ROUNDUP TOP 5 MUSIC PLAYERS Docker containers Create and automate your # 1 forFreeSoftware own services with virtualisation HACK THE Pi Discover the inner secrets of the mighty but mini Linux PC board Minecraft hacks Audio streaming OwnCloud hosting Samba file sharing Use the Twitter API Tinker,Ti k tteacher, h artist ti t Arduinodevelopedalarge Also inside… community, and that was really key to its success Pro music You don’t know JACK, but you Michael Shiloh on the power of Arduino p42 will, pro-level music on Linux. Revision control Network monitoring Python meets C Git started Wireshark Cython Thank Linus and Gear up for some Mash up your Python control your projects deep packet inspection with some super C code TuxRadar.com Welcome #1 for Free Software What we do We support the open source community byprovidingaresourceofinformation,and aforumfordebate. We help all readers get more from Linux with our tutorials section – we’ve something for everyone! We license all the source code we print in our tutorialssectionundertheGNUGPLv3. We give you the most accurate, unbiased and up-to-date information on all things Linux. Whoweare AyearinFOSS We asked our team of experts to tell us what The time has flown by but it seems I’ve been in the they believe to be the single most exciting hot FOSS seat for twelve months; more commonly open source project of the last year... known as one of your Earth years. It’s rare to talk directly about the magazine, but the good news is we’re still here and doing better than ever. We’re continuing to Jonni Bidwell bring onboard new writers to expand our areas of expertise If the propaganda is anything to go by, then and we’re planning, what we hope you will find, fascinating Maidsafe is going to be pretty darn exciting: A distributed ecosystem featuring new features and tutorials for the year ahead. a decentralised, anonymous app platform, I might have started on Linux Format as something of an incentivised by its own cryptocurrency. The platform is entirely open, and the crypto it open source neophyte – though to qualify that I’ve used uses has been thoroughly scrutinised. It’ll Linux since 2000 for projects and even looked at the kernel be interesting to see reactions… source mid-90s on my Amiga – but even then it was obvious how vibrant, constantly changing and vitally important GNU/Linux is to the world. Over the last year Andrew Mallett Puppet will wins hands down for me every here in the UK open source has seeped into our time. Although not exactly new, Puppet is government infrastructure and is now part of the school still providing configuration support to new curriculum, championed a good deal by the work of the innovations, such as OpenStack. The ease and simplicity that enterprise systems Raspberry Pi Foundation. To help celebrate this fortunate have shown us really can be managed turn of events we’re exploring how you can hack Linux on makes me a marionette by choice. (Insert the Pi to ever greater levels with fun projects, advanced ‘strings attached’ joke here.) Linux services and essential skills. All the fun starts on page 34 so we hope you’ve brought your Pi with you. Les Pounder Not that we want to obsess on the Pi too much, even if In the last twelve months the Shrimping it’s a great device that’s changing the world, a big part of project has held my attention more than that success is its Linux smarts. We’re finishing our Nginx most. It’s an Arduino Uno board for £5, and the project has been really interesting as series on page 76 ( which also happens to all work with the you get ‘hands on’ with building an Arduino Raspberry Pi) but we’re also going deep into Cython to and learning the function of each of the accelerate everyday Python on page 84, exploring how to components. I recently learnt it works with Scratch – RESULT! use Git for your own projects on page 88 and look at how you can get started developing PHP on page 52. We’re also trying to stay musical with a roundup of Richard Smedley excellent players on page 26 and even pro-level production Mailpile brings the much-needed protection on page 48. Plus even more advanced tutorials, reviews of encrypted email to non-technical users on all platforms. Standing out in a crowd of and a packed DVD. I hope you enjoy the issue and many exciting, emerging IndieWeb projects, more over the next 12 months! Mailpile’s powerful tagging, notable speed, and flexible self-hosting choices make it the first realistic FOSS alternative to the really- slightly-mighty Gmail. Neil Mohr Editor [email protected] Mayank Sharma My favourite projects all seem to have something of a habit of dying soon after I’ve labelled them as such – SolusOS, Pear Linux, and the latest favourite of mine, Bodhi Linux. So you’ll understand if I’m a little superstitious about using that word. Oh wait – my favourite project right now Subscribe today has to be Windows! See p32 for awesome deals www.linuxformat.com December 2014 LXF191 3 Contents “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” – Plato Reviews Hack the Raspberry Pi LG Ultra-wide monitor ..... 17 21:9 is the new 4:3. Widescreen is dead we’ll GetGet the ttinyiny PPCC b boardoard to all be using these 34-inch HD monsters. rock your world p34 Motorola Moto 360 .............18 Android Wear is here from Google and this is the poster watch for it from Motorola. Would you strap it to your wrist? We’re not square, says Motorola. Thecus N4560 NAS ..........19 Roundup: A powerful mid-range SOHO or home NAS Music players p26 that packs four drives and an impressive OS. Gentoo Live ....................... 20 Trapped in the Phantom Zone-like plastic of a DVD, who thought this was a good idea? Peach OSi 14.04 ................21 Taste the not-so forbidden fruit of yet another and brand new Ubuntu respin. Tondi .................................. 22 Why would Mayank Sharma leave OwnCloud? There’s only one way to find out. WordPress 4.0 .................. 23 The ubiquitous CMS gets a full point update, dancing breaks out across the globe. Gaming headsets ............. 24 Top-notch headsets for perfect team-chat or just idle gossip online. Games ................................ 25 We catch up with The Witcher 2 and see if it’s ready for prime-time on Linux. Talking heads “I discovered open source long before I think it was even a term...” I said Ubuntu was best! Michael Shiloh on the power of Arduino p42 4 LXF191 December 2014 www.linuxformat.com On your free DVD Raspbian, KaliLinux PiMusicBox, RetroPie, Jasper 2014, Noobs All the Raspberry Pi essentials Treat yourself or a loved one to an LXF PLUS: HotPicks and tutorial code p96 subscription! p32 Don’t miss... JACK in ...................................... 48 Get started with pro-level music production with our guide to the essential JACK. PHP virtual dev-box .............52 Build the ideal PHP dev environment in a portable, VirtualBox and get building. Coding Academy Tutorials Systemd Cython ................................... 84 Meet Cython, a Python to C compiler, Philip Explore Journald.............. 68 Herron will be your loyal guide on how to make The new Systemd logging system explained your code 12 times faster and all he asks in and explored in a true tale of, disaster! return is that you read to the end... Git started ............................. 88 Jonni Bidwell has always fancied a bit of creative literature and what better place to practice than in the safe, nurturing environment of Git. Linus would be proud. Nothing to do with The Wire. Regulars at a glance Network monitoring News............................. 6 Subscriptions ...........32 Back issues ...............66 Wireshark .......................... 70 The Internet is on fire as the Bundle! Is something that was Buy one now or we’ll force Jonni to You always fancied a bit of deep packet inspection, time to dip into some TCP. Shellshock bug rages through screamed around Midland schools write more PHP code! No collection servers, but not Linuxformat.com but now it’s our subs team saying it. is complete without LXF183. Core skills Awk .....................................74 Mailserver................... 11 Sysadmin...................56 Next month...............98 The best skills are core skills, learn how Awk More letters and questions answered Dr Chris also goes all creative writing You can’t get rid of us that easily! can manipulate text files quickly and easily by what’s left of the LXF team. on us and looks at how WINE plays Distro secrets will be revealed, robots with powerful terminal commands. its part in the commercial world and built, NAS drives created and more. Nginx User groups................15 the options you have. Les Pounder goes all Bake Off MySQL queries ................76 It’s time to link up your Nqinx web server exploring JAMs, maker events and HotPicks ....................60 with its own MySQL databse for more PHP actually this is about the Pi? Oops. Apps so hot they make The Hunger fun than you can handle. Games trilogy look like ice-cold teen Roundup ....................24 trash literature. Included this month Docker Discover what’s the best FOSS are QMplay2, Rosa ImageWriter, Jenkins ..............................80 to store and enjoy your music PDFSaM, Rodent Core, KXStitch, Jolyon Brown explains how to rollout Docker containers in a working environment collections from library features to KEncFS, Blobby Volley, Caesaria, Our subscriptions team is with Jenkins and your sysadmin skills. straight listening enjoyment. I-Nex and more.