Top Best 50 Ubuntu Opensource Applications For Design And Developing
Found this excellent list of applications from a post on the Ubuntu forums. Supposedly, this list was compiled by the poster’s wife! This list is the most decent I’ve seen to date, as it ignores all the commonly known applications and actually goes for some seriously different ones.
I’m going to try out Xara, pcman, Art of Illusion, Reconstructor and maybe some more!
Linux Mint finally managed to grab my attention. It touts as an elegant, easy-to-use, Ubuntu-based distro. It is completely compatible with Ubuntu repositories, so it’s virtually a different flavoured Ubuntu. Despite my hatred for GNOME, I decided to check it out, because something knocked my Kubuntu out.
Mint does have a KDE version in Beta (which is available in DVD-only, for some reason). I’ll wait for the full, and the release of KDE 4 this December. Maybe I’ll wait for Ubuntu’s Hardy line to come in, because Kubuntu Hardy must use KDE 4. If Mint’s KDE group becomes good enough, that might be worth a look. And if nothing, I can manually switch my Mint from GNOME to KDE. I can always reinstall if anything goes wrong. 
It’s at 90% and almost done now (torrents FTW!). I’m downloading the piping hot 4.0 Daryna right now. Mint appears to be in its infancy, since I cannot see a professional-looking forum or support page at their site. The site itself has a somewhat informal feel to it. Regardless, since it is so similar to Ubuntu, I suppose support concerns must work both ways. 
I have a feeling that Mint can be really big, though. It’s not far from the top in Distrowatch’s ranking. This might just be the new Ubuntu.
Decided to mess up a bit, and replaced Metacity with Kwin. I don’t exactly know why, but it feels nice, I suppose. KDE has terrible native themes, though. It’s embarassing, in a way. I can’t wait for KDE 4 to roll in and kick asses.
Meanwhile, I got fed up with the graphical glitches I’ve been having in Firefox. I reinstalled the Firefox package and things seem a bit better now. I can still see some pictures “jumping” around, but it has reduced considerably. I’m planning a format-install for Gutsy, so I have 14 days to mess around crazy. 
Once KDE 4 comes out, I might take Kubuntu Hardy, though. Kubuntu did impress me, though not quite as much as Ubuntu. If KDE 4 lives upto its hype, it may get an edge over the monstrous GNOME, though.
What they said.