FOSSPicks
Git Cola
In the same way that we're all perhaps looking for an ideal Python IDE (see above), we're all waiting for a good Git GUI that can make sense of all of those weird options that keep being added. Git is brilliant and wonderful and not too difficult to understand at a high level. However, as soon as you scratch the surface, there are just so many options and ways of accomplishing the same task. A GUI should help resolve these problems by offering a canonical process for all of the most common tasks, as well as a way to visualize exactly what's happening in your own branches, as well as the branches they track on some distant online repository. Git Cola gets close, although, if you're a beginner, it won't help you learn Git. This is because its default view assumes you already know what you're doing and most likely are accessing a project with a comprehensive set of Git history.
The main view on the left is for showing "diffs," the textual differences between one version of a file and the next. You choose files in various stages of development from the Branches pane, as well as the status pane that shows the paths for those files. A file browser lets you view all the files in the project, along with their status and their last commit message; our favorite view is the DAG visualiser. This looks a little like the visualizer in GitHub, only the timeline for a file is vertical rather than horizontal. It shows how the file diverges and remerges throughout its lifecycle in the project, and consequently, how the entire project grows and changes over time. This could offer some valuable insights to more established projects, helping projects understand how to use various developers to the best of their capabilities.
Project Website
Scientific office suite
Stencila
While the wider world argues about open access to a research paper written invariably about taxpayer-funded research, there's a smaller revolution happening in software. Stencila is an office suite designed specifically for writing the results of reproducible research. Its primary user interface is just like any other office suite, where you create a document and start typing. It includes all the features you'd expect, such as excellent text support and better than average citation support. But in Stencila, these features are augmented by the "execution engine," an embedded reactive programming model that feels a lot like a spreadsheet. It enables you to enter data and process that data within your research document, but when that data changes, so too does the output generated in the remainder of the document. You can even mix code from various programming languages used to process the data within your documents to show how results are processed. This is exactly what you'd expect with an academic paper, but the way this is now interactive and verifiable feels brilliant. It lets you or your peers look through the code for how a plot has been generated, for instance, rather than trusting the authors' word.
The programming languages most commonly used are R, Python, JavaScript, SQL, and Stencila's own Mini. You can share custom functions, data validation, and custom types. Code is often written in snippets, with data loaded via XML – the entire document is typically a series of XML files, and you can convert from Excel spreadsheets, Jupyter notebooks, Markdown, Word documents, and LaTeX. Many of these converters are "lossless," which means you can save your work back out again in the same format and send it to colleagues working with those different software tools. When you're ready to publish, Stencila supports Journal Article Tag Suite (JATS), commonly used by publishers to provide finer output control.
Project Website
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.