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When you've got a tool to grab torrents and your web browser has a download manager for most other files, do you still need a dedicated download manager? Short answer, [...]

Manchester United, M Night Shyamalan, cargo trousers and your favourite text editor all have one thing in common: they all failed to achieve universal appeal, which as a concept is [...]

Although a file manager has little to offer besides the ability to copy, move or delete files and folders, and generally navigate to the directories of your choice to access [...]

Filenames come in all shapes and sizes, and are often made up of unsavoury characters. That's because there's no defined rules for naming files, which are often a reflection of [...]

It might sound we're joking, but if you think about it, the periodic table is one of the most easily recognised icons in the world. Certainly on a par with [...]

As opposed to music players, which can be used to enjoy your own music collection, radio exposes you to new and, sometimes, old wonders that you otherwise might not come [...]

Security audits are like hobbies. You always hear good things from people about them, and your life is vastly improved if you put one to good use. But if you're [...]

Vast amounts of information, separated into logical rows and columns that add up to a table, is the layman's definition of a data set. We see such data sets everywhere, [...]

Compressing files is one of the most mundane activities, and frequently performed without much thought. For most Linux users, irrespective of distro, Gzip is the tool of choice. But it's [...]

No matter what your system specification is, even if you are running a 12-core machine with hundreds of gigabytes of RAM or more, you will experience bottlenecks. And you will [...]

Shell history is one of the most useful and powerful tools at your disposal if you spend a lot of time working with the CLI. While you can easily tweak [...]

Some messages are just too private to be shared directly with the recipient. Although the need might not arise often, it's imperative that you know the right encryption tool if [...]

CLI file managers have been around for decades. What makes some of the text-based filed managers stand out--from other CLI counterparts as well as the graphical alternatives--is their unique appearance [...]

Remember the good ol' days of the internet when the best you could do with your pics and videos was share them with friends and family? Close ones at that. [...]

For voracious consumers of web content, the greatest obstacle in the quest for information is the need to switch from one website to another. Wouldn't it be great if you [...]

HOW WE TESTED ... We assessed the window managers on a dual-core processor machine fitted with 4GB RAM and running Manjaro Linux. Our reason for choosing this particular distribution was [...]

According to the statistics released by Adobe as part of the 25th anniversary of PDF in 2018, more than 200 billion PDF files were accessed using Adobe products in 2017. [...]

We're in the era of some of the best space-based storytelling thanks to series such as Star Trek: Discovery, The Mandalorian, The Expanse and many more. Whether it's because of [...]

System monitors come in all shapes and sizes. At a minimum, they provide a quick look at active processes and CPU and memory utilization. Some tools, however, go a step [...]

Whether it's a cool desktop effect, cleverly designed application or a bizarre problem to be solved, we all have had to capture screenshots at one time or another. Most desktop [...]

Almost all desktop distributions feature a graphical system monitor utility that can be used to track usage of vital system resources such as memory, SWAP, CPU, and even network history--specifically [...]

The modern Linux kernel supports many different modules, which provide additional features and functionality. This could be support for USB devices, network protocols and other hardware. Only those elements that [...]

Released over 30 years ago as a derivative of the original vi text editor with many additional features thrown in, Vim (a contraction of Vi iMproved) remains one of the [...]

Microstructure analysis is a crucial aspect of additive manufacturing (AM) processes, as it offers valuable insights into material properties, defects, and quality of printed parts. Quantification of microstructural features such as melt pool dimensions and porosity can help optimize the process parameters by aiding the development of useful correlations of the processing conditions and resulting print quality and properties. However, detecting melt pool boundaries and porosity-related defects in cross-sectional microstructure samples presents significant challenges due to the complex nature of these features and inherent difficulties in acquiring their images with quality and quantity required for accurate and efficient detection. To address this, we propose a deep learning-based approach that leverages state-of-the-art backbone models (EfficientNet b7 and DenseNet 201) with various convolutional neural networks (U-Net, LinkNet, and FPN) using transfer learning techniques to automatically segment and detect the melt pools and porosity from AM microstructure images. The results demonstrate our ability to accurately identify and segment melt pools and porosity, even with limited set of training data. A comparative study of the performance of the different neural network architectures was done and it was found that the quantification of results (of microstructural features) from the employed set of networks are statistically comparable although the accuracy from the combination of U-Net with EfficeintNet b7 backbone was highest.

Rapid industrial activity is causing environmental contamination, which has a negative influence on plant and soil health in particular. In this paper, concentrations of Pb, Cr, As, Cu, Cd, and Ni in agricultural topsoil were evaluated from ten distinct areas of the Kanker district, Northern Bastar area of Chhattisgarh of India, by using an Atomic Absorption spectrometer. The quality of soil samples from different sites was assessed in terms of geoaccumulation index values, contamination factor, pollution load index and slight metal contamination was found in soil samples. Although all samples' HI and Hazard Quotient values were lower than 1.0, demonstrating non-carcinogenetic threats, the carcinogenetic threat in the agricultural soil of Kanker District was beyond the safe reference, i.e., 10−6–10−4. It shows the significant carcinogenetic threat of these toxic elements in the soil of this research area. The findings of this study indicate that, in order to safeguard human health, emphasis should be given to heavy metal remediation in polluted soil.

Wix is a giant in the website builder industry. Browse its site and clues to its success appear right away. While some services give you only a few templates, Wix [...]

Slides uses markdown language to create a presentation. While the finished work lacks features such as a timer or animations, it more than makes up for it with other add-ons. [...]

Music players come in all shapes, colours and sizes. Modern ones have a number of common features such as support for multitude of file formats, gapless playback, player queue, search, [...]

A popular quote, often attributed to Albert Einstein, goes, 'If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read [...]

Back in LXF249 (simpler, happier times--Ed), we discussed the FFF file manager, which scoffs at traditional file managers in its appearance and functionality. Our tool of choice this issue, nnn, [...]

There are a myriad ways to store passwords to different online accounts. Some users prefer the simplicity and convenience of browser extensions that do this job. There are also those [...]

MOST BACKUP STRATEGIES lead to a lot of wasted space because you invariably end up making copies of the same data over and over again. In essence, data deduplication is [...]

Over the past 15 years, podcasts have become an inalienable part of most modern web users' daily lives. Whether it's news or commentary on relevant topics of the day, or [...]

The article discusses a text editor called Micro, which is designed to be lightweight and user-friendly. It offers features such as extensive mouse support, useful default keybindings, persistent undo, and the ability to split the interface vertically and horizontally. Micro can be installed through a script or by downloading the official tarballs. It also has a command bar for performing various operations and a built-in plugin manager to enhance its functionality. The article provides instructions on how to configure Micro and lists some keybindings for common functions. Overall, Micro is described as a simple and customizable text editor that is worth considering. [Extracted from the article]

Aria2 is a lightweight, multi-protocol, multi-server, and multi-source command-line download utility that can improve internet bandwidth usage. It supports various features such as verifying checksums, authentication certificates, and includes a fully featured BitTorrent client. Aria2 can download the same file using different protocols and supports opening multiple connections to download files faster. It is available in the software repositories of popular desktop distros and can be installed with a simple command. Aria2 also offers options for configuring downloads, such as defining destination directories, setting download speeds, and more. Additionally, there are graphical front-ends available for users who prefer a graphical interface. [Extracted from the article]

Joplin is a note-taking app that allows users to sync their notes across various devices and platforms. It supports Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and Apple devices, and can be synced with third-party cloud platforms like OneDrive, Dropbox, and Nextcloud. Joplin uses Markdown for formatting and organizes notes into notebooks. It offers a three-pane interface and various shortcuts for navigation and editing. Users can sync their notes using services like Dropbox, and Joplin also supports full-text search and tagging. [Extracted from the article]

Superfile is a file manager that offers a mix of modern and fancy features. It has a distinct appearance and uses different panels to display information. While it lacks some features like recursive search and fuzzy search, it supports creating and deleting files and folders, as well as cut, copy, and paste operations. Superfile can be installed easily using an installation script and requires Nerd Fonts for optimal display. The file manager has a sidebar for navigation, a file browser panel, a file viewer panel, and additional panels for processes, metadata, and the clipboard. Users can customize keybindings and appearance by editing configuration files. Superfile is a work in progress with ongoing development and new features being added. [Extracted from the article]

There's very little you can achieve with CLI-based tools and utilities without referring to the manual pages. Commonly known as man pages, these serve as an introduction to all the [...]

By standing orders of Linux Format's beloved Editor (your cheque's in the post--Ed), these two pages are reserved each issue to highlight text-based utilities that generally enliven your CLI experience. [...]

Over the past few years, we've introduced a blend of powerful and robust as well as nifty and nimble command-utilities that help you perform a variety of tasks. Everything from [...]

Hardware failure and a careless user feeling adventurous with powerful utilities such as dd and fdisk can lead to data loss. Not only that, sometimes spring cleaning a partition or [...]

A security breach can come not only from the internet, but also USB devices. Furthermore, USB devices can also be used to remove your data. If you want to protect [...]

All applications and graphical environments are now easily available for just about all Linux distributions. In those instances when they're not offered out of the box, the distribution provides easy [...]

Terminal multiplexers such as Tmux and Screen are part of the daily routine for most command-line warriors. These amazing tools can be used to run multiple shell sessions within a [...]

While there are some reports of people receiving unsolicited messages in their mailbox as far back as the late 19th century, spam as we now suffer it dates back to [...]

Formatting and partitioning hard disk isn't the exclusive domain of graphical tools. Shashank Sharma reveals the utilities that can make space for Linux. Despite the constant push for user-friendly and [...]

Terminal emulators and a text environment are quite different. For one, you don't have the luxury of using a mouse on a text environment, and you can't run launch multiple [...]

The article discusses the use of the Detox utility to clean up filenames. It explains that filenames can often be messy and lack consistency, causing issues when sharing files. Detox offers various file-renaming rules, called sequences, to help bring order to filenames. The article provides instructions on how to install and use Detox, including examples of different sequences that can be applied. It also briefly mentions another tool called Fdupes for finding and deleting duplicate files. [Extracted from the article]

PyRadio is a curses-based internet radio player that allows users to stream internet radio stations from their terminal. Unlike other websites that offer internet radio, PyRadio is fully controllable with keyboard shortcuts, has a neat interface, and respects user privacy by avoiding pop-up ads and cookies. The installation process for PyRadio can be complex, requiring various dependencies, but the official GitHub page provides instructions for different Linux distributions. Once installed, PyRadio allows users to play, search, and customize radio stations using keyboard shortcuts and themes. Another alternative to PyRadio is Radion, which requires the installation of Mpv and Sox and offers a genre-based selection of radio stations. [Extracted from the article]

Lynis is a security audit tool that can test your system for vulnerabilities across various categories. It offers suggestions and recommendations to address any vulnerabilities found. The tool is easy to use and can be found in the software repositories of popular Linux distros. It generates color-coded output to highlight important information and provides descriptions and test IDs for each suggestion. While implementing all the suggestions may be excessive for most home users, Lynis is a highly recommended tool for improving system security. [Extracted from the article]