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Free and Open Source Software, and Benchmark
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Mutagen - fast file synchronization for remote development
Synchronization sessions connect two endpoints and keep their contents coordinated without requiring the remote filesystem to be mounted directly on the local machine. Endpoints can represent local paths, SSH-accessible systems or container environments. Mutagen also provides network forwarding, letting TCP and Unix-domain socket connections cross boundaries between development environments.
This is free and open source software.
terminal-anki - flashcards with spaced repetition in your terminal
The statistics side is unusually substantial for a terminal flashcard program. It includes an activity heatmap, session history, tag breakdowns, quick statistics, streak tracking and configurable daily goals. Themes, session size and card ordering can be adjusted from within the interface, while the persistent frame keeps navigation and status information visible throughout a session.
terminal-anki can also exchange material with Anki. It imports .apkg packages and Anki text exports, can preserve existing scheduling data where supported, and can export cards in an Anki-compatible text format. Images can be displayed on cards in supported terminals. Study data and configuration are stored locally, with atomic writes and recovery handling intended to reduce the risk of a damaged collection.
This is free and open source software.
Calculator - simple calculator for the COSMIC desktop
One of Calculator’s more useful features is its calculation history. Previous operations remain available so that you can inspect earlier results instead of having to repeat the same calculation. A previous calculation can also be brought back into the main display when you want to reuse or modify it.
The interface keeps the numbers, operators and result prominent. This is not intended to compete with specialist computer algebra systems, programmable calculators or large scientific mathematics packages. Its focus is the much more common requirement of having a convenient graphical calculator immediately available on the desktop.
Calculator is therefore a good option for COSMIC users who want a small native application for routine arithmetic.
This is free and open source software.
RAWmakase - fast non-destructive RAW photo developer
The application offers a Lightroom-style set of development controls together with an integrated image library. It can import a Lightroom Classic catalogue, including ratings, flags, colour labels, keywords and compatible development settings, without modifying the source catalogue or original photographs.
RAWmakase accelerates colour and tone processing on the GPU, using Vulkan on Linux, while retaining a CPU fallback. It also provides presets, camera profiles, masking and spot-removal tools, and a command-line interface for inspection, rendering and catalogue operations.
This is free and open source software.
pSync - synchronize files securely between networked hosts
pSync is a command-line file synchronization system designed to keep selected directories aligned between networked hosts. It uses a deliberately manual approach: synchronization happens when the user requests it rather than through a permanently running watcher. This can be useful where predictable transfers are preferred or where synchronizing a file while it is still being edited would be undesirable.
Directories are associated with labels, so paths do not have to be identical on each host. Multiple synchronization directories can be configured, and different remote hosts can be associated with different sets. The same software operates at both ends of the connection, allowing direct synchronization between local machines as well as workflows involving remote or cloud systems.
This is free and open source software.
siltide - terminal monitor for AI accelerators
The program is particularly suited to AI, machine learning and HPC systems where it is not enough to know that a device is busy. It brings device telemetry, workload attribution and operational health into one TUI, while also exposing machine-readable data for monitoring infrastructure and automation.
On Linux, AMD and Intel telemetry comes from kernel interfaces such as sysfs and DRM fdinfo, while NVIDIA support uses NVML. Other accelerator families use their vendor management tools. Missing values are reported as unavailable rather than guessed.
This is free and open source software.
GridTracker - amateur radio mapping and activity companion
GridTracker is an amateur radio companion that turns activity from applications such as WSJT-X into a visual operating environment. Its centrepiece is an interactive map showing live and historical radio activity, Maidenhead grid squares and information useful when deciding which stations to work.
It has grown well beyond its original role of plotting WSJT-X traffic. GridTracker combines decoded activity, logbook information, spotting, award progress, callsign data and propagation-related information, making it particularly useful to operators working FT8 and other digital modes.
This is free and open source software.
Matuwall - fast graphical wallpaper picker for Wayland
A full-screen preview mode lets users see a wallpaper against the desktop before making a selection. Matuwall can also be told which output to appear on, which is useful on systems with multiple monitors.
Wallpaper application is delegated to a supported backend. awww is the default, while sweetbg is also supported. An automatic mode can detect a suitable running backend rather than requiring one to be specified manually.
Configuration can be stored in a TOML file under the user’s configuration directory. Almost all of the main settings can also be supplied as command-line options, making it straightforward to create different launchers or invoke Matuwall with temporary settings.
This is free and open source software.
DNSDiag - DNS measurement, troubleshooting and security auditing tools
dnsping repeatedly sends a query to a DNS server and measures its responsiveness. dnstraceroute traces the network path taken by DNS requests and can help identify unexpected routing or possible interception. dnseval sends queries to multiple resolvers and compares their latency, packet loss and responses, making it useful for evaluating resolver performance and reliability.
The tools are useful for routine troubleshooting, resolver benchmarking and investigating DNS security problems without requiring a graphical interface.
This is free and open source software.
BOSGAME VTA-439: Gaming on Linux – Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Gaming on Linux has changed enormously over the past few years. Proton, Mesa and better launcher support have opened up a huge catalogue of Windows games that can now be played with surprisingly little fuss. In this short series, I’m seeing what the BOSGAME VTA-439 can deliver as a compact Linux gaming machine.
The VTA-439 is an interesting system for this sort of testing. Its Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 combines Zen 5 and Zen 5c CPU cores with Radeon 890M integrated graphics. There is no discrete GPU doing the heavy lifting, so it gives me a good opportunity to see how far a modern AMD APU can be pushed at 1920×1080.
There is a Linux angle too. Gaming performance depends on Mesa, Vulkan and Proton, as well as how effectively the kernel schedules work across the HX 470’s mixed Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores. I’m interested in more than a headline FPS figure. What matters is whether the game feels smooth and how much image quality has to be sacrificed to get there.
Trove - self-hosted file storage
Trove is a self-hosted file storage platform aimed at people who want straightforward file management without the wider application stack of a full groupware suite. It provides a browser-based environment for personal storage, small teams and homelab deployments.
Its scope is deliberately narrow. Trove concentrates on managing stored files and making them accessible to the people who need them rather than adding calendars, contacts, messaging or a complete office suite.
This is free and open source software.
PINCE - powerful GDB front-end and reverse engineering tool
The Memory View provides assembly and disassembly functionality together with bookmarks, instruction searches, memory maps and function searches. Users can modify registers, restore changed instructions and inspect the call stack. Keystone is used for assembling instructions dynamically.
Debugging facilities include breakpoints, watchpoints, stepping, tracing and breakpoint conditions. PINCE can track which instructions access a particular address and can follow addresses calculated from register expressions. Its collision detection helps prevent invalid combinations of hardware breakpoints.
There are also facilities for dissecting Mono and IL2CPP applications, finding class instances, invoking methods and exporting discovered classes as structures. Native shared-object injection and DLL injection into applications running through Wine or Proton are supported.
PINCE provides a reusable Python library called libpince and includes a GDB console for direct access to the underlying debugger. Pre-built AppImages are available for users.
This is free and open source software.
jrpn - HP-15C and HP-16C inspired calculator simulators
The 15C-inspired calculator concentrates on scientific and engineering work. Its capabilities cover standard scientific calculations as well as more advanced operations associated with the original calculator, including complex-number, matrix, statistical and programming facilities.
The 16C-inspired calculator is aimed primarily at programmers. It provides integer arithmetic and operations useful when working with different number representations, while retaining the keyboard-driven workflow and RPN model of the original hardware.
The project is a clean-room implementation rather than an emulator of HP firmware. The interface and behaviour seek to remain faithful to the calculators while running as modern desktop applications.
This is free and open source software.
iRedis - interactive Redis command-line client
iRedis is an interactive command-line client for Redis that offers a richer working environment than the standard redis-cli utility. It is designed to make entering, inspecting and repeating Redis commands more convenient while retaining a familiar command-oriented workflow.
The interface is built around an interactive prompt with contextual assistance while commands are being entered. It can also operate non-interactively, allowing an explicit command to be supplied directly or commands to arrive through standard input. This makes it useful both for exploratory administration and for incorporating Redis operations into shell-oriented workflows.
iRedis also adds safeguards intended to reduce accidental use of potentially expensive operations on production systems. Output is formatted for readability rather than simply exposing raw replies, which can make large or complex Redis values easier to inspect.
This is free and open source software.