MEET THE TEAM

We’re running our own home AIs this issue, so what’s the one job you’d like AI to take off your hands? And it can’t be dealing with grumpy editors…

Machines learning

The Management demanded an AI cover and here

Newsdesk

THIS ISSUE: Ubunto Core is Snapped up >> AMD announces free firmware >> Fresh features for Gnome >> Wine owned by employees

Kernel Watch

Jon Masters keeps up with all the latest happenings in the Linux kernel, so 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

LXFbuntu will not be a thing, but let

HotPicks

Vorta Mullvad Browser Wike CryFS rmLint Imaginer Letterpress cli-chess OpenRCT2 Boost Changer PDF Mix Tool

Linux format

The #1 open source mag Future Publishing Limited,

Anycubic Photon Mono 2

Denise Bertacchi likes this blend of quick setup with detailed prints.

Intel Core i3-13100F

As Intel reclaims the mid-range, Paul Alcorn assesses that the company has lost the low-end.

Fedora 38

Nate Drake took the latest Fedora for a test drive and was blown away by the vast array of new spins and features.

EuroLinux 9.2

Nate Drake is on the continent this month, taking a stroll through the natural beauty of EuroLinux.

Valheim

Management are delirious to learn that Christopher Livingston can keep working long after his death and will take draugr entrails as payment!

Ubuntu spins

With the release of Ubuntu 23.04 still fairly recent, Michael Reed examines the differences between the official spins of that distribution.

The applications

A distro gets a lot of its personality from the default selection of apps.

Configuration tools

Hopefully, the settings cover all of the main areas of the system and its appearance.

The user interface

Your connection to the system.

Drive and memory efficiency

Extra efficiency is like having a faster CPU without spending money.

Package management

There is a variety of front-ends to the Ubuntu package system.

Suitability for switchers

How suitable is this distro for those used to a different OS?

Extra features and customisations

What does this distribution have that the others don’t?

The Verdict

Ubuntu spins

ALSO CONSIDER

The natural alternatives are the other Ubuntu flavours,

CONTROL YOUR A.I.

AI usually requires server farms of training GPUs, but Tam Hanna’s modest freelance budget lets him train his own personal HAL.

Nvidia CUDA rulez

You might not like it, but Nvidia runs this show.

Natural language translation

Modern smart machines can perform live translation.

AI see you…

Enable an AI to say what it sees.

Chatty AI man

A simple 250GB download can secure your own personal HAL.

Free all the things!

One of the brains behind Collabora Online, Michael Meeks talks to us about taking open source office to the cloud and document liberation.

Inside BlendOS

Matt Holder discovers how to use the Arch-based BendOS to mash together multiple distributions. Does it give the best of them all?

Silicon insides

Apple, AMD and Intel all take significantly different approaches to building CPUs. Darien Graham-Smith takes a closer look at today’s varied processor designs.

It’s (finally) raining Pis, hallelujah!

Eben Upton takes to the blogs to promise millions of Pis this summer.

Astronomical!

It’s out of this world.

AI, AI, oh!

Learning farms.

GET THE LOWE DOWN

Les Pounder works with groups such as the

Debug Probe

Les Pounder was about to reach for a can of fly spray in an effort to rid his code of bugs, but then he spotted this.

Pi Compute Blade

Les Pounder hasn’t been left on the shelf, but he’s been put on the rack.

Use a Pi HAT on the Raspberry Pi Pico

Being a skinflint Northerner, Les Pounder is all about reusing things, so he explains how you can use Pi HATs on the Pico.

Minimalist RSS reader

As far as Shashank Sharma is concerned, it’s not social media but ads that are the bane of modern internet usage, and he has a clever workaround.

Keep your Linux install backed up

Nick Peers reveals the tools, techniques and tips you need to protect everything from personal files to your entire Linux installation.

PL/I – the multifaceted language

Mike Bedford discovers the mysteries of PL/I, the language that IBM hoped would replace both FORTRAN and COBOL.

How to test out new desktops the easy way

Never accused of being fast and smooth, Mats Tage Axelsson explains how to try your next desktop and make the switch faster and smoother.

Capture and restore old photos and slides

Mike Bedford shows you how to scan, repair and archive old film-based photos, to give your family heirlooms a new lease of life.

Compose using the ultimate tracker

Michael Reed explores some common music-making workflows in Ardour 7, the premier Linux digital audio workstation application.

Code your own Python text adventure

Nate Drake guides you through creating your own interactive text adventure with the power of Python, starting with the basics…

Spice up your Python console applications

Matt Holder demonstrates how to use the Python Rich library to add formatting to your console applications.