Friday, March 30, 2012

Mega Millions Lottery Uses Linux


Are you ready for the world breaking $640 MILLION DOLLAR Mega Millions lottery tonight across America? The work horses of today and this past week calculating numbers and printing everyones lottery tickets are linux based systems. Check out the machines in New York...



So are you going to buy a ticket? Head over to the official website to check past winning numbers and to find a local spot to buy tickets. Only about 4 hours left until the drawing! We wish you good luck!

Ubuntu 12.04 Countdown Banners Selected

Three highly professional looking countdown banners have been selected for the Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin cycle. Follow the instructions in the link to learn how to easily install a banner on your website...


The next version of Ubuntu is coming soon 
 
The next version of Ubuntu is coming soon 
 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Humble Bundle For Android 2 Ending Soon


We just wanted to let you know the Humble Bundle for Android 2 is ending in just over 3 days from now. PAY WHATEVER YOU WANT. This is a great pack. The Cogs game alone is worth whatever coins you have laying around in your Paypal account. Seriously. Avadon looks like a great Diablo style RPG, Zen Bound 2 looks challenging and Snuggle Truck will definitely keep you or your kid occupied!

The Humble Bundle is back to bring you five incredible games never-before-seen on Android devices! Introducing another cross-platform showcase: The Humble Bundle for Android #2! (And Windows, Mac, and Linux!)
Pay whatever you want to get four amazing games, each making their Android debut in this Humble Bundle promotion: Zen Bound 2, Avadon: The Black Fortress (Android version is tablet-only), Canabalt, and Cogs! Customers who pay more than the average will also receive Swords & Soldiers, a vibrant side-scrolling strategy game, now available on Android and Linux!
Each purchase gets you instant access to Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android versions of the games, as well as soundtracks if available! The games are DRM-free, and you can redeem most of them on Steam. (Canabalt is not currently available on Steam.) You can donate a portion of your purchase to excellent non-profits: the Child's Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin Beta 2 Released


Development Update

The Precise Pangolin Beta 2 is set to be released on Thursday, the 29th, If you feel comfortable testing beta releases, get the latest daily build and keep it updated. Don’t forget to report any bugs you find!
From now on it’s only one month until the release of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Here’s the run-down of what is going to happen in the following weeks:
You know what this means: get your testing cap on or get ready to fix some last minute bugs.

Letting developers speak for themselves

Events

LibreOffice HackFest on April 14/15, 2012

Release Parties

And just a reminder to watch Ubuntu LoCo Directory for a Ubuntu 12.04 Release Party near you coming next month.

Things which need to get done

If you want to get involved in packaging and bug fixing, there’s still a lot of bugs that need to get fixed:
  • Also did John Lea from the Ubuntu Design team talk to us and mentioned that there are bugs up for grabs, where the design has been decided on and the implementation might need YOUR help. If you want to help improve Ubuntu’s UI, have a look at these!

First timers!

Adam Gandelman got upload rights for Ubuntu Server! Congratulations!
On their way to become Ubuntu developers, we had three folks who got their first uploads into Ubuntu. We have Vibhav Pant, who fixed bugs in gthumb, mercurial and kupfer. Also Vibhav synced ebook-speaker, jinput and calendarserver from Debian. Next up is Pasi Lallinaho who got a new version of xubuntu-artwork in. Charles Kerr got new versions of libappindicator, indicator-session, indicator-power and indicator-datetime into Ubuntu. Well done everyone!

Get Involved

  1. Read the Introduction to Ubuntu Development. It’s a short article which will help you understand how Ubuntu is put together, how the infrastructure is used and how we interact with other projects.
  2. Follow the instructions in the Getting Set Up article. A few simple commands, a registration at Launchpad and you should have all the tools you need, and you’re ready to go.
  3. Check out our instructions for how to fix a bug in Ubuntu, they come with small examples that make it easier to visualise what exactly you need to do.

Find something to work on

Pick a bitesize bug. These are the bugs we think should be easy to fix. Another option is to help out in one of our initiatives.
In addition to that there are loads more opportunities over at Harvest.

Getting in touch

There are many different ways to contact Ubuntu developers and get your questions answered.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Bacillus Game for Linux


A mighty young and ambidextrous amphibious ambitious 23 year old named John Halter from California is developing a game representing microbial life.

In Bacillus, you control a population of bacteria. Your goal : Survive.This game looks pretty wild and offers some key features:
  • A large open world to explore with 20+ unique micro-environments and hidden features
  • A wide variety of upgrades to customize your bacteria
  • A bunch of different nutrients to eat and custom design your metabolism with
  • Play against hundreds of different species of bacteria - each uniquely evolved for your game
  • Evolution! The game evolves as you play. Every species in the game has a genome which realistically changes over time.
  • A unique ecosystem forms each time you play based on the evolutionary history generated when you start the game.
  • Genetics! Each bacteria in the game has its own genome for which its traits are based on.
  • A changing world with events to change how you play, and seasonal/daily/monthly/yearly effects.
  • Play with your friends to survive with multi-player support.
  • Linux, PC & Mac support.
If interested go ahead and help fund this game and  help this young dev turn this into a success story!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/534715294/bacillus


Sunday, March 25, 2012

Wasteland 2 Coming Soon

 
Wasteland 2 is the direct sequel to the first ever post-apocalyptic computer RPG.

The original Wasteland was the inspiration for the FALLOUT series of games, and the first RPG to allow players to split parties for tactical considerations, to face players with moral choices, and to make them deal with the consequences of their actions. It was the first to provide far more than the one-key-for-one-lock style of puzzle solving. It was groundbreaking, which is why IGN named it one of the top 25 PC games of all time, Computer Gaming World named it the Adventure Game of the year in 1988, and it was short-listed for inclusion in the Smithsonian Institution’s current “Art of the Computer Game” exhibition.

Wasteland was set in a dangerous, post-apocalyptic world in the American Southwest. Over the course of adventures rangers would receive promotions, acquire new skills and equipment, then face new challenges with outcomes that changed depending on the strategy used to defeat them. The game featured a strong storyline which required painful decisions by players; and a storyline that allowed for maximum re-playability. Wasteland 2, with your participation and insights, will recapture all that and provide more.  It'll finally be the game worthy to be a Wasteland sequel, as challenging and rewarding as the original, with all added capacity and dazzle of games today.

For Wasteland 2, we’re getting the band back together again!. Brian Fargo who Executive Produced both Wasteland and Fallout will be heading the team. Alan Pavlish and Mike Stackpole—the original game’s primary designers—are coming back to put the project together, and we’re rounding up as many of the other designers, like Ken St. Andre, as we can. On top of that, we’ll have music by Mark Morgan of Fallout 1 and 2 fame. The storyline for Wasteland 2 was written by Jason Anderson who was the co-creator of Fallout. We have also enlisted the help of the amazing concept artist, Andree Wallin to help craft the Wasteland 2 world.

As major fans of the first Wasteland and fighting my brother over who got computer time, I for one am super excited to see this back in the news. The lead producer of the new Wasteland 2 is none other than Brian Fargo who founded the computer game company Interplay know for other releases (that I was fond of) like Baldurs Gate and the Bards Tale series.


Are you as excited as I am? You can help fund the project and with a $15 donation, assure yourself a DRM free copy of the game here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2

and dont forget to watch the video too...


The Banner Saga Game


There is a great Viking inspired game being developed called The Banner Saga. It will be DRM free and with your direct input you can help make sure this is released for linux operating systems (like Ubuntu) as well.

The Banner Saga is a role-playing game merged with turn-based strategy, wrapped into an adventure mini-series about vikings.

Travel through stunning landscapes straight out of an animated film. Battle painstakingly hand-animated foes in strategic, turn-based combat harkening back to the classic "Tactics" days of gaming. Make decisions with consequences in conversations with people you'll truly care about.

And throughout the whole thing record the history of your people on your banner where it will be remembered, because soon there might not be anything left.

The Banner Saga is a mature game aimed at gamers who appreciate art, story and strategy.

DID WE MENTION ONLINE MULTIPLAYER?

You can learn more about the game and even donate here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stoic/the-banner-saga


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Ubuntu at McDonalds


 Have you ever seen Ubuntu in a public place before? The photo above was taken inside of a McDonalds in Australia that apparently had wi-fi problems!

Ive seen several linux distros in  the Los Angeles area already. Burlington Coat Factory runs Redhat, Lowes Hardware runs what looks like Knoppix and Ive seen Linux Mint on a few kids computers while shopping at the mall.

The photo below shows one of those gasoline advertisements booting up GRUB...


Ubuntu 12.04 Wallpapers Selected


The wallpapers for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin have been selected! The 15 selected designs are now available for download here:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-wallpapers/+bug/933562/+attachment/2918127/+files/Pangolin%20Wallpapers%20v1.1.zip

There are some great shots in this new batch and a few I could do without. There will be some changes with the future Ubuntu wallpaper selection process such as extending the process length so people new to Ubuntu can get their designs in as well as the possibility of limiting the number of entries per person. "Many people submitted way more images than is sensible. We have a very detailed photo diary of someone’s holiday, for example, and that’s not what choosing wallpapers is all about."

Which ones are your favorites? Im a fan of any green landscape scene and the "Forbidden City" wallpaper in this release is exceptional.

Hook Ubuntu Computer to TV


The quickest and easiest way to hook your Ubuntu computer to a TV is by following the simple steps here:

http://hookpctotv.com/

A few clicks of the mouse... desktop or laptop, old tv or new tv, cable type and it recommends what is needed to get your computer onto your larger tv screen. Perfect for playing computer games, watching Youtube videos, internet movies, or whatever you would like.

As seen ther photo below, I hooked up a little Acer AspireOne netbook to our bedroom TV. The Ubuntu picture on TV is very clean and crisp. I watched a documentary on Youtube the other night. Much better than being huddled over a computer screen.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Top 10 Ubuntu Apps for February 2012


These were last month’s most downloaded free and paid apps in from the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Top 10 paid apps

1. Oil Rush

Oil Rush is a real-time naval strategy game based on group control. It combines the strategic challenge of a classical RTS with the sheer fun of Tower Defence. Fight the naval war between furious armies across the boundless waters of the post-apocalyptic world.

2. Fluendo DVD Player

Fluendo DVD Player is a software application specially designed to reproduce DVD on Linux/Unix platforms, which provides end users with high quality standards.

3. CoreBreach

CoreBreach is an anti-gravity racing game with combat-based gameplay. Its unique graphic style, with a cell-shaded look, sets up a very futuristic atmosphere with a wide range of choices for ships, race tracks and powerful weapons.

4. Braid

Braid is a platform game in painterly style where you manipulate the flow of time to solve puzzles. Every puzzle in Braid is unique; there is no filler. Braid treats your time and attention as precious, and it does everything it can to give you a mind-expanding experience.

5. And Yet It Moves

And Yet It Moves is an award-winning physics-based platform game in which you rotate the game world at will to solve challenging puzzles. Navigate through a paper collage world created with colorful pieces of cardboard and set to distinctive music. With three different environments and multiple game modes, And Yet It Moves is a platformer that will provide you with endless challenges.

6. Fluendo Complete Playback Pack

Plug-ins which allow you to play certain proprietary audio and video formats. These plug-ins are not included in the default Ubuntu distribution because they are not free software.

7. Uplink

You play an Uplink Agent who makes a living by performing jobs for major corporations. Your tasks involve hacking into rival computer systems, stealing research data, sabotaging other companies, laundering money, erasing evidence, or framing innocent people. You use the money you earn to upgrade your computer systems, and to buy new software and tools. As your experience level increases you find more dangerous and profitable missions become available.

8. World of Goo

Drag and drop living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues. The millions of innocent goo balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore. But they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. The most addicting and awe-inspiring puzzle game will set you on an adventure that you’ll never forget!

9. Steel Storm: Burning Retribution

Steel Storm: Burning Retribution marks the return of top-down shooters with new twists. The game has score oriented competitive gameplay, and is designed for people who like fast paced action, hordes of smart enemies, destructible worlds and ground shaking explosions.

10. TRAUMA

TRAUMA is a game that tells a story of a young woman who survives a car accident. Recovering at the hospital, she has dreams that shed light on different aspects of her identity – such as the way she deals with the loss of her parents. TRAUMA lets you experience those dreams in an interactive way, reminiscent of Point-and-Click Adventure Games.

Top 10 free apps

1. Ryzom

Ryzom, one of the best role playing Massively Multiplayer Online Game of the moment (MMORPG), is set more than 2000 years in the future, on a living, evolving world: beautiful Atys!

2. CoreBreach Demo

CoreBreach is an anti-gravity racing game with combat-based gameplay. Its unique graphic style, with a cell-shaded look, sets up a very futuristic atmosphere with a wide range of choices for ships, race tracks and powerful weapons.

3. Crossover Games

Play Windows games like World of Warcraft on Ubuntu! CrossOver Games (Ubuntu Edition) makes it possible to play Windows games such as World of Warcraft and many others. CrossOver Games is built on the latest versions of Wine, based on contributions from both CodeWeavers and the open-source Wine community. CrossOver Games aims to bring you the latest, greatest, bleeding edge improvements in Wine technology.

4. Full Circle Magazine

Full Circle is a free, independent, monthly magazine dedicated to the Ubuntu family of Linux operating systems. Each month, it contains helpful how-to articles and reader submitted stories. Full Circle also features a companion podcast, the Full Circle Podcast, which covers the magazine along with other news of interest.

5. Marble Arena 2

Free, physics based, 3D marble game, featuring vibrant HD graphics, fun and addictive star zapping gameplay, and an easy to use built-in editor for creating custom levels.

6. TreeSheets

The ultimate replacement for spreadsheets, mind mappers, outliners, PIMs, text editors and small databases. Suitable for any kind of data organization, such as Todo lists, calendars, project management, brainstorming, organizing ideas, planning, requirements gathering, presentation of information, etc.

7. Vendetta Online

Vendetta Online is a 3D space combat MMORPG. This MMO permits thousands of players to interact as the pilots of spaceships in a vast universe. Users may build their characters in any direction they desire, becoming rich captains of industry, military heroes, or outlaws.

8. CrossOver Pro (Trial)

CrossOver Linux allows you to install many popular Windows productivity applications, plugins and games in Linux. You can think of it as an emulator, but it’s different, because there’s no Windows OS license required. Your applications integrate seamlessly with your GNOME or KDE environment. It’s like running Windows on your Linux machine, but without Windows.

9. Tribal Trouble 2

Tribal Trouble 2 is a browser-based RTS game that takes place in the zany age of the Vikings. You are the Chief of a Viking tribe and are responsible for making a name for yourself by conquest and skill.

10. WireframeSketcher Studio (Trial)

WireframeSketcher is a software tool that helps product managers, designers and developers quickly create wireframes, mockups and prototypes for desktop, web and mobile applications. It’s standalone software and a plug-in for any Eclipse IDE.
Notes:
  • The lists of top 10 app downloads includes only those applications submitted through My Apps on the Ubuntu App Developer Site. For more information about of usage of other applications in the Ubuntu archive, check out the Ubuntu Popularity Contest statistics.
  • The top 10 free apps list contains gratis applications that are distributed under different types of licence, some of which might not be open source. For detailed licence information, please check each application’s description in the Ubuntu Software Centre.