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GNU/Linux Applications: Weekend Recommendations, WinApps, and Backups
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HowTo Geek ☛ 3 Linux Apps to Try This Weekend (September 5 - 7)
It's the weekend, and that means it's time to take a look at what you can be installing on your Linux device to make it even more useful than before. I know how challenging it is to sift through all the software Linux repos have on offer, but these I think are worth a look.
This weekend I have a loose focus on file management. Maybe it's because I just reviewed a Synology DS425+ NAS and was working with file hosting services on it. Maybe it's because managing files is a timeless activity on computers and a task you're going to have to face at some point. It can also be a lot of fun, if you like organizing and sharing data like I do.
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XDA ☛ WinApps could put an end to using full Windows on my PC (with some work)
It's only been a couple of months since I first gave Linux a serious shot on one of my PCs, and since then, I've quickly grown into a big fan of it. These days, I would rather spend more time in Linux than on Windows, but of course, there are some things that make this impossible. Missing apps like Adobe Lightroom is a significant problem, and for many people, the same sentiment applies to something like Microsoft Office.
Enter WinApps, a project I recently heard about from a friend. The purpose of WinApps is kind of akin to using GUI Linux on Windows through WSL, but reversed. With it, you can run Windows apps on Linux as if they were naturally part of the operating system. It's a fantastic idea that could mean you don't ever need to use Windows again, though it's going to take some work.
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HowTo Geek ☛ This Open-Source App Is My Favorite Way to Backup My Linux PC
Good backups are an essential thing in the modern digital era, when so much of our lives revolves around computers, phones, and the internet. Here is how I back up my Linux laptop to make sure I don't lose anything important.
Organization Makes Good Backups Easy
Before I worried about exactly how I was going to handle backing up my PC, the first and most important thing was to get everything organized. I don't need a complete image of my operating system---I can always reinstall programs.
What is really important are files: tax documents, important work documents, things like that.
I'd recommend sorting your important files into only a few folders that don't have a lot of extra stuff. If you're paying for cloud storage, you don't want to eat up space by unnecessarily backing up your entire downloads folder.
In my case, I packed everything into one folder I named Sync, then created three subfolders named Backup Pictures, Backup Documents, and Backup Downloads respectively. That way, all I need to do is point my backup software at the Sync folder and all of the sub-files and folders get backed up automatically.