Cover Theme: BitKey

DVD Theme: Knoppix 8.1 (Multiarch Live) and Lubuntu 17.04 (32-bit Live)

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The mysterious world of cryptocurrency is quickly becoming part of everyday life. If you've been around computers and the Internet for the past five years, chances are you're either using Bitcoin or you're curious about it. This month we look at BitKey, a Debian-based Linux designed to serve in a hyper-secure Bitcoin cold storage environment.

Also inside:

• Hardware Analysis Tools -- we study some leading Linux tools for diagnosing hardware problems.
• HDF5 -- this hierarchical filesystem supports several programming languages and is ideal for Big Data and machine learning environments.

This issue also unveils our new MakerSpace section, with articles on a Raspberry Pi access point and a tool for building an HPC cluster with tiny Pi Zero computers.

Cover Theme: VMware vs VirtualBox

DVD Theme: Manjaro Gnome 17.0 and Kubuntu 17.04

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This month we compare VirtualBox with the free version of VMware Workstation Player and explore the possibilities for modeling a network on a host computer with KVM and Qemu. Other highlights:

• KolibriOS – a teeny tiny operating system that runs in memory and boots in 10 seconds or less.
• Devuan 1.0 – Developers who didn’t like the switch to the systemd init forked Debian to found Devuan. We tour the first major release.

Check out LinuxVoice for a look at Minetest, the open source answer to the Minecraft phenomenon.

Cover Theme: IoT at Home

DVD Theme: openSUSE Leap 42.3 and Fedora 26 Workstation

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This month we feature some cool open source tools for automating your home, including Home Assistant and the Adafruit IO API. We also explore a streaming solution based on the Raspberry Pi Zero and take a look at what’s ahead for the upcoming Ubuntu 17.10 release.
Other highlights within:

• Whonix – a privacy Linux tailored for the TOR network.
• Etckeeper – bring the power of a version control system to the config files of the /etc directory.

Check out our Linux Voice section for a report on tiny Linux distros and a look at some popular application profiling tools.

Cover Theme: Power Management

DVD Theme: Debian 9 and Tails 3 (64-bit)

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If you work from a laptop or other portable device, extending the time between charges is a great way to improve your productivity. The Linux environment includes several utilities that will help you configure and monitor the system’s power consumption settings. This month we focus on tools for power management. Also inside:

• Amahi – this hearty home server system lets you turn your old computer into a file server, streaming server, or network backup target.
• JavaScript Alternatives – If you like JavaScript but you’re looking for a language with fewer issues, try CoffeeScript, Dart, Elm, or TrueScript.

This month’s Linux Voice section includes articles on ELF executables, network scanning, Apache Spark, and more.

Cover Theme: Locked Down

DVD Theme: Ubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" (32-bit Live) and Devuan "Jessie" 1.0 (64-bit Live)

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This month we show you the Network Security Toolkit, a smart collection of powerful security tools bundled into a single interface. Other highlights include:

• I-Nex – a graphical tool for monitoring system information (page 56).

• Calamares – universal Linux installer (page 48).

Check out Linux Voice for a look at interactive scripts, a brief history of Ubuntu, and a tutorial on the ImageMagick photo processing utility (page 69).

Cover Theme: The Story of GPL

DVD Theme: Linux Voice Archive DVD: All 32 Issues!

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This month we celebrate our 200th issue with a special look at the great GNU Public License.

Other Highlights:

• Log Monitoring Tools – We look at LOGalyze, Logcheck, Logwatch, MultiTail, and Swatchdog.

• Two-Factor Authentication – A single password isn't enough if you really want to keep your data safe.

Over at Linux Voice, you’ll pick up some LibreOffice tricks and learn to scrape the web with Common Crawl.

Cover Theme: A New Approach to Regular Expressions

DVD Theme: CentOS 7 Release 1611 (64-bit Install) & Linux Mint 18.1 Cinnamon (32-bit Live)

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Tired of composing and deciphering those weird, inscrutable strings of characters known as regular expressions? This month we show you Simple Regex Language (SRL), an innovative tool that lets you create regular expressions using simple English commands.

Other highlights within:

• Systemd Graphic Tools – You don’t need to be a command-line junkie to keep an eye on the systemd service manager. We show you some graphic front ends that offer a friendlier view (page 26).
• Amazon Echo’s Alexa – This month’s Programming Snapshot shows how you can teach the Alexa assistant that lives in your Amazon Echo some new tricks (page 46).

You’ll find more great articles in our Linux Voice section, including a practical lesson on network sniffers and a look at the free TensorFlow library for artificial intelligence applications.

Cover Theme: 4 Cool Desktop Tools

DVD Theme: Linux Mint 18.1 MATE (32-bit Live) & AryaLinux Builder 2017 (64-bit Live)

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If you’re like many Linux users, that perfect desktop tool you really need does not always appear in your default configuration. The Linux repositories are a treasure trove of interesting and practical applications, and we highlight four in this issue: the Zim personal wiki, OnlyOffice, Getting Things Gnome, and Mozilla’s SeaMonkey Internet suite.

Also inside:

• Subgraph – a privacyconscious OS that doesn’t require an expert.

• AryaLinux – A Linux distro designed for users who want to roll their own system from source code.

You’ll find lots more in LinuxVoice, including a look at the Linux Embedded Development Environment and how it will shape the future of Linux routers.

Cover Theme: Wayland & Mir – The Future of Linux Graphics

DVD Theme: Parsix GNU/ Linux (64-bit, Live) and Debian 8.7 Jessie (32-bit, Install)

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This month we show you why the X11 system that is the basis for Linux graphics might not be around much longer – and we explore a pair of alternatives that might replace it: Wayland and Mir.

Other highlights:

• Web Traffic Tools – Use these free apps to optimize your search rank – without the privacy complications of working with Google (page 34).
• SSH Tricks – SSH is much more than a secure Telnet alternative (page 44).

Also, lots more at Linux Voice (page 65), including a look at process tracing, a study of some alternative free operating systems, and a tutorial on tiling window managers.

Cover Theme: Privacy – Safe surfing with Tails

DVD Theme: GeckoLinux (64-bit Live) and Android-x86 (32-bit Live)

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This month you’ll learn about Tails – the easiest path to the Tor anonymity network – and you’ll discover some tools for private communication, including Signal and Bitmessage.

Other Highlights:

• KDE Connect – a cool tool for syncing your phone with the KDE desktop (page 48).

• Amazon Web Services run your homegrown programs in Amazon’s popular cloud (page 52).

Plus plenty more in LinuxVoice, including a look at what’s ahead for the Linux faithful in 2017 (page 63).

Cover Theme: Network Storage Distros – Who needs an expensive appliance?

DVD Theme: openSUSE Leap 42.2 (64-bit Install) and Fedora 25 Workstation (64-bit Live)

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This month we show you how to set up a network-attached storage system with a Raspberry Pi and explore the latest release of KDE’s Plasma Desktop.

Other highlights:

• Spam-Detecting Neural Network – Create a homebuilt neural network using Google’s TensorFlow library, and train it to look for spammers (page 37).
• Image Recognition – The Perlmeister extracts action sequences from surveillance videos using the OpenCV image recognition tool (page 52).

Also, lots more at Linux Voice, including a look at the innovative GoboLinux and a study of Linux auditing tools.

Cover Theme: Diaspora – Social Networking Without Big Brother or Big Data

DVD Theme: Ubuntu 16.10 Desktop and Ubuntu Mate 16.10 Desktop

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This month we show you social networking the FOSS way with Diaspora and examine a couple Linux distros that will ease the transition from Windows to Linux.

Other highlights:

• Debian LTS – the quintessential Free Linux gets long-term support – find out how they did it.
• Z-Wave – use this wireless IoT protocol to automate smart devices in your home.

Our friends at Linux Voice have another great issue, with tutorials on Wine and Collectd, as well as an illuminating look at 20 years of KDE.