Penguin Platform

By “Free John” Kennedy, Advisor, Regions 3 and 6/7.  

3 LINUX SMARTPHONE OPERATING SYSTEMS YOU CAN INSTALL TODAY – Sick of Android? Don’t want to be part of a proprietary ecosystem? Security and privacy are becoming increasingly important for smartphone users, but what is the answer?

Is it possible to abandon Android and iOS for another mobile operating system?

When you want an alternative operating system, Linux is usually the answer. But what Linux smartphone operating systems are available to install today?

Read more of this MakeUseOf.com article at: http://bit.ly/2Q9rMgt

THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR OPEN SOURCE ENTHUSIASTS – The gift ideas below will please even the most hard-core open source users on your holiday shopping list. Find the gifts at this TechRepublic webpage:  https://tek.io/2DIWOED

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR PASSWORDS EFFECTIVELY WITH KEEPASS – KeePass is a popular and free password management tool. Learn about the benefits and techniques to get the most of out of it. TechRepublic at: https://tek.io/2Qknzpq

FREE PERSONAL FINANCE APPS YOU CAN TAKE TO THE BANK – Today’s Linux platform accommodates a number of really good financial applications that are more than capable of handling both personal and small-business accounting operations. That was not always the case, however. Read more at this LinuxInsider webpage:  http://bit.ly/2QoV7TD

HOW TO SORT FILES IN LINUX (GUI AND SHELL) – In this article, VITUX explains how to view sorted files and folders in the Ubuntu Nautilus file manager and also learn how to print the output of the ls command in the command line according to our sorting preferences. Read more at: http://bit.ly/2DmBZyB

KODAK’S NEW 3D PRINTER HAS A RASPBERRY PI INSIDE – Kodak has launched a Raspberry Pi 3 based Kodak Portrait 3D Printer with a dual-extrusion system, multiple filament types, a 5-inch touchscreen, and Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections to a Kodak 3D Cloud service. Get all the details at this LinuxGizmos webpage:. http://bit.ly/2DojkT0

MARK SHUTTLEWORTH REVEALS UBUNTU 18.04 WILL GET A 10-YEAR SUPPORT LIFESPAN – At OpenStack Summit in Berlin, Canonical and Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth said in a keynote that Ubuntu 18.04 Long Term Support (LTS) support lifespan would be xtended from five years to 10 years.

“I’m delighted to announce that Ubuntu 18.04 will be supported for a full 10 years,” said Shuttleworth, “In part because of the very long-time horizons in some of industries like financial services and telecommunications but also from IoT where manufacturing lines for example are being deployed that will be in production for at least a decade.”

Ubuntu 18.04 released in April 2018. While the Ubuntu desktop gets most of the ink, most of Canonical’s dollars comes from server and cloud customers. It’s for these corporate users Canonical first extended Ubuntu 12.04 security support, then Ubuntu 14.04’s support, and now, preemptively, Ubuntu 18.04. In an interview after the keynote, Shuttleworth said Ubuntu 16.04, which is scheduled to reach its end of life in April 2021, will also be given a longer support life span. Read more of this ZDNet article at: https://zd.net/2PztfMF

 HOW TO INSTALL AND USE TOR AS A PROXY IN UBUNTU OR LINUX MINT – This Linux Uprising article explains how to install the latest Tor in Ubuntu 18.04 or 16.04 / Linux Mint 19.x and 18.x, and using it as a proxy with various applications. See the steps to follow at http://bit.ly/2CE0RC6

ENCRYPTED EVERNOTE ALTERNATIVE TURTL V0.7 INCLUDES REWRITTEN SERVER, NEW SPACES FEATURE – Turtl is a “secure, encrypted Evernote alternative”. The free and open source tool, which is considered beta software, can be used to take notes, save bookmarks, store documents and images, and anything else you may need, in a safe place. Turtl was updated to version 0.7 yesterday, the new release shipping with a rewritten server, among other changes. I’ll cover the new version in the second part of this article, after an introduction to Turtl. Read more at Linux Uprising: http://bit.ly/2C9CIm0

YOU CAN NOW RUN UBUNTU 18.04 ON RASPBERRY PI 3 WITH BUNSENLABS’ HELIUM DESKTOP – If you plan on trying something new on your brand new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ tiny computer, developer Arne Exton announced today the availability of a new version of his Ubuntu-based RaspEX OS featuring the Helium Desktop from BunsenLabs Linux. Read more at Softpedia News: http://bit.ly/2C6UnLf

GNOME PLANS TO RETIRE APPLICATION MENUS FROM THE GNOME 3.32 DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT – Once again, the GNOME Project wants to change the way its beloved GNOME desktop environment functions, and it has recently announced plans to retire the application menus from the next major release, GNOME 3.32. Read more at Softpedia News: http://bit.ly/2C7SgGO

HOW LINUX IS CHANGING THE FACE OF END-USER COMPUTING – End-user computing (EUC) is changing quickly, and dramatically. In Forbes post author Jed Ayres’ work, he hears just how vital it is that organizations deliver better security, manageability and user experience every day. This is creating increasing pressure on the status quo of operating systems for end-user devices: Windows. And Windows simply can’t keep up with the requirements. What you may not know is that this pressure is also giving rapid rise to the broad use of Linux on endpoint devices. Linux is the only endpoint operating system (OS) growing at a global level. While Windows market share remains flat, at 39% in 2015 and 2017, Linux has grown from 30% in 2015 to 35% in 2017, worldwide. And the trend is accelerating. Read what is making this possible: http://bit.ly/2CaSQ6X

THE 12 BEST LINUX DESKTOP ENVIRONMENTS – You can tell whether a screenshot is Windows or Mac from a mile away, and that’s because both commercial operating systems only have one desktop environment. Windows has the Start Menu and the Taskbar, while macOS has its iconic Dock and Menu Bar.

But search for Linux and you’ll see images that look strikingly different from one another. This diversity stems from the fact that Linux offers far more than one desktop environment. This is part of what makes Linux exciting to use, but the breadth of choice can make it difficult to pick the one that’s right for you. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best Linux desktop environments. Read about the 12 Linux environments at the MakeUseOf article: http://bit.ly/2SoIgPa

5 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR LINUX DESKTOP LOOK FANTASTIC – Is that default Linux look getting you down? Want more from your Linux desktop than GNOME, KDE, or MATE? Fortunately, Linux is the most configurable operating system around, so personalizing the appearance of your desktop is easy. Various tools, tricks and tweaks can be used to personalize your Linux desktop. You might simply want to swap out a few familiar desktop utilities,or change your theme. You might even install a brand new environment.

Use these MakeUseOf five methods for personalizing your Linux desktop environment: http://bit.ly/2qfGvXQ

6 SIGNS MICROSOFT IS REALLY A FAN OF LINUX – Several years ago, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stood in front of a presentation slide that said Microsoft loves Linux. Some people were happy to see this change. Others were skeptical. Did Microsoft really love Linux after all? Read this MakeUseOf article to find out: http://bit.ly/2Ixulku

LOOKING FOR A NEW OS? TRY THESE DEBIAN LINUX-BASED SYSTEMS – The Linux-based OS Debian is 25 years old, and during its lifetime this child of the 90s has spawned its own family of operating systems. Debian derivatives come in all shapes and sizes, from user-friendly Linux Mint to the macOS replacement Elementary OS to the privacy-centric Tails. This gallery rounds up some of the most notable and popular Debian derivatives, as highlighted by The Debian Project and DistroWatch. https://tek.io/2MAXHET

HOW TO USE A SWAP FILE INSTEAD OF A SWAP PARTITION ON LINUX – This article explains how to transition from having a swap partition to a swap file. If you don’t need to disable any existing swap partition and all you need is to create a swap file and activate it, simply skip steps 1 and 2. http://bit.ly/2Pf8ph9

JOPLIN: ENCRYPTED OPEN SOURCE NOTE TAKING AND TO-DO APPLICATION – Joplin is a free and open source note taking and to-do application available for Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Its key features include end-to-end encryption, Markdown support, and synchronization via third-party services like NextCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or WebDAV. http://bit.ly/2wlKJRd

HOW CANONICAL IS IMPROVING UBUNTU LINUX SECURITY – Cryptojacking attacks have been increasingly prevalent in 2018, even finding their way into the Ubuntu Linux software center. Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical and Ubuntu Linux, isn’t too worried, though, as he has multiple technologies in place to mitigate risk. http://bit.ly/2wo6vUa

EASILY COMPRESS PDF FILES IN LINUX WITH DENSIFY – Densify is a graphical user interface which simplifies the process of compressing PDF files on Linux with Ghostscript. Learn how reading this article: http://bit.ly/2IM3yC8

THE FUTURE OF OPEN SOURCE – Linux and the open source business model are far different today than many of the early developers might have hoped. Neither can claim a rags-to-riches story. Rather, their growth cycles have been a series of hit-or-miss milestones. Linux-powered technology has long ruled the Internet and conquered the cloud and Internet of Things deployments. Both Linux and free open source licensing have dominated in other ways. http://bit.ly/2Cu5HSA

OPEN SOURCE LOGGING TOOLS FOR LINUX – If you’re a Linux systems administrator, one of the first tools you will turn to for troubleshooting are log files. These files hold crucial information that can go a long way to help you solve problems affecting your desktops and servers. For many sysadmins (especially those of an old-school sort), nothing beats the command line for checking log files. But for those who’d rather have a more efficient (and possibly modern) approach to troubleshooting, there are plenty of options. Find out what they are: http://bit.ly/2CvA8rk

WHAT APPS CAN YOU ACTUALLY RUN ON LINUX? – Chromebooks can now run Linux desktop apps, offering a whole new universe of software to Chrome OS users. You can install a Linux distribution like Ubuntu on your PC, too. But what applications are available for Linux? Most Linux distributions include Mozilla Firefox as the default web browser. Google also offers an official version of Google Chrome for Linux, and you can even get an “unbranded” open-source version of Chrome named Chromium.

Pretty much everything inside your web browser should “just work” in Linux. Netflix now works normally in both Firefox and Chrome on Linux thanks to added support for its DRM. As the desktop PC world has shifted more and more to online, web-based software, Linux has become easier to use. If an application you want to run has a web version, you can use it on Linux. Read more of this How-To Geek post at: http://bit.ly/2BZinjj

5 COMMAND LINE TOOLS TO FIND FILES QUICKLY IN LINUX – Searching or finding files on a Linux system from the terminal can be a little of a challenge especially for newbies. However, there are several command line tools/utilities for locating files in Linux. In this article, we will review 5 command line tools to find, locate and search files quickly on Linux systems. Read about them here: http://bit.ly/2NVdISy

DROPBOX TO END SYNC SUPPORT FOR ALL FILESYSTEMS EXCEPT EXT4 ON LINUX – Dropbox is thinking of limiting the synchronization support to only a handful of file system types: NTFS for Windows, HFS+/APFS for macOS and Ext4 for Linux. http://bit.ly/2Nw3FDm

COPY AND PASTE IN SCREEN – Put the mouse down, and copy and paste inside a terminal with your keyboard using Screen. Screen is a command-line tool that lets you set up multiple terminal windows within it, detach them and reattach them later, all without any graphical interface. http://bit.ly/2Lv0Q3s

12 REASONS WHY TO USE GNOME DESKTOP – You must (occasionally) be wondering which Desktop Environment is the best for Linux. And while most long-time Linux users have found their preferred desktop based on experience and computing purposes, some of us and including newbies are still stuck with the same question. I have switched to various Linux distros many times and frankly, all the Desktop Environments have their own advantages and disadvantages. Sticking to one of them depends entirely on the perspectives of the user and his preferences. But if you’re in doubt and need more help before making up your mind to use GNOME, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Below are the 12 reasons I’ve assembled together on why to use GNOME desktop: http://bit.ly/2LvYP7q

HOW TO ADD USER TO GROUP IN LINUX – Linux groups are organization units which are used to organize and administer user accounts in Linux. The main purpose of groups is to define a set of privileges such as reading, writing, or executing permission for a given resource that can be shared among the users within the group. This tutorial will show you how to add user to a group in Linux systems. http://bit.ly/2P6qe1J

REMEMBER LINUX’S WOBBLY WINDOW ANIMATION? IT MIGHT COME BACK! – Remember playing around with wobbly windows in Linux? That animation, and a few more, might be coming back soon.

Linux users loved playing with Compiz, a window manager that added all kinds of animations to the Linux desktop. Perhaps the most famous were the wobbly windows, which brought a tactile feel to moving windows around. It was great fun.

Now Sam Spilsbury, who once led the Compiz project, is hoping to bring the effects to modern Linux distros with a new project called libanimation.

Read more about libanimation in this How-To Geek article: http://bit.ly/2OrQfIS

12 EASY STEPS TO SPEED UP UBUNTU LINUX – If you have been paying attention to your system’s performance you might have noticed that it is been dwindling with time. This is due to a variety of factors that typically affect systems all over the world whether they are owned by beginner or master Linux users.  Fossmint brings you a list of tasks that you can complete in order to have your Ubuntu machine running at optimum speeds again and giving you the efficient performance that you desire. Read more at: http://bit.ly/2Ou0Jrp

Thanks to UCHUG for the link

RASPBERRY PI SUPERCOMPUTERS: FROM DIY CLUSTERS TO 750-BOARD MONSTERS – While the $35 Pi is by no means a computing powerhouse, in recent years enthusiasts have begun harnessing the power of armies of the tiny boards. If you’re curious to find out more, then here’s five Pi clusters built in recent years, starting with some you can try yourself and moving on to the Pi-based supercomputers being built by research labs. Read more at this TechRadar article:  https://tek.io/2Nrio1V

BEST LINUX REMOTE DESKTOP CLIENTS OF 2018 – This article has been fully updated, and was provided to TechRadar by Linux Format: http://bit.ly/2O0tNXs

MASTER THE LINUX COMMAND LINE – If you use Linux long enough, you will most likely have performed actions via the terminal in some capacity, even if it was something as simple as installing a package. The command line is more than just using the system on a daily basis. To master the command line is to become familiar with the tools you have under your belt. This Linux and Ubuntu article helps you master the Linux command line: http://bit.ly/2O46xIo

4 WAYS YOU CAN MAKE XFCE LOOK MODERN AND BEAUTIFUL – Xfce is a great lightweight desktop environment with one drawback. It looks sort of old. But you don’t have to stick with the default looks. See various ways you can customize Xfce to give it a modern and beautiful look at this It’s FOSS article:. http://bit.ly/2LM1PRc

NEW LIBREOFFICE VERSION OFFERS FRESH TAKE – The Document Foundation has announced the availability of its second major release this year, LibreOffice Fresh 6.1, with enhanced editing on Desktop, Cloud and Mobile platforms. Read about the new additions in this LinuxInsider story: http://bit.ly/2Ls2O4H

LINUX USERS JUST GOT ACCESS TO MORE STEAM GAMES – Linux users now have access to many more Windows titles on Steam with a new version of Steam Play, according to a blog post from Valve on Tuesday. While those who use the Linux operating system currently have access to “more than 3000” Linux-compatible games in the Steam Store, this new update will eventually give them access to the entire back catalog of games previously only playable by Windows (and sometimes Mac) users. Read more at this Variety article: http://bit.ly/2MONYdd

LIBREOFFICE 6.1 RELEASED WITH ICONS THAT MAKE IT MORE WINDOWS-LIKE – On Thursday, August 9, The Document Foundation announced LibreOffice 6.1 for Microsoft’s Windows operating system and macOS. This release comes with a long list of new features and improvements and this is the second major update of the LibreOffice 6 series introduced in early 2018.

In a blog post, the company says that the new features have been developed by a large community of developers. These features include revamped image handling which is faster and smoother than before as well as icons that make it have more of Windows-like feel. Read more of this BleepingComputer article at: http://bit.ly/2MbJjCy

LINUX SHUTDOWN COMMAND – This Linuxize tutorial will show you how to use the shutdown utility through practical examples and detailed explanations of the most common shutdown options. http://bit.ly/2KIY1MM

CHOOSING A RASPBERRY PI OS? HERE’S THE DEFINITIVE LIST – This list rounds up the free systems that are available, from easy-to-use desktop systems aimed at novice users to powerful systems designed for those familiar with the command line. Get all the details from TechRepublic: https://tek.io/2KTubs6

LINUX WITH EDUCATION – BEST FREE EDUCATION APPS – In this article, we award 42 medals to superb open source educational software. We identify free software ideally suited for young people, parents, teachers, academics, and administrators – basically anyone involved in education. From LinuxLinks: http://bit.ly/2Nw1DDu

MOUNTING GOOGLE DRIVE ON XFCE OR MATE DESKTOPS (UBUNTU, LINUX MINT) – Gnome offers an easy way to access your Google Drive files from your Linux desktop. But what about other desktop environments? There are ways of mounting Google Drive on any desktop environment, and this Linux Uprising article includes two  such options: installing and using Gnome Settings (Control Center) and Gnome Online Accounts in other desktop environments, like Xfce or MATE, or using Google Drive OCamlFUSE, a tool that achieves something like Gnome Online accounts, but without all the Gnome dependencies. Here’s how: http://bit.ly/2O0lrPD

HOW TO INSTALL UFW AND USE IT TO SET UP A BASIC FIREWALL – UFW basics including UFW installation and setting up a basic firewall, follow this LinuxConfig tutorial: http://bit.ly/2Nusore

HOW TO SCHEDULE FILE BACKUPS TO GOOGLE DRIVE ON UBUNTU – The Deja Dup backup tool is preinstalled on the Ubuntu desktop by default — but like many, Joey Sneddon, OMGUbuntu.com.uk, didn’t use it.

Or rather he didn’t, not until this week when he learned that Deja Dup can backup files to Google Drive automatically.

Simple, zero-fuss backups, at that.

Thanks to some spiffy GNOME Online Accounts integration Deja Dup can schedule file, folder and even entire system backups directly to Google Drive.

These file backups can happen as often/when you like, as well as run automatically in the background. You can also restore file backups from Google Drive to your local system.

If this handy backup feature sounds like something you want to use, learn how at this OMG!Ubuntu! web page: http://bit.ly/2Aq383G

A MAJOR GNOME ICON REDESIGN IS GETTING UNDERWAY – Your favourite GNOME applications will soon have dramatically different icons.

GNOME devs are redesigning the default icons for all GNOME core apps as part a wider overhaul of GNOME design guidelines.

The move hope to make it easier (and less effort) for app developers to provide high-quality and useful icons for their software on the GNOME desktop. Read more at this OMG!Ubuntu! web page: http://bit.ly/2v2SXNr

A FORBES WRITER SPENT 2 WEEKS USING UBUNTU, THIS IS WHAT HE THOUGHT… Guy ditches Windows for Ubuntu – and you WILL believe what happens next! It’s a tale as old as time: laptop user gets frustrated by Windows, tries Ubuntu, falls in love, and computes happily ever after…

After two decades of relying on Windows a Forbes.com tech contributor decided it was time for the nuclear option…

A classic love story — one Hollywood has yet to use as source material for a major motion picture/musical starring Robert Downey Jr (It seems he’s in everything).

The latest case in point? That comes courtesy of online magazine Forbes.com and its tech contributor Jason Evangelho.

Jason shares his experience of using Ubuntu for a solid fortnight on a swanky Dell XPS 13 laptop. He says he was spurred into “ditching” Windows by yet another ill-timed and infuriating wait while the OS opted to install updates.

“After two decades of relying on Windows I finally decided it was time for the nuclear option,” he writes. Read more of this OMG!Ubuntu! article: http://bit.ly/2vloEAO

GET MOJAVE’S DYNAMIC WALLPAPER IN WINDOWS AND LINUX RIGHT NOW (WHILE MAC USERS WAIT UNTIL FALL) – Mojave, the new version of macOS coming out this fall, features a desert wallpaper that subtly changes throughout the day, reflecting the sunrise and sunset where you live. Windows and Linux users can have this feature right now, even though macOS users must wait until the fall. Life isn’t fair.

Enjoy the wallpaper, and the subtle switches throughout the day. Be sure to tell your Mac using friends how great not waiting feels. Read how to install the wallpaper at this How-To Geek post: http://bit.ly/2mthjeB

LINUX HOW-TOS – Many advanced computer DIY projects rely on Linux to get the job done. Lifewire explores all the ways Linux can light up your life. Have fun clicking and learning the topics on this How-To page: http://bit.ly/2LhExlL

MAKE UBUNTU LOOK LIKE MACOS MOJAVE’S DARK MODE – If you’re a Linux user who likes the look of the dark mode coming in macOS Mojave, you’re in luck: there’s a GTK theme just for you. The theme is available on Gnome-Look.org alongside several other macOS inspired themes. You’re looking for the one titled McOS-MJV-Dark-mode, but feel free to download more if you think you might want to switch it up later. How-To Geek thanks Joey Sneddon at OMG Ubuntu for pointing this theme out to us. It’s not a perfect match for Mojave’s dark mode, but it’s a lot better than the terrible Windows Dark Mode. Read more of this How-To Geek post at: http://bit.ly/2zX91Fw

SUPERCOMPUTERS: ALL LINUX, ALL THE TIME – The latest TOP500 Supercomputer list is out. What’s not surprising is that Linux runs on every one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. What is surprising is that GPUs, not CPUs, now power most of supercomputers’ speed. Read the rest of the article at ZDNet: https://zd.net/2N2WGlw

HOW RED HAT MORPHED FROM LINUX PIONEER INTO CLOUD-COMPUTING PLAYER – Think of Red Hat (RHT) as a technology company that has reinvented itself not just once, but twice in 15 years. Red Hat’s reinvention is tied to the rise of cloud computing. Like many traditional suppliers of information technology, it has been pressured to adapt. Read more at this Investor’s Business Daily article: http://bit.ly/2xWK9fN

HOW TO OPEN FILES AND FOLDERS AS ADMINISTRATOR IN NAUTILUS IN UBUNTU 17.10 AND 18.04 – In Nautilus on Ubuntu, you can see all the files and folders on your system. Sometimes you might want to edit basic file configurations like settings for programs. But there are some system files and folders that you can’t open and edit from Nautilus unless you open Nautilus as Administrator. Today we’ll show you how to add two options to the right-click menu that will allow you to open folders and edit files as administrator. Read more of this groovyPost article at:  http://bit.ly/2Lxsduk

HOW TO RESET LOST ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD IN UBUNTU OR LINUX MINT – If you forgot the administrator account password for your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system, don’t worry, it’s quite easy to set a new password and you don’t need any extra tools to do it. Get the steps from Linux Uprising: http://bit.ly/2JB2Hrv

OVERCLOCKING RASPBERRY PI: HOW TO DO IT AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW – The Raspberry Pi 3 is a great little computer, far more powerful than the models before it. But did you know you can squeeze even more power out of it? Here’s how to overclock your Raspberry Pi and push it further than you ever imagined! http://bit.ly/2yduw3Y

HOW TO INSTALL WINDOWS 10 IN A VM ON A LINUX MACHINE – Learn how to install Windows 10 on your Linux machine using the bundled license key on preassembled systems and get tips on how to reduce the amount of system resources Windows uses. Get the steps from TechRepublic: https://tek.io/2JQ1tsG

DOES LINUX NEED ANTIVIRUS? – Linux has long been touted as an extremely safe platform, but should users also run antivirus software? Here’s what you need to know. http://bit.ly/2M7fUF8

LINUX AND OPEN-SOURCE JOBS ARE IN MORE DEMAND THAN EVER – Do you want a tech job? Then, it’s time to move away from Windows and head toward Linux and open source. According to The Linux Foundation and Dice’s 2018 Open Source Jobs Report, 87 percent of hiring managers are having trouble finding open-source talent, while hiring open-source talent is now a priority for 83 percent of employers. https://zd.net/2M9DIIF

10 APPLICATIONS EVERY LINUX USING MUSICIAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT – When it comes to creativity, people are always assuming that a Mac is best, even in today’s Windows-centric ecosystem. As a result, so few people know about the diverse landscape of Linux-based tools and suites available, most of which for free. Learn about the 10 Apps for Linux Musicians can use in 2018 at FossBytes: http://bit.ly/2sDZDQ4

TIMEKPR REVIVED: EASY TO USE PARENTAL CONTROL SOFTWARE FOR UBUNTU – If you’re looking for an easy to use tool with a graphical user interface for parental controls for Ubuntu, it’s recommend you give Timekpr Revived a try. Using Timekpr Revived, you can control the computer usage for certain user accounts by setting some predefined access rules. Get details here: http://bit.ly/2Jiz26e

LINUX RUNNING TOO SLOW? HERE’S HOW TO FIND THE CAUSE – Have you ever wondered why your Linux computer is running slow these days? Despite high transmission speed and powerful hardware, it still takes forever in executing or processing services or applications. Your Linux computer seems to be slow because of some of the following reasons: http://bit.ly/2K6taJQ

PC GAMING ON LINUX: 7 COMMON QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS ANSWERED – You use a Windows PC, but you’ve been thinking about trying out Linux. The only problem: no games. After all, you can’t play games on Linux, right? Wrong! Anything you can do with a Windows computer, you can do with Linux. That includes watching and editing movies, playing local and streamed music, standard browsing and office tasks… and yes, even gaming. http://bit.ly/2JWdhts

GETTING STARTED WITH LINUX AND UBUNTU – You’ve heard about Linux, but it’s only recently that you realized this free and open source operating system is something that you could actually use. It’s not hard to install, it has plenty of great apps, and it extends the life of your computers. These days, Linux even makes for a decent way to play games. You get this. You don’t need to be sold on Linux, you just want someone to hold your hand as you get started. This MakeUseOf article will help: http://bit.ly/2yi8CfE

LINUX GETS LOUD – Linux is ready for prime time when it comes to music production. New offerings from Linux audio developers are pushing creative and technical boundaries. And, with the maturity of the Linux desktop and growth of standards-based hardware setups, making music with Linux has never been easier. Joshua Curry tells us more in Linux Journal: http://bit.ly/2JDa9CD

LIBREOFFICE 6 REVIEW: THE OPEN-SOURCE FAVORITE GETS AN UPDATE – The free and open source suite LibreOffice is loved by many for its excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office formats including the newer DOCX, PPT, and PPTX files. LibreOffice 6, its first major update in a couple years, continues that tradition but redesigns the UI and adds productivity improvements to its “big three” programs—Writer, Calc, and Impress. Read about the new features in this PC World article: http://bit.ly/2M9oOTp

3 JOURNALING APPLICATIONS FOR THE LINUX DESKTOP – Keeping a journal, even irregularly, can have many benefits. It’s not only therapeutic and cathartic, it’s also a good record of where you are and where you’ve been. It can help show your progress in life and remind you of what you’ve done right and what you’ve done wrong. No matter what your reasons are for keeping a journal or a diary, there are a variety of ways in which to do that. There are several very flexible and very useful journaling tools for the Linux desktop. Let’s look at three of them at this opensource.com web page: https://red.ht/2xUmCMC

6 BEST CCLEANER ALTERNATIVES FOR UBUNTU – A common category of software you will find on many Windows PCs are system optimizers and cleaners. One such application is CCleaner, a powerful and popular Windows PC cleaner which scans for and deletes unwanted files, private information such as browsing cache and history, freeing up space and guarding your privacy and more. Unfortunately, there is no CCleaner release for Linux systems, so if you were using it on Windows and made a switch to Ubuntu Linux (one of the recommended distros for Linux beginners), you are probably wondering which software to use for the same purpose on your new platform. Check out your options reading this TechMint article: http://bit.ly/2JkzrkM

CREATE BOOTABLE USB DRIVES FROM WINDOWS WITH RUFUS (VERSION 3.0 RELEASED) – Rufus can be used not only to create bootable Windows drives from ISO files or disk images, but also create bootable Linux USB drives from Windows, format USB drives, and perform bad blocks checks. And it’s free open source software. Get the instructions from Linux Uprising: http://bit.ly/2LGKZA6

THE BEST LINUX DISTROS OF 2018 – If you can’t stand the lackluster security of a Windows computer, but macOS is much too shallow, allow us to introduce you to Linux. It is, quite simply, the ultimate in open source software. The OS started out as being exclusive to regular x86 desktop PCs but has since found its way into everything from Android phones to Google Chromebooks. This guide, from TechRadarPeo, focuses on picking out the very best distros overall. Review it re: http://bit.ly/2sgQAFs

CHOOSING THE BEST LINUX DISTRO FOR DESKTOP 2018 – And another point of view. Searching for the best Linux distro (distribution)? This article will probably be most useful to those who don’t know what /etc/fstab is used for. Also, this post does not cover Linux server distributions, but instead focuses on Linux desktop distributions. One great way to increase your familiarity with Linux servers is to run Linux on your laptop and/or workstation. Get another person’s viewpoint/recommendation at this Hayden James blog post: http://bit.ly/2L79KEJ

HOW TO ADD A SHOW DESKTOP ICON TO UBUNTU DOCK / DASH TO DOCK – If you’re a Gnome Shell user and you’re missing having a Show Desktop icon on your dock to quickly show / hide all open windows, here’s a script to achieve this with the Ubuntu Dock, Dash to Dock, or any dock you may be using. Full instructions on Linux Uprising at this web page: http://bit.ly/2L5CVbb

COPYING AND RENAMING FILES ON LINUX – There’s more to copying and renaming files on Linux than cp and mv. Try some commands and strategies that might surprise you and save you some time. Linux users have for many decades been using simple cp and mv commands to copy and rename files. These commands are some of the first that most of us learned and are used every day by possibly millions of people. But there are other techniques, handy variations, and another command for renaming files that offers some unique options. Learn what these are from NetworkWorld: http://bit.ly/2JhUDLa

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE THE GNOME SHELL IN UBUNTU USING EXTENSIONS – Starting with Ubuntu 17.10, the GNOME 3 desktop is the default. There are many new features in Ubuntu 18.04, and you can even extend the functionality of the Ubuntu desktop with GNOME shell extensions. These extensions are add-ons for the GNOME desktop that either add new functionality or modify existing functionality to expand it, a bit like browser add-ons. Read more of this MakeUseOf article to  find different ways to install and enable GNOME Shell extensions, how to remove extensions, and how to get notified of extension updates: http://bit.ly/2sOPShV

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST LINUX DISTRO FOR YOUR NEEDS – There are hundreds of Linux distributions and according to some people there are too many. For people new to Linux, however, it is tricky to know which Linux distro is best for them. This guide goes through the top Linux distros as listed at Distrowatch.com and gives a short description of each one as well as a table showing how easy they are to install, who they are for, level of expertise required and the desktop environment that they use. Find your Linux at this Lifewire article: http://bit.ly/2xpMwHX

DEBIAN-GOODIES – A SET OF USEFUL UTILITIES FOR DEBIAN AND UBUNTU USERS – Are you using a Debian-based system? Great! I am here today with good news for you. Say hello to “Debian-goodies”, a collection of useful utilities for Debian-based systems, like Ubuntu, Linux Mint. These set of utilities provides some additional useful commands which are not available by default in the Debian-based systems. To find out what these utilities are, check this article from OSTechNix at: http://bit.ly/2IVUOIT

22 ESSENTIAL LINUX SECURITY COMMANDS – If you’re looking after the security of Linux systems, these are the commands you must know. There are many aspects to security on Linux systems – from setting up accounts to ensuring that legitimate users have no more privilege than they need to do their jobs. This is a look at some of the most essential security commands for day-to-day work on Linux systems. Read the full article at NetworkWorld: http://bit.ly/2L2ND29

THE BEST LINUX DISTROS FOR EVERY KIND OF USER – There are Linux distributions (distros) for every niche and need. The best and most suitable Linux operating system for you depends on your specific needs and hardware. So, what’s the best Linux distro for you?  Read this article from MakeUseOf to find out: http://bit.ly/2siCmDT

FEDORA 28 COMES WITH NEW SOFTWARE OPTIONS – On May 1, the Fedora Project announced the general availability of Fedora 28, which introduces a new software delivery system based on a modular repository. The new system provides alternative versions of the software and updates that come with the default release. Find out more from LinixInsider: http://bit.ly/2LCjhEV

A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT’S COMING TO KDE CONNECT – KDE Connect is a project that helps integrating Android devices with Linux desktops, allowing you to receive phone notifications on your Linux desktop, easily transfer files between Android devices and a desktop, use your phone as a desktop remote control, synchronize the clipboard across devices, and more.

While it’s created for KDE / Plasma desktop, KDE Connect works on any desktop, and there are various third-party implementations, like an Ubuntu AppIndicator, or the Gnome Shell GSConnect extension which implements the KDE Connect protocol for Gnome Shell, without requiring KDE dependencies. Read more about this new integrating piece of technology in the article from Linux Uprising at: http://bit.ly/2GYOLRV

HOW TO MOVE UBUNTU’S LAUNCHER BAR TO THE BOTTOM OR RIGHT – This works on Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04, as Ubuntu now uses GNOME Shell instead of Unity. This trick doesn’t even require obscure terminal commands, as it did with the Unity desktop. You can move the launcher with just a few clicks. Find out how you can move the launcher bar in this How-To Geek article: http://bit.ly/2GyczMo

OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE: WHAT IS IT, AND WHICH IS THE BEST? – If you were to take a time machine ride back to the late 1990’s and look at the Internet, there are some things you would notice. The main one would be the dominance of Microsoft products. Internet Explorer and the Office word-processing suite. Nowhere would there be any evidence of open source software.

If you got into that same time machine and moved forward at least a decade, you would see signs of Microsoft’s monopoly slackening. A lot of that has to do with open source projects. But what is open source? What are some of the best examples? Today we look at all of that and more. Read more of this groovyPost article: http://bit.ly/2Krnnhp

HOW TO ENABLE CLICK TO MINIMIZE ON UBUNTU – The launcher at the left-hand side in Ubuntu is a handy tool for quickly accessing applications. When you click on an icon in the launcher, the application window appears in focus.

If you click again on the icon of an application already in focus, the default behavior is to do nothing. This may bother you if you expect the application window to be minimized on the second click. This quick It’s FOSS tutorial shows you how to enable click to minimize option on Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 16.04: http://bit.ly/2xiDIn7

HOW TO PERMANENTLY CHANGE THE MAC ADDRESS ON LINUX – This article explains how to permanently change / spoof the MAC addresses of network interfaces. For this purpose, we’ll use Macchanger, a utility for manipulating MAC addresses, for which we’ll create a systemd unit to start it automatically on boot. Get the full set of instructions complete with detailed screenshots from Linux Uprising at: http://bit.ly/2IUXiHf