Highlights:

SERVICE: Welcome

Siri, Schedule a Meeting

Fires were burning in Cupertino this March as news of an internal meeting revealed consternation within Apple over the state of development for the Siri voice assistant. The situation was described as "dire" in the headlines, although the meeting appears to have been more like a combination of a pep talk and an expectation-management exercise.

SERVICE: This Month's DVD

Rocky Linux 9.5 and SystemRescue 11.03

NEWS: News

In the news: CIQ Releases Security Hardened Version of Rocky Linux; Gnome's Dash to Panel Extension Gets a Massive Update; Blender App Makes It to the Big Screen; Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher; New Linux Tool for Security Issues; Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon; Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support; and openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux.

NEWS: Kernel News

Zack Brown reports on: Doing the Two-Step, and Doing the Too-Much Step.

: Secure Browsers

Comparing five privacy-friendly web browsers

Many users don't realize that some of the leading web browsers collect user data without asking for permission. This article looks at five secure alternatives for greater privacy.

: Chimera Linux

A from-scratch distribution with a diverse toolset

Chimera Linux combines core tools from diverse sources to deliver a simple yet complete modern operating system.

IN-DEPTH: Zen Browser

A customizable browsing experience

Zen Browser, an open source Firefox fork, promises users greater convenience and improved data protection, along with customizable display modes to help you stay focused on your work.

IN-DEPTH: Automated Process Monitoring

Process monitoring with Python and Telegram

A simple Python script checks to see if a process is running and, if not, notifies the user via Telegram.

IN-DEPTH: Blockchain

Practical blockchain applications

After all the hype, we look at where blockchain is being used today outside cryptocurrencies.

IN-DEPTH: Modern Times

Installing modern commands with tasksel

Many traditional commands now have modern replacements. With tasksel, you can install all of them in a single step.

IN-DEPTH: Marathon Runners

Animated sprites show network throughput

Rather than using ho-hum bar graphs to display Internet bandwidth usage, Mike Schilli enlists cartoon characters to do the job. Along the way, you get a free introduction to 2D gaming sprite technology.

IN-DEPTH: Bash Stats

Using Bash one-liners for stats

With just one line of Bash you can use tools like AWK and gnuplot to quickly analyze and plot your data.

IN-DEPTH: DiffPDF

Compare PDF documents with DiffPDF

Most PDF viewers lack a function for comparing PDF files, but DiffPDF shows you the differences at a glance.

: Lua on OpenWrt, Pi, and PS Vita

Use a Raspberry Pi plus a temperature sensor to talk to a PS Vita Display

Lua is an interesting Python alternative for small embedded machines that are not sufficiently powerful to run Python scripts. Create Lua socket client/server scripts to send outside temperatures between a Pi and a PS Vita display.

NEWS: CO2 Sensors

Three inexpensive CO2 sensors compared

Monitor your indoor air quality with an inexpensive CO₂ sensor. We look at three candidates to help you find the best solution.

LINUX VOICE: Introduction

This month in Linux Voice and Elvie.

LINUX VOICE: maddog's Doghouse

Open data

There's value in open software, hardware, and data in what may seem like some of the most basic tools for computer users.

LINUX VOICE: Ad-Free Videos

Privacy-conscious YouTube front end

YouTube is slowly becoming less usable every year. Piped, a privacy conscious YouTube front end, might be just what you need to enjoy YouTube content once again.

LINUX VOICE: Rescuing Nintendo Games

Keep your Wii games working with WIT

The Nintendo Network went dark in 2024, but a thriving FOSS community continues to support the Wii platform and other Nintendo devices. We'll introduce you to some of the tools you can use to reclaim the magic.

LINUX VOICE: FOSSPicks

Nate explores the top FOSS, including the shiny new Zen Browser, a secure file eraser, an online office suite, and a very cool team combat game.

LINUX VOICE: Plug It In

Extend your Nextcloud environment

Using apps to make your Nextcloud work more efficient and private.