Getting a hand from Handbrake
I have dozens of VHS tapes recorded, in some cases nearly 30 years ago, of our children when they were young. About ten years ago, I used a Linux computer and dvgrab to capture the video using a Firewire port on the computer and an aging digital video camera.
My usual file transfer method, QRCP, has been reliable for moving files between my Linux desktop and iOS devices. Disappointment with that method led me to consider using Handbrake as a potential solution.
Balancing Performance, Compliance, and Cost with Linux and Open-Source Solutions
My recent task involved assisting a healthcare professional in upgrading their computer system. The goal was to provide a more robust solution that offers redundant...
Contributing to open source
I started using Linux and open-source software in the late 1990s, and the more familiar I became with it, the more uses I saw for...
System76’s Cosmic Desktop: A New Era in Linux UX
Last week, System76 unveiled COSMIC, a groundbreaking desktop for Linux computers. This isn't an iteration of Gnome, Cinnamon, XFCE, or KDE. It's a paradigm shift...
Mastering the rm command
The rm command in Linux is a powerful tool for deleting files and directories. While it may seem simple, mastering this command requires understanding its...
GUI disk usage analyzers in Linux
For people who prefer visual representations, these GUI-based tools help you understand how your storage capacity is used.
Sometimes the visual representation of disk utilization is easier or newer users may not be as familiar with the various Linux commands that display storage information. I am a person who comprehends visual representations more easily than the printout on the command line.
Mastering the Linux cp Command: A Comprehensive Guide
When I began to use Linux over twenty-five years ago I was not as comfortable on the command line as I am now. I had...
Everyday tech that runs on Linux
Linux runs almost everything, but many people are unaware of that. Some folks might be aware of Linux and might have heard it runs supercomputers....
Linux: The Sustainable Choice for Computing and Environmental Responsibility
Sustainability is an increasingly important problem in computing. Reduce, reuse, and recycle is a famous motto for environmentally responsible consumption, but applying it to computer...
Signal: The Pinnacle of Secure Messaging
In a time of increasing digital privacy threats, Signal has emerged as a hope for those seeking secure and private communication. It has garnered praise...
Tips for using the ‘ls’ command in Linux
One of the first commands I learned in Linux was ls. Knowing what’s in a directory where a file on your system resides is important....
Two open source desktop recording tools
A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a video demonstration can save much talking. I'm a visual learner, so seeing how to do...
Learning with the turtle
Image by: Patti Black on Unsplash Mathematics was anathema to me in my early years. As a visual learner, abstract concepts were challenging for me....
5 note-taking apps for Linux
Notes are part of any writer’s life. Most of my articles begin in a note taking application and that’s usually Joplin for me. There are a large number of note taking apps for Linux and you may use something other than my favorite. A recent blog article reminded me of a half dozen of them. That was an invitation to learn more about how each of these applications came to be and who were their developers.
Using the command line calendar and date functions in Linux
have always been interested in historical dates and determining the actual day of the week an event occurred. What day of the week was the Declaration of Independence signed? What day of the week was I born? What day of the week did the 4th of July in 1876 occur? I know that you can use search engines to answer many of these questions. But did you know that the Linux command line can supply those answers, too?
6 Linux metacharacters I love to use on the command line
Using metacharacters on the Linux command line is a great way to enhance productivity.
Early in my Linux journey, I learned how to use the command line. It’s what sets Linux apart. I could lose the graphical user interface (GUI), because it was unnecessary to rebuild the machine completely. Many Linux computers run headless, and you can accomplish all the administrative tasks on the command line. It uses many basic commands that all are familiar with—like ls, ls-l, ls-l, cd, pwd, top, and many more.