Greetings from Vermont! In this NixMashup we read about the Mac-ification of the Linux Desktop. Better Java. TED Folk on the next 30 years. Java skills win in Dice search results. A Gimp Tutorial. Linux Rises in the East. What 2164 Java Developers Are Doing in 2014.
Very interesting Linux.com article describing the efforts of certain Linux Distributions to duplicate the look and feel of OS X, or “the Mac-ifying of the Linux Desktop.” The recommendation is that rather than merely copy Apple, Linux distributors should focus on what the Linux ecosystem is best for: innovation. This is especially good advice when considering Apple’s litigious history.
An excellent summary of libraries, practices, and tools to make using Java a better, more productive experience. The guide’s author is Sean Cassidy who plans to continue updating it on GitHub.
A list of 26 Futurist Types describe what will blow their minds in the next 30 years in this ideas.ted.com article. Nothing much inspiring here as these types of articles go, but it’s important to read what smart people think may happen in the world.
Number One Skills Request By a Large Margin: Java/J2EE
First Quarter review of Dice Job searches showed that the number one skill sought is Java, and that Senior Developers ran the table. Interestingly PHP was 20th (would have thought it to be higher) and mobile platform development skills were ranked lower than web development skills.
Today’s Gimp Tutorial: a Book Cover
I always like a good Gimp tutorial, and here we walk through the process of creating a layered image using soft-erase brushed edging.
Spotify released an upgrade to their Linux Desktop app this week and I think it’s excellent. Happy to see services like Spotify recognizing Linux, and I’m happy to be a paying customer while they do.
In further evidence that Windows dominance is on the wane, China bans Windows 8 from all government computers. Instead it will continue to focus on its own Ubuntu Kylin OS based on Linux.
What 2164 Java Developers Are Doing in 2014
The complete RebelLabs Java Survey has been released as a Slideshare with some very interesting statistics on tools, IDEs, type of projects they’re working on, platform and OS, and what they would rather be doing.
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Today’s Vermont Photo is provided by Alan Levine, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.