Jack Wallen's How-tos

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Jun 12, 2025

• Here's a faster way to download files on Linux - without a web browser | ZDNET

  When you want to download files from the internet, you typically open your web browser, go to the file in question, and let the downloading commence. But did you know you can do the same thing from the Linux command line? The command is wget.

  The wget command uses multiple simultaneous connections that result in much faster downloads. On top of that, wget is capable of resuming downloads that were interrupted by networking issues, and, unlike web browsers, wget isn't burdened by cookies, add-ons, and other features that can slow it down or make it less reliable -- especially helpful when you need to download a larger file. Why relegate that to your browser?

• Here's how I finally cracked a tricky Linux problem with this AI terminal app | ZDNET

  I've been using Linux for a very, very long time, and it's rare that I encounter an issue I cannot resolve.

  However, a few weeks ago, such a problem occurred. The issue was caused by an installed application upgrade that required a dependency that the apt package manager couldn't solve. This meant I couldn't update or upgrade the system, and that, my friends, is a big problem.

  I tried to resolve the issue. I even attempted to remove the offending software, but apt said, "Nay, nay!" No matter what I did, the dependency issue persisted. I started thinking I might have to reinstall my OS.

  Also: Want to save your old computer? Try one of these 8 Linux distros for free

  And then I remembered Warp terminal and its built-in AI functionality. I opened the terminal and thought, "It can't hurt to try."