Issue 25: The Terminal

And I am a developer. I guess. Of sorts. I have written code, especially for articles. Most of the time it was “pedagogical” code, in that I wrote it to teach something, such as how to control external hardware using a web version of Scratch, or how easy it is to write an apps for a given mobile OS. But, even stuff designed for teaching has real-world applications. Thus, the Snap! expansion that I created to be able to access the Raspberry Pi’s GPIOs actually works, as does the implementation of Conway’s Game of Life  for FirefoxOS – which even got into the store.

Ubuntu fans have been waiting a long time for this: Canonical, through its partner Bq, has released its first official Ubuntu phone worldwide. The Android and iOS alternative is convincing in tests, although it does show room for improvement.

The Linux terminal, the shell, or whatever name you know it by, is ubiquitous in the Linux world. Although it was created in the 1970s, the earliest days of modern computing, it has not outlived its usefulness.

With sed, you can edit text data without an interactive user interface, using pipes or input redirection. Sed lets you execute extensive editing commands on a single line.

Programming loops allow one-time or multiple execution of instructions. The condition for the loop can exist both outside and inside it.

With the jack-of-all-trades sed, you can certainly master any kind of text manipulation, but the result is often complex and hard-to-remember syntax. The helpers presented in this article replace or enhance sed for many smaller text editing tasks.

In Linux, the need for text processing programs is a big one: System configuration, system management, and data exchange all use text-based files. With Awk, you have a powerful tool at your fingertips for text editing and targeted modification.

Expect helps you develop automatic interactive scripts that respond to output from other command-line tools.

A document's design can make a lasting impression. We provide some tips to achieve a pleasing combination of fonts, color, and spacing.

The plotutils package promises quick help to visualize numerical data in a variety of output formats.

Gone are the days when we read email solely sitting at our computers. To read messages on the move, we now have IMAP, which has completely displaced POP. Trojitá makes IMAP easy, even with accounts with big folders.

All major desktop environments provide programs for taking screenshots; however, their features usually pale in comparison with those of Shutter.

Linux provides several tools for maintaining mass storage. Gnome Disks combines the most important functions into one interface.

The Rodent data manager can do more than just move files. However, it's not always easy or intuitive to use.

Using MyPaint and a graphics tablet, you can create or trace drawings with the feel of real pens and brushes. All the necessary tools are included.

When the news comes at you like a flood, you need a tool to channel the current. RSS readers like QuiteRSS can help you sort through the news.

Ubuntu 15.04 offers nearly no changes to the installation process. But, just in case you are new to Ubuntu, we'll walk you through upgrading or installing the latest release.

With NetworkManager, you can access the Internet during the Ubuntu installation process. The first step is to download updates to make your system more secure.

Ubuntu's Software Center lets you install just about anything, including free software, purchased apps, and games.

You can watch movies, play music and place calls over the Internet with ease with Ubuntu. You just have to load the right software packages onto your computer. We present some of our favorite multimedia apps.