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GNU/Linux Applications: GRUB, lsusb, and Editors
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HowTo Geek ☛ From Fallout to Retro: How to give your Linux bootloader a total makeover
The beauty of Linux is that you can customize and personalize every aspect of it, including the bootloader. GRUB is the default bootloader on most Linux distros, but it's an eyesore. Here's how you can theme it and boot in style.
Tweak the GRUB timeout
The first thing we need to do is make sure that the GRUB menu actually shows up. Typically, when you have only one operating system installed on your machine, it boots into that OS silently. We need to change the "hidden by default" configuration.
There are two ways to do this. Some Linux distributions like MX Linux have built-in GUI tools for editing GRUB configuration files and themes. On MX Linux, you can look up "MX Boot Options" and launch the utility. If the timeout is set to 0, the GRUB menu will be hidden. I usually stick to 5 seconds. The MX Boot utility also lets you edit the background image and choose from a selection of built-in themes.
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HowTo Geek ☛ The Linux lsusb command has 5 secret uses you should know
Your Linux command line is filled to the brim with commands you can use to learn about and use your device more effectively. Recently, I figured out a few handy uses for the lsusb command. Here's what I found.
In case you aren't familar, the lsusb command gets its name from the ls command you might already be familiar with. ls is short for "list" and of course usb refers to the Universal Serial Bus, the category of computer port we're all using all the time.
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XDA ☛ AppImages are just .exe files for Linux, and nobody explains it that simply
I still remember the first time I downloaded an AppImage on my PC. It was back when I was giving Linux Mint a try after decades of being a Windows fanboy, and I had downloaded the AppImage of an app I wanted to use. It was a weird little file; I was used to app executables to come with an icon, but this one was bare.
Of course, coming from Windows and only understanding what installers were, I tried double-clicking it, to which Linux told me that the file wasn't allowed to run. And thus began my adventures into using AppImages, which started as a "Why on Earth would I ever use these?" experiment and ended up with a realisation that, actually, AppImages are pretty awesome.
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Emacs and Vi
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HowTo Geek ☛ 4 Emacs packages that replaced everyday apps for me
You've probably heard of the Emacs text editor, but did you know it's often repurposed to replace full-blown desktop applications? It's not common knowledge, but Emacs has a very mature ecosystem and is multi-functional beyond its original purpose. From RSS readers to email clients, I have four Emacs use cases I prefer over traditional software.
I've heard the memes: Emacs is an operating system with a mediocre text editor. It's a tongue-in-cheek phrase poking fun at its complexity, and it's true. To most, Emacs is out of reach, but to the curious power user, it's another undiscovered frontier. Those long converted see Emacs not just as a tool they use but as a core component of their workflow. It helps bring ideas to life and tackle problems from fresh perspectives. From consuming content to modeling plans, organizing information, and communication, Emacs does it all and more.
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It's FOSS ☛ In the Age of Hey Hi (AI) Writing Tools, I Picked Emacs for My Sci-Fi Novel
The venerable text editor feels timeless and timely in the age of Hey Hi (AI) and enshittification. A novelist argues that it is perhaps because Emacs is the embodiment of FOSS ideals
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University of Toronto ☛ The original vi is a product of its time (and its time has passed)
For me, vim is a combination of genuine improvements in vi's core editing behavior (cf), frustrating (to me) bits of trying too hard to be smart (which I mostly disable when I run across them), and an extension mechanism I ignore but people use to make vim into a superintelligent editor with things like LSP integrations.
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