Batocera is a free and open source Linux distribution designed to create retrogaming consoles out of a vast selection of devices. It supports a variety of platforms and architectures, from Intel-based computers to Raspberry Pi boards and handheld consoles, and works as a central control panel for all the best console emulators.
Guides
How to remove unnecessary files with BleachBit on Linux
BleachBit is a free and open source application available on Linux and Windows, which can be used, among the other things, to remove unnecessary files and directories from a filesystem. BleachBit can be used to free the caches of many applications, remove cookies and browsers history, but also to shred (secure delete) files and directories.
How to automatically change X11 displays setup with autorandr on Linux
Adding a monitor to a setup is probably one of the most effective and immediate ways to increase productivity. A multi monitor setup can be useful, for example, when we need to consult some kind of documentation and at the same time work on another task full-screen. Autorandr is a free and open source utility able to apply specific X11 configurations depending on the displays connected to our machine.
How to export repositories with the git-daemon
Git is probably the most used version control software in the world. Free and open source, it was created by Linus Torvalds, and it is the base of services provided by web platforms like Github and Gitlab. In a previous article we discussed the git workflow basics,
How to install, configure and customize Waybar on Linux
Waybar is an highly customizable Wayland bar for Sway and other Wlroots-based compositors, such as Hyprland or River. The many available functionalities of Waybar are organized in modules, which can be easily configured and styled.
How to send desktop notifications using notify-send
Every desktop environment on Linux has its own notification system which implements the Freedesktop notifications specifications. Some of them, like GNOME or KDE, use their own built-in notification systems which cannot be replaced; others like Xfce or Mate, use more modular components (Xfce notification daemon and Mate notification daemon, respectively). Desktop-independent notification systems also exist (dunst, for example): most of the time they are used on minimal setups (e.g. when using a plain window manager instead of full blown Desktop environments).
How to turn a Raspberry Pi into a surveillance system with ZoneMinder
ZoneMinder is a free and open source closed-circuit television software we can install on our Raspberry Pi (or any other Linux system) to monitor and protect our home, or whatever we deem valuable. ZoneMinder is easy to install, supports a vast selection of cameras, and has also APIs for third party software integration.
How to bind an SSH public key to a specific command
In the client-server architecture used by the SSH protocol, a client can authenticate by providing a tunneled clear text password or by using a public/private key pair: this is called public key authentication. A user who logs in via a public key on a remote machine has complete access to the command line; in certain situations, however, it may be useful to associate a public key to a single specific command, for security reasons.
How to create GNOME dynamic wallpapers
GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment), is one of the most popular desktop environments on Linux, and probably the most used one, since all major distributions use it as their default interface. Version 42 of the D.E., introduced a global “light/dark” UI mode switch, which is respected by all GNOME applications and wallpapers: switching the global style to “dark”, automatically changes the GTK theme to Adwaita-dark, and all the wallpapers supporting this feature, to their “dark” versions. GNOME also supports time-shifting wallpapers.
How to create optimized virtual machines with Quickemu on Linux
Quickemu is a free and open source project which allows us to quickly launch Linux, macOS, and Windows optimized virtual machines. The project is hosted on GitHub, and is basically a wrapper around QEMU and some other tools.
How to install Brave on Linux
Brave is a free and open source web browser focused on providing a privacy-oriented setup by default. It is released under the Mozilla Public License Version 2.0, and it is based on chromium, which is also the open source foundation upon Google Chrome is built. Brave comes with useful built-in features such an ad-blocker, a private search engine, an integrated VPN, and Tor support.
Introduction to the dconf configuration system
Dconf is the low-level configuration system used by the GNOME desktop environment. It is basically a database, where the various configuration are stored as keys together with their values. The keys in the database can be inspected, changed, or dumped with the dconf utility or by using the dconf-editor graphical tool.