Puzzles and brain teasers
Puzzling
Creating and solving letter and number puzzles is a popular pastime. We look at some of the free software that is available for this hobby on Linux.
Tricky puzzles, word games, and number problems are very popular – and not just in the depths of winter. The ability to apply yourself to a task and completely block out your surroundings is a distinctive personality trait for engineers, mathematicians, and other creative people. Scientific studies have demonstrated that puzzles provide mental stimulation and can even slow down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease [1].
If the original goal were just the pleasure of solving and cracking puzzles, it is now also considered a pastime with an intellectual benefit: brain training ("keeping your mind fit") and strengthening and increasing general knowledge. This is true both for creating the puzzle and finding a solution. In championships, the participant who solves the given puzzle in the quickest time is the victor.
Puzzle design varies in content, arrangement, shape, and size. Picture, syllable, crossword, and number puzzles are well-known examples. The solutions can often be discovered with the help of logical thought processes or graph theory (e.g., the famous number squares, Sudoku).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
A new open source portal seeks to coordinate and scale open source efforts across the United Nations system.
-
KDE Linux Drops AUR
KDE Linux developers have dropped the Arch User Repository from the build pipeline due to security concerns; other distributions should consider doing the same.
-
California May Exempt Linux from Its Age-Verification Law
After backlash from the Linux community, California may be backing off on its promise to force all operating systems to verify age, but one platform may still have to comply.
-
Another Logic Bug Found in Linux Kernel
Qualys has discovered a vulnerability in the Linux kernel that can be used to elevate standard user privileges.
-
Ubuntu Core 26 Offers Game-Changing Enterprise Features
Ubuntu Core 26 could be a game-changer for organizations looking for increased security and reliability.
-
AI Flooding the Linux Kernel Security Mailing List
AI is giving Linus Torvalds a headache, but not in the way you might think.
-
Top Priorities for Open Source Pros Seeking a New Job
Professional fulfillment tops the list, according to LPI report.
-
Container-Based Fedora Hummingbird Designed for Agent-First Builders
Fedora Hummingbird brings the same approach to the host OS as it does to containers to level up security.
-
Linux kernel Developers Considering a Kill Switch
With the rise of Linux vulnerabilities, the kernel developers are now considering adding a component that could help temporarily mitigate against them… in the form of a kill switch.
-
Fedora 44 Now Gaming Ready
The latest version of Fedora has been released with gaming support.