Best Free and Open Source Software, howtos and Installations

posted by Rianne Schestowitz on Sep 11, 2026

• 4 Best Free and Open Source Secret Scanning Tools

  These tools typically search files and Git repositories for patterns that resemble known types of secrets. Some can scan current working trees, previous commits and staged changes, while others integrate with development workflows to catch sensitive data before it is committed. More advanced tools can validate discovered credentials, reduce false positives, apply custom detection rules and scan large collections of source code or other textual data.

  Used as part of a secure development process, secret scanning provides an additional safeguard against accidental disclosure. It does not replace good credential management, but it can catch mistakes early and help teams find exposed secrets before attackers, automated crawlers or unauthorised users discover and exploit them during routine development, audits, code review and incident response.

  Here’s our verdict on the best Linux-based secret scanning tools, captured in our legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion.

• Best Free and Open Source Alternatives to Microsoft Entra ID

  Microsoft’s attitude towards open source software has changed considerably over the years. The company once regarded open source as a threat to its business, but it now contributes to open source projects, participates in organisations such as the Linux Foundation and maintains a growing collection of open source software.

  Despite that shift, many important Microsoft products and services remain proprietary. For organisations and individuals who want greater control over their infrastructure, open standards and self-hosted services can offer compelling alternatives.

  This series looks at the best free and open source alternatives to products and services offered by Microsoft.

• AX-ZSH - modular Zsh configuration system

  AX-ZSH is a modular configuration system for Zsh that supplies a ready-to-use core setup while allowing users to extend the shell through plugins and themes.

  It is designed around per-user installation and includes its own management command for enabling, disabling, checking and upgrading components. AX-ZSH supports bundled plugins, local custom plugins, standalone GitHub plugins and plugins from Oh My Zsh. It also integrates with Powerlevel10k, including its instant prompt mechanism. A plugin cache is used to reduce shell startup overhead, while local configuration files provide a supported way to customise the environment without editing AX-ZSH’s managed startup files.

  This is free and open source software.

• SentryPeer - SIP honeypot and VoIP fraud detection tool

  SentryPeer is a specialised honeypot and fraud-detection system for SIP and VoIP infrastructure. It exposes a SIP service to hostile traffic and records information such as the originating IP address and telephone numbers that attackers attempt to call. This intelligence can then be used by PBX operators, service providers and other telecommunications systems to identify suspicious activity.

  A particularly interesting aspect of SentryPeer is its approach to ownership and sharing of threat data. Information can remain entirely local, while operators who want to participate can opt into peer-to-peer distribution. This allows several nodes to contribute and consume observations without making a mandatory centralised service the sole repository for collected data.

  This is free and open source software.

• CastCharm - self-hosted podcast manager with clean web UI

  CastCharm is a self-hosted podcast manager centred on a clean web interface.

  It keeps subscriptions, episode data and downloaded media under the user’s control, with application state stored in SQLite and audio files organised separately on disk. The project is designed to run as a single container, with an initial setup wizard handling the basic configuration. It can serve as the main interface for managing a podcast collection or sit behind other podcast clients by producing cleaned RSS feeds from the managed library.

  This is free and open source software.

• Watchtower - terminal-based global intelligence dashboard

  Watchtower is a terminal-based global intelligence dashboard designed to give a compact view of what is happening without requiring a browser.

  It brings together global and local information in a keyboard-driven interface, with separate views for news, markets, local conditions and generated intelligence briefs. The project uses public data sources for most of its information and can be used without configuring an LLM. Its intelligence brief is optional and supports hosted providers as well as local models, so users can choose whether they want automated headline synthesis. Configuration is stored locally and the interface is built around quick navigation rather than a conventional desktop layout.

  This is free and open source software.

• MINISFORUM M2 - Does Linux Schedule Panther Lake Correctly?

  Intel’s Panther Lake processors bring another iteration of heterogeneous CPU design to Linux. The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H in the MINISFORUM M2 has 16 physical CPU cores, but those cores are certainly not all equal.

• Croc GUI – secure cross-platform file transfer

  Croc GUI is an unofficial desktop frontend for croc, the command-line file transfer tool. It brings croc’s encrypted peer-to-peer transfers to a graphical interface for Linux, macOS and Windows, while bundling the croc binary so users do not need to configure it separately.

  The application is built with Tauri 2 and React. It is aimed at quick, ad-hoc transfers between devices without first uploading files to cloud storage. The interface exposes useful croc options that would otherwise require command-line flags, but keeps the basic workflow centred on Send and Receive.

  This is free and open source software.

• Focus Timer – Pomodoro time-management application

  Focus Timer is a desktop time-management application built around the Pomodoro Technique.

  Formerly known as GNOME Pomodoro, it divides work into focused sessions separated by short and long breaks, helping users maintain concentration without working continuously. Session lengths and behaviour can be adjusted to suit individual routines.

  The application provides a GTK 4 interface with a compact timer view, desktop notifications, sounds, a system tray icon and a screen overlay for breaks. It records completed sessions in a local database and presents daily, weekly and monthly statistics. Integration options extend beyond the graphical interface: Focus Timer supports global shortcuts, D-Bus, command-line controls, custom shell commands and a companion GNOME Shell extension

  This is free and open source software.