Linux

A USB drive you have finished using can be prepared for files again on a Linux computer. Formatting creates a filesystem on a partition, which gives Linux a structure for organizing files on the drive. This article explains how to identify the right USB partition and format it with a suitable filesystem. TL;DR: Format a

Installing GIMP on Linux starts with checking which package route your distribution uses. GIMP, short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free image editor for creating and changing raster images. I’ll show you how to identify your distribution, then install GIMP with its package manager or Flatpak. TL;DR: Install GIMP on Linux Install GIMP

A defunct process in Linux output can leave you wondering which process is responsible for it. A zombie process has finished running, but its parent has not collected its exit status. I’ll show you how to identify the zombie’s parent and what to check before taking action. TL;DR A zombie process has exited, but its

A backup or batch conversion can share CPU time with work you need to use interactively. The nice command starts a program with a scheduling niceness value, while renice changes that value on a running process. I’ll show how nice adjusts a command at launch and how renice changes and verifies a running process’s niceness.

Using iTunes on Linux can mean playing music or managing an Apple device. Linux has no native iTunes app, but Wine can try to run the Windows version. I’ll explain how to set up that Wine attempt and how to choose a route for the task you need to do. TL;DR Linux has no native

A network scan starts with a target and a question about what you need to learn from it. Nmap is a command-line tool that sends test messages to a specified host and uses the replies to report host availability and port states. In this piece, I’ll show you how to run a focused scan and

Moving files between directories or machines calls for a way to copy them while keeping their directory structure. rsync is a file-copying utility that works locally or across a network and can synchronize a destination with a source. In this piece, I’ll walk through copying a directory locally or over SSH and previewing the planned