Summary: News about desktop environments and frameworks for GNU/Linux

GNOME

• Upcoming Features of GNOME 3.12

  We are getting closer to the first Beta release of the upcoming GNOME 3.12 desktop environment, so I thought that it would be a very good idea to drop here some of the major features that will be implemented in this release of GNOME.
  
  Therefore, GNOME 3.12 will be the first release to fully support the modern Wayland display server, as well as the first release with a fully working version of the GNOME Software app that was introduced in GNOME 3.10 as a preview.





• This Is the Default Wallpaper of the GNOME 3.12 Linux Desktop

  The GNOME Project has released a new milestone version of the package that contains the default icon theme and wallpapers for the upcoming and highly anticipated GNOME 3.12 desktop environment.





• GNOME 3.11.5 Released with Updated Apps and Many Bugfixes

  The GNOME Project, through Matthias Clasen, has announced that the fifth milestone of the upcoming and highly anticipated GNOME 3.12 desktop environment is now available for testing, featuring many updated applications, bugfixes, and updated translations.

KDE

• KDE Frameworks 5 enters Alpha stage

  KDE Frameworks 5 entered alpha stage on 14th this month. The Frameworks 5 is the foundation for the next generation KDE interface. The tech preview of Frameworks 5 was released a month back. The next alpha is scheduled to be released on March 1st.





• KDE Frameworks 5 Alpha Is Out

  Today KDE released the first alpha of Frameworks 5, part of a series of releases leading up to the final version planned for June 2014. This release includes progress since the Frameworks 5 Tech Preview in the beginning of this year.





• Qt on Android London and Berlin Dates fixed – Sign up now!





• Videos from Qt DevDays 2013 – Berlin

  You can also access the program here, with links to the awesome set of slides used during the presentations at DevDays 2013.





• What future holds for KDE’s Nepomuk?

  A recent post by Phoronix predicted that Nepomuk would stop being supported and be obsolete by this year. The article claimed, “It appears there isn’t much of a future left to KDE‘s Nepomuk framework that was developed at a cost of 17 million Euros… It’s going to be replaced going forward in the KDE land.”





• Kubuntu 14.04 Alpha 2 Released with Improved USB Creator

  The Kubuntu 14.04 Alpha 2 release introduces KDE Applications 4.12.1, an improved version of the buggy USB Creator application, Mozilla Firefox 25, on-demand installation for Gwenview’s plugins, and automatic crash reporting.





• No Licence Needed for Kubuntu Derivative Distributions





• No License Needed For Kubuntu Derivatives

  After it came out some months ago that Canonical was trying to charge Linux Mint for its usage of Ubuntu as a base for the Linux distribution, the lead Kubuntu developer has made it clear that anyone is free to base off their KDE-focused Ubuntu distribution without fear of being charged.





• KDE Tops Desktop Poll

  According to the results of our FOSS Force Desktop Poll, our readers prefer KDE over any other desktop environment by a wide margin. In fact, all other desktops were practically left at the gate.
  
  The poll accompanied Ken Starks’ article Those Krazy Kids & KDE, which talked about the preference his Reglue kids express for the KDE desktop. Because Starks’ article focused on KDE, GNOME 3 and Cinnamon, we focused our poll on those same three desktops. However, we included an “Other” category, under which another desktop could be entered. The poll asked the question, “Which desktop environment do you prefer?”

Hawaii

• Hawaii Is Looking Great As A Wayland Desktop

  The Enlightenment Wayland Compositor wasn't the only Wayland desktop project seeing attention at FOSDEM earlier this month, but the Qt5-based Hawaii desktop also received some stage time.

Enlightenment

• Enlightenment 1.9 Alpha Pre-Release Surfaces





• Enlightenment 1.9.0-alpha1 Pre-release: MYSTERY RELEASE 2K14

  It's that time again! Stefan is off this week testing mountain robustness, so I've been pressed into service as the temporary pre-release release manager for this pre-release release.