DEV Community: Moe Long

What are the best AI and ML online courses available?

Moe Long — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 02:35:32 +0000

I'm currently researching for an article on the best AI and ML online courses. While I've got a solid contingent, I'm sure there are loads I've yet to come across, so I thought I'd tap into the wisdom of the crowd.

What artificial intelligence and machine learning courses have you taken? What did you like/dislike, and who would you recommend take it?

Kubuntu Focus M2 Linux Laptop Review

Moe Long — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 23:39:15 +0000

Typically a Linux machine is a mostly do-it-yourself (DIY) endeavor. You’re usually on your own installing an operating system (OS), regardless of whether you’re using a pre-built machine or custom build. However, there are plenty of off-the-shelf Linux laptops and desktops available. The Kubuntu Focus is an outstanding Linux laptop. It comes with the Ubuntu-based Kubuntu Linux distribution (distro) pre-loaded, boasts an impressive spec sheet, and exceptional build quality. This combination makes is a great choice for programmers, gamers, and anyone switching from Windows or macOS to Linux. But is the Kubuntu Focus M2 right for you? Find out in my hands-on review!

What is the Kubuntu Focus M2 – Kubuntu Focus Laptop Overview

The Kubuntu Focus M2 is a Linux laptop. It ships with the Kubuntu Linux distro pre-installed and, as such, runs Ubuntu with the KDE Plasma Desktop rather than vanilla Ubuntu’s GNOME desktop environment. There’s a 15.6-inch 1080p full high-definition (FHD) 144Hz display.

Under the hood, you’ll find an Intel 11th gen 8-core processor. You can outfit the Kubuntu Focus M2 gen 3 with up to 64GB of 3200MHz RAM, as high as 4TB of NVMe SSD storage, and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with a whopping 16GB of GDDR6 video RAM (vRAM).

On the networking side, the Focus M2 sports dual-band 5GHz ac/a/b/g/n/ax Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth 5.2. Inputs/outputs include a USB 3.0 Type-A, two USB 3.2 Type-A hosts, a 3.5mm audio jack, 3.5mm mic input, HDMI 2.0 port, 40Gbps Thunderbolt USB-C jack, and DisplayPort 1.4.

There’s a sturdy aluminum chassis. Its keyboard features RGB backlighting with over 65,000 different color combinations and 4mm keyboard travel. Pricing starts at $1,945 USD for the Kubuntu Focus M2 gen 3 which gets you an Intel Core i7 11800H, NVIDIA RTX 3060, 16GB of RAM, and 250GB NVMe SSD. You can max the Focus M2 out with the Beast preset which comes with an Intel Core i7 11800H CPU, NVIDIA RTX 3080, 4TB NVMe storage total (2x 2TB NVMe SSDs), and 64GB of RAM.

Kubuntu Focus M2 Specs

CPU: Intel Core i7 11800H
GPU: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (choice of GeForce RTX 3060, 3070, 3080)
RAM: Up to 64GB 3200MHz dual-channel RAM (base 16GB)
15.6-inch 1080p 144Hz display
Aluminium chassis
RGB backlit keyboard with over 65,000 color combinations
I/O: 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 2 x USB 3.2 Type-A hosts, 1 x 3.5mm audio jack, 1 x 3.5mm mic input, 1 x HDMI 2.0 port, 1 x 40Gbps Thunderbolt USB-C jack, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
Networking/communication: Dual-band 5GHz ac/a/b/g/n/ax Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.2, Realtek RTL8168 Gigabit Ethernet jack

Buy from Kubuntu

Kubuntu Focus M2 Review Verdict

The Kubuntu Focus M2 is an outstanding Linux laptop. I liked that it came with Kubuntu Linux preloaded. Although it’s easy enough to install most Ubuntu and Debian-based Linux distros yourself, I appreciated the ability to fire up the Focus M2 and begin using it right away. Kubuntu is a real treat to use, and several useful apps including the Google Chrome web browser and Steam video game client come preinstalled.

Build quality is excellent. I found the all-metal chassis sturdy and durable. The lid is emblazoned with the Kubuntu logo, and the keyboard includes a super key sporting the Kubuntu logo as well. Keyboard travel at 4mm is great. Writing and editing felt natural. The RGB backlit keyboard was gorgeous, and I enjoyed setting custom colors as well as brightness.

The 1080p FHD 144Hz IPS display boasts fantastic color accuracy along with good viewing angles. Everything from gaming and watching movies to general web browsing looks lovely. My review unit came with an Intel Core i7 11800H CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, and 16GB of RAM.

In my testing, gaming was buttery smooth for titles such as Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Alien: Isolation. Similarly, spinning up Docker instances was blisteringly fast. Therefore, the Kubuntu Focus M2 is a versatile machine that should satisfy a variety of users including gamers, programmers, and system administrators (sysadmins).

I was impressed with the array of different ports. With three USB ports, HDMI and DisplayPort, 3.5mm headphone/mic jacks, Thunderbolt USB-C, and Gigabit Ethernet, there’s generous connectivity. And Wi-Fi 6 alongside Bluetooth 5.2 offer fast wireless networking. The well-ventilated bottom hatch is easy to remove for simple upgrades, a nice touch in an age where laptops are becoming increasingly difficult to open up.

Unfortunately, the metal chassis is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. Additionally, I found the trackpad somewhat small and tough. Since the touchpad isn’t clickable, it took some getting used to. Under full load, the fans do kick in and are slightly noticeable, though this is common to pretty much all gaming laptops. While the Kubuntu Focus does feature switchable graphics, changing between the dedicated GPU and integrated GPU requires restarting the desktop environment. Though that’s a minor convenience, it’s not the end of the world.

Ultimately, the Kubuntu Focus M2 is a superb Linux laptop. Regardless of whether I was gaming, programming, writing, or simply browsing the web, the Focus was more than up to the task. A few minor quirks don’t detract from the overall excellence of the M2, making it arguably the best Linux laptop on the market.

Kubuntu Focus M2 – Design and Build

The Kubuntu Focus M2 features a solidly built aluminum chassis. Its lid includes the Kubuntu logo. Around front, you’ll find a set of status indicator LED lights.

The right-hand side of the laptop includes a pair of USB 3.2 Type-A ports and a Gigabit Ethernet LAN jack.

In back, the Focus M2 sports HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs. There’s also a barrel jack power connector.

A Kensington lock port, USB 3.0 Type-A, 3.5mm headphone out jack, and 3.5mm mic input grace the left-hand side of the unit.

Underneath, there’s a well-ventilated grille that covers the RAM, NVMe SSD, and cooling fans.

The keyboard boasts great key travel of 4mm. Its RGB led backlighting can easily be customized using a hotkey.

And the keypad is pretty sizable, though not nearly as big as the touchpad on my Razer Blade 15 or Apple’s MacBook Pro.

Construction is stellar all-around. The metal chassis is sturdy, there’s little to no flex to the screen, the keyboard is comfortable to type on, its bottom panel is well-ventilated, and you’ll find ample connection ports.

Kubuntu Focus M2 Gaming Performance

Gaming performance is extremely impressive. On my NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070-equipped system, I clocked an average of around 160 frames per second (FPS) in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the highest preset in 1080p.

In Rise of the Tomb Raider, I averaged about 150 FPS in the highest preset. Visuals were buttery smooth.

Playing Alien Isolation maxed out on ultra, I averaged around 140 frames per second. The Kubuntu Focus churned out gorgeous eyecandy, replicating a lifelike recreation of the Nostromo.

Your experience will vary depending on which GPU you select – the RTX 3060, 3070, or 3080. While the 3080 can handle 4K on ultra or high for most modern AAA titles, the RTX 3070 is best suited to 1080p or 1440p. For Linux gaming, the Kubuntu Focus M2 is a great choice.

Kubuntu Focus M2 gaming benchmarks:

Alien Isolation – 144 FPS average, 1080p ultra
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 160 FPS average, 1080p highest preset
Rise of the Tomb Raider– 150 FPS, 1080p average, highest preset

Kubuntu Focus M2 – Software Experience

While the Focus M2 delivers wonderful hardware, it’s the software experience that makes this an incredible Linux laptop. Ubuntu and its derivatives tend to be fairly user-friendly on the whole. But Kubuntu takes this to an entirely new level. When you first boot into Kubuntu, there’s a helpful software setup wizard which runs. It walks you through some initial configuration including changing your password, choosing an avatar, and enabling various optional software packages. For instance, Kubuntu prompts you to turn on Dropbox, enable InSync, and turn on the open-source password manager KeePassXC.

Moreover, there’s a helpful list of recommended applications. You can launch this with ease from the taskbar. Suggested software options include Steam, Kubernetes, Lutris (for playing Windows games with WINE), JetBrains Toolbox, the LibreOffice suite, and more. I appreciated the software wizard and recommended apps list. Although most Linux enthusiasts should have no issue installing different apps, these features make the Kubuntu Focus M2 great for newcomers switching from Windows or macOS to Linux.

Since Kubuntu utilizes the DPKG package manager, downloading apps is pretty fast. The KDE Plasma desktop is an excellent, visually pleasing graphical user interface (GUI). KDE looks similar to Windows for a familiar experience that should ease the transition from a non-Linux OS. The KDE Plasma desktop environment uses few system resources for a snappy experience. Loading up apps and switching windows was seamless.

Privacy Features on the Kubuntu Focus M2

The Kubuntu Focus M2 touts a slew of safety and security features. You’ll find full-disk encryption, optional pre-configured YubiKey 5 NFC two-factor authentication (2FA), and a BIOS Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 disable option. Its YubiKey 5 NFC 2FA support lets you enable hardware-based authentication for bolstered security. There’s even KeePassXC open-source password manager compatibility.

Outside of its robust software security features, the Focus M2 packs hardware security goodies as well. There’s a Kensington lock port for securing your Linux laptop to a desk. And its HD webcam has a physical privacy shutter cover.

Privacy features:

Full-disk encryption
YubiKey 5 NFC 2FA
Disable BIOS TPM 2.0
Kensington lock
Physical webcam privacy cover

Should You Get the Kubuntu Focus M2 – Who is the Kubuntu Focus M2 For?

So now on to the real question: Should you get the Kubuntu Focus M2? As a versatile Linux laptop, the Focus is a compelling choice for all sorts of users. Because of its NVIDIA GPU options, the Focus M2 is great for gamers, designers, and video editors. Steam comes preinstalled for gaming. Under the curated apps list, you’ll find Blender for 3D modeling as well as Lutris for running Windows games on Linux with WINE.

Since Linux is an extremely popular environment for programmers and developers. As such, the Focus M2 is a fantastic choice for devs. Spinning up Docker containers is blisteringly fast, with generally under two-minute install times. That’s mostly because the Focus M2 runs Linux natively, so it eliminates any filesystem emulation layers like you’ll find on macOS or Windows. And there’s a whole host of different programming tools available including Kubernetes, JetBrains Toolbox, IDEs (integrated development environments) like IntelliJ or PyCharm, VScode, and more.

Furthermore, with its extremely user-friendly Linux OS in Kubuntu, the Focus M2 is a solid choice for anyone switching from Windows or macOS. Although it’s a full-fledged Linux distro, Kubuntu lets you install apps, run updates, and customize your system without needing to touch the command line much.

Who is the Kubuntu Focus M2 for:

Gamers
Developers/programmers
Designers/animators/3D modelers
Anyone switching from macOS or Windows to Linux

Kubuntu Focus M2 Review – Final Thoughts

There’s a lot to love about the Kubuntu Focus M2 third-generation. It offers a spectacular, user-friendly experience that’s suitable for everyone including gamers, programmers, sysadmins, and designers. The pre-loaded Kubuntu Linux OS is easy to use and great for anyone switching from macOS or Windows to Linux. Gaming performance is superb, and many apps for development like Docker benefit from the native Linux environment. With Linux preloaded, the Focus M2 is ready to use out-of-the-box. You can outfit the Focus with outstanding hardware all the way up to an NVIDIA RTX 3080, 4TB of NVMe SSD storage, and 64GB of RAM.

The touchpad is a bit stiff, though I eventually got used to it. While the Focus includes switchable graphics, you’ll have to restart the desktop environment in order to toggle between the high-performance GPU and energy-efficient integrated graphics chip. Although that’s not the end of the world, it’s somewhat cumbersome. Admittedly, the price (beginning at $1,945) is a bit high. However, it’s about in line with premium laptops. For instance, the RTX 30-series Razer Blade 15 starts around $1,700 while the MacBook Pro 14-inch normally starts at $1,999. Thus, the Focus M2’s price tag is aligned with the competition. And for the unparalleled experience of a pre-installed Linux laptop, it’s well worth the cost.

In the end, the Kubuntu Focus is an extraordinary piece of kit. It should satisfy a variety of different needs and makes getting started a breeze. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, sysadmin, developer, designer, or merely a curious new Linux user, the Kubuntu Focus M2 is a spectacular machine, and arguably the best Linux laptop on the planet.

Your turn: Which Linux laptops are you using, and what Linux distros are you running?

IoT Security: What Your Business Needs to Know

Moe Long — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 20:24:23 +0000

The internet of things (IoT) remains a popular subset of the information technology (IT) realm. However, despite its advancements, IoT is still in its infancy. By 2027, the global IoT market is estimated to be worth over $1,463.19 billion USD.

With massive leaps in IoT technology and a rapidly changing landscape, IoT security is a budding concern. Here's what you need to know about IoT security.

IoT Security Is a Difficult Task

IoT security is tough to implement. A major contributing factor is the complexity of IoT and its many factors. Instead of the back end, there's network security and physical device security to consider as well.

The current landscape values ease of use over security. As Manuel Pais points out in DZone's guide to IoT, there's an onus on plug-and-play capability. This prioritizes operability and usability over security.

But what's most important for security is testability and configurability. As such, it's necessary to account for testable, configurable software just as much as operable software. Security threats originate from potential DDoS attacks as much as the intentional abuse of hardware and software.

What makes IoT security such a tough challenge is that it includes the entire framework from IoT hardware and software to the network.

Separate Sci-Fi From Reality

Artificial intelligence (AI) is steadily progressing. Still, despite improvements made to the likes of Cortana and Siri, it's nothing similar to Hal 9000 or the T-1000. Similarly, separate reality from fiction to determine the reality of threats posed by IoT security.

In 2017, Vizio's smart televisions were found to spy on owners and capture data, which was sold to advertisers. Three years prior, internet-connected fridges were linked to a botnet attack that sent more than 750,000 spam emails.

What Action Can You Take to Ensure IoT Security?

Although there's an increased reliance on interconnected devices, there are steps you can take to protect your business:

Digital signatures: From a software perspective, digital signatures provide added security. Digital signatures attached to software ensure they don't run unauthorized programs.

Connectivity: Firewalls remain essential in IoT security. A firewall filters protocols to check that network-enabled devices interface properly, and as such, may identify network-based security threats to IoT devices, data, and the network. But within connectivity, there are various protocols used by IoT devices and software; these include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Ethernet, and more.

Update selectively: Updates and patches may fix vulnerabilities. A subtle hack threatening users of multimedia software, such as VLC, Kodi, and Stremio, left more than 200 million devices, including many IoT gadgets like Raspberry Pis, vulnerable.

Consider the entire infrastructure: IoT isn't merely about the hardware, software, or network. Instead, IoT is its own environment. Consider each component, from the physical hardware and its placement to software to the network. Accounting for IoT systems as a whole insulates you from vulnerabilities.

Think about misuse: A 2017 Burger King ad set off users' Google Home AI hubs in what could have been the largest publicity stunt of the year. This follows a 2014 Xbox ad where 'Breaking Bad' actor Aaron Paul accidentally turned on Xbox consoles with a voice prompt.

Data security: Data security is arguably the most prominent area of IoT security. All IoT devices gather data, but it's the transfer and recording of the data that presents the threat. Consider how data is transmitted and stored when accounting for data and analytics security in IoT.

Internet of Threats: What You Need to Know About IoT Security

IoT security is a hot topic. But consider real and present threats rather than far-fetched sci-fi scenarios that could inflict a lot of pain and damage to your business. Awareness of IoT connectivity, the complete hardware, software, and network environment, and the latest vulnerabilities goes a long way toward protecting yourself against IoT threats.

What do you hate about being a developer?

Moe Long — Mon, 24 May 2021 06:40:46 +0000

Being a programmer can be a lot of fun, a rewarding career, and offer continued skill development. But what do you hate about being a programmer?

How to Make a DIY Raspberry Pi-based Podcasting Studio

Moe Long — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 14:22:45 +0000

The Raspberry Pi is a versatile single-board computer. Capable of projects ranging from a retro gaming emulation PC to a home server or smart home hub, it's a multi-purpose maker board. With the launch of the Raspberry Pi 4 which gained a more powerful system-on-a-chip (SoC) as well as additional RAM options, the Pi became increasingly functional for desktop use. With its low power-draw, it's a great device for podcast recording. Learn how to build a Raspberry Pi podcast recorder!

Why Make a Raspberry Pi Recording Studio

Because of its energy efficiency and small footprint, the Raspberry Pi 4 makes an excellent basic desktop. Linux distributions (distros) such as Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) or Ubuntu run flawlessly on the Pi. While a laptop works just fine, Pi 4 pricing begins at $35 USD. As such, it's an economical purchase for podcasting. Pair it with a USB mic, portable monitor or projector, keyboard, and mouse for a mobile podcast recording studio. You could even add a power bank for a totally mobile recording studio. I tested this with a Pi 4, 30000mAh power bank and it worked like a champ. And with podcasts as being all the rage, the Pi provides an ultra-affordable solution for podcast recording and editing.

Why the Raspberry Pi makes a great recording station:

Cheap
Small footprint
Handles audio recording and editing
Can be made mobile by running the Pi off of a power bank for a mobile audio recording studio

What You'll Need to Build a Raspberry Pi Podcasting Station

A Raspberry Pi podcast machine is fairly simple, yet extremely practical. You'll need a Raspberry Pi 4, and I suggest a 4GB or 8GB model. Particularly if you plan to perform any audio editing on your Raspberry Pi, the additional memory will greatly benefit multi-tasking. A case is optional but recommended. Peripherals like a keyboard and mouse are needed. A microSD card of at least 16GB loaded up with your preferred Raspberry Pi Linux operating system (OS) is essential. To power the Pi, you'll want an official Raspberry Pi power supply unit (PSU).

For podcast recording, you'll need an appropriate mic for podcasting. If you pick a standard USB mic, you can connect that straight to your Raspberry Pi. I use a Blue Yeti for my podcast, and it works perfectly. Selecting an XLR mic necessitates a USB mixer. On the software side, there are plenty of Raspberry Pi audio recording software options to use such as Audacity. If you want to take your Pi on the go for a mobile podcasting rig, you could even tack on a USB-powered monitor.

Raspberry Pi podcast recording studio parts list:

Raspberry Pi 4 (4 or 8GB RAM model recommended)
Case (optional, recommended)
Compatible PSU
microSD card (at least 16GB)
External USB storage (optional, to hold large audio files)
Peripherals (keyboard, mouse)
Mic (USB or XLR)
USB mixer (if using an XLR-only mic)
Audio recording software (i.e. Audacity)
Power bank (optional)
USB monitor (optional)

Total cost: $35+ USD. You can get a standalone Raspberry Pi board for $35. Depending on which components you have, you might not need to spend much, or you could go all out and purchase a mic, Raspberry Pi starter kit, and mixer.

What Raspberry Pi Audio Recording Software Should You Use?

Audacity is the best Raspberry Pi audio recording software for most people. It's free, incredibly robust, and runs incredibly well on Linux distros. What's more, Audacity is compatible with virtually any hardware you throw at it including USB mics and mixers. Aside from recording, Audacity offers rich audio editing features. You might also consider the digital audio workstation (DAW) Reaper which works for podcast recording and editing.

Alternatively, you might consider an in-browser podcast recording solution. Zencastr is an awesome remote podcasting platform that lets you record sans a software download. It's got a free tier and professional plan. Since it runs in a web browser, you don't have to download any software. Thankfully, Zencastr supports Linux browsers like Firefox. I got Zencastr to function fine with Firefox on the Pi, but not Chromium. Although it runs in-browser, Zencastr temporarily caches recordings locally before uploading to the cloud so you maintain excellent quality throughout.

Raspberry Pi audio recording software solutions:

Audacity
Reaper DAW
Zencastr

How to Build a Raspberry Pi Podcast Recording Studio

Before installing your software, make sure to connect your microphone. For a simple USB mic, merely hook up your microphone's USB cable to a free USB input on the Pi. If you're using an XLR mic, you need to first run the microphone's XLR cable into a USB mixer, then connect the mixer via USB to the Raspberry Pi.

Install your Raspberry Pi Audio Recording and Editing Software

With your preferred Raspberry Pi-compatible Linux operating system installed such as Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi OS, begin by downloading your audio recording software. As with any software installation, it's best to run an update and upgrade first:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y

Next, install Audacity:

sudo apt-get install Audacity

After that, Audacity should be installed, and you can launch it from the apps menu.

You might also want to install Reaper. There's an ARMv7L installer, so you'll need to use a 32-bit operating system. Reaper should work just fine on Raspberry Pi 2 or higher. Navigate to the official Reaper DAW downloads page and click Linux experimental builds. Then, download the Linux armv7l app. Since it's a tar.xz file, you'll need to first extract it. In a command line, navigate into the correct directory where your Reaper installer is saved, typically the Downloads folder:

cd path/to/file

Then, run (where file.tar.xz is the name of the file you want to decompress):

tar -xvf file.tar.xz

This extracts the compressed files. Open up the directory where Reaper is, and find the decompressed folder. Open it up and locate the install-reaper.sh file. Click it and select Execute in terminal. Then follow the different prompts to pick where you want to install Reaper. When finished, you should find a menu item.

Alternatively, if you'd prefer to use a browser-based solution, fire up Firefox. You can install Firefox on the Raspberry Pi with sudo apt install firefox-esr. Go to the Zencaster website. Register for an account, and stick to the free tier or upgrade to a paid plan. Once you're in, click Create New Episode and give your episode a name. Wait for health checks to pass, and when you're done you can begin recording.

Configure the Raspberry Pi's Audio Output

Depending on your set up, you might want to set the Pi to output audio through the analog 3.5mm headphone jack. To accomplish this, open a terminal and run:

amixer cset numid=3 1

That sets the RasPi to pump system sounds through the audio jack. You can set audio to pipe via HDMI by replacing the 1 with a 2:

amixer cset numid=3 2

Record and Have Fun

Once you've got your mic hooked up and software installed, you can begin recording audio on the Raspberry Pi. Depending on your software, you might have to select the correct audio input or output device. For instance, if you'd like to monitor your own voice while recording, you can pipe audio through the analog headphone jack on the Pi. Or, you can leave your system sounds outputting through HDMI. And you might need to pick the right microphone or USB mixer from a list of multiple options if your audio recording software doesn't select it automatically. Audacity recognized and automatically selected my Blue Yeti USB mic. Since audio recording and editing isn't terribly system resource-intensive, a Raspberry Pi is more than up to the task. Because of the Pi's low power-draw, I even tested out running my Pi off of a 30000 mAh power bank, and to my delight, it worked perfectly. Add a USB-powered monitor, and you've got a completely mobile podcasting station. Creating a Raspberry Pi podcast recorder is a really cool use case that's cheap and utilitarian.

What are you using your Raspberry Pi for, and how do you record you podcasts?

How to Free Up More Space in Boot on Ubuntu — Remove Old Kernels

Moe Long — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 14:57:47 +0000

Recently, I was performing some server maintenance on my home lab, a Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 running Ubuntu that I have as a dedicated Plex media server. When I first set it up, I installed Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and I finally decided to upgrade from 16.04 to Ubuntu 20.04. However, when I attempted to run a full operating system (OS) upgrade, I got an error that there was not enough space. As such, I realized that I'd need to clean the boot partition. Learn how to free up more space in boot on Ubuntu, and why your Ubuntu boot partition may be full!

What is the Boot Partition on Linux and Why do You Need to Free Up Boot Space?

On Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions (distros), the boot partition stores various files required to boot up your OS. The boot partition is mounted to the aptly-named /boot directory. Among the various files you'll find in your Ubuntu Linux boot partition are GRUB bootloader configuration files.

It's likely that your Ubuntu boot partition is low on space because of old OS kernels. A kernel is software that manages your hardware and enables application libraries as well as software to run across a variety of different hardware options. As you perform updates, old kernels can pile up in the boot directory requiring you to clean the boot partition. If you've never run an Ubuntu cleanup, you could get pretty low on /boot space which will cause your system to become unstable.

How to Free Up Space on Ubuntu Boot Drive - Remove Old Kernels in Ubuntu

Freeing up disk space on your boot partition is pretty simple. You can manually remove old kernels, or configure automatic maintenance. On Ubuntu 16.04 and later, unattended-upgrades should be enabled by default, although it never hurts to double-check with a manual Ubuntu partition clean up. First, update the list of available packages as well as their versions and upgrade the software packages:

sudo apt-get update && upgrade

Next up, use the autoremove command to remove old Linux kernels in Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge

This should automatically free up boot partition space on your system. Alternatively, you can manually remove kernels. You can get a list of all installed kernels using:

dpkg -l linux-image-\* | grep ^ii

But you'll want to avoid removing the currently running kernel. So you can list all Ubuntu Linux OS kernels and headers aside from the kernel you're currently running with:

kernelver=$(uname -r | sed -r 's/-[a-z]+//') dpkg -l linux-{image,headers}-"[0-9]*" | awk '/ii/{print $2}' | grep -ve $kernelver

You can combine this with the purge command to remove all of your old Ubuntu kernels:

sudo apt-get purge $(dpkg -l linux-{image,headers}-"[0-9]*" | awk '/ii/{print $2}' | grep -ve "$(uname -r | sed -r 's/-[a-z]+//')")

Once that's complete, you should have freed up space by removing old kernels on Ubuntu.

How to Free Up Space on the Ubuntu Boot Partition - Final Thoughts

If you want to keep your Linux PC or server running smoothly, it's important to keep up with regular maintenance. This includes running software updates, operating system upgrades, and freeing up space on partitions frequently. Luckily, if your Linux machine is bogged down by a bunch of old kernels, it's easy enough to remove them with a few simple commands and fix your boot partition when it's full.

Best Raspberry Pi IDEs

Moe Long — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 19:01:40 +0000

The Raspberry Pi may not be the only single-board computer (SBC) on the market, but it's certainly the most popular. Boasting a massive user base plus a plethora of first- and third-party resources ranging from books and accessories to forums and courses, it's a well-documented maker board that benefits from regular updates. The Raspberry Pi Foundation debuts new models and variants regularly. With its shocking processing power, the Pi works extremely well as a desktop computer, and accordingly for programming and development. Learn why you should consider the Raspberry Pi as a programming machine, and check out the best Raspberry Pi integrated development environments (IDEs) for all languages!

Why the Raspberry Pi is Great as a Programming Desktop

An unassuming credit-card-sized development board, the Raspberry Pi packs way more processing power than its tiny footprint lets on. While its small stature remained the same, the Raspberry Pi 4 brought a major overhaul. Notable changes to the Pi included more, faster RAM with choices of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and later after launch 8GB of RAM. There's a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) in its Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 ARM v8 64-bit SoC clocked at 1.5GHz. Plus, you'll find a pair of USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 hosts, dual micro-HDMI outputs capable of outputting 4K resolution, dual-band 2.4GHz/5.0GHz IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), and Gigabit Ethernet. Altogether, the Pi 4 has all the trappings of a competent desktop computer.

As a test, I used a 4GB Raspberry Pi as a desktop for a week and was able to accomplish my day job with ease. For writing, image and audio editing, general web browsing, and opening a bunch of tabs, the Pi didn't falter. Stepping up to the 8GB Raspberry Pi model, you can multi-task to your heart's content. Chances are you'll overload the CPU well before you hit its memory limit. Because of the plentiful Linux operating systems (OSes) for the Raspberry Pi, it makes a nifty little programming computer. Pairing a 4GB or 8GB RAM Pi with a 64-bit Linux distribution (distro) such as Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi OS (formerly known as Raspbian) allows you to take advantage of all that memory as well as run 64-bit applications. Since there are loads of Linux distros for the Pi, you can download a slew of IDEs for programming and development.

Why the Raspberry Pi makes a great dedicated programming PC:

Lots of compatible Linux distros
Affordable
Small footprint
Excellent price-to-performance ratio
Tons of IDEs available

Best Multi-language Raspberry Pi IDE - Geany

Lightweight and extremely functional, the Geany IDE employs GTK+ and Scintilla for a great graphical user interface (GUI) development environment. It's versatile, with support for several different programming languages including PHP, Java, Perl, Ruby, C++, C, and C#. Geany sports many different useful features including an autocomplete function, syntax highlighting, code folding, and more. Consuming few system resources and capable of handling a ton of different languages, Geany is a top Raspberry Pi integrated development environment.

Multi-language support (PHP, Java, Perl, Ruby, C++, C#)
Auto function complete, syntax highlighting, code folding
Lightweight

Best Java IDE for the Raspberry Pi - BlueJ

For Java developers, BlueJ is an excellent option. The interface remains clean and uncluttered and BlueJ is available as a portable app. It's a solid choice for object-oriented development. Aside from writing code, BlueJ allows you to execute programs. Originally, BlueJ was created as an educational tool so it's suitable for seasoned Java programmers and new devs alike. And that's apparent from various inclusions such as its ability to show programming concepts such as classes, objects, and function calling through interaction-centric design. The open-source Pi4J library from the Java SE language provides access to attached hardware.

Java IDE
Great for object-oriented programming
Great support (books, documentation, tech support, and more)

Best Python IDE for Beginners - Thonny

A comprehensive Raspberry Pi IDE, Thonny is a beginner-friendly Python development app. While Python experts can use Thonny, various touches posit this IDE as great for newcomers. Onboard, you'll find expression evaluation broken down step-by-step, call stack visualization, and a ton of other options for helping newcomers not only improve their Python programming, but better understand what's happening.

Supports Python
Easy-to-use debugger
Beginner-friendly
Expression evaluation
Highlights syntax errors
Explains references for understanding of code

Best Ninja IDE

Branded Not Just Another IDE, Ninja IDE is a Python-based integrated development environment that runs like a champ on the Pi. Ninja IDE is incredibly lightweight and a wonderful code editor for a variety of languages including Python. Its code locator feature comes in handy. Simply hit the shortcut CTRL + K to bring up its robust search functionality. Plus, a slew of other inclusions makes Ninja IDE a superb choice for programming. There's automatic indentation, file handling, and a PEP8 error highlighting. What's more, Ninja IDE packs in project management features and touts compatibility with tons of plugins.

Lightweight
Error highlighting
Powerful code locator
Auto indentation
Project management features
Lots of compatible plugins

Best Raspberry Pi IDE for Beginners - Greenfoot IDE

The Java-based Greenfoot IDE has an emphasis on learning. And as such, Greenfoot offers amenities such as auto code completion and syntax highlighting. Its interface is easy to understand and it's incredibly interactive. While experienced programmers can use Greenfoot, it's an IDE best for developers a bit green behind the ears.

Beginner-friendly
Build with Java
Can code with Java
Built-in project management features
Code auto-complete, syntax highlighting, and auto-error correction

Lazarus IDE

Cross-platform and free, Lazarus IDE is a solid Raspberry Pi-compatible IDE. It makes use of the Free Pascal compiler and is perfectly suited for quick development. Compilation is quick, Lazarus handles cross-compilation, and code execution speed is blisteringly fast. Performance testing is supported and you'll find ample built-in components as well as optional components available as Lazarus package files. It's open-source, well-documented, and tackles a slew of different programming languages.

Fast code compilation and execution
User-friendly
Drag-and-drop components, lots of included components and additional ones available via Lazarus package files
Uses Free Pascal
Multi-language support

Best Browser-based IDE - Adafruit WebIDE

Whereas most development environments must be downloaded and installed, the appropriately-named Adafruit WebIDE offers a web-based IDE that runs on the Raspberry Pi. Considering that Adafruit WebIDE runs in-browser, it's a nifty choice for programming on a Chromebook or tablet even. Adafruit IDE can compile source code from several different programming languages including JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and more. But just because this WebIDE is browser-based doesn't mean it's lacking in capabilities. You can upload code to a GIT repository for access via GitHub. There's even a built-in debugger as well as a visualizer for simple code navigation.

Browser-based
Can upload code to GIT repos
Simple code compilation and running
Includes debugger and visualizer

Best Raspberry Pi IDE for Beginners - Codeblock IDE

The C++ based Codeblock IDE is free, open-source, and cross-platform compatible. It supports a wide array of compilers such as Clang, Visual C++, and GCC. Features like syntax highlighting, code completion, external plugins, and code folding posit Codeblock IDE as a user-friendly yet incredibly powerful development app. There's an intelligent debugger for streamlined program debugging and extensive compiler support that includes Visual C++, Borland C++, GCC, and Watcom. Although Codeblock IDE was designed for C++ programming, it can handle other languages too including C and Fortran.

Includes intelligent debugger
Great compiler support: C++, GCC, Visual C++, Intel C++, Watcom, Borland C++, and others
Supports C, C++, and Fortran
Syntax highlighting
Code folding, code completion, indentation
Plugins available for additional features

Best IDEs for Programming on the Raspberry Pi - Final Thoughts

Although the desks of devs may be packed with macOS, Linux, and, yes, even Windows machines, the Raspberry Pi works just as well for many purposes. It's a great option for a secondary computer, programming sandbox, or even a first PC for children to practice development. And there are loads of different IDEs for coding in virtually any programming language. From multi-language options to single-language programs, you'll find plenty of options. Depending on your preferred distro, some IDEs even come pre-installed.

Your turn: what Raspberry Pi-compatible IDEs do you recommend?

How Businesses Should be Using AI

Moe Long — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 13:38:01 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) might sound like science fiction. However, AI, such as is found in IBM's Watson and Amazon's Alexa are very much real. This technology continues to evolve and achieve further adoption, especially in the business world. But is your company using artificial intelligence properly? AI is an excellent means of automating tasks and augmenting tasks. Check out our ideas on how your business should be using artificial intelligence.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

While artificial intelligence might bring to mind the sci-fi movies of Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell, in today's business world you'll need to think less about androids. Now, AI focuses on speech recognition, image processing, self-driving cars and Machine Learning. Essentially, it's about discovering the areas where computers can, and do, perform tasks better than people. As such, businesses should consider using AI for tasks that don't require a human element.

Automate All the Things

"I think the key is verticalization, finding areas that need better automation and insight," explains Reuven Cohen, a growth hacker and AI expert. As Cohen says, healthcare is an excellent example of an industry that is using artificial intelligence in a smart way. The key is using AI to automate people-driven processes. "A lot of people don't want to hear this, but the opportunity [of AI] is the replacement of humans," Cohen allows.

Seeing the Pattern

Artificial intelligence in business is put to its best uses when there's an application that relies on patterns. Algorithms can identify patterns quicker and more accurately than humans. "The most research progress in the last year or so has been in medicine," Alex Davies, machine learning specialist at DeepMind elaborated. Several high profile cases, he explains, focus on reading medical images. "The reason; it's a big deal that computers have kind of been able to do this before. But this is the first time they've been better than, not only one doctor, but a panel of doctors [at identifying a pattern]."

There's potential to expedite diagnoses. In a famous example, Stanford University researchers trained a deep learning algorithm on 130,000 images of 2,000 dermatological diseases. This Stanford University deep learning experiment resulted in neural networks performing the equivalent work of more than 20 board-certified dermatologists.

But it's not every area of an industry that benefits heavily from AI. In healthcare for instance, AI has the largest impact on radiologists, dermatologists and pathologists. The reason: these segments of healthcare focus on diagnosing via image analysis, a task easily automated by artificial intelligence.

Augment, Don't Replace

However, don't expect to lose your job or replace your workforce anytime soon. In its current stages, artificial intelligence is still in its infancy. As such, AI is used more to augment jobs rather than replace them. "There's very few jobs that are outright replaceable," said Davies. "Because there aren't that many jobs where someone is literally sitting in a room looking at images."

Businesses should use artificial intelligence to automate menial tasks. "The industrial revolution [automated] menial, manual tasks to a degree but it never took away menial, high-skilled manual tasks...fine motor skills are really hard to replicate. [Today] if we can get a robot to open a door, we're super excited."

Automate Creatively

For analyzing data, artificial intelligence is an excellent tool for business. But AI is a rapidly changing space, so businesses shouldn't be afraid to use artificial intelligence for a range of creative tasks. So long as the goal persists of automating tasks, there's no shortage of applications. Moreover, it's tough to identify wrong uses without more data.

NVIDIA featured a fascinating use case for AI. Jason Cohen, founder of Analytical Flavor Systems, discussed his use of AI to create wine, beer, coffee and chocolate. In using artificial intelligence, Cohen predicted flavor preferences for each of those concoctions. He uses IPA-style beers as an example, pointing to a massive upsurge in popularity. By removing the human element in Cohen's research, there's less bias and more accurate results.

Alex Davies noted the pickle categorizer as an excellent use case. "It's one of Google Cloud's examples of TensorFlow being used. There's a family farm in Japan that farms pickles, and the son made an automatic pickle categorizer. They automated their pickle categorizers...and saved them from sorting their pickles."

Final Thoughts

Businesses should use artificial intelligence as a means of handling menial tasks. It can sort of become the ideal employee: AI can offer 24/7 uptime, work faster and be more reliable. In business, AI is best used to automate processes. Moreover, it's an augmentation for the workforce, not replacement. So long as you're automating and augmenting, there are loads of applications for artificial intelligence in business, from radiology to beer and pickles.

How IT Pros Can Make the Most of Twitter

Moe Long — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 21:02:01 +0000

Navigating the Twitter landscape can be a difficult task. It's become a veritable treasure trove of information with loads of potential for both sharing and finding content. But, are you doing it right? For IT professionals, making the most out of Twitter is different than for pros in other spaces. It can be a helpful resource, but also a career-building tool. Check out the best ways IT professionals can get the most out of Twitter.

Re-think Your Approach

Rather than thinking of Twitter as a social media platform, consider it micro-blogging. Kent C. Dodds, a JavaScript engineer and open-source advocate, suggests focusing entirely on sharing quality content. "It's mostly just producing really great content that people want more of, and the way that they get more is through Twitter." The content itself can vary from podcasts to blog posts, or even just a standard 140-character Tweet.

Pick an App

There's no shortage of Twitter clients for Android and iOS. Some top contenders to check out include Hootsuite, Tweetbot, Buffer, Fenix, Plume, as well as the native Twitter client.

While many third-party options have paid tiers, tools like Buffer and Hootsuite operate on the freemium model. Buffer has a better UI whereas Hootsuite boasts beefier analytics. You can, and should, check out your Twitter analytics at analytics.twitter.com. This allows you to identify what type of engagement you're getting (retweets or likes), who your followers also follow, where your followers are mostly located, and what they are most interested in, among other things. You'll gain valuable insights into your Twitter content and audience.

After you pick an app, you'll want to enable two-factor authentication. Keep the native Twitter app even if you're using a third-party app for management as it makes two-step authentication simple. Yet two-factor auth isn't always convenient. Dodds recalls trying to send an email, but he couldn't log into his email because he didn't have a phone. Still, many services require two-factor authentication including some GitHub organizations. Thus, it's recommended as the industry standard for IT professionals.

Interacting

You have a few options when someone interacts with you on Twitter:

Reply
Do nothing
Favorite
Retweet
Follow

You do not have to respond every time. After all, sometimes it will be a bot looking to engage unsuspecting souls. And sometimes a lack of reply is the best option.

When you're just getting started, it's important to grow a following by interacting with experts. As your social media presence blossoms, management is essential. You need not follow everyone who follows you for similar reasons.

Browsing the Twitter feed of experts you know and follow is a great way of discovering new experts and news sources. See who they are regularly engaging with. You can use lists for organization either within the native Twitter clients or using third-party apps. Diversify while sticking to your space. Follow topically relevant accounts, but actively seek out sources of differing opinion. "The bubble I'm worried about being trapped in is the way I think about programming," Dodds explained. "I don't want to be trapped in a situation where I think that React is the greatest thing in the world for years after Angular 3 becomes the biggest thing ever."

Twitter recently made it even easier to offer technical support to businesses. You can now request and share locations with people via DM. You can also set pre-written welcome messages for new followers of a business. Or can set up a handful of pre-written quick replies to inquiries. This could even be set to automatically say "Have you turned it off and turned it back on again?"

Gather Around the Twitter Water Cooler

In a way, Twitter may be considered a virtual water cooler. Many developers, programmers, and tech professionals, myself included, work remotely. This distributed team set up is convenient in that it cuts out a commute and lets you work sans pants. But it also means you'll need to seek out community, whether that's staying in touch with co-workers via apps such as Slack, joining a co-working space, or hopping on Twitter.

Because of Twitter enables microblogging, encourages conversation, and simplifies the task of finding likeminded inviduals, it's akin to a digital break room. Hop on and chat about both work and non-professional topics as well.

You Are a Brand

And a strong brand can do wonders for your career. To start out strong, try opting for your name or something like it as a handle. If possible, use that across all or most of your accounts: Twitter, GitHub, LinkedIn, etc. It's much easier for people to find you.

On a related note, have an avatar that's a clear picture of you. Being recognizable and memorable contributes to a personal brand, and thus makes it easier to network and find employment. Similarly, don't be afraid of a little self-promotion. As long as you are bringing quality content to your audience, it's a great way to contribute to your personal brand.

5 More Stats

Tweets with images get 150 percent more retweets, 89 percent more favorites, 18 percent more clicks.
Tweets with videos get 28 percent more retweets
Adding a hashtag makes your tweet 55 percent more likely to be retweeted
Limiting a tweet to 71 to 100 characters gets more retweets.
Posting between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday will get you the most exposure

Bottom Line

Slogging through the Twittersphere can be intimidating. The most important factor is that you're sharing quality content that brings value to your followers. There are loads of add-ons: from third-party apps to two-factor authentication and analytics, but the core still revolves around what you share and how you approach Twitter. Once you restructure your worldview to see Twitter as a micro-blogging platform, the rest will come easy.

What strategies and best practices are you using to make the most out of Twitter?

Best Linux Distros for Developers

Moe Long — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 22:02:04 +0000

Linux is an awesome ecosystem for a variety of uses. For instance, Linux is the de facto server environment, powering over 96% of the top 1 million servers. And for programming, Linux is arguably better than Windows. Check out the best Linux distros for programmers and developers!

Why is Linux Better for Devs and Programmers?

My Linux journey began back in the day when I inherited an ancient Shuttle XPC desktop sans an operating system (OS). Rather than purchasing a copy of Windows, I decided to install the Ubuntu derivative Lubuntu, and since then I've been a convert. Likewise, one of the reasons many motivations for programmers to use a Linux OS is that it's free and open-source.

Additionally, Linux is incredibly secure. While antivirus programs for Linux do exist, Linux viruses are incredibly rare. Many Linux distributions benefit from regular updates too, and this cutting edge nature combined with stability makes the FOSS (free open-source software) a great choice.

But where Linux really shines for programming and development is its compatibility with virtually any programming language. You'll appreciate access to the Linux command line which is superior to the Windows command line. And there are loads of Linux programming apps such as Sublime Text, Bluefish, and KDevelop. Linux boasts compatibility with the likes of Ruby, C, and C++ among others. Certain languages, such as Visual Basic for Windows, aren't Linux-friendly. But by far Linux touts the greatest programming language support. For remote server management, whether a file or web server, there's SSH support built-in. And of course Linux familiarity is an excellent skill to add to your resume, particularly for sysadmins.

Why Linux rocks for programmers and developers:

Security
Stability
Free, open-source
Tons of distros to choose from
Excellent programming language support
SSH built-in
Great for resumes too!

The Best Linux Distros for Programmers and Developers

From staples like Ubuntu and newcomers such as Pop!_OS to specialized Linux OSes, these are the top distros for devs!

1. Ubuntu

Although it's not the oldest or only Linux distro available, Ubuntu ranks among the most popular Linux OSes you can install. With an insanely large user-base, Ubuntu is incredibly well documented. There are tons of support options, from official forums to third-party communities. There's a reason Ubuntu derivatives like Lubuntu and Xubuntu exist: Ubuntu simply works.

The Debian-based OS offers a great, user-friendly package manager. There's Android Open Source Project compatibility, a nifty inclusion for Android devs. And you'll find snap package support for writing apps in your preferred programming language, then deploying them for Linux using Snapcraft. Easy to use, massively popular, and with a bevy of programming resources, from snap apps to Android Open Source Project and Ubuntu Make, Ubuntu is an excellent option for devs.
Why Ubuntu is great for programmers and developers:

Tons of official and third-party support
Loads of resources
Ubuntu Make command-line tool for using dev tools
Android Open Source Project compatibility
User-friendly
Debian-based
Regularly updated
Great package manager
Supports snap apps
Various install options: Desktop, IoT, cloud, server

2. Pop!_OS

Hailing from Linux PC manufacturer System76, Pop!_OS is a programmer and maker-oriented Linux distro. Based on Ubuntu, Pop!_OS features the GNOME desktop environment. Personally, Pop!_OS is my desktop Linux distro of choice that I run on my laptop. It's packed with functionality including useful keyboard shortcuts, a robust app store, and access to repos such as TensorFlow. Window management even tailors itself to developer workflows. Plus, features such as seamless switching between integrated and dedicated graphics make Pop!_OS a superb Linux experience for programming.

Why Pop!_OS is great for programmers and developers:

Ubuntu-based
GNOME desktop environment
Robust app store
Shortcuts and window management engineered for programmers
Easy-to-use
Excellent support

3. Kali Linux

Popularized in part among non-Linux users by USA hit TV series "Mr. Robot," Kali Linux is a superb distro for security-minded Linux users. With its focus on penetration testing, it's perfect for pen testing, white-hat hacking, and network vulnerability checks. While it's not beginner-friendly, Kali Linux is superb for pen testing and ethical hacking. With its pre-installed tools such as John the Ripper for password cracking, web application security scanner OWASP ZAP, and penetration testing suite Aircrack-ng, Kali is awesome for ethical hacking. Black hoodie and F Society mask sold separately.

Why Kali Linux is great for programmers and developers:

Built for penetration testing and ethical hacking
Includes tons of tools like John the Ripper, Aircrrack-ng, and OWASP ZAP

4. CentOS

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) free community edition CentOS is an awesome RHEL alternative. You'll find the majority of its features but packaged in a free distro. Access to its YUM package manager as well as the Red Hat Software Collections (RHSCL) repo which comes chock-full of open-source databases and the likes makes CentOS a nifty pick for programmers. With commercial RHEL software available on CentOS for free, this stable enterprise environment-caliber Linux OS is a fantastic choice.

Why CentOS is great for programmers and developers:

RHEL community edition
Access to RHSCL
Stable and secure
YUM package manager

5. Raspbian

The credit card-sized Raspberry Pi is an incredibly utilitarian single-board computer (SBC). Packing a far greater punch than its tiny form factor allows, the Pi is capable of running a bunch of Linux operating systems including Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, and even Kali Linux. But Raspbian is a superb choice. There's support for many programming resources and languages such as Python, Mathematica, Greenfoot, and BlueJ. With its lovely Pixel desktop environment, Raspbian runs like a champ on the ultra-popular SBC. Programming on a Raspberry Pi means you can use a small, energy-efficient desktop PC.

Why Raspbian is great for programmers and developers:

Tons of programming resources i.e. BlueJ, Greenfoot, Python, Mathematica
Pixel desktop
Raspberry Pi is small and energy-efficient, a great programming PC that won't break the bank

6. OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE is actually a Linux OS engineered with developers and sysadmins in mind. Simple to install, you can download -devel packages with a one-click installer making OpenSUSE a spectacular programmer-centric distro. You'll have access to text editors such as Emacs and VIM, plus RPM package management, and CMake for build automation. With both fixed and rolling release options, OpenSUSE is perfect for programming needs

Why OpenSUSE is great for programmers and developers:

Fixed and rolling release options
YaST config tool
Tons of programming tools and text editors like VIM, EMacs, CMake

7. Fedora

Similar to CentOS, Fedora packs many RHEL features. It's even Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds's preferred distro. Boasting cutting-edge features, Fedora is a favorite OS among programmers. Because of its stability, up-to-date feature set, and awesome developer portal, Fedora is a neat alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Moreover, Fedora includes a multi-language IDE in Eclipse which can be used for the likes of PHP, Java, C, and C++.

Why Fedora is great for programmers and developers:

RHEL alternative
Developer portal
Multi-language IDE in Eclipse
Stable
Cutting edge features

8. Arch Linux

In the Linux community, Arch Linux is famous (or infamous) for its difficult installation. Lacking an installation bundler or graphical user interface (GUI), it demands a solid grasp on the terminal and Linux commands. One of its main benefits is the lack of bloatware. And the Pacman package manager is a real treat. Because of its rolling releases, Arch Linux won't bother you with upgrades since new versions continually update. But Arch Linux is not for newcomers.

Why Arch Linux is great for programmers and developers:

Rolling release model
Lightweight, no bloatware
Customizable
Great package manager in Pacman

9. Manjaro Linux

For all the Arch Linux fun minus the hellacious install, check our Manjaro. It's Arch-based so you'll retain stellar features like a rolling release and Pacman package manager. The stable branch is only slightly behind Arch stable as well. You've got several different desktop environment choices, and it's dead simple to use.

Why Manjaro Linux is great for programmers and developers:

Arch Linux-based
User-friendly
Easy to install
Pacman package manager
Stable branch is up-to-date
Rolling release schedule

10. Debian

It would be remiss to talk best Linux distros and not mention Debian. Although many flavors of Linux currently exist, Debian is the mothership. There's a reason that tons of Linux OSes, include Ubuntu, are Debian derivatives. The rock-solid Debian is stable, secure, and flaunts one of the largest user communities around. Debian is an awesome choice for any Linux user, but particularly devs and programmers.

Why Debian Linux is great for programmers and developers:

Large user base
Stable
Secure
User-friendly
Great package manager

The Best Linux Distros for Programmers and Devs - Final Thoughts

There's always going to be a bit of subjectivity when selecting the top Linux OSes. However, the criteria for programmers and developers helps narrow down the list. In general, look for secure, stable distros that feature thriving user communities. That way, you'll benefit from regular updates and loads of resources such as official forums or wikis, as well as third-party resources like sub-reddits.

What Linux OSes do you prefer for programming?