As discussed in the last tutorial, you can write your own code to enable multi-touch manually. However, in the case of common multi-touch gestures, like double-tap, scroll, and fling, you can also simplify matters by taking advantage of the built-in GestureDetector.

Not enough to keep it from booking a loss, though

It is tough to find a choppier business than the supercomputer market, and Cray CEO Peter Ungaro had to remind Wall Street once again to not judge the company on a single quarter, and particularly on the first quarter that it has just turned in.

Eric Brown's seven top smartwatches available now. 

Ten weeks to the day after the arrival of version 3.8, Linux creator Linus Torvalds on Monday released version 3.9 of the Linux kernel. Here are six interesting new features from Linux.com writer Katherine Noyes.

hypnosec writes with word that the OpenWRT team a few days ago released the final version of the project's newest iteration, version 12.09 (codenamed "Attitude Adjustment"). "The final version doesn't support Linux 2.4, because of which the distribution wouldn't run on old router models, for example the Linksys WRT54G models, which have 16MB of RAM and CPUs clocked at 200MHz. The distribution is now based on Linux 3.3 and there is good news for the Raspberry Pi fans as the distribution now supports the credit card-sized computer, along with Ramips routers."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

UK.gov snubs blind, disabled and pensioners

Benefits claimants signing up for disability living allowance online are told they cannot use modern browsers, smartphones or even Macs.

A public beta of Lightworks, the professional-grade video editor from Editshare, is now officially available for download.

No more limited dry-runs, or badly-communicated access to alpha builds; the app can be downloaded and installed for free on 64bit Ubuntu-based Linux distributions, including the newly released Ubuntu 13.04.

Long Wait

If it seems like you’ve been waiting for this day for years it’s because you have. The first Linux release was promised way back in 2011. 

But we can forgive Editshare, the company behind the app, for their various delays because  Lightworks isn’t ‘just’ another video editor. The ‘professional-grade’ tool has been used in the editing of many well-known television programmes and film industries for years it has a prestigious reputation – one that now graces Linux desktops.

The video editor is free to download and use, with a PRO paid plan offering extra features and codec support for $60/y.

Also note:

• It’s 64bit Only
• Requires ATI or Nvidia graphics card & drivers 
• Only “officially” supported on Ubuntu & Linux Mint
• Not all tools work/are included on Linux
• Requires Lightworks account (free)
• Includes seven day PRO license trial 

On top of this note the following ‘known issues’ concerning the following formats:

• No H.264 MOV, Quicktime/MPEG4 & AVI export options
• No support for .WMV
• AVI playback issues

Want in? You’ll find the download sign-up form and additional information behind the button below.

Download Lightworks for Linux Beta

After installing be sure to check out the ‘Getting Started’ guide below. While it was made for the Windows beta it can be used step-for-step with the Linux version – just ignore any instructions on opening the app from the Start Menu ;)

Getting Started with Lightworks

Lightworks for Linux Public Beta Available for Download OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Geary E-Mail App Running on Ubuntu 13.04

While the world was busying downloading Ubuntu 13.04 last week, time quietly ran out on a crowd-funding campaign for Linux e-mail app Geary.

Its bid to raise $100,000 towards future development was slightly audacious, if well intentioned. But it stalled, ending on a very clean $50,860 from over 1000 donators.

Open-source projects raising money in this fashion isn’t without precedent. Just a few weeks before Yorba’s effort, Linux video editor Openshot successfully busted past its goal of $20,000 for future development, ending up with almost double.

So why did Geary fail where so many other cash raisers – often for far less useful things – have succeeded? Let’s take a look at some possible reasons…

“$100,000 Was Too Much”

‘Did $100,000 seem too much to ask for what was being offered?’

By far and away the most repeated reasoning against donating was that the $100,000 seemed too much to ask for what was being offered.

Yorba were always very upfront about how expensive the process of making ‘quality software’ was – something many people don’t realise. They argued that $100,000 was the ‘bare minimum’ needed to implement their planned roster of features, pay for staff, and cover other expenses.

But did this phrase of ‘bare minimum’ make some step back? If $100k was a ‘minimum’ level, what would happen after the cash ran out? Another fundraiser? Uncertainty doesn’t woo, not when cash involved.

“The Proposition Wasn’t Unique”

Putting aside the size of the prize being sought, another argument I ran into on social networks and in blog comments was that saying Geary isn’t unique enough.

Uniqueness is subjective. But there’s no denying that Geary approaches desktop e-mail in a less “traditional” way to other, more established e-mail clients. But many just don’t see it. They will simply see another e-mail client wanting to do things its own way instead of building on what’s already available.

Linux, they say, doesn’t need ’yet another e-mail client’. Evolution, Sylpheed, Claws Mail, Thunderbird and the like already have many of the features Geary was seeking money to add.

“People Consider it an Elementary App”

“Geary? That’s an elementary app, right?”

I’ve heard the above statement a few times, and it’s not without foundation: Yorba and the elementary folks “teamed up” late last year to work on the design of Geary. As such there are a few elementary-specific flourishes in the app, like its cog menu. This menu, whilst useful, does lacks traditional “app menu” support (in its various formats) on more widely used desktop environments like GNOME Shell, Unity and Cinnamon.

The jarring of design approaches aside, it’s conceivable that some who saw the campaign simply thought: “I don’t use elementary, so this wouldn’t benefit me.”

A shame if so.

“They Chose The Wrong Platform”

I have a Kickstarter account; everything is set-up so when I see a project I like I can quickly click a button to throw money at the screen. Easy. As. Pie.

But for Geary’s fundraiser Yorba chose the less well-known IndieGoGo site. While still a popular route to raise money it pales in the shadow of the indomitable Kickstarter.

So it’s probable that some of those coming across the campaign wanted to donate but simply didn’t savour the idea of having to sign up for yet another account, add payment info to it, fill in contact details, etc. In fact, truth be told, this inconvenience stopped me donating straight away.

“Not Enough Press”

‘Geary’s Campaign Even Made it On To TechCrunch.’

Of all the examples on this list this final one is the least likely. Coverage of Geary’s fundraiser graced many technology publications, linux blogs, and was constantly being Tweeted and reshared on Google+. It even made it on to Techcrunch – one of the largest “tech news sites” in the world – not an easy feat!

Future

Whatever the post-mortem yields, the cold fact is that Yorba don’t have the money they sought, though direct donations to the non-profit are likely to have increased after donators got their pledges refunded.

The good news for Geary fans like me is that Yorba say they are already working ‘to find other sources of income to cover our costs.’

“But obviously we can only continue if we can keep making ends meet.”

Did you donate to Geary’s fundraiser? If not, what put you off? What do you think would have helped the campaign to succeed? 

Why Did Geary’s Fundraiser Fail? OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

jrepin writes "The government of Spain's autonomous region of Extremadura has begun the switch to open source of it desktop PCs. The government expects the majority of its 40,000 PCs to be migrated this year, the region's CIO Theodomir Cayetano announced on 18 April. Extremadura estimates that the move to open source will help save 30 million euro per year. Extremadura in 2012 completed the inventory of all the software applications and computers used by its civil servants. It also tailored a Linux distribution, Sysgobex, to meet the majority of requirements of government tasks. It has already migrated to open source some 150 PCs at several ministries, including those for Development, Culture and Employment."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A number of Android-powered smartwatches are already on the market, and there's at least one (Leikr) that runs Linux. This slideshow reveals devices of note, as well as two intriguing open source, Kickstarter-funded watches that don't run a formal OS but offer hooks to Linux and Android.

hypnosec writes "After a week's delay Linux 3.9 has finally been made available by Linus Torvalds. Last week Torvalds released the rc8 stating that he wasn't 'comfy' releasing the final version yet and that 'another week won't hurt.' Torvalds noted in this week's announcement that last week had been very quiet as there were not many commits and the ones which were there were 'really tiny' so he went ahead with the release of Linux 3.9."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

But older Apples are still holding their own

Apple’s three most recent mobiles together took more than a quarter of smartphones sales in Britain during the first three months of 2013, we're told.

Feature Doomed category has a long history thanks to Atari, Poqet, Psion et al

Come 2015, we’re told, the netbook will be dead and gone, out-evolved by the more fleet of foot, more desirable media tablet.

Ready to start programming for Google Glass? The tools are out there. While only a handful of Google Glasses are out, Google quietly released its Android-based core kernel code.

Ubuntu 13.04 was released last week – but, unusually, to muted and minimal press coverage compared to previous releases.

The Linux Action Show asked whether Ubuntu 13,04 is the most boring release in the history of Ubuntu. A quick glance at the column inches dedicated to this update would indicate yes. Even outlets who normally offer in-depth run-downs of Ubuntu have struggled to get a hold on this release, with many instead opting for more perfunctory “It’s out & this is what the press release says” overviews than bothering with the formality of a review.

But a few stalwarts have risen to the occasion…

‘Ubuntu 13.04 is a bit of an anti-climax.’ 

Zdnet‘s Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols speaks positively about the performance improvements including in Raring, saying that, on a test machine of his own, ‘Unity [is] much faster than before on the same box’. 

Fellow Zdnet writer Terry Relph-Knight is a bit more strained, and gives the release 6/10. He argues that while 13.04 is a ‘good, solid release‘ it’s also ‘a bit of an anti-climax’ in terms of new features and changes.

This ambivalence is also in play over on PCPro, whose description of Ubuntu 13.04 as a ‘modest update’ that brings ’no major enhancements’ to the desktop is unlikely to result in an influx of new users to Ubuntu.

Several reviewers, including Jon Brodkin of ArsTechnica, pick up what isn’t included in 13.04. Brodkin notes that the removal of the workspace switcher in Unity’s Launcher is likely to be ‘disconcerting’ to some users.

‘A victim of confusion and mixed motives.’ 

Datamation‘s Bryce Byfield is far more cutting in his analysis of the release, calling it a ‘victim of confusion’ and ‘mixed motives’ as Canonical attempt to reconcile ‘the principles of simplicity and efficiency [with] its new priority of profitability.’

But it’s Fabian A. Scherschel of the H-Online who hits the nail on the head of this release by concluding that ‘due to the limited number of features [in 13.04] it will be hard for some ..to decide whether they actually want to upgrade.’

Press Reaction to Ubuntu 13.04 Is a Muted, “Meh” Affair OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.