Linux Luddites

not all change is progress


About

Linux Luddites was a podcast hosted by Joe, Jesse and Paddy that ran for just over 3 years, ending at Christmas 2016. Joe and Jesse went on to produce a new show called Late Night Linux.

On this page you'll find summaries of all the Luddites' output, together with links to full show notes and listener feedback.

Whilst we're now closed for comments and donations, you can still get in touch using our gmail.com email address, linuxluddites@
.



December 26, 2016

Episode #94


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:25 2016 in Review
01:12:29 Thanks, and the Future
01:18:26 Prediction Scorecard

In our last show of 2016 we looked back over the events of the year, plus rummaged through the entrails to see whether the last twelve months had turned out how we’d previously predicted. And whilst one thing we didn’t see coming this time last year was the end of Linux Luddites, we talked a little more about Late Night Linux, the new show that Joe and Jesse are putting together with Ikey Doherty and Félim Whiteley. Have a peaceful Christmas, a great New Year, and thanks for sharing the journey with us.

Full show notes and comments



December 12, 2016

Episode #93


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:06 News
00:40:48 Bash on Ubuntu on Windows
00:51:55 Feedback
01:05:35 Ubuntu Touch

Damn it, Canonical. In our penultimate show, your Luddites genuinely wanted to be able to look forward to a glorious Linux-powered convergent future. But the harsh truth is that even after years of development, Ubuntu Touch remains stubbornly half-baked. Whilst progress on Touch is glacial, the same cannot be said of Bash on Ubuntu on Windows, which continues to power ahead. To be honest, in a few months there may be no need for the infrequently dual-booting developer to even contemplate installing a Linux distro. Which really ought to be focusing a few more minds than it seems to be.

Full show notes and comments



November 28, 2016

Episode #92


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:05:48 News
00:40:03 More Pi Gubbins
00:54:41 Feedback
01:03:19 Chapeau 24

For those not wanting to risk life and limb by living on the bleeding edge, a new release of Fedora is always a good time to look at derivatives based on the previous version. So this show we span up Chapeau 24, which aims to provide a more feature-rich and useful desktop environment than stock Fedora.

Full show notes and comments



November 14, 2016

Episode #91


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:03:09 News
00:32:49 Linux Voice/Linux Magazine
00:40:39 herbstluftwm
00:51:40 Feedback
01:08:39 Elizabeth K Joseph on OpenStack

OpenStack has the justified reputation of being a complex set of technologies. This show we talked with Elizabeth K Joseph, whose new book provides an overview of the platform and some much needed practical hand-holding through your first few simple deployments. This after the latest news and your feedback, plus a look at herbstluftwm, a relatively unknown tiling window manager.

Full show notes and comments



October 31, 2016

Episode #90


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:35 News
00:41:50 Paddy’s First Taste of Pi
01:08:40 Feedback
01:18:59 Software Engineering?

After kicking off with the latest news, this show features a frank first impression of the Raspberry Pi, your feedback, and a discussion about the state of modern software engineering.

Full show notes and comments



October 16, 2016

Episode #89


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:06:51 News
00:54:57 KDE Plasma 5.8
01:15:47 Feedback
01:24:51 Phoenix OS

With Joe and Jesse positively gushing over Plasma 5.8, this is clearly not your great-grandfather’s KDE. And sticking with the desktop theme, we also span up Phoenix OS, a properly windowed Android for your PC or tablet.

Full show notes and comments



October 3, 2016

Episode #88


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:04:55 News
00:51:49 Feedback
01:01:36 Rob Landley Interview

With GPL enforcement back in the news, we thought we’d cut through the bull and speak to someone who’s been there, done that, and only got a very tattered T-shirt in return. So, after our usual news and feedback, we welcomed Rob Landley back on the show to find out about real-world enforcement, and to talk a little about Linux’s rise to prominence.

Full show notes and comments



September 19, 2016

Episode #87


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:05:20 News
00:44:44 PiBakery, Tasksel & Magic Device Tool
00:59:30 Feedback
01:12:22 elementary OS Loki

As well as our regular news and feedback, this show we talk about PiBakery, Tasksel and Magic Device Tool, which are three utilities that could improve your productivity. And also the latest release of elementary OS, which won’t.

Full show notes and comments



September 5, 2016

Episode #86


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:05 News
00:38:04 UbuCon Europe 2016
00:47:20 fish Shell
00:58:55 Feedback
01:10:29 Desktop Customisation

After the news, we hear about the upcoming UbuCon Europe from two of the organisers, Jesse goes fishing for compliments on his new choice of shell, we chew over your feedback, and round things off by disagreeing about the benefits of desktop customisation.

Full show notes and comments



August 22, 2016

Episode #85


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:04:10 News
00:52:07 GalliumOS
01:00:19 Feedback
01:13:45 Lumina Desktop Environment

First impressions matter, so it’s a bit of a shame that the new Lumina desktop looks fugly out of the box. Something it shares with Xfce which, smartened up in GalliumOS, is proving a real keeper on Joe’s Chromebook. So is there hope for Lumina?

Full show notes and comments



August 8, 2016

Episode #84


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:03 News
00:35:41 Feedback
00:55:11 FOSS Talk Live

Take three Luddites, add some liquid lubrication and an engaged if sceptical audience, and you’ve the perfect recipe for our outing at the first UK FOSS Talk Live event. Listen on after the news and feedback to see if we managed to convince anyone that the simpler computing technology of yore was more empowering than the complex black boxes we all carry with us everywhere today.

Full show notes and comments



July 25, 2016

Episode #83


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:07 News
00:33:34 Filling the Void
00:53:58 Feedback
01:11:15 Finding Solus with Ikey

The Free and Open Source Software world is notoriously poor at selling itself to Joe Public. Why is this, and could an existing organisation fill the outreach void? Plus, and after all of the news and feedback, we talk with Ikey Doherty, who has a very definite vision for what sort of operating system could appeal to just those potential users.

Full show notes and comments



July 11, 2016

Episode #82


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:24 News
00:43:11 Firejail
00:50:30 Feedback
01:03:06 SUSE Studio

Hitting it out of the park once again, the world’s best Linux podcast returns with the latest FOSS news, showcases an effective desktop and server sandboxing technology and talks self-build distro creation with SUSE Studio.

Full show notes and comments



June 27, 2016

Episode #81


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:03:53 News
01:05:32 Devenir Gris
01:15:11 Feedback
01:32:14 ownCloud/Nextcloud

With the initial release of Nextcloud recently dropping, we took the opportunity to spin it up to see whether there were any major differences with the current ownCloud offering. Guess it depends if you count a colour branding change as major… And with one of your Luddites tossing aside such modern frippery, we also asked how much value colour actually adds to a productive computing experience?

Full show notes and comments



June 13, 2016

Episode #80


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:04:38 News
00:54:32 Feedback
01:06:18 Devil’s Advocate
01:18:32 Net Neutrality Feedback

Following a spin around the latest news stories and a rummage through our postbag, Paddy played the role of Devil’s Advocate to suggest that maybe some features typical of FOSS development result in lower code quality, and have led to a blind acceptance of that as the norm. We rounded off with your take on our recent Net Neutrality debate, which teased out some of the nuances we didn’t hit the first time around.

Full show notes and comments



May 30, 2016

Episode #79


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:43 News
01:05:22 Cryptomator
01:16:28 Feedback
01:31:58 Net Neutrality

Securing documents on the public cloud can seem a little overwhelming for the non-technical user, but is just what Cryptomator promises. We spin it up to see if it delivers. Plus, as well as all the latest news and your feedback, we dive into the contentious topic of Net Neutrality.

Full show notes and comments



May 16, 2016

Episode #78


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:04 News
00:45:04 Antergos
01:00:26 Feedback
01:15:00 Mycroft

This show Jesse admitted that an Arch-based distro had won him over, and we talked AI with Ryan Sipes from the Mycroft project.

Full show notes and comments



May 2, 2016

Episode #77


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:05 News
00:57:14 Feedback
01:10:04 Ubuntu 16.04

Following the most underwhelming release any of us can recall, what to make of Canonical’s latest LTS and the future prospects for Ubuntu on the desktop? Stick with us after our usual foray into the fortnight’s tech news, and your feedback, to find out.

Full show notes and comments



April 18, 2016

Episode #76


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:19 News
00:47:58 Syncthing
01:06:45 Feedback
01:22:11 Maru OS

Convergence comes in different forms, but it seems that Maru OS hit the sweet spot for Joe. And had we been been unfairly dismissive of Syncthing in the past? There was only one way to find out. We also brought you all the news from around the FOSS world, and rummaged through our bulging sack of feedback.

Full show notes and comments



April 4, 2016

Episode #75


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:02:48 News
00:54:34 Feedback
01:16:04 Mosh

Ubuntu on FreeBSD, Ubuntu on Windows. At least one of our number thought the latter a great idea, but listen to the news to hear dissent amongst the ranks. We then took a rummage through a bursting postbag, and rounded off with Jesse bravely jumping into a Mosh pit.

Full show notes and comments



March 21, 2016

Episode #74


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

00:01:03 News
01:00:05 Feedback
01:20:13 Jonathan Riddell Interview

The KDE project has delivered several exciting new technologies over the last few months, so we thought it high time we spoke to somebody intimately involved to find out more. Our interview with Jonathan Riddell follows a full and varied news segment, your feedback, and the announcement of a new UK FOSS event.

Full show notes and comments



March 7, 2016

Episode #73


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:14 News
0:54:30 Raspberry Pi 3
1:09:56 Feedback
1:15:53 Tiny Core 7

With MWC over for another year, we kicked off the news with a quick recap of the highlights from Barcelona, before contemplating the Mint debacle and explaining how the ZFS licensing issue has split community opinion.

Joe was lucky enough to get the inside scoop on the new Raspberry Pi 3 from Eben Upton himself, and reported back following his visit to Pi Towers. And we wrapped up the show by taking the new release of Tiny Core Linux for a spin.

Full show notes and comments



February 22, 2016

Episode #72


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:17 News
0:40:10 Ubuntu Touch Redux
1:04:39 Feedback
1:09:50 Korora 23

With Canonical’s marketing team in full overdrive for Mobile World Congress, following the news we fire up the latest Ubuntu Touch images to see how well the convergence hoopla meshes with delivered reality. And, after your feedback, we put the Fedora-based Korora 23 under the spotlight.

Full show notes and comments



February 8, 2016

Episode #71


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:12 News
0:40:24 Beep Beep Yarr!
0:51:30 Feedback
1:04:42 Tails 2.0

Kicking off with a bevy of Linux desktop news stories, we also talked containers and mobile before Joe came over all Captain Pugwash with Graham Morrison from the good ship Linux Voice. Then, after your feedback, we each grabbed the requisite two USB flash drives and took the new version of Tails for a spin.

Full show notes and comments



January 25, 2016

Episode #70


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:04:06 News
0:56:44 ReactOS
1:13:07 Feedback
1:28:58 QupZilla and Pale Moon

The bane of many of our lives, advertising is not only ubiquitous but seemly indispensable to the funding of the web. So we took some time in the news to reflect on several ad-related stories. And if advertising is disliked by many, the dominance of Windows on the desktop can evoke stronger reactions in some. So, what to make of a FOSS Windows-compatible OS? And, following your feedback, we wrapped up with a look at a couple of lesser-known cross-platform browsers.

Full show notes and comments



January 11, 2016

Episode #69


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:05:41 News
0:44:25 Android Without GApps
1:15:51 Feedback
1:26:44 2016 Predictions

Easing back into the old routine, this show we brought you up to date with the FOSS news of the last couple of weeks, discussed living with Android but without Google, caught up with your feedback, and cast our thoughts towards to year ahead with our predictions for 2016.

Full show notes and comments



December 24, 2015

Episode #68


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:06 The Year’s News In Review
1:24:20 Revisiting Our 2015 Predictions

After revisiting some of the major news stories of 2015, we reflected upon our previous predictions for the year.

Full show notes and comments



December 20, 2015

Episode #67


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:04:01 The Open Source Photography Course
0:14:44 Feedback
0:32:47 Remix Mini Review

‘Tis the Season of Goodwill, which may explain why something got an unequivocally positive review on the show. Or it could simply be that The Open Source Photography Course is actually very good. However fear not, as normal service was later resumed when we looked at an Android device that promises to be a true desktop replacement. Whilst it currently fails to live up to that billing, it does offer a glimpse of one possible future.

Full show notes and comments



December 13, 2015

Episode #66


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:28 News
0:39:00 Over a Pint: Saving Mozilla

It’s long been clear that Mozilla’s management don’t understand the real potential value of the organisation. So stay with us after the news to hear us pick apart some of the recent developments at Mozilla, and to find out how they could become an influential and powerful force for good in the Internet age. Or they could ignore us, and continue on their current path towards total irrelevance and obscurity.

Full show notes and comments



December 6, 2015

Episode #65


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:00:58 RPi Ubuntu MATE
0:21:12 Feedback
0:44:09 BunsenLabs Linux

With over a thousand downloads every day, Ubuntu MATE continues to be a strong performer on the Raspberry Pi. Joe and Jesse span up 15.10 to report on what’s new in the recent release. After your feedback we looked at BunsenLabs, the anointed successor to the sadly missed CrunchBang.

Full show notes and comments



November 29, 2015

Episode #64


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:02:42 News
0:47:27 Over a Pint

Is desktop Linux boring? And would it be such a bad thing if it was? We settle down over a pint to discuss this later in the show. Before that, we’ve a packed news section that touches more bases than Charlie Sheen.

Full show notes and comments



November 22, 2015

Episode #63


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:08:09 Off the Beaten Path
0:20:35 Feedback
0:38:52 First Impressions

After kicking off by talking about a tool likely of interest to anyone dealing with MySQL and MariaDB database management, we moved on to your feedback. We rounded things off with a look at VeltOS, a distro that promises more community involvement than most.

Full show notes and comments



November 15, 2015

Episode #62


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:03:14 News
0:47:41 Over a Pint

Back on track with our regular news and opinion show, we brought you plenty of both. From the UK Security Services’ predictable grab for all our metadata, to Red Hat’s predictable grab for cash, our news segment once again covered all that’s been happening in the FOSS world without fear or favour. Later, we relaxed over a pint and pondered how to create the ideal environment for a truly engaging Free Software and Free Culture event.

Full show notes and comments



November 8, 2015

Episode #61


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:04:29 OggCamp Interviews
0:31:02 Sailfish OS and the Jolla Phone

After bringing you a flavour of this year’s OggCamp with a clutch of interviews, we finally got to complete our spin around the major Linux-based Android alternatives when we laid our hands upon a Jolla phone running Sailfish OS.

Full show notes and comments



November 1, 2015

Episode #60


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:23 Feedback
0:22:01 Lukas F. Hartmann Interview

Breaking with tradition, this show kicks off with your feedback, before pitching into an extended interview with Lukas F. Hartmann. Like us, Lukas has long been concerned about the increasing complexity of modern computing environments, including Linux. In an effort to recapture the immediacy of the home computing era of the 80’s, Lukas has developed a Lisp-based operating system called Interim OS. So join us as we talk about Interim and much more with an honorary Luddite.

Full show notes and comments



October 25, 2015

Episode #59


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:02:03 News
0:55:37 Over a Pint

With global PC sales in free-fall, is a move away from general purpose computing and towards a cloud-focused future inevitable? If our news stories this week are any guide, it’s certainly looking that way. Plus, we chew over whether an apologia for the state of the KDE shell might just point to some wider uncomfortable truths about the Linux desktop ecosystem.

Full show notes and comments



October 18, 2015

Episode #58


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:07 Raspbian Jessie
0:31:22 Feedback
0:53:53 Encryption backdoors

In the last show before Paddy returns, Joe and Jesse look at the new officially supported distro for the Raspberry Pi, have a good look at your feedback, and then speak to Andrew again; this time about government backdoors in encryption.

Full show notes and comments



October 11, 2015

Episode #57


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:03:47 News
0:47:21 OggCamp interview

This week Joe and Jesse were joined by Andrew Gregory, who is probably best known for reaching the semi-final of University Challenge. Oh, and for being part of the excellent Linux Voice magazine and podcast.

In the news, we reported on the Linux Foundation’s suggestion that without Linux we’d all be wearing bear skins and rubbing sticks together for fire. And both with a couple of kernel devs vocally leaving that project, and the FSF turning 30, appropriate and effective communication came further under the spotlight. Later in the show, and with just three weeks to this year’s OggCamp, Joe talked about the joys of the unconference with Les Pounder.

Full show notes and comments



October 4, 2015

Episode #56


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:11 openSuse Tumbleweed
0:32:48 Feedback
0:53:36 OSCON interview

This week Jesse and Joe have a good look at Tumbleweed – the rolling release of openSuse, go through your feedback and then speak to Rachel Roumeliotis, the co-chair of OSCON, an Open Source conference put on by O’Reilly Media. Be sure to listen to the end of the show because we have a valuable giveaway that you won’t want to miss.

Full show notes and comments



September 27, 2015

Episode #55


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:04:52 News
0:51:27 Linux Advocates

Paddy is taking a month long break from the show but don’t worry, he’ll be back. In the meantime we’ll have a couple of guest hosts filling in. The first is Pete Cannon of TDTRS fame.

In this episode we discuss a plethora of news including some FOSS wins, Amazon’s ridiculously cheap tablet, Android security woes, BBC micro:bit delays and a bit of a non-story about Microsoft. Then we discuss FOSS advocacy over a pint. We ask how we can get more people using Linux and Open Source.

Full show notes and comments



September 20, 2015

Episode #54


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:07 Flavio Tordini’s Apps
0:22:26 Feedback
0:47:50 Chromixium

We often criticise apps over poor functionality and interface design but this week we look at three applications from a developer with a keen eye on what it takes to make nice looking software that works well.

After your feedback, Joe gives us his first impressions of a Chrome OS/Ubuntu mashup called Chromixium that he was less than complimentary about when it came up in the news on a previous show.

Full show notes and comments



September 13, 2015

Episode #53


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:02:05 News
0:48:04 Paying for the Web

Although moving to a weekly show has gone down well, we feel that the shorter format hasn’t been too kind to our comprehensive news coverage – a signature feature of the podcast, and something many of you loved. So we’re back on track this week, with over 45 minutes of the latest news from around the FOSS world. And is there any practical alternative to the scourge of advertising for funding on-line content? Let us know your thoughts, after hearing ours.

Full show notes and comments



September 6, 2015

Episode #52


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:01:11 Behind the Headlines
0:27:08 Feedback
0:49:42 Simple Bidirectional File Syncing

Having suffered the predictable outpouring of scorn, we go behind the headlines to discuss whether Microsoft’s Windows 10 really poses any greater threat to your privacy than similar offerings from the likes of Google. We also talk Linux on big iron, plus offer some thoughts about a couple of new input devices for your phone or tablet.

After your feedback, Jesse and Paddy try out a selection of supposedly simple bidirectional file syncing utilities. We’d love to repeat this segment with applications that actually work, so suggestions to the usual address please!

Full show notes and comments



August 30, 2015

Episode #51


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

0:08:19 News
0:41:21 Photo Editing

As a keen amateur photographer, Jesse wanted to find out how good the better-known Linux photo viewing and editing applications actually are – so he set the team a homework challenge. On this occasion, the incompetence of one of your Luddites was far exceeded by the developers of one of the apps…

Full show notes and comments



August 23, 2015

Episode #50


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0:01:02 Behind the Headlines
0:33:47 Feedback
0:48:49 Semplice 7

When something many of us still think of as a presentation medium becomes a genuinely serious attack vector, you’ve got to ask whether maybe things have gone too far. And we kick off our look Behind the Headlines with a bunch of stories about how web technologies are increasingly proving a danger to our privacy and security. We also talk about Oracle, and a report that claims that commercial software is more secure than Open Source.

After your Feedback, Jesse does his level best to convince the team that Semplice 7 lives up to the standards set by its previous incarnation. On this, there was some disagreement…

Full show notes and comments



August 16, 2015

Episode #49


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

With Android’s security woes making even the mainstream press, it’s hardly surprising that they featured in our news this show. But we also found time to bring you stories about Fedora and Ubuntu, FFmpeg, a couple of Kickstarter projects with very different outcomes, and a similarly mixed bag of news for Lenovo.

Ron Minnich has long been associated with Open Source firmware, and after the news we spoke to him about the coreboot project. In our interview we found out why Ron is so enthusiastic about Google’s Chromebooks, discovered his hopes for a new RISC ISA from Berkeley, and quizzed him on whether Purism can really deliver on their promise of a modern and truly FOSS mass-market laptop.

Full show notes and comments



August 9, 2015

Episode #48


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

A mere seven days later, and we’re back. A couple of interesting hardware add-ons for the Pi kick off our news coverage, and we look behind some recent headlines about Google and Mozilla to see how the balance of power can so quickly change in the tech world.

After your feedback, Jesse gamely attempts to run Android-x86 as a desktop OS. Has it markedly improved in the year since we last span it up, or is it still little more than a curiosity, burdened with a user interface paradigm that simply makes no sense without touch input?

Full show notes and comments



August 2, 2015

Episode #47


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As the strapline reads, not all change is progress. But we’re hopeful that a shorter and more frequent Linux Luddites will be. Going forwards, we’ll be bringing you a weekly hour-long show that otherwise holds to the principles you’ve told us you value in what we do. So that means we’ll be keeping our breadth of news coverage from around the FOSS world intact, continuing to treat your feedback with the respect it deserves, and providing plenty of time to give our topics, and each other, space to breathe. We hope you’ll like the change, and find fitting your Luddite fix into busy lives just a little easier as a consequence.

After the news, this show we’ll be looking at some of the options available to the dual-booter for safely accessing your Linux data from within Windows. And we’ll be solving a conundrum facing Canonical, as we sit down over a pint and discuss what needs to be done to bring the Ubuntu Community back to full health.

Full show notes and comments



July 20, 2015

Episode #46


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

Free Software and Open Hardware are increasingly being used within education across the globe. This show, a news item and two interviews with people working within the sector got us thinking about the apparent lack of emphasis being placed upon those freedoms whilst teaching computing to our children.

Full show notes and comments



July 6, 2015

Episode #45


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Venturing back to the Jurassic era, your Luddites took three tiling window managers for a spin and found that walking with dinosaurs can be a fun and productive experience. Plus, we’ve all the fortnight’s news, our first impressions of Mageia 5, and the usual thought-provoking mailbag of your feedback to chew over.

Full show notes and comments



June 22, 2015

Episode #44


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Stepping out of the studio, this show Joe and Jesse bring us some interviews from the floor of the recent OpenTech 2015 conference in London. Plus, we take a Luddite Look at a suite of apps developed by one of our very own listeners.

Full show notes and comments



June 8, 2015

Episode #43


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

In the news this show, we’ll be discussing our take on the spat between the Ubuntu Community Council and the team behind Kubuntu. We’ve all heard quite a lot from Canonical and the UCC over the last week or two, which gave your Luddites plenty to chew over. But Joe also managed to secure an interview with Jonathan Riddell after we thought that we’d put the show to bed, so listen on to hear the other side of the story.

And, following our usual feedback section, we’ll be casting our gaze over a distro that’s a bit of rarity in the FOSS ecosystem – in that the developers seem to truly appreciate the importance of design and good marketing. The big question, though, is whether that’s really all that elementary Freya has to offer, or have the devs managed to deliver a product that lives up to the glossy packaging?

Full show notes and comments



May 25, 2015

Episode #42


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Whilst the tech press continues to tout the under-developed, under-powered and frankly underwhelming Firefox OS as a viable FOSS contender to the crown held by Android, another Linux-based OS seems to have largely passed them by.

After a seemingly interminable serious of launch missteps, earlier this year Samsung finally shipped a phone running Tizen into the Indian market. It’s far from perfect, suffering some minor design niggles and a potentially more serious freedom issue, but the hardware and OS are particularly impressive considering both the cost of the phone and the troubled gestation of Tizen itself.

There’s a lot to Tizen that could make it an appealing choice in the Western market, so stay with us through our usual comprehensive news and feedback segments for a hands-on with this promising platform.

Full show notes and comments



May 11, 2015

Episode #41


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With one of the Luddites missing this show, the remaining two decided to fill the void with a look at a piece of namesake FOSS. And whilst Debian may have many strengths, being a newbie-friendly desktop OS has never really been one of them. Has that changed with the release of Jessie?

And what do a home-made CNC router and a musical octopus have in common? They can both be powered by a Raspberry Pi, of course. Bravely venturing outside the confines of the M25, Joe brought us a handful of interviews recorded at the recent Jam event held in Egham, Surrey.

Full show notes and comments



April 26, 2015

Episode #40


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There’s a growing trend for distros to seek partnerships with hardware vendors, and this show we looked at the fruits of one such deal. After reviewing two laptops from a UK company that ship with Ubuntu MATE pre-installed, we wondered how beneficial this approach really could be in helping foster the greater adoption of Linux we all want to see.

Full show notes and comments



April 13, 2015

Episode #39


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Back with more news, reviews and general grumpiness, this time out the Luddites looked at several flavours of Ubuntu which promise to transform the Raspberry Pi into a functional desktop machine, and Jesse had a bone to pick with Jony Ive.

Full show notes and comments



March 30, 2015

Episode #38


Direct download links: MP3 & Ogg

A quiet fortnight for Linux offered up the ideal opportunity for us to step back and think about some broader trends in the world of technology.

In the news, we looked at Microsoft’s attempts to regain traction following missteps with Windows 8 and in the mobile space, wondered whether we should simply give up on trying to make our systems secure at all, and discussed how Google is moving from knowing all that we do towards determining all that we can we think.

After your feedback, we talked with journalist and author Doug Hill about some of the issues that rarely get an airing in a technological society where every new change is automatically viewed as progress.

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March 16, 2015

Episode #37


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With the Software Freedom Conservancy leaping into a legal battle that coincidentally supports the MPAA/RIAA, and Linus’ employer and underlings seemingly looking to ease out the grumpy old coot, our news segment this show reflected the old adage that where there’s people, there’s politics.

After your feedback, we revisited the subject of self-hosted cloud products, kicking the tyres of ownCloud, Pydio and Seafile. Each has its positives, but did any match up to the standards set by Drive and Dropbox?

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March 2, 2015

Episode #36


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Time was when KDE looked like something created by a hyperactive child let loose with a box of crayons. Whilst still offering a befuddling array of configuration options, aesthetically it’s now all grown up – and actually surprisingly attractive. We kicked the tyres on a couple of recent KDE distros that aim to offer the user quite contrasting experiences.

Just why is proprietary GUI software often better than the FOSS alternatives? Hear our thoughts on this after our usual coverage of the news, your feedback and our excursion into KDE-land.

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February 16, 2015

Episode #35


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Last fortnight was dominated by two releases: the new Raspberry Pi 2, and the first Ubuntu mobile. With one of our number having got his hands on both of these, we report back on the Cray-like performance of the Pi, and how the Ubuntu phone could finally be a challenger to the legendary Wasp T12. Or not.

In the news, we talked about the sad demise of CrunchBang, the UK’s headlong rush into a surveillance state befitting our humble status as Airstrip One, a mysterious disappearing anti-FSF campaign, and much more. And with a first impressions of the Pi and a deep-dive into Ubuntu Touch topping and tailing your feedback, that’s the show. We hope you enjoy it.

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February 2, 2015

Episode #34


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Neither the weather nor a slickly marketed new Linux vulnerability can hold the Luddites back; like the Beast of Redmond, which features heavily in the News this show, we just keep on coming.

Changing the pace, Joe and Jesse went Off the Beaten Path to bring us a couple of FOSS applications that they frequently find useful; but we soon got back on track with all your Feedback.

Yomping ended, we settled down Over a Pint to discuss the impact that social media has had upon how we see the world and our fellow human beings. It’s broadened our outlook… hasn’t it?

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January 18, 2015

Episode #33


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Linux. It’s now ubiquitous, and powering the devices we use everyday – and some we’d never contemplate owning. With the dying embers of CES 2015 being stamped out in the wider tech press, we also focus on the use of Linux away from our daily desktops and servers.

After a gadget-friendly news segment, we’ve a truly mixed bag of your feedback. And, having spoken about it for months, it was great to finally to get our hands on an official Firefox OS phone – but just how long did our initial enthusiasm last?

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January 4, 2015

Episode #32


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We report on the news of how a booming Android eco-system doesn’t translate into actual profits for many hardware manufacturers, and how recent major hacks may have just been part of a marketing scheme. Another story provides a timely reminder of why biometrics can be a poor authentication choice; and we bid a possible farewell to one distro, and a definite one to the Web’s first comprehensive index.

If you’ve ever wanted to see the notifications on your Android devices in real time on your desktop, then come off the beaten path with us, as we take a look at an app to scratch that itch.

After your feedback, we’re into the obligatory predictions for the year ahead. Whether you agree with our thoughts or not, we’d love to hear yours.

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December 22, 2014

Episode #31


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Fedora 21 Workstation – 2014 predictions revisited

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December 8, 2014

Episode #30


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Ikey Doherty interview

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November 24, 2014

Episode #29


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Ubuntu MATE 14.04, interview with Martin Wimpress, review

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November 10, 2014

Episode #28


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LegacyOS – Trisquel 7

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October 27, 2014

Episode #27


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GALPon MiniNo – GhostBSD – 10 years of Ubuntu

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October 13, 2014

Episode #26


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Reflections on OggCamp – Martin Wimpress interview, the MATE desktop

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September 29, 2014

Episode #25


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ZevenOS – Makulu Linux, aesthetics in FOSS software

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September 15, 2014

Episode #24


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Slackel – ownCloud

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September 1, 2014

Episode #23


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AUSTRUMI Linux – Blackbox, Fluxbox, Hackedbox, Openbox – Sanos editor

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August 16, 2014

Episode #22


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MEPIS – Jonathan Nadeau interview – Hugin

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August 2, 2014

Episode #21


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RISC OS for the Pi – OggCamp preview – Zorin OS 9 – can we trust the software on our computers?

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July 21, 2014

Episode #20


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StartOS – Google Glass hands-on – IceWM, JWM, EDE – Sanel Zukan interview

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July 7, 2014

Episode #19


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Frugalware – Randal L. Schwartz interview – Deepin 2014RC

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June 22, 2014

Episode #18


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Puppy Linux – PCLinuxOS – self-hosted RSS aggregators

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June 9, 2014

Episode #17


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openmamba GNU/Linux – UNIX-Haters Handbook, 20 years on – NixOS, GoboLinux

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May 26, 2014

Episode #16


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KolibriOS – baby ‘buntus – Elizabeth Krumbach Joseph interview

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May 12, 2014

Episode #15


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Interview with Campbell Barton

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April 28, 2014

Episode #14


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NuTyX – Ubuntu 14.04 – Xfe file manager

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April 13, 2014

Episode #13


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Q4OS – AntiX MX-14 – what happened to the vision in Open Source?

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March 31, 2014

Episode #12


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Bridge Linux – a wasted decade? – ShellCheck, vnstat

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March 17, 2014

Episode #11


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Interview with Rob Landley

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March 3, 2014

Episode #10


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Madbox Linux – Android-x86 – does anyone need desktop Linux any more?

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February 16, 2014

Episode #9


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PLD Linux Distribution – Antergos and Manjaro – does Linux need a benevolent dictator?

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February 3, 2014

Episode #8


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Musix GNU+Linux – Debian – more licensing – Window Maker

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January 30, 2014

Episode #7


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DoudouLinux – Slackware – to GPL or not to GPL

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January 30, 2014

Episode #6


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ALT Linux – Fedora 20 – 2014 predictions

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January 30, 2014

Episode #5


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Toorox – specialist USB distros – openSUSE 13.1 – ClipGrab – password managers

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January 30, 2014

Episode #4


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Swift Linux – USB stick distros – get_iplayer, youtube-dl

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January 30, 2014

Episode #3


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Source Mage – moving our host – distraction-free word processing tools

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January 30, 2014

Episode #2

Well, we got over the first hurdle for a new show, and reached our second episode. As Joe said in the recording, we most definitely will not become just another news ‘n’ releases style podcast, but there was an awful lot of important news to discuss this week…


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Semplice – what is a distro? – GoAccess

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January 30, 2014

Episode #1

So, a new Linux podcast is born. As you might expect, our first show was somewhat rough and ready – and just a little bit ranty.


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Bodhi – Year of the Linux desktop – Potamus

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