Package management is one of the enduring achievements of the Unix/Linux environment. Thousands of applications are available with a single command or a few simple mouse clicks. A Linux package repository is like the Apple App store, only no one asks for your credit card. (And, by the way, Unix/Linux packages have been around a good deal longer than the Apple App store.)

Despite the many benefits of Linux packages, the restless hearts of the open source community have been busy with some innovations that could make packages even better. A new generation of package tools and formats is gradually replacing the DEB and RPM packages of old. This month we look at the portable package tools that are becoming ever more common in the Linux space: AppImage, Flatpak, and Snap. Also in this month's Linux Voice, we introduce you to a cool tool for drawing molecules, and we show you how to use a Heimer mind map to organize everyday decisions.

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