Have you wondered how Linux efficiently manages a multi-user environment? In this article we explain how Linux stores and manages user passwords and logins. Exploring /etc/passwd file When a user enters a username and password, Linux checks the password entered against an an entry in several files in the “/etc” directory. The “/etc/passwd” is one … Read more
KDE users are already familiar with the wonders that Plasmoids can do for their desktops. These handy little widgets are quick and easy to install, and they can transform your desktop from plain and empty into cool and informative. Most users like to have a clock somewhere on the desktop regardless of their OS and … Read more
There are a ton of great music players for Linux, and most of them have a pretty strong following. What makes DeaDBeeF stand out? In a word, it’s customization. DeaDBeeF is as close to a DIY music player as you’re going to get without making the jump to the command line. DeaDBeeF lets you customize … Read more
If you have installed Ubuntu on your old computer or the low-end netbook, you will know that the Unity desktop manager that comes shipped with Ubuntu is very sluggish and non-responsive at times. This is because the Unity desktop requires powerful hardware to run well. A good alternative is to install the classic Gnome desktop. … Read more
For approximately two years, Debian remains relatively unchanged. Program versions and features remain the same for this duration. Security fixes get backported. Sometimes, exceptions are made for rare situations where a package might need new features. For example, a driver may get upgraded to add support for more hardware. But it rarely happens. Keeping things … Read more
Linux is, without a doubt, the most customizable OS on the planet. Unlike the alternatives, where you can customize the desktop experience with a wallpaper and maybe a set of icons on Linux, you can replace the whole desktop environment if it doesn’t look and function as you’d like. That’s why, as you’ll see, the … Read more
KDE Connect is a super convenient way to link your Android phone and your Linux PC. With it, you can view your notifications and respond to text messages on your desktop or laptop. You can also share files and links between the two and control your PC from your phone. Even though KDE Connect is … Read more
Performance is one of the biggest challenges programmers face while developing software. That is the reason why code profiling is one of the most important aspects of software development, as it lets you identify bottlenecks, dead code, and even bugs. If you are a programmer who develops software applications for Linux, the GNU profiler “gprof” … Read more
The Vim editor offers so many features that it’s very difficult to learn all of them. While, of course, spending more and more time on the command line editor always helps, there is no denying the fact that you learn new and productive things faster while interacting with fellow Vim users. Here are some Vim … Read more
You finally decided to upgrade your old car audio system to one that also supports MP3s. But as an audio connoisseur, you have your music in FLAC format and maybe some AAC or AC3 files. Thankfully, you don’t have to recompress them one by one or overthink their format: SoundConverter supports many audio formats as … Read more