FFmpeg is the leading multimedia framework able to decode, encode, transcode, mux, demux, stream, filter, and play pretty much any media that humans and machines have created.

When it comes to selecting the best Linux desktop experience, there are a number of different factors to consider. In this article, I'll explore 10 Linux distributions that I personally believe are the best all around desktop options.

I'll segment each off for newbies or advanced users, customization vs. pre-configured, along with how each performs on standard PC hardware commonly used in most homes.

When it comes to Free Software projects, there’s a profound, deep misunderstanding about who does what and how it’s being done. Using the now overused quote, developers write a code “because they have an itch to scratch”, means that there can be twenty different motivations to contribute to Free Software. No one needs to explain or justify his or her contribution. In the real world, one of the most common motivation is money, be it in the form of a salary, a fee, or a transaction involving the developers to fix whatever bug or develop a new feature. Most of the FOSS projects I know -excluding Firefox- do not pay developers directly for fixing bugs except in very specific circumstances and by definition not on a regular basis. The LibreOffice project is no different. The Document Foundation serves the LibreOffice project by financing its infrastructure, protecting its assets and improving LibreOffice in almost every way except paying for development on a regular basis. What this means, in other terms, is that the Document Foundation does not provide support; nor does it provide service to customers. In this sense, it is not a software vendor like Microsoft or Adobe. This is also one of the reasons why there is no “LTS” version of LibreOffice; because the Document Foundation will not provide a more or less mythical “bug-free version” of LibreOffice without ensuring the developers get paid for this. The healthiest way to do this is to grow an ecosystem of developers and service providers who are certified by the Document Foundation and are able to provide professionals with support, development, training and assistance.

Security is a top priority for Google. We've invested a lot in making our products secure, including strong SSL encryption by default for Search, Gmail and Drive, as well as encrypting data moving between our data centers. Beyond securing our own products, interested Googlers also spend some of their time on research that makes the Internet safer, leading to the discovery of bugs like Heartbleed.

The success of that part-time research has led us to create a new, well-staffed team called Project Zero.

Plasma 5.0
Plasma 5.0
July 15, 2014. KDE proudly announces the immediate availability of Plasma 5.0, providing a visually updated core desktop experience that is easy to use and familiar to the user. Plasma 5.0 introduces a new major version of KDE's workspace offering. The new Breeze artwork concept introduces cleaner visuals and improved readability. Central work-flows have been streamlined, while well-known overarching interaction patterns are left intact. Plasma 5.0 improves support for high-DPI displays and ships a converged shell, able to switch between user experiences for different target devices. Changes under the hood include the migration to a new, fully hardware-accelerated graphics stack centered around an OpenGL(ES) scenegraph. Plasma is built using Qt 5 and Frameworks 5.

The first release candidate to OpenWRT "Barrier Breaker" 14.07 is now available with a large number of changes to this popular embedded Linux distribution primarily for routers and other network devices.

Among the highlights for OpenWRT 14.07 RC1 "Barrier Breaker" is an update against the Linux 3.10 kernel, a new preinit/init/hot-plug/event system (their own Procd custom creation), native IPv6 support, file-system improvements, configuration improvements, numerous networking enhancements, initial support for the Musl C standard library, support for DNSSEC validation, and a wide assortment of other improvements for this embedded Linux platform.

It's been quite a while since the previous driver release by AMD for the Linux platform and it looks like the company still isn't ready to promote a stable version. This means that the Linux users will have to contend with yet another Beta. At least it comes with a few fixes.

Back in May, I wrote about my less-than-happy experience in putting in a Freedom of Information request to the UK Cabinet Office on the subject of ODF formats: I am writing in connection with Francis Maude's speech on 29 January 2014 in which he announced that the UK government would be adopting ODF as one of its preferred formats. I would be grateful if you could please supply me with the following information: What meetings, telephone or email exchanges were held with representatives of Microsoft or the Business Software Alliance at any time during the last six months that discussed document formats and/or the UK government's new policy on open document formats.

However, it's still believed to be Android at play here that has been tweaked enough to offer an iOS like UI, claims 9to5Mac.

The restructuring may end up being the biggest in Microsoft history, topping the 5,800 jobs cut in 2009, two of the people said. Some details are still being worked out, two of the people said.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) needs to be convinced that Net Neutrality is worth saving.

The agency has asked members of the public, along with industry leaders and entrepreneurs, to tell it why Internet Service Providers should be banned from traffic discrimination. This comment window is one of the best opportunities we've had to make an impact. Comments are due July 15, 2014. Submit your statement in support of Net Neutrality right away using the Electronic Frontier Foundation's free software commenting tool.

Net neutrality, the principle that all traffic on the Internet should be treated equally, should be a basic right for Internet users. It's also crucial for free software's continued growth and success.

"The ousting of Eich, the DRM problem -- all those imbroglios have tarnished the image of Firefox," said Google+ blogger Alessandrom Ebersol. So, on one side, "agnostic users left Firefox because they were told its new CEO was a conservative bigot. The folks who care about freedom, privacy and open Internet left Firefox because of the DRM module to play Netflix.

In today's Linux news, Matt Hartley looks at 10 Linux distributions he likes and recommends. Arstechnica.com says DOS still matters and speaks with those still working on FreeDOS. Chin Wong rediscovers Opera and Jim Whitehurst discusses Red Hat. Raspberry Pi introduces a new board and Darksiders is rumored to heading to Linux. This and more awaits inside.

You would think that, in 2014, implementing a code of conduct for conferences or conventions would not be a controversial topic. sadly, you'd also be mistaken. there are various contrarian positions about implementing anti-harassment policies; most, if not all of those positions are wrong.

The second Alpha version of Scientific Linux 7.0, a recompiled Red Hat Enterprise Linux put together by various labs and universities around the world, is now available for download and testing.

The developers of Scientific Linux 7.0 have moved very fast and, just a week after the first Release Candidate, a new development release has been made available. Given the short development period since the first Alpha, it's actually surprising that the devs managed to get all those changes and improvements in.

“Fermilab's intention is to continue the development and support of Scientific Linux and refine its focus as an operating system for scientific computing. Today we are announcing an alpha release of Scientific Linux 7. We continue to develop a stable process for generating and distributing Scientific Linux, with the intent that Scientific Linux remains the same high quality operating system the community has come to expect.”

4MLinux Allinone Edition 9.1 Beta, a Linux distro focusing on the Maintenance (system rescue Live CD), Multimedia (e.g. playing video DVDs), Miniserver (using the inetd daemon), and Mystery (Linux games) 4M editions, is now available for download and testing.

IriTech has launched an Indiegogo project for an Android-based “Fidelys” smartwatch with iris recognition technology and a rotating-clicking bezel for I/O.

The main draw of the Fidelys is its “military grade” iris recognition technology, which avoids the need for vulnerable, inconvenient, hard to remember passwords, says IriTech. By visually verifying one’s iris, the technology can lock/unlock the Fidelys device itself, as well as encrypt/decrypt files and data, and control the launch of applications on Bluetooth connected mobile devices. It would also appear the Fidelys can talk directly to other smart devices such as door locks and various authentication devices.