What Linux needs to make it a better mobile desktop

I have a bit of a confession to make. Although Linux is my operating system of choice on the desktop, I tend to skip over my open source-powered laptop in favor of either a MacBook Pro or Chromebook when I'm working beyond my desk. I know...blasphemy, right? I've reached a point in my career and life where I need the tools to be able to get my jobs done as efficiently as possible and without frustration or headache. To be absolutely fair, primary reasons why I overlook my one Linux laptop are because it's too big and the keyboard is absolutely terrible. Given I am a writer by profession, a bad keyboard can be a deal-breaker. Once again, in favor of honesty, the 2016 MacBook Pro keyboard isn't much better. The "butterfly" keys are loud and way too prone to sticking. My 2015 Pixel was, at one point, an absolute dream machine, but the battery life is waning, and sometimes ChromeOS can be a bit flaky with the trackpad.

Linux and open-source jobs are hotter than ever

The Linux Foundation and , the leading online course company, released the 2020 Open Source Jobs Report on October 26. Once again, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for open-source technology skills is growing. 37% of hiring managers say they will hire more IT professionals in the next six months. Specifically, 81% of hiring managers say hiring open source talent is a priority going forward. 56% of hiring managers plan to increase their hiring of open source pros in the next six months Why? The answer to that is simple. As a recent Red Hat survey found, 86% of IT leaders said the most innovative companies are using open-source software, citing higher quality solutions, lower cost of ownership, improved security, and cloud-native capabilities as the top reasons for usage. So, even in these bad times, the demand for open-source savvy is higher than ever.

Vote for the Debian GNU/Linux 11 “Bullseye” Desktop Artwork Now

Opened to submissions since early August, the artwork proposals for Debian GNU/Linux 11 “Bullseye,” the next major release of the popular Debian GNU/Linux operating system, has reached its deadline last week on October 15th, and now the community can vote for the winner. Jonathan Carter announced today that it’s time for the Debian community to choose the desktop artwork to be used in Debian GNU/Linux 11 “Bullseye.” The review period for the final proposals starts today, October 26th, until November 9th, and winners will be unveiled in mid-November.

Games: AntiMicroX in Linux, GOG, Life of Delta, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin, Gravity Ace

• Map Your Gamepad Buttons With Keyboard, Mouse, or Macros/Scripts Using AntiMicroX in Linux - It's FOSS

  Gaming peripherals on Linux do not have a great reputation, but we do have some interesting open source tools that can make things easier for you. For instance, I’ve previously covered a tool Piper which lets you configure your gaming mouse. This time, let me introduce you to an exciting open source tool that lets you utilize your game pad by mapping it to your keyboard, mouse, scripts, or macros.

• GOG have put up their own spooky Halloween sale | GamingOnLinux

  If you weren't convinced by anything Humble Store are currently offering in their Halloween sale, take a look over on the DRM-free store GOG with their big Halloween sale now on. As usual, we've looked through to find some of the most interesting games that are supported on Linux and GOG to offer up a few suggestions to get you going.

• Explore post-apocalyptic Japan as a little robot finding a lost friend in Life of Delta | GamingOnLinux

  With an attention-grabbing art style, Life of Delta looks like it's going to be a very intriguing post-apocalyptic point and click adventure.

• 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a great classic kung-fu movie inspired beat 'em up out now | GamingOnLinux

  9 Monkeys of Shaolin gives us another wonderful beat 'em up with easy to use controls, thoroughly entertaining combat and some great visuals.

• Gravity Ace is an excellent take on classic twin-stick cave-flying and it feels awesome | GamingOnLinux

  Cave-flying is a genre that was big a very long time ago, now though not so much but Gravity Ace from John Watson entered Early Access recently and it's absolutely brilliant. The idea of cave flyers are that you're always fighting against gravity while you pilot some sort of spaceship. Developer John Watson took that basic idea with Gravity Ace, threw a load of code at Godot Engine and came out with an Early Access game that shows how timeless certain types of genres can be. Gravity Ace has you fly, fight, and manoeuvre through various tight levels with intense gravitational fields and cramped firefights and it looks awesome while doing so.