Developers fed up with cryptic Makefiles should take a look at the new Meson build system, which is simple to operate, offers scripting capabilities, integrates external test tools, and supports Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.
If you are looking off the beaten Ubuntu and Debian paths for a fast, multimedia distro with a Gnome 3 desktop, take a closer look at Fedora-based Chapeau Linux.
The new Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon Edition long-term support release offers five years of upgrades, tweaks, improvements, and stability through 2019. Mint 17 has spiffed up its appearance and made changes so apps launch faster and use fewer resources.