Free and Open Source Software, howtos and Installations

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Jan 24, 2026

• SwitchCalc - GTK4 calculator - LinuxLinks

  SwitchCalc is a GTK4 calculator application for Linux with Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and Date calculation modes.

  This is free and open source software.

• GoMusic - download and stream music from YouTube - LinuxLinks

  GoMusic is a terminal UI for downloading and streaming music from YouTube with automatic MP3 conversion and metadata tagging.

  This is free and open source software.

• wtp - enhanced Git worktree management - LinuxLinks

  wtp (Worktree Plus) is a powerful Git worktree management tool that extends git’s worktree functionality with automated setup, branch tracking, and project-specific hooks.

  This is free and open source software.

• brick - Haskell TUI programming toolkit - LinuxLinks

  brick exposes a declarative API. Unlike most GUI toolkits which require you to write a long and tedious sequence of widget creations and layout setup, brick just requires you to describe your interface using a set of declarative layout combinators. Event-handling is done by pattern-matching on incoming events and updating your application state.

  This is free and open source software.

• LazyCat Terminal - terminal emulator - LinuxLinks

  LazyCat Terminal is billed as a high-performance terminal emulator with multi-tab, split-pane, and transparent background support, built with Vala and GTK4.

  This is free and open source software.

• Chihaya - BitTorrent tracker - LinuxLinks

  Chihaya is built for developers looking to integrate BitTorrent into a preexisting production environment. Chihaya’s pluggable architecture and middleware framework offers a simple and flexible integration point that abstracts the BitTorrent tracker protocols. The most common use case for Chihaya is enabling peer-to-peer cloud software deployments.

  A BitTorrent tracker is a special server that coordinates users (peers) sharing files in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, acting as a directory to help your client find others who have parts of the file you want, enabling direct connections for efficient downloads without a central file host

  This is free and open source software.

• MakeStaticSite - generate and deploy static websites - LinuxLinks

  MakeStaticSite is a set of Bash shell scripts that configure and use Wget to generate a static website from a (typically dynamic) website, with various options to tailor and deploy the output.

  It aims to improve the performance and security of public-facing websites, whilst allowing continuity in the way they are developed and maintained, without requiring technical know-how on behalf of users.

  This is free and open source software.

• WallPicker - wallpacker picker with Wallhaven integration and AI upscaling - LinuxLinks

  Linux Candy is a series of articles covering interesting eye candy software. We only feature open source software in this series.

  Some of the programs in this series are purely cosmetic, frivolous pieces of fun. Candy at their finest. But we also include some programs that aren’t purely decorative.

  There are a diverse range of programs included in this series. Programs such as eDEX-UI and Variety are actually highly practical programs. ASCIIQuarium has soothing and relaxing qualities for your desktop. Other programs included in this series (such as lolcat, cacafire) are included purely for their decorative qualities. And then there’s some really fun software that just raises a smile or two.

  WallPicker is a modern GTK4/Libadwaita wallpaper picker application. This isn’t the first wallpaper program that’s been explored in this series, but it has some really notable features.

• Modular Font Editor K - modular font editor - LinuxLinks

  MFEKglif is a Glyph editor for the Modular Font Editor K project.

  MFEK is still alpha, and many parts are missing

  This is free and open source software.

• Lixplore-cli - Academic literature search & export CLI tool - LinuxLinks

  Lixplore-cli is a Unix-inspired command-line tool for searching scientific literature, built for terminal enthusiasts who prefer speed, automation, and minimal interfaces.

  Search across multiple academic databases (PubMed, arXiv, Crossref, DOAJ, EuropePMC) with Boolean operators, smart selection, and export to 8 formats including EndNote, Excel, and BibTeX.

  This is free and open source software.

• retype - typing practice - LinuxLinks

  retype is a typing practice application that allows you to type along to epub books. It saves your progress so you can come back where you left off.

  This is free software

• ConfigServer Security & Firewall - front-end to iptables or nftables - LinuxLinks

  This provides better security for your server while giving you an advanced, easy-to-use interface for managing firewall settings. With CSF in place, you can safely permit activities such as logging in via FTP or SSH, checking email, and loading websites, while unauthorized access attempts are blocked.

  This is free and open source software.

• lsplug - replacement for lsusb - LinuxLinks

  lsplug is a replacement for lsusb that shows more useful info and less useless info.

  This is free and open source software.