Highlights:

SERVICE: Welcome

Just One More Year …

So much of the big news these days is all about AI. AI advances, AI politics, AI corporate maneuvering, AI power usage … I was feeling a bit downcast about the prospect of writing yet another AI column when, in fact, there isn't that much I can say in one page that isn't either speculation or well-trodden platitudes. Then I noticed a news item that swung the other way, into the deep, retro past: Picture the oldest PC-style home computer you can remember, maybe the first computer your father brought home?

SERVICE: This Month's DVD

Fedora Workstation 42 Live and Ubuntu Budgie 25.04

NEWS: News

In the news: openSUSE Joins End of 10; New Version of Flatpak Released; IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server; Plasma Ends LTS Releases; Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux; System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7; OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation; and TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes.

NEWS: Kernel News

Chronicler Zack Brown reports on kernel efficiency improvements and tracking compiler plugin problems.

: Discover Pen Testing

Tools for practice pen testing

If you want to check your systems for security vulnerabilities, you need the right tools and a massive helping of experience. Prospective pen testers can get some practice by breaking into prefabricated training VMs.

: Practicing Pen Testing

Practice your pen testing skills with the OWASP Juice Shop challenge

The OWASP Juice Shop has over 100 tasks that will get you up to speed on pen testing. This article guides you through your first steps.

NEWS: Home Grown

A proof of concept distro for the EU public sector

Some distros are more political than technical. EU OS attempts to break free of Active Directory and Microsoft Windows and keep distro maintenance close to home.

: Lomiri

Exploring the Lomiri desktop environment

Ubuntu's ambitious dream of convergence is alive and well in the now-independent Lomiri desktop.

IN-DEPTH: Nushell

A data-oriented shell

Nushell's data-first approach elevates shell scripting to a new level of clarity and precision.

IN-DEPTH: Ptcpdump

This trusty troubleshooting tool can track processes along with network traffic

The legacy Tcpdump is a tool no admin would want to do without, but it is a bit long in the tooth. The eBPF-based Ptcpdump aims to counter this worry. The rewrite offers extensive CLI compatibility and can even display process information.

IN-DEPTH: Graphics in Python with Cairo

Drawing a clock with Python and the Cairo graphics library

Build graphic elements into your Python programs with the Cairo graphics library. We'll show you how to draw an analog clock face that displays the current time.

IN-DEPTH: Dependency Minder

Managing Debian packages with deborphan

The deborphan utility helps you keep track of packages and their dependencies on a Debian-based system.

IN-DEPTH: Fast as Lightning

Instant browser refresh with a WebSocket connection

The WebSocket protocol helps browsers to immediately reload a page if the server-side content changes. In this month's column, Mike Schilli whips up his own WebSocket server in Go for this task.

: SPICE and KiCad

Use simulation to reduce risks in electronic design

Designing a power supply can be an interesting yet dangerous engineering task. You can reduce some of the inherent risk by building a model and running simulations with SPICE in KiCad.

: NiceGUI Web Apps

NiceGUI Lets You Create Web Apps in Python

With a Raspberry Pi and the NiceGUI Python library you can build a weather station or a Pi Rover app in less than 15 lines of Python code.

LINUX VOICE: Introduction

This month in Linux Voice and Elvie.

LINUX VOICE: maddog's Doghouse

The final USENIX ATC

Remembering the USENIX ATC before its 50th – and last – event in July 2025.

LINUX VOICE: NAPS2

Scanning made easy

How to scan documents with the NAPS2 software.

LINUX VOICE: FOSSPicks

Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software

Nate explores the top FOSS including the latest KDE app suite, a secure passphrase generator, a post-apocalyptic roguelike, and an AI-powered tarot card reader.

LINUX VOICE: Newsie

Get all your news from the source with FreshRSS

Avoid information pollution from social media with RSS and the FreshRSS news aggregator.