Bobby Jack writes that open-source terminal tools now enable Linux users to edit, analyze, and manage spreadsheet data without relying on GUI applications like LibreOffice Calc. The article highlights five distinct utilities—Sheets, excelchop, xleak, VisiData, and Vex—each tailored for specific tasks ranging from quick data extraction to full-featured visual data analysis and file editing.
- Vex is recommended as the best option for making edits to Excel spreadsheets directly from the terminal.
- xleak is the only tool on the list that supports the older proprietary XLS file format.
- excelchop supports the XLSX format but does not support the XLS format.
- Vex is recommended as the best option for making edits to Excel spreadsheets directly from the terminal.
- xleak is the only tool on the list that supports the older proprietary XLS file format.
- excelchop supports the XLSX format but does not support the XLS format.
Michael Larabel writes that Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS has been released, providing a new point release for those using the Ubuntu 24.04 Long Term Support series. This update includes all stable release updates from recent months to facilitate faster initial deployment and features an updated hardware enablement (HWE) stack with Linux kernel 7.0 and Mesa 26.0 graphics drivers.
- The HWE stack pulls key packages from Ubuntu 26.04
- Multiple official flavors including Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu Studio are also released
- Updated GPU drivers offer improved performance for gamers and enthusiasts on newer hardware
- The HWE stack pulls key packages from Ubuntu 26.04
- Multiple official flavors including Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu Studio are also released
- Updated GPU drivers offer improved performance for gamers and enthusiasts on newer hardware
Co11ateral writes about ShadowBroker, an open-source OSINT dashboard that aggregates live public intelligence feeds—aircraft and maritime tracking, satellite orbits, conflict reporting, GPS jamming, and more—into a single interactive map running locally via Docker. Built with Next.js, MapLibre GL, and a Python/FastAPI backend, it consolidates what would otherwise require juggling dozens of tabs into one prioritized view accessible at localhost:3000.
- Optional API keys enhance data; a language model agent can be attached to find correlations across feeds
- Telegram-sourced intelligence appears as red clusters on the map, often with attached media
- NASA VIIRS Nightlight and daily satellite captures are available as toggleable layers
- Antennas and Metastatic nodes are included, with the ability to tune in or send a message
- The project has been actively maintained for about six months with ongoing feature additions
- Optional API keys enhance data; a language model agent can be attached to find correlations across feeds
- Telegram-sourced intelligence appears as red clusters on the map, often with attached media
- NASA VIIRS Nightlight and daily satellite captures are available as toggleable layers
- Antennas and Metastatic nodes are included, with the ability to tune in or send a message
- The project has been actively maintained for about six months with ongoing feature additions
Luke James writes that California's legislature has passed Assembly Bill 1856, which provides an exemption for open-source operating systems from the state's Digital Age Assurance Act. The bill, which was amended by the Senate before passing with a unanimous vote in both chambers, ensures that software distributed under licenses like GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache is not required to collect user age data during setup. This decision resolves uncertainty regarding whether Linux distributions or SteamOS would need to implement mandatory age verification alongside major platforms like Windows or macOS.
- The exemption applies because these open-source licenses allow recipients to copy, redistribute, and modify the software.
- Software components such as libraries and dependencies distributed through package managers (e.g., apt or pacman) are also excluded from being classified as "applications" under the law.
- Browser extension stores are carved out because they distribute add-ons that run within a host application rather than acting as standalone executables.
- The amendments removed a problematic definition of "user" that would have technically classified every device owner in California as a child.
- The exemption applies because these open-source licenses allow recipients to copy, redistribute, and modify the software.
- Software components such as libraries and dependencies distributed through package managers (e.g., apt or pacman) are also excluded from being classified as "applications" under the law.
- Browser extension stores are carved out because they distribute add-ons that run within a host application rather than acting as standalone executables.
- The amendments removed a problematic definition of "user" that would have technically classified every device owner in California as a child.
Rich is a Python library that adds colors, tables, progress bars, markdown rendering, and syntax highlighting to terminal output, making CLI tools and REPL sessions significantly more readable and visually polished across Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Its `print` is a drop-in replacement for the built-in, so you can swap it in with only an import change and embed markup like ` bold magenta » ` directly in strings
- Can be installed into the Python REPL to automatically pretty-print any data structure you inspect
- Supports true color and emoji on modern Windows Terminal, falling back to 16 colors on classic terminals
- Requires Python 3.8+
- Its `print` is a drop-in replacement for the built-in, so you can swap it in with only an import change and embed markup like ` bold magenta » ` directly in strings
- Can be installed into the Python REPL to automatically pretty-print any data structure you inspect
- Supports true color and emoji on modern Windows Terminal, falling back to 16 colors on classic terminals
- Requires Python 3.8+
Umair Khurshid writes that although Docker revolutionized container workflows and application portability, it has lost its status as the single essential tool for all developers. As standardized OCI runtimes have matured, specialized alternatives now offer more targeted solutions for security-focused workloads, production environments, system-level needs, and standalone image creation.
- Podman enables rootless containers by launching processes directly from the CLI without a central daemon
- containerd provides an efficient, lightweight runtime often used in Kubernetes architectures
- Incus specializes in system containers that behave like complete Linux installations with init systems
- Buildah focuses specifically on building images rather than managing container execution
- Podman enables rootless containers by launching processes directly from the CLI without a central daemon
- containerd provides an efficient, lightweight runtime often used in Kubernetes architectures
- Incus specializes in system containers that behave like complete Linux installations with init systems
- Buildah focuses specifically on building images rather than managing container execution
A Git worktree is a separate directory checked out from the same repository. You can have as many as you need, each on its own branch, all coexisting simultaneously on your filesystem.
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An exploration of using the KDE Plasma desktop environment as a foundation for personal knowledge management to avoid vendor lock-in. Instead of relying on specialized applications like Obsidian or Logseq, this workflow uses plain Markdown files managed through Dolphin and Ghostwriter.
- Creating custom templates in ~/Templates for rapid note creation
- Organizing notes with dedicated directories for attachments and inbox items
- Using Dolphin's built-in tagging system via Baloo for efficient searching
- Implementing manual interlinking using relative paths to ensure file portability
- Managing the trade-offs of strict organization requirements and link fragility
- Creating custom templates in ~/Templates for rapid note creation
- Organizing notes with dedicated directories for attachments and inbox items
- Using Dolphin's built-in tagging system via Baloo for efficient searching
- Implementing manual interlinking using relative paths to ensure file portability
- Managing the trade-offs of strict organization requirements and link fragility
The expiration of Microsoft’s 2011 Secure Boot certificates in 2026 presents potential challenges for Linux users on consumer hardware. While existing installations are unlikely to fail immediately when dates roll over, new distributions or updates may face boot issues unless firmware is updated with the newer 2023 keys. To maintain security and compatibility, users should update their system BIOS/UEFI via vendor tools or fwupd and verify readiness by testing current distribution ISOs on live USB sticks. Disabling Secure Boot entirely to avoid these hurdles is discouraged as it increases vulnerability to rootkits.
>"On many systems, you can use Linux's firmware update stack, fwupd, to handle this from within your distro. To take this step, run the following commands as the root user:"
>
>`fwupdmgr refresh && fwupdmgr get-updates && fwupdmgr update`
>"On many systems, you can use Linux's firmware update stack, fwupd, to handle this from within your distro. To take this step, run the following commands as the root user:"
>
>`fwupdmgr refresh && fwupdmgr get-updates && fwupdmgr update`
This guide provides a comprehensive setup for using the Ghostty terminal emulator with Anthropic's Claude Code agentic coding tool. It highlights how Ghostty’s native splits, notification forwarding, and state restoration features minimize friction during long sessions where an AI agent is modifying files and running tests.
The article covers several key optimizations:
- Core configuration for typography (JetBrains Mono Nerd Font), themes, and window persistence to restore layouts between restarts.
- Implementation of the SAND keybinding pattern for intuitive split pane management.
- Three distinct workspace presets: Standard Split, Three-Pane Neovim Layout, and Multi-Project Tab Layout.
- Automation scripts for installing necessary fonts, configuring a compatible Starship prompt (to avoid issues with Powerlevel10k), and setting Ghostty as the default terminal handler.
- A specialized tmux script designed to handle remote sessions while ensuring Claude Code notifications and extended keys pass through correctly.
- Specific JSON settings to synchronize Claude Code's theme and system notification behavior with Ghostty’s environment.
The article covers several key optimizations:
- Core configuration for typography (JetBrains Mono Nerd Font), themes, and window persistence to restore layouts between restarts.
- Implementation of the SAND keybinding pattern for intuitive split pane management.
- Three distinct workspace presets: Standard Split, Three-Pane Neovim Layout, and Multi-Project Tab Layout.
- Automation scripts for installing necessary fonts, configuring a compatible Starship prompt (to avoid issues with Powerlevel10k), and setting Ghostty as the default terminal handler.
- A specialized tmux script designed to handle remote sessions while ensuring Claude Code notifications and extended keys pass through correctly.
- Specific JSON settings to synchronize Claude Code's theme and system notification behavior with Ghostty’s environment.
