LINUX FORMAT

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LINUX FORMAT

MEET THE TEAM

Steaming hot!

I’ve always said – not that anyone really

SteamOS rolls out to third-party devices

OPERATING SYSTEM

FOSS funding insights

Organisations currently invest $7.7 billion annually into open source development.

OFFICE SPACE

OPINION

SIX DEGREES

OPINION

RISC-Vtaking off

As RISC-V performance increases, will there be wider adoption in 2025?

Something for the weekend?

Ubuntu proposes extending its no-weekend SRU policy.

Stack Overflow survey in

The numbers reveal Linux as the most popular developer OS.

Distro watch

What’s behind the free software sofa?

VULKAN IS READY

OPINION

WINED & REFINED

OPINION

Kernel Watch

Jon Masters summarises the latest happenings in the Linux kernel, so that you don’t have to.

Answers

Got a burning question about open source or the kernel? Whatever your level, email it to answers@linuxformat.com

Mailserver

Riding the retro Noting the continued interest in

Helpdex

shane_collinge@yahoo.com

YOUR DIGITAL ISSUE ACCESS

Linux Format print subscribers can now access digital back issues two ways! * Who’s a lucky bunch of readers?!

HandBrake

Version: 1.9.0 Web: https://handbrake.fr Unlike audio files,

Universal Media Server

Version: 14.8.0 Web: www.universalmediaserver.com You can use

Fooyin

Fooyin ships with a handful of layouts and

Cryptomator

You can create multiple vaults with Cryptomator. Each

Syncthing

Version: 1.21.1 Web: https://syncthing.net Syncthing offers very

OpenBoard

Version: 1.7.2 Web: https://openboard.ch/index.en.html OpenBoard works best

TurboVNC

Version: 3.1.3 Web: www.turbovnc.org TurboVNC’s developers claim

Extreme Tux Racer

Version: 0.8.4 Web: https://extremetuxracer.sourceforge.io/ Like the original,

Luanti

Version: 5.10.0 Web: www.luanti.org As well as

KStars

Version: 3.7.3 Web: https://apps.kde.org/kstars You can use

ReMove to Waste

Version: 0.9.3 Web: https://github.com/theimpossibleastronaut/rmw The ReMove to

HACKING ACADEMY!

Can you pass? Get up to speed on the hacking world with the tools and tricks to sneak around networks!

Intel Arc B580

Donning our flowing cape and pointy hat, Linux Format is Battlemage!

Manjaro 24.2.1

Nate Drake delves into the distro that claims to make Arch Linux easy – will it puts its money where its mouth is?

Archman 2024-12

Nate Drake takes this Turkish Arch-based distro for a test spin. Is it as lightweight and stable as it claims?

OpenMandriva Lx 24.12

Nate Drake explores the rolling release of this Mandriva-derived distro. Is it a worthy successor or just another frivolous fork?

Window Maker Live 12

Nate Drake revisits the glory days of Linux before we had those newfangled desktops – is Window Maker all you need?

Caves of Qud

The Management demands to know why we can’t randomly generate all magazine content. Jonathan Bolding hates to disappoint.

Screen recorders

Whether it’s for recording your gaming or for desktop application tutorials, Michael Reed looks at five apps that can record screen activity.

Installation and initial setup

A good range of suitable installation options is always welcomed.

Suitability for casual users

Which option is best for people who just want to start making videos?

Main recording user interface

One of the most important areas.

Documentation and support

How to use the software and get out of difficulties

Routing and codec options

Routing flexibility and codec settings.

Extra features

Beyond simply recording videos of the screen, what can it do?

Configuration interface

Finding settings, understanding them and changing them.

The verdict

Screen recorders

FIRE WALL YOUR HOME

Keep out the net nasties and track what comes in and goes out of your home network with vital help from Matthew Holder .

The network basics

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s introduce a few concepts…

Fire up your router

You don’t have to stick with your router’s proprietary firmware…

Remote access

Discover how to access your home network from elsewhere.

Filter your traffic

You don’t want everybody to be able to access everything…

Separate functions

Set up a spare Raspberry Pi as a separate Wi-Fi SSID.

Hacker claims RP2350 challenge bounty

Engineer Aedan Cullen cracks OTP secrets through glitching RISC-V cores.

Pi hits 16!

Gigs of memory, that is…

Mecha Comet

Pi-compatible gadget.

FRESH FRUIT FOR PI FANS

Les Pounder works with groups such as the

Raspberry Pi Connect

Les Pounder dreams of working from a hot beach, but fears sand may break his Raspberry Pi. Perhaps Raspberry Pi Connect is the answer?

Touch Display 2

Les Pounder’s life flashes before his eyes as he realises it’s been nine years since the first Pi display arrived.

Formlabs Form 4

Perfect prints are as easy as a game of connect the dots for Denise Bertacchi.

Raspberry Pi SSD

Yet another official Pi accessory arrives in the Linux Format office, shortly followed by Les Pounder coming to sing its praises!

Build a camera trap with the BlueSky API

PI CAMERA

Take Pi control of your model trains

JMRI

Terminal RPGing

Shashank Sharma has been informed that an elf, an orc and a hobbit walking into a bar is not a bad joke but a common occurrence in RPGs.

Store passwords securely on your PC

KEEPA SSXC

Expand your use of open mapping

Marco Fioretti concludes his tour of the OpenStreetMap world, showing how vast and open to everybody it is.

Discover next-gen Auracast audio

Part of Bluetooth Low Energy, Auracast is ready to revolutionise the world of Bluetooth audio and Tam Hanna can finally give up his Palm OS device.

Revisit the past with punch cards and tape

Relive the world of data entry by punching holes in paper or some leftover Christmas cards with the ever-so-retro Mike Bedford

Upgrade it: Get a faster Wi-Fi router

It’s been a long time since 802.11n was released and a lot has happened since then – Neil Mohr has started to go grey for starters.

Asus ZenWiFi AX (XT8)

Overall the best router money can buy.

Nighthawk RS300

All the Wi-Fi 7 tech, without some of the cost!

Google Nest WiFi Pro

If you like your routers egg-shaped, Google’s got your back.

Linksys Hydra Pro 6

The best Wi-Fi 6 router for most people.

Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300

A more affordable mechanical model.

Devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 Mesh

If your home needs special solutions for thick walls.

Asus ZenWiFi Pro ET12

We want Wi-Fi, not a family holiday in Spain!

Netgear Orbi Quad-Band WiFi 6E

We want Wi-Fi, not a Caribbean holiday!

Create quick, simple repeatable playbooks

Everyone likes to say that Stuart Burns is an Ansible man and that’s nothing to do with his faster-than-light communication.

PASSWORD PRACTICALITIES

Stuart Burns is a sysadmin for a Fortune

Intel’s Battlemage

Finally a champion for the budget gamer, Intel’s new Arc series offers memory, speed, quality and machine learning for less, Jarred Walton discovers.

Coding a BBC Basic Space Invader clone

Nate Drake invites you to stave off the alien menace by coding your very own Space Invaders clone in Basic, because it’s 2025!

Rust: How to start coding your first apps

David Bolton introduces Rust programming by setting it up then running and debugging a program to analyse text.