Bits of Linux: 2015 #10

In this edition: Python 3 default in Ubuntu 16.04, Floss Weekly about Docker, Microsoft releases Code editor that runs on Linux, Working with the terminal and more.

📰 Articles / Videos

Python 3 default in Ubuntu 16.04

In a Google Hangout about the Python plans for the next Ubuntu LTS release, Barry Warsaw tells us that Canonical wants Python 3 to become the default version of the language, maybe even Python 3.5 and Python 2 won't be included. A summary of the hangout is available in these slides.

As someone who uses Python a lot, I find this pretty exciting news since it'll hopefully help Python 3, which still lags behind regarding adoption.

Floss Weekly #330: Docker

In episode 330 of Floss Weekly hosts Randal Schwartz and Gareth Greenaway talk to Solomon Hykes, CTO and chief architect of Docker, a platform for building, shipping and running distributed applications.

Docker uses isolation features of the Linux kernel to allow independent containers to run within a single Linux instance, while avoiding the overhead of starting virtual machines. The role of the Linux kernel is crucial for Docker. You can see a 6-minute summary of Floss Weekly #330 below:

Windows is AWESOME!

Bryan Lunduke gave a talk titled "Windows is AWESOME!" at LinuxFest Northwest 2015. Like his Linux Sucks presentation it is divided in 2 parts, which look at the topic from different angles. If you want to know how Windows and Linux relate to different kinds of ice cream, watch Bryan's entertaining talk:

💻 Linux Devices

I added specs for the following Chromebooks:

You can compare all Chromebooks or all laptops in our database in the respective comparison charts, which were updated to better work on small screens.

In other news Canonical announced that several HP laptops preloaded with Ubuntu and powered by AMD technology are available on pre-order within the UK from Ebuyer.com.

The 3 models come in different hardware configurations with prices ranging from £199.98 to £299.99. All have a 15.6" screen, the £299.99 model is powered by an AMD A10 7300 quad core processor, comes with 8 GB RAM and 1 TB hard drive, which is a pretty decent offer.

Besides laptops, a very tiny computer attracted lots of attention in the past couple of days. C.H.I.P. is a $9 computer for work, play, and everything in between and of course it runs Linux. The C.H.I.P. kickstarter campaign has exeeded its $50,000 goal more than tenfold while I write this and still has 26 days to go. I'm curious to what the tinkerers will make out of C.H.I.P. once it starts shipping.

📖 Open Source Projects / Resources

Visual Studio Code

It feels a bit awkward to feature a Microsoft project in this section. Obviously it is not the first open source software released by Microsoft, they even contributed to the Linux kernel before. What makes Visual Studio Code special, is that it is available for Windows, Mac OSX AND Linux.

Microsoft's Code editor resembles GitHub's Atom editor, which is no coincidence, because they are both built on top of Electron, a framework for building cross-platform desktop applications with Web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Supposedly Linus Torvalds once said:

Linus Torvalds Quote: If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won. — Image: CC BA-SA Alex Dawson

In many respects Linux has won long before, but when it comes to desktop/laptop end users there is still a way to go, missing applications being one often mentioned reason. While I doubt that Visual Studio Code will be a driver for desktop Linux adoption a platform like Electron certainly has some potential. Imagine applications like Photoshop or AutoCAD were available natively on Linux ...

Working with the Terminal

Author Oliver Elliot calls it an Introduction to Unix, but admits right at the beginning that I'm in the habit of horrendously confusing and misusing all of the precisely defined words "Unix", "Linux", "The Command Line", "The Terminal", "Shell Scripting", and "Bash."

In his extensive article he introduces many important concepts and tools for working with the terminal on *nix like operating systems. What I especially like about it, is that he provides several practical examples that you can put to immediate use.

😎 Fun Stuff

Little girl pranks her father via ssh

This little girl likes to "play" with her Raspberry Pi and while doing so has discovered Python programming and the secrets of the shell. She uses her skills to login in to her father's Mac via ssh to suprise him.

Whether staged or not her knowledge is pretty impressive or as one commentor on Reddit put it:

This little girl has a better grasp of linux than my coworkers.

For upcoming shell tutorials for beginners, check out her blog.

Bash Fork Bomb T-Shirt Green Print

Bash is the default shell in many Linux distributions. People, especially clueless Windows promoters, often argue that you cannot use Linux without a terminal. While this has been wrong for a while, many Linux people love hacking the command line.

One command you should not try is a fork bomb, unless you're doing it for science. This somewhat cryptic form of a fork bomb in Bash fits nicely on a shirt and is guaranteed to get some attention.

Bits of Linux is a bi-weekly round-up of interesting articles, discussions, Q&A, open source software projects, new Linux devices and reviews as well as a dose of fun stuff related to Linux, that have been published or I have discovered during the past 2 weeks. To not miss posts in this series, subscribe to the Bits of Linux RSS feed.

May 11, 2015

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