in history their number is below 90%, that's all versions combined. Mac was second with 3.96% and Linux pulled up the rear with 1.56%. For those wishing to switch, TecMint.com published a round-up of the "best" Linux alternatives to Windows 10.
Mac is losing some users too even if the evidence is more anecdotal. Attendees in the past often wrote of seeing Mac laptops all over Linux conferences. Bryan Lunduke said he saw it too. In an article on Network World, Lunduke said that's been changing lately. "This year something is different. The Apple logos are (mostly) gone from Linux conferences. It's a great feeling."
Sandra Gittlen wrote today that Open Source programming skills are still in high demand and, in fact, many companies are finding it difficult to fill their open positions. This is because most schools are still clinging to the old proprietary way, but at least six are not. Gittlen identified a handful of institutions that are "immersing students in the open-source community." These include Purdue University, Michigan Technological University, and New York Institute of Technology.
In other news:
* Highly social Linux nerds worth following