The open source community is all about trying new things and making small changes – reinventing or adapting to get exactly the software you want. This month, we look at a couple of examples of innovative tools that tweak the mold. First up, you'll learn about a tool that was once called Snowflake and now goes by Muon. Muon/Snowflake brings the benefits of a GUI to remote SSH sessions and also comes with support for secure FTP.

Linux users increasingly rely on messaging and chat systems to collaborate and communicate with colleagues and friends. But why send all that data into the cloud when the person you are trying to reach is in the next room? Also in this issue, we bring you BeeBEEP, an open source office messenger service that keeps it all local. Elsewhere inside, our series on Inkscape continues with a look at how to modify or animate an object with a home-built extension, and editor-in-chief Joe Casad takes a walk through his memories to celebrate 20 years of this magazine you are  holding.

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