Published on Tux Machines (http://www.tuxmachines.org) Home > content > today's leftovers today's leftovers By Roy Schestowitz Created 26/12/2020 - 9:20pm Submitted by Roy Schestowitz on Saturday 26th of December 2020 09:20:36 PM Filed under Misc [1] GMK NucBox mini PC: Testing 4K video with LibreELEC/Kodi [2] The GMK NucBox is a tiny desktop PC that that measures 2.4? x 2.4? x 1.7? and weighs about 5 ounces. It?s a full-fledged computer that ships with Windows 10, and which can run other desktop operating systems including Ubuntu Linux. But what if you just want to use it as a media center? That?s where a lightweight Linux distribution like LibreELEC can come in handy. Pipewire replaces Pulseaudio in Zenwalk [3] Quoting pipewire.org : Pipewire provides a low-latency, graph based processing engine on top of audio and video devices that can be used to support the use cases currently handled by both pulseaudio and JACK. PipeWire was designed with a powerful security model that makes interacting with audio and video devices from containerized applications easy. Alongside Wayland and Flatpak we expect PipeWire to provide a core building block for the future of Linux application development. 10 open source news headlines of 2020 [4] Take a look back at the open source news that made headlines in 2020. [...] Ceph is an open source software-defined storage platform. It implements object storage on a single distributed computer cluster and powers several research centers' projects, including CERN's particle physics research, Tim Hildred reports. This continues CERN's push, which began in 2019, to use open source software. [...] Scott Nesbitt reports on a new Mozilla Foundation subsidiary, MZLA Technologies, which will be "the new home of the Thunderbird project." MZLA Technologies will help Mozilla offer products and services that would not be possible otherwise. Time will tell if Mozilla transfers other products to the new subsidiary. Merry Christmas to all Raspberry Pi recipients ? help is here! [5] Data Doctors: Old laptops still valuable for students [6] Since most online classes are cloud-based, the processing and storage capability of the computer is almost irrelevant ? it?s simply an issue of having something that can connect to the [Internet]. Laptops from 10 years ago, as long as they have a working hard drive, are more than capable of becoming a student terminal for online classes. Keyboards, Old and New [7] I?m certainly no MK afficianado, but I use keyboards all day every day, so like wine, I can appreciate a relatively good one, but I?ll also tolerate a cheap and crap one if pushed. There?s three keyboards I use on a daily basis, both old and new. [...] Using the Model M is a uniquely pleasurable experience, for the user. For anyone around them, it?s likely the most annoying noise in their day. Working from home in your own office has many benefits, and not being shouted at for ?typing too loud? is certainly high on the list. The travel and feel as your digits dance across the beige buttons, composing your opus, or merely messaging mates, is sublime. The Model M has an unmatched heft and solidity compared to modern counterparts. You know you?re using this keyboard. Its presence on the desk is imposing, never taking second fiddle to anything else nearby. It?s a monument. In use, there?s a rhythmic, almost musical click and clack of each key. Each has their individual characteristic sound, from light deftness of the main letters to the echoing resonance of the enter key to the soft ?boing? of the spacebar. Every keypress is a unique audible delight for the user. I don?t think I?ll ever give up my Model M, I suspect I?ll have to be cremated with it, and even then it?ll likely survive the process. If you?d like to hear the sound of the glorious Model M, you can probably pick one up on ebay. Alternatively install bucklespring (snap avaiable) which accurately reproduces the sound, but obviously not the feel, of the classic IBM part. Run it through speakers to effectively reproduce the annoyance for those around you. You should get these apps for your new Chromebook [8] Here are some of the best apps to use on your new Chromebook across the web, Android, and Linux. New Chromebook Users: 10 things you need to know to get started [VIDEO][9] Chromebooks come with the ability to run not only web apps at this point, but Android apps and Linux applications, too. For most users, Android apps and the Play Store will be enabled right out of the gate. You won?t need to take any additional steps to use them; simply open your app drawer, hit the Play Store, and try out some apps you would like. While I?m a web app guy myself, there are a few great Android apps on Chrome OS, so try out your favorites to see how they work on your new Chromebook. Linux apps aren?t nearly as simple of a proposition. Turning on Linux in your settings will take care of itself pretty quickly, but what you do after that point relies mostly on how comfortable you are with a Linux terminal. If you don?t know what that is, it?s safe to say you should just steer clear of this for now. If you do and want to install some things, just know you may need to update and install some dependencies along the way and not all apps work perfectly. We have a whole section of the site (called Command Line) dedicated to Linux apps on the site, though, so if you want to learn, that?s where you need to head. Misc Source URL: http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/145869 Links: [1] http://www.tuxmachines.org/taxonomy/term/78 [2] https://liliputing.com/2020/12/gmk-nucbox-mini-pc-testing-4k-video-with-libreelec-kodi.html [3] http://www.zenwalk.org/2020/12/pipewire-replaces-pulseaudio-in-zenwalk.html [4] https://opensource.com/article/20/12/open-source-news [5] https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/merry-christmas-to-all-raspberry-pi-recipients-help-is-here/ [6] https://wtop.com/tech/2020/12/data-doctors-old-laptops-still-valuable-for-students/ [7] https://popey.com/blog/2020/12/keyboards-old-and-new/ [8] https://9to5google.com/2020/12/25/chromebook-apps-android-web-linux/ [9] https://chromeunboxed.com/new-chromebook-10-tip-get-started.