Destination Linux

Latest Episodes:

435: Vivaldi Rejects AI, COSMIC Desktop Update, & Glitch in the Matrix Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Destination Linux, we dive into the latest happenings in the Linux and open-source world, from Vivaldi challenging the AI wave to updates on the COSMIC desktop. We also share community feedback, explore alternatives to mainstream search engines, and revisit our own experiences with an open-source communication tool we wish was viable but sadly just isn't there yet. All of this and more on this episode of Destination Linux.

Forum Discussion Thread

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Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:31 Community Feedback
00:10:35 Sandfly Security, agentless Linux security
00:13:29 Vivaldi Takes A Stand on AI
00:38:18 System76’s COSMIC Desktop Update
00:51:02 Element (Matrix) vs Discord
01:08:11 Mojeek Search Engine
01:12:35 Support the Show
01:15:09 Post Show

434: Pebble Watch is Back! North Korea's Rootkit Malware! & Happy Birthday Linux! Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/TtyYWQczQMw

In this episode of Destination Linux, we explore everything from nostalgic tech making a comeback to cutting-edge security threats. Join us as we dive into the revival of the Pebble smartwatch, Google’s latest Pixel devices and policies, Linux turning 34 with a surprising floppy disk update, and a deep dive into North Korean rootkit tactics with Sandfly Security’s Craig Rowland. Plus, we’ve got community feedback, a handy software pick, and plenty of laughs along the way.

Sponsored by Sandfly Security: the revolutionary agentless platform designed for Linux. Visit https://destinationlinux.net/sandfly to experience security that's not just effective but gives you peace of mind. No agents. No downtime. Just cutting-edge protection.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:14 Community Feedback: AI, Overtraining & Hallucinations
00:08:15 Swiss Army Knife Energy
00:13:14 Security Scoop with Sandfly Security
00:34:40 Pebble Watch Returns: Open-Source Revival
00:40:25 Pixel Watch 4: AI Perks, Polished?
00:47:31 Pixel 10 & Fold: Hardware Hype, Privacy Gripes
01:00:11 Linux Turns 34
01:03:56 Jill's First Distro: Slackware on 24 Floppies
01:05:56 Ryan's First Distro
01:08:52 Michael's First Distro
01:12:53 Floppy Disk Driver: Surprise Patch Update
01:15:37 Google AI: Helpful or Snoopy?
01:25:32 Software Pick: Wordbook
01:27:47 Support the Show
01:30:04 Outro

Links:

Community Feedback
- https://destinationlinux.net/comments
- https://destinationlinux.net/forum
Security Scoop with Sandfly Security
Pebble Watch Returns: Open-Source Revival
- https://repebble.com/
Pixel Watch 4: AI Perks, Polished?
- https://store.google.com/product/pixel_watch_4?hl=en-US
Linux Turns 34
- https://9to5linux.com/happy-34th-birthday-linux
Floppy Disk Driver: Surprise Patch Update
- https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-Floppy-Disk-Cleanups-2025
- https://youtu.be/4q4haMhvqCs
Software Pick: Wordbook
- https://flathub.org/apps/dev.mufeed.Wordbook
Support the Show
- https://tuxdigital.com/membership
- https://store.tuxdigital.com/

433: Is Your Favorite Open Source Software Really Open Source? Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/PdyDXEbu56k

This week on Destination Linux, we’re putting software to the test with a brand-new community tool at IsItReallyFOSS.com, a site that helps you find out if projects claiming to be open source live up to it. Then Jill takes us through the latest release of Fastfetch 2.49, the modern Neofetch alternative that’s quickly becoming the go-to tool for showing off your Linux system specs. Plus we look into a troubling story about a free VPN Chrome extension that secretly spied on users while posing as a trusted privacy tool. All of this and more on this episode of Destination Linux.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
01:54 Community Feedback
06:36 Sandfly Security
09:37 Let's Play A Game : Is It Really FOSS?
24:45 Fastfetch 2.49: Neofetch Successor
29:33 FreeVPN: Chrome Extension Caught Spying
41:37 Cute Quokka, Mid Wallpaper
47:03 Burp Suite: Intercept, Modify, Repeat
49:53 Support the Show
57:41 Outro
58:15 Post Show

432: Debian 13 Arrives, Ubuntu LTS Hardware Updates, and Destination Android?! Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/iGK5c99EnuY

This week on Destination Linux, we dive into big updates across the Linux world — from Google pushing Android toward a desktop-class OS, to Ubuntu’s latest point release packed with new hardware support, and the arrival of Debian 13 with thousands of improvements. Plus, we have software spotlight to help you kick some bad habits. All of this and more on this episode of Destination Linux.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
02:58 Community Feedback
03:24 Listener Vincent: The Almighty Ryan
07:53 Listener John: Kove Interview & Jill’s VAX Collection
12:35 Sandfly Security
14:46 Destination Android?
27:55 Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
34:37 Debian 13
41:23 Is Michael a REAL Fanboy?
43:16 Software Pick: Table Habit
50:37 Support the Show
53:37 Outro
54:23 Post Show

Links:

Community Feedback
- https://destinationlinux.net/comments
- https://destinationlinux.net/forum
Sandfly Security
- https://destinationlinux.net/sandfly
Destination Android?
- https://www.androidauthority.com/android-linux-terminal-future-plans-3581752/
Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS
- https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/08/ubuntu-24-04-3-lts-released
Debian 13
Software Pick: Table Habit
- https://flathub.org/apps/io.github.friesi23.mhabit
Support the Show
- https://tuxdigital.com/membership
- https://store.tuxdigital.com/

431: UK Privacy Laws, Open-Source E-Ink, and a Linux AI Assistant Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/gt_KZ9iN3ik

This week on Destination Linux, we’re diving into the UK’s controversial Online Safety Act and what it means for privacy and encryption, checking out the new high-refresh, open-source Modos e-ink monitor, exploring Newelle — an AI assistant built for the GNOME desktop, and highlighting Gapless, the lightweight music player perfect for huge collections. Plus, we help a listener navigate the challenge of running DaVinci Resolve on Linux.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:11 Community Feedback
00:03:46 Davinci Resolve on Linux
00:13:25 Sandfly Security, agentless Linux security [ad]
00:16:14 The internet is done for... at least lawmakers are trying to end it
00:33:04 High Refresh E-ink is here, and it is open source!
00:42:27 Newelle, an AI Assistant for GNOME
00:55:18 Software Spotlight: Gapless
01:01:14 Support the show & Outro

Links:

Community Feedback
- https://destinationlinux.net/comments
- https://destinationlinux.net/forum
Davinci Resolve on Linux
Sandfly Security
- https://destinationlinux.net/sandfly
The internet is done for... at least lawmakers are trying to end it
- https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-64584001
High Refresh E-ink is here, and it is open source!
- https://www.crowdsupply.com/modos-tech/modos-paper-monitor
Newelle, an AI Assistant for GNOME
Software Spotlight: Gapless
- https://flathub.org/apps/com.github.neithern.g4music
Support the show
- https://tuxdigital.com/membership
- https://store.tuxdigital.com/

430: Interview with John Overton of Kove, Software Defined Memory Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/viTzTFszR_Q

In this episode of Destination Linux, we interview the founder of Kove, Dr. John Overton, about the journey from co-inventing distributed hash tables that powered the early cloud to his latest breakthrough Kove:SDM, a Software Defined Memory system that literally lets servers "download more RAM". Overton dives into the open source ethos that shaped his career. If you’re passionate about Linux, composable infrastructure, or tech that bends the laws of physics, this conversation is a must watch.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:21 Why we turned a 3-minute booth chat into a full interview
00:02:40 John Overton of Kove
00:03:48 Early career & inventing distributed hash tables
00:16:10 Foundational tech that made today's cloud possible
00:24:56 Sandfly Security, agentless Linux security [ad]
00:26:48 John's take on AI
00:39:52 The birth of Kove SDM – why it started
01:03:16 Making "download more RAM" real – memory-pool magic
01:17:40 Kove SDM vs. Compute Express Link (CXL)
01:24:54 What are there new challenges in computing you’re excited to tackle?
01:35:39 Lightning round – guilty pleasures, movies & more
01:40:03 Outro

429: Open Source AI, End of Clear Linux, & the Security Scoop with Sandfly Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/abgTchtrH0k

On this episode of Destination Linux, we are joined by security expert Craig Rowland returns for the “Sandfly Security Scoop,” explaining how the stealthy BPFdoor back‑door evades firewalls and sharing tips for DEF CON and Black Hat attendees. We also unpack listener feedback about phone‑addiction myths and mindful smartphone use. Then we discuss Moonshot’s open‑source Kimi AI model that tackles two‑million‑character prompts and beats proprietary LLM benchmarks, sparking a wider chat about open AI guardrails and Linux’s role under the hood. Later, there's some bittersweet news that Intel is discontinuing its performance‑tuned Clear Linux distro, prompting nostalgia and debate over rolling vs. hybrid releases. Our tip of the week highlights a crowd‑sourced Linux guide that demystifies getting started with Ubuntu especially for network engineers.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:18 Community Feedback
00:10:20 Sandfly Security Scoop
00:23:15 Defcon VS Blackhat
00:29:31 OpenSource AI Kimi
00:47:38 Clear Linux OS & Intel's future
01:03:49 Community Tip and Trick
01:09:13 Support the Show
01:12:43 Outro
01:13:07 Post Show

Links:

Community Feedback
- https://destinationlinux.net/comments
- https://destinationlinux.net/forum
Sandfly Security Scoop
- https://destinationlinux.net/sandfly
- https://sandflysecurity.com/blog/sandfly-5-5-ai-powered-analysis-advanced-bpfdoor-detection-and-smarter-scanning
Defcon VS Blackhat
- https://defcon.org/
- https://www.blackhat.com/
OpenSource AI Kimi
- https://www.kimi.com/
- https://huggingface.co/spaces/Jhawley/moonshotai-Kimi-K2-Instruct
Clear Linux OS & Intel's future
Community Tip and Trick
- https://rikosintie.github.io/Ubuntu4NetworkEngineers/CH02-Install-Tools/
Support the Show
- https://tuxdigital.com/membership
- https://store.tuxdigital.com/

428: Interview with Sherard Griffin of Red Hat Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/AQcthnOPHlA

In this episode of Destination Linux, we interview Sherard Griffin, the Head of Engineering for OpenShift AI at Red Hat. Sherard joins us to reveal how his team is scaling machine-learning across hybrid clouds and containers. He breaks down the Open Data Hub reference architecture and shows how it and other Open Source platforms democratize access to powerful AI tooling. Griffin also explains why transparent model lineage and cost efficient runtimes are non-negotiable for trustworthy enterprise AI deployments, and he shares candid insights on using open infrastructure at scale to unlock the next wave of generative AI innovation.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:29 Sherard Griffin: OpenShift AI Meets Destination Linux
00:03:00 What Sparked the Tech Passion?
00:10:25 How Open Source Proved Its Power to Sherard
00:17:03 Red Hat Had Data to Crunch—and Sherard Was In
00:19:51 From Skepticism to Scale: Championing Kubernetes
00:26:47 Sandfly Security, agentless Linux security [ad]
00:28:52 AI for Everyone: Red Hat’s Plan to Keep It Open
00:34:38 Is AI Replacing Us?
00:36:34 Beyond the Hype: Making AI Work Where It Matters
00:47:06 Inside the Big Projects Sherard’s Leading Today
00:53:47 Why Linux Is Built for the Future of AI
00:59:44 Landing a Job in Open Source: Sherard’s Advice
01:04:40 Guiding the Next Generation into Software Careers
01:10:18 Lightning Round
01:12:50 Final Thoughts and a Big Thank You to Sherard
01:14:10 Support the Show
01:16:15 Outro

427: Secure Off-Grid Chat, Lossless Scaling on Linux, & $37 Ploopy Knob Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/DrRtxFrl06o

In this episode of Destination Linux, we explore a Bluetooth mesh chat app for doomsday scenarios, discussing its decentralized communication. We address community feedback on Wayland and X11 compatibility issues for NVIDIA users and introduce an open-source gaming project enhancing Linux performance with lossless scaling. We also highlight Ploopy’s customizable dial for creative workflows and talk about SpeechNote, a privacy-focused offline speech-to-text application. All of this and more on this episode of Destination Linux.

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
01:47 Community Feedback
18:39 Sandfly Security
21:36 BitChat: Secure Off-Grid Messaging
33:52 Lossless Scaling on Linux
38:32 This Was About Linux... Then Pancakes Happened
39:34 Back to Lossless Scaling—Because It's That Cool
40:33 Trek Gets Sharper, Waffles Get Roasted, and So Does Ryan
42:38 Spin to Win: Dialing Up Linux Input Devices
45:14 Just Google “Real Money” – It Works
45:50 The Ploopy Knob: Our New Favorite Input Tool
46:42 Smartphones vs Dumb Phones: Let's Bring Back the Brick Phones!
50:24 From Streaming to Stashing: Taking Back Control of Media
53:30 Wrapping Up the Ploopy Saga (For Now)
55:41 Speech Note - speech to text app for Linux
57:37 Support the Show
58:40 Outro
59:37 Post Show

Links:

Community Feedback
- https://destinationlinux.net/comments
- https://destinationlinux.net/forum
Sandfly Security
- https://destinationlinux.net/sandfly
BitChat: Secure Off-Grid Messaging
- https://github.com/jackjackbits/bitchat
Lossless Scaling on Linux
The Ploopy Knob
Speech Note - speech to text app for Linux
- https://flathub.org/apps/net.mkiol.SpeechNote
Support the Show
- https://tuxdigital.com/membership
- https://store.tuxdigital.com/

426: Linux Desktop hits 5%, Fairphone drops Gen 6, & Wayback might save your favorite X desktop Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

video: https://youtu.be/C1Z_e2W2i8g

In this episode of Destination Linux, we discuss the Fairphone 6's modular design for sustainability and its role in addressing e-waste. We engage with listener feedback, notably Frank's story about essential tremors, highlighting the importance of tech accessibility. Our conversation also covers Wayback, a Wayland compositor enhancing compatibility with X11, and the impact of Valve’s Proton integration on Linux gaming. We celebrate Linux reaching a 5% desktop market share and introduce IP Lookup, a useful tool for IP information. All this and much more!

Forum Discussion Thread

Download as MP3

Support the show by becoming a patron at tuxdigital.com/membership or get some swag at tuxdigital.com/store

Hosted by:

Ryan (DasGeek) = dasgeek.net
Jill Bryant = jilllinuxgirl.com
Michael Tunnell = michaeltunnell.com

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
02:05 Community Feedback
15:38 Sandfly Security, agentless Linux security [ad]
18:15 Fedora Keeping 32-bit Libraries
19:12 Wayback: Run Classic X Desktops on Wayland
25:53 Fairphone 6 Launches: Modular, Private, and Built to Last
34:12 GrapheneOS vs. Fairphone
37:25 Proton for All: Steam Flips the Switch!
38:43 Linux Desktop Hits 5%: from Niche to Noticed
47:10 IP LookUp: Hacker Vibes in a Clean GUI
48:27 Support the Show
54:36 Outro
57:50 Post Show

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