Top 10 Linux distros for developers in 2017

More popular versions of Linux such as Ubuntu focus on enhancing the user experience by automatically updating packages and providing flashy, resource-heavy GUIs.

While user-friendly distributions (distros) certainly have their place, in this guide, we've tried to get back to the glory days when developers would customise their Linux build. These Linux distros allow you to fine-tune your development environment so whether you're a veteran programmer or relative newcomer, you can get on with your coding. 

In short, whatever your programming preferences, you’ll find a distro to suit your needs in this top 10 roundup.

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Arch Linux offers a powerful level of customisation during setup, allowing you to download and install only the packages you need. While this is definitely not for newbies to coding, the fact you can install only a minimal number of programs on your machine using the Arch Build System and Arch User Repository, reduces the possibility of anything interfering with your coding.

This means, for instance, that you can install a barebones window manager like i3 to be certain your system will respond quickly when using your chosen text editor. If you run into difficulty, the Arch Linux Wiki offers a helpful installation guide.

• You can download Arch Linux here

Debian is one of the oldest Linux distros and is built with stability in mind. All programs included with Debian have to meet the Debian Free Software Guidelines. Packages are carefully selected and tested for inclusion in the 'Stable' branch of Debian meaning that while some may be dated, there's very little chance of system instability, making this OS ideal for programmers.

The Debian website has extensive manuals, including a chapter on programming talking you through the basics of creating a script, compiling it, and using Autoconf to allow your scripts to be compiled on other Linux distros.

• You can download Debian here

Raspbian is the default operating system which is included with the Raspberry Pi. As the Pi was designed as an educational tool, Raspbian is the perfect OS for those interested in getting started with coding.

The Raspberry Pi website has excellent guides on using the visual programming tool Scratch, which is used to create animations and games. There's also an excellent section on getting started with Python, which is supported out of the box.

Younger coders might prefer to learn to use the programming language for Minecraft Pi, a mini-version of the highly popular sandbox game.

• You can download Raspbian here

Named after the fast-swimming penguin, Gentoo is sometimes called a 'meta' distribution as users download and compile its source code manually according to their needs. This not only makes it a perfect match for the hardware requirements of your machine, but it allows you to decide exactly which versions of packages can be installed.

Gentoo suffered a minor setback a few years ago when its comprehensive Wiki went offline. Fortunately, it has since been restored. There's also a small diehard Gentoo following on Reddit if you need further help.

• You can download Gentoo here

Unlike barebones distros like Arch Linux and Gentoo, Ubuntu is designed to be ideal for beginners, complete with a desktop interface and automatic updates. 

Ubuntu is the chosen distro of the Android Open Source Project for building source files. The Android build is regularly tested using the most recent versions of Ubuntu. 

You can also install other development environments using Ubuntu Make.  

Ubuntu now supports the 'snaps' application packaging format, using the Snapcraft tool, which allows you to write apps in the programming language of your choice and package them with all the required dependencies. Visit the Ubuntu Developer portal here.

• You can download Ubuntu here

Fedora is a community supported derivative of the commercial distribution Red Hat Linux. It also enjoys the distinction of being the distro of choice of Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds.

Aside from being very easy to set up and install, Fedora has a dedicated Developer Portal. Simply click 'Start a Project' to see dedicated guides on developing web, command line, desktop and mobile apps. There's also an excellent section on working with hardware devices such as Arduino. 

If this wasn’t enough, Fedora also comes with DevAssistant, which automates the process of setting up your development environment and publishing your code with simple commands.

• You can download Fedora here

OpenSUSE (formerly SUSE Linux) is a distribution specifically designed for software developers and system administrators. Installation and system configuration is a breeze with the integrated YaST tool. This allows you to install all the '-devel' packages needed by developers with one click.

OpenSUSE comes preinstalled with all the basic tools a software developer needs, such as the Vim and Emacs text editors, build automation tools such as CMake and packaging tools like RPM. The operating system also comes with OBS (Open Build Service), a tool for developers to build software for various distros and platforms.

• You can download OpenSUSE here

Like Fedora, CentOS is a free, community-based variant of Red Hat (a commercial version of Linux). Many of the packages are the same and theoretically it's possible to build a version of CentOS which is functionally identical to Red Hat itself, although this is difficult to achieve in practice. 

This results in a highly stable system. The CentOS repository also contains the Developer Toolset, which boasts a range of essential programming tools. 

For developers, the Xen virtualisation platform offers a way to compartmentalise your projects and run applications safely inside a virtual machine. 

You can find instructions on how to do this and other developer tips in the excellent CentOS Wiki.

• You can download CentOS here

Solus is special in that it's one of the few Irish Linux distros, and also because it follows a curated rolling release model. The advantage of this is that once you've installed the OS, you can keep running updates rather than a major upgrade. Solus, however, tries to avoid installing extremely recent packages and beta software to maintain system stability.

Solus supports several editors and IDEs such as Atom, Idea and Gnome Builder, as well as the Git GUI, GitKraken. The Solus project website also claims that the OS supports a number of programming languages such as Go, Rust and PHP.

• You can download Solus here

Puppy Linux is an extremely lightweight distro based on either Ubuntu or Slackware. The entire OS is only around 220MB in size, meaning it can be run entirely in RAM as well as installed to an ordinary hard disk. It comes with a minimal number of packages, although you can add more, such as 'devx' which contains various development tools.

The Puppy Linux 'Wikka' details the programming languages supported by the OS. One notable language is BaCon, which can convert code written in BASIC to C.

The Wikka also has an extensive selection of tutorials on writing Bash scripts and getting started with Python.

• You can download Puppy Linux here

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LogMeIn acquires chatbot and AI startup Nanorep for up to $50M

 LogMeIn, the company that provides authentication and other connectivity solutions for those who connect remotely to networks and services, has made another acquisition to expand the products it offers to customers, specifically in its new Bold360 CRM platform, launched in June. The company has picked up Nanorep, a startup out of Israel that develops chatbots and other AI-based tools to… Read More http://ift.tt/2f4iVeo

The best free PDF to JPG converter 2017

PDFs are designed for easy access on any device running any operating system, but sometimes JPGs are more convenient. You might want to make some small changes without investing in a costly premium PDF editor, for example, or embed it within the body of a web page or email. 

A free PDF to JPG converter will make that task effortless – you just need to choose the right one.

There are online tools for the job, but they can only convert one document at a time, and can often only handle a single page. They're slow too, and you have to entrust your documents to a third party.

The ideal PDF to JPG converter should tackle as many documents as you like at once, and process them as quickly as your PC's hardware will allow. We've put the best free conversion tools to the test so you know which one will get the job done as quickly and easily as possible.

1. DocuFreezer

The best way to convert PDFs to JPG format – even very large batches

DocuFreezer is completely free for personal use, and it's the best free PDF to JPG converter you can download. Its interface is refreshingly clean and it can convert individual files or whole folders in a couple of clicks.

It might not support as many document formats as some other programs (there's no support for Word documents, for example), but DocuFreezer is superb for images and can convert files between JPG, PDF, PNG and TIFF formats in any direction. Just choose your preferred option from the Destination drop-down menu, then click the options button to the right for more detailed options. Here you can pick a colour profile for your JPGs (either JPG or full color) and output quality (from 50 to 100).

Once you’re happy, click 'Start' to process the files. DocuFreezer wasn’t the fastest tool in our test, but you can see its progress at the bottom left of the screen and pause the conversion midway through if necessary. PDFs are saved as one JPG per page.

Download here: DocuFreezer

2. Boxoft PDF to JPG Converter

Don't let its old school looks put you off – this is a brilliant free PDF to JPG converter that can tackle as many files as you need in a single batch

Most of Boxoft's programs are premium tools designed to make everyday office tasks easier, but PDF to JPG Converter is completely free.

It's not the most modern looking piece of software, but it’s very capable. Not only can Boxoft PDF to JPG converter turn batches of PDFs to JPG format, it can also automatically convert documents saved to a folder on a server. There’s even a command line interface available for advanced users.

Boxoft PDF to JPG converter also supports BMP, PNG and TIFF formats. Click the ‘Settings’ button and you’ll find a few JPG conversion options, including JPG or greyscale color profiles and an image quality slider (the higher the quality, the larger the file).

If you don’t already have GPL Ghostscript, you might be prompted to install it. If so, go through the process as prompted, then restart the converter.

Like the rest of the converters here, Boxoft can convert files selected individually, or whole directories. Just choose what to convert, hit the button and select an output destination. Files are processed quite quickly and each PDF page is saved as a separate image file.

Boxoft might not look glamorous, but it works brilliantly and there’s no limit on the number of pages you can convert for free.

Download here: Boxoft PDF to JPG Converter

3. PDFMate PDF Converter Free

A free PDF to JPG converter that's a little slow, but otherwise tricky to fault

PDFMate PDF Converter Free is another free tool that lets you process a whole directory full of documents at once.

Click Advanced Settings and you’ll find some image-specific options. Here you can choose whether the converted images are medium or high resolution, and whether you want to just extract any images from within the PDFs rather than convert them whole. Set ‘Image’ as the output format using the button at the bottom (although not explicitly stated, this is JPG) and choose an output folder. Once you’re done, click ‘Convert’ and your files will be processed. In our tests, this was a little slower than Icecream PDF Converter (below), but not enough to be problematic.

Like most free PDF software, PDFMate PDF Converter Free has its limitations, but these are unlikely to be of concern if you’re converting to JPG. You’ll need a premium subscription if you want to convert files to DOCX or specify a certain range of pages to convert. Each page will be saved as its own JPG file.

PDFMate supports a good variety of other files types, and can convert JPG files back to PDF as well.

Download here: PDFMate PDF Converter Free

4. Icecream PDF Converter

A speedy little number, but the 10-page limit will be a problem for big jobs

Icecream PDF Converter offers a huge variety of conversion options – not just JPG. The interface looks great, and is easy to use. Just pick your files (individually or as a batch), select an image quality – low, medium or high – and hit 'Convert'.

The free version of Icecream PDF Converter isn’t without its limitations – the biggest being that only the first 10 pages of your PDFs will be converted (if there are multiple documents in a batch, this limit will apply to the total number of pages in all of them combined). You could get around this restriction by splitting larger documents into sections, then convert these one at a time.

If you want each page to be a separate JPG file, check the ‘Split’ box – otherwise you’ll end up with one very long image.

Icecream PDF Converter's biggest advantages are its smart design and super fast performance – noticeably quicker than the other tools on test.

Download here: Icecream PDF Converter

5. UniPDF

One converter with many names and a great choice of image formats, though you can only convert three PDF pages at one time

When you download UniPDF, you’ll be informed that it’s a program called Convert to Word Plus 1.0, and the software is listed as ConvertPDF2WordPlus in your Start menu. The inconsistency is annoying, but don’t let it put you off – a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Drag your document onto the simple, uncluttered window, select ‘Image’ from the list on the right, then click the ‘Settings’ tab. Make sure JPG is selected (other image formats include GIF, BMP and TIF), pick an image resolution (72 or 96) and a color profile (one, eight or 24 bits). Return to the Home tab, click ‘Convert’, select an output destination and the conversion will complete quickly.

Unfortunately, even on the highest quality setting, JPGs aren’t quite as crisp as the results from the higher ranked converters here. It’s also important to note that UniPDF can only covert three pages in one pop.

Download here: UniPDF

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Carspring, a London and Berlin startup that lets you buy a used car online, raises £5M Series B

 Carspring, the London and Berlin used car buying platform founded by Rocket Internet, has picked up £5 million in Series B funding. Backing the round are Rocket Internet itself, along with Channel 4’s Commercial Growth Fund, which offers media in the form of TV advertising in return for equity. Read More http://ift.tt/2vizM2Z

The blame game continues: ISPs lash out at NBN boss for “land grab” comments

Following the publication of NBN Co CEO Bill Morrow’s position paper in which he blamed the Australian internet service providers for a price war and customer dissatisfaction, the resellers have turned the tables and are now pointing the finger at NBN Co.

The “land grab” mentality comments from Morrow had Damian Kay, Inabox’s top man, taking to LinkedIn to post his responding rant. "Enough Bill. This blame game is not helping the consumer. The model is flawed and everyone but you seems to get it. With no direct access to NBN for most RSPs due to 121 POIs, we couldn't offer a guaranteed throughput service for a greater price as we can't control the end to end experience. We are forced to go through 'The Big 4'. So stop the rhetoric and think about this holistically," he wrote.

MyRebublic’s managing director Nicholas Demos agreed with Kay and added, “The problem is the pricing model is not fit for purpose. The NBN is meant to provide a level playing field so that RSPs can deliver better speeds and service to the Australian consumer.” 

Everybody, calm down!

With the blame game heating up, the Federal Government has decided to step in to control the issue, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) saying it will use “its formal powers under the Telecommunications Act to collect information from businesses across the NBN supply chain."

After a discussion between ACMA and and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), it has been decided that if things get out of hand, ACMA will force 21 Australian ISPs to submit data on how they troubleshoot when faced with issues, “such as fault handling, connection timeframes, appointment keeping, telephone number porting, and more”.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said, “This information will be used to identify where customer issues most commonly arise and how those issues can be either avoided or resolved more quickly.”

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Snap down just 1% after first wave of lockup expirations

 Snap, the Snapchat parent, closed the day down just 1% Monday after the first phase of the dreaded lockup expiration, which meant that some insiders are now eligible to sell shares. The anticipation of a big selloff had been putting downward pressure on the stock for weeks, but it appears that enough of that fear was already built into the stock price to withstand day one. But while… Read More

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Klarna launches a peer-to-peer payment app called Wavy

 Fintech startup Klarna grew thanks to its e-commerce payment service, but now the startup is diversifying a bit. The Swedish company is launching Wavy, a free peer-to-peer payment app and service. After Cookies imploded, Klarna approached the team behind the German app so that they could join another fintech company. It turns out that this team has been working on another peer-to-peer payment app. Read More http://ift.tt/2tUqzdM