Making Git so easy, we say it’s Magit!

Right to repair

When work was insisting on twofactor authentication for

Valve driving Linux open source development

Gaming giant has approached the open source community to enhance graphics support and compatibility of Steam Deck and SteamOS.

Killing Google Maps

Four tech giants ally with the Linux Foundation to source open map data.

Cooler Master to go open source?

MasterPlus+ to get cool open source overhaul.

THE ART OF AI

Donnie Berkholz is senior vice president, Product, at

FOLLOW ME!

Keith Edmonds is MD of Tiger Computing, which

Debian kicks out Py thon 2

The sun has finally set on Python 2 for Debian.

Google to add RISC-V suppor t

Android could turn to open source ARM alternative.

Vulkan Video

VIDEO Khronos finalises Vulkan video extensions. I nApril

Distro watch

What’s behind the free software sofa?

WINE ON WAYLAND

Alexandros Frantzis is a senior software engineer at

HI, 2023!

Jon Masters is a kernel hacker who’s been

Kernel Watch

Jon Masters keeps an eye out for all the latest happenings in the Linux kernel, so you don’t have to.

»ONGOING DEVELOPMENT

A lengthy thread was started last autumn titled

Answers

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

Mailserver

Did we get too distracted by the shiny

HotPicks

THE BEST NEW OPEN SOURCE SOF T WARE ON THE PLANET

Fotoxx

Version: 22.50 Web: https:// kornelix.net/fotoxx/fotoxx.html

Saber

Version: 0.4.3 Web: https://github . com/adil192/saber

Upscayl

Version: 1.5.5 Web: https://upscayl.github.io

LibreWolf

Version: 108 Web: https://librewolf.net

Mprocs

Version: 0.6.4 Web: https://github . com/pvolok/mprocs

Junction

Version: 1.6 Web: https://github.com/ sonnyp/Junction

Myuzi

Version: 1.13.3 Web: https://gitlab . com/zehkira/myuzi

Libre TrainSim

Version: 0.8 Web: www.libretrainsim.org

Infinite Shooter

Version: 0.4.3 Web: https:// pastthepixels.itch.io/infiniteshooter

OTPClient

Version: 3.0.0 Web: https://github . com/paolostivanin/OTPClient

HydraPaper

Version: 3.3.1 Web: https://hydrapaper.gabmus.org

Kingston NV2

Cheap but not cheerful, bemoans Shane Downing.

AMD Ryzen 7950X

Dave James pens these words and takes complete blame for saying: Zen 4 and the art of CPU maintenance.

Rocky 9.1

Nate Drake goes head to head with Red Hat-based distros this month, so is glad to have the heavyweight Rocky in his corner.

Linux Mint 2 1.1 Vera

Nate Drake meets Linux Mint’s latest offering, code-named Vera, and comes away bowled over by its stunning looks and ease of use.

Return to Monkey Island

The Management thinks three decades is a perfectly fine amount of time for Will Freeman to wait to get an under-inflation pay rise.

Packaging formats

There’s a number of ways of getting software on to your Linux-powered computer, and Michael Reed is comparing them to find out which is best.

Basic tools and utilities

A robust feature set is top of our list.

Portability of your packages

Are packages fixed to one distro?

Repositories and shops

Locating and adding apps from the GUI.

Sandboxing and system separation

Can you protect your system from a misbehaving program?

System integration

We want an installed app to fit in with the rest of the user experience.

Component installation

How easy is it to install components?

Other pros and cons

Any features that stand out?

The Verdict

Packaging formats

FREE YOUR PHONE!

Lesser-spotted Jonni Bidwell climbs to the top of a 5G mast to extol the benefits of running Linux on your phone.

The issue with Android

Android is a hodge-podge of free and proprietary components.

Jump to LineageOS

Enjoy fully featured Android without all the proprietary bits.

Get to know LineageOS

We take a quick tour of the latest OS to power your mobile device.

Install GNU/Linux

Touch base with Ubuntu Touch or branch out into PostmarketOS.

Open source apps

Get into the F-Droid store and find fun and functional tools (that don’t send all your data Borg-wards).

Millions and millions of RP2040s!

How to turn 500 tasty wafers into 10 million Pis! Is everything food related around here?

More Pis in store

Unfortunately, we’re talking bricks and mortar, not silicon.

SAY CHEESE!

Les Pounder works with groups such as the

Arduino 2.0.3

The Arduino IDE, used by makers and hackers

Pi Camera Module v3

The latest version of Pi’s mainstream camera module has autofocus, HDR and wide angle, proclaims Les Pounder!

Pico GPIO control with JavaScript

Les Pounder strays from Python to show us that JavaScript, the language of the web, is a viable Pico alternative.

Add and monitor control sensors

Making sense of the situation, Les Pounder shows us how to use sensors with a robot to get about town!

No changes allowed!

Matt Holder explores immutable operating systems, containerised apps and containers to see if they describe the future of the Linux distro.

Super system monitor

No sniggering at the back as Shashank Sharma shows you his bottom.

Batch convert and optimise your images

Nick Peers reveals how to quickly apply the same changes to multiple images at once with the simple-to-configure Converseen.

Giving praise to the TempleOS

Michael Reed delves into one of the most unusual operating systems he’s ever seen and explores the story behind its creation.

Using enhanced layer features with G’MIC

Karsten Günther takes a look beyond GIMP’s standard layer functions. Besides special GIMP operations, tasks provided by G’MIC loom into view.

Getting creative with algorithmic art

Mike Bedford demonstrates how you can exercise your left and right brain simultaneously by generating algorithmic art.

Deck the hardware

We revisit and trick out the Valve Steam Deck a year on from release.

How to trace code directly with eBPF

Mihalis Tsoukalos explains how to take advantage of eBFP with a range of different programming languages.

PYTHON

Recreating the classic Bomberman