A new collaborative robotics project is ripping the idea of autonomous assistance for the disabled out from the land of science-fiction and planting it firmly in the real world - and all using the power of Open Source.
The design overhaul of the Ubuntu Software Centre many had hoped would land in Ubuntu 11.10 is seeming less likely.
Dark Toolbars and a new panel gradient are amongst the 'work in progress' changes to Ubuntu's default theme for Ubuntu 11.10.
As the momentum behind Google+ continues to gather pace its users are longing for desktop integration. To help tide us over until Google release some proper Google+ tools for developers to play with reader Tom LeJeune has added 'drag n' drop' Picasa image uploading to the Google+ Unity Quicklist we shared a few days back. If it sounds like something you'd use, here's how...
Neverputt is a 3D miniature golf game for 1-4 players. You are in the first-person hot-seat and must control the direction and velocity of the ball in order to be successful. Whether you'd like to just relax and play a little putt-putt in peace, or challenge yourself with a bizarre combination of holes, Neverputt will not disappoint. It ships with seven different courses by default, ranging from easy to insanely difficult.
Half the battle of wanting to contribute to open source is knowing where to start. I remember when I first started contributing to Ubuntu I found it difficult to discover a project to contribute to, especially since I'm not a developer. The Ubuntu community are aware of this, and as such, they've brainstormed a new event that's happening right now.
If you're old enough (and might I say cool enough) to remember the original Commodore 64 home computer then prick your ears up: not only is it back, but it's back running Ubuntu.
Last week was Ubuntu Developer Week, one week full of tutorials, workshops and presentations with the intention of explaining better what's going on in the world of Ubuntu development, to ask, learn, get to know and enjoy. These weeks are always over much too quickly, but the good news is, 1) we have logs of all the sessions, their questions and answers (links below) and 2) there's going to be another one next cycle! This post got a bit longer, so grab a coffee, sit back and check out what happened last week. (Links go to the logs of the session in question.)
The 'Me Menu' will no longer be installed by default in Ubuntu 11.10. In its place comes a rejigged Messaging Menu.
It's not often that a laptop fills a particular purpose gracefully, and Samsung's first laptop running Google's new Chrome OS does a pretty good job. However before you read on, you should first set your expectations. Laptops running Chrome OS, or Chromebooks as they've come to be known, aren't designed to replace your main laptop or desktop computer. They're not targeted at people who want to do everything and anything with a personal computer. They're specifically designed for certain tasks, and they handle these very well, but sometimes you'll be left wondering why obvious features are missing.
Linux users can get their paws on physic-based platform game BEEP ahead of its launch in the Ubuntu Software Centre through Gameolith.com - a new online store for games on Linux.
A new episode of Daniel Siegel's awesome 'new developer friendly' series 'GNOME Screencasts' is available to watch online.