Video calling on Linux

I'm a university student overseas and I'm dual booting Fedora and Windows on my laptop, and of course I'm getting sick of Windows 11 and its unreliability. For everything I do on my machine, I've been able to find alternatives or workarounds on Linux, for the Office suite, OneDrive, and other apps and services.

And as stupid as it is, the only application tying me to Windows, is WhatsApp. I know, there's WhatsApp Web on Linux, and other wrappers, but (video) calling is something that I need every single day, and having to restrict myself to mobile is just not possible. And it definitely is not practical to have my whole family change messaging providers so that I can use Linux lol. And neither is having to send a link everytime I want to talk.

Is there any workaround that I can use to get it working, perhaps with Wine? Having a VM running continuously for notifications from this one simple, dumb application just is not feasible.

Thanks lol.

https://redd.it/1jsivx7
@r_linux

Distro recommendation?

Hello, I have used started using linux back in the day with Ubuntu until Gnome 3, then moved to Arc for a bit and eventually settled with Mint.

Then for work reasons went back to windows. Now my personal laptop won't support windows for that much longer and am thinking of going back to Linux.


I need an OS that has long term support so I won't have to update for at least a few years and is secure. In terms of software I don't need much, TexStudio and Org mode are the two that I use the most.

Any recommendations or should I stick with Mint?

https://redd.it/1jsiltv
@r_linux

Switched to Linux from Windows for the first time

After decades of Windows use, I've decided to give Linux an honest shot. I work, consume media, create content, and game. I started with Mint, then PopOS, and have landed on cachyOS. I've used it for about 2 weeks now. Overall, I'm liking Linux and will be sticking with it for at least this month. Here are my main gripes/criticisms about Linux:


1. Drive auto mounting, this should be as simple as a right-click, auto mount on boot checkbox. I didn't see this in Dolphin nor Nemo but I could be blind. A new user should not have to deal with modifying Fstab.

2. Keyboard shortcuts and bugs. I've found a lot of inconsistencies when it comes to shortcuts. When I was running Cinnamon, I couldn't create custom shortcuts using Ctrl + shift + any number. I switched to KDE plasma and while I love the alt+space search in concept, it doesn't trigger half of the time. I'm sure I could investigate it further and maybe solve it but this stuff should work out of the gates.

3. Native intuitive key swapping/modify tool. I noticed that some distros/desktops allow me to easily swap specific keys but it was weirdly difficult to swap caps lock to right alt. It was harder than I thought it'd be to solve.

4. A small thing but for Linux noobs, the term "package" is confusing. The difference between a package/program/application might be important for the tech folk but if Linux is to be used by my boomer parents, just calling it an app store might be right for certain distros.

5. Bug where login credentials don't work suddenly. Idk what causes this but it seems to happen on screensaver timeouts. Restarts fix it. I encountered it on Mint and cachyOS. Probably human error.

6. Right clicking on items in the task bar doesn't give me the opportunity to go to properties for that item. How can I verify where the shortcut goes? This could be a kde thing.

I suspect I'll get a fair amount of hate here since a lot of this is sure to be my ignorance. Please be nice.

https://redd.it/1jsknsy
@r_linux

I am trying to switch, but it’s so hard when things don’t work

Just a little rant. I’m aware that there may be solutions to these things. I need to get this out somewhere.

I have a Raspberry Pi running a media server. All of the media is stored on a fairly old USB HDD. It’s on its last legs, and I have already ordered a new SSD to replace it. I was trying to open a Pi-Hole config file with the built-in text editor to see if I could add some local DNS CNAMEs faster than using the web interface. The entire system froze trying to open the file. Wouldn’t do anything for over an hour. I hard reset the Pi, and my USB HDD suddenly wasn’t showing up as a drive.

The only thing that worked was plugging it into a Windows machine. It repaired the drive immediately. Plugged it back into the Pi and it worked again as normal.

Another time not too long ago, I installed Proton VPN to my Pi. With the VPN on, I realised that I couldn’t access any of my media since, obviously, it changed the IP address of the host. So I uninstalled it. Suddenly, the entire system couldn’t access the internet at all… I unknowingly made the fatal error of leaving the killswitch on before uninstalling it. The only solution I found after days of trying to fix it was formatting the entire OS and starting again.

How am I supposed to make a complete switch when things like this happen? I have learned some basic terminal commands, I watch videos about it all the time, learned how to use Docker, learned networking stuff like opening ports and setting up a dynamic DNS address, and so on… and then things just inexplicably fucking break. Is what I’m doing already truly not enough to use this system?

As soon as Windows 10 support is dropped, I want to jump straight over and daily drive Linux. I want to get rid of my iPhone and buy an Android, and install Graphene. I want to do it. Privacy, open source, community, accessibility, I’m all for it. And then suddenly a new problem happens, and I have no knowledge or time to fix it myself.

When I search for solutions, I have no idea what it is that I’m looking for, or what the correct terminology is for anything. I’ll find a solution on Stack Exchange posted years ago that I can see straight away is not going to help, and that will be the only result. Was trying to copy files from a hidden directory owned by the root user. I had to spend hours of my life realising that “sudo cd” will never work, even though “sudo xyz” works for almost everything else.

Anyway, rant over. Hope others can relate.

https://redd.it/1jsl88o
@r_linux

I just built my own kernel!

So, I have been messing around with the deeper parts of Linux (the settings program, extensions, wallpapers and tweaks are definitely not enough customization). And I decided to build a kernel. And I succeeded to build a kernel. Time for absolutely divine performance. And maybe good security. And a larger ego.

https://redd.it/1jsuqg7
@r_linux

Apple Z2 Touchscreen / Touch Bar Driver Lands In Linux 6.15
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.15-Input

https://redd.it/1jswf3n
@r_linux

Wine has come a long way

I just wanted to talk about how an awesome piece of software wine is after some problem I've faced. I have a Steelseries Rivals 3 Wireless mouse and as I've became more comfortable with my laptop's trackpad and not playing any FPS games I' haven't been using my mouse for 2 months now. After these 2 months I've downloaded and started playing The Finals and then I just noticed my mouse didn't work with the dongle. First I thought it was a Linux issue so I tried it on my cousin's Windows laptop and it didn't work there. Then I researched online and found out that I could fix it by re-pairing on Steelseries GG app. But that software is only intended to work on only Windows and MacOS. With some disappointment and little hope I tried it to download on my machine and try to run it with Wine 10. And it worked flawlessly! No graphical bugs, no crashes, I just double clicked on the installer and it did the work then the app appeared on my app launcher. This is no different then installing it on windows and this is awesome. Imagine in future versions you can use any app this way!


Just wanted to express my love for this piece of software. Proton is a godsent software but I think Wine itself deserves some love itself too.

https://redd.it/1jt0s7g
@r_linux

RISC-V With Linux 6.15 Adds Support For BFloat16 "BF16" Instructions
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.15-RISC-V

https://redd.it/1jt24cx
@r_linux

Whenever I read Linux still introduced as a "Unix-like" OS in 2025, I picture people going "Ah, UNIX, now I get it! got one in my office down the hall"

I am not saying that the definition is technically incorrect. I am arguing that it's comical to still introduce Linux as a "Unix-like" operating system today. The label is better suited in the historical context section of Linux

99% of today's Linux users have never encountered an actual Unix system and most don't know about the BSD and System V holy wars.

Introducing Linux as a "Unix-like" operating system in 2025 is like describing modern cars as "horseless carriage-like"

https://redd.it/1jt2qwa
@r_linux

Turn newly installed Ubuntu gnome desktop into pretty, slick, ready to work one in single command

I created noscript you can run in cli with just one command, no manual download required, that turns Ubuntu gnome desktop into pretty, slick, ready to work one with night light and other slick gnome settings already configured.

This is the WHOLE noscript at gnome_settings.sh. This project just runs this via cli. No cloning or installation required.

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# night-light settings
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-enabled true
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-automatic false
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-from 20.0
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-schedule-to 6.0
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-temperature 4000

# dash-to-dock settings
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dash-max-icon-size 24
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock dock-position 'BOTTOM'
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock extend-height true
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface clock-show-date false

# hides the trash from dash-to-dock
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock show-trash false

# shows apps from current workspace only
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.app-switcher current-workspace-only true
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.window-switcher current-workspace-only true

# reduces desktop icons size
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.ding icon-size 'small'

# hides home directory on desktop
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.ding show-home false

# turns off mouse acceleration
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.mouse accel-profile 'flat'

# disable "screen locking after period of inactivity"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.session idle-delay 0

# NOTE: ubuntu specific settings
# disable update notifications
gsettings set com.ubuntu.update-notifier no-show-notifications true

Check full showcase and documentation on github

https://redd.it/1jt4y17
@r_linux

Nefoin - Auto Install Any Nerd Font You Want in seconds via CLI. No Manual Download or Cloning Required.
https://redd.it/1jt520q
@r_linux

Accessing ReFS from Linux

I (the fool) created 2 mirrored drives using ReFS (Microsoft's proprietary "Resilient File System") before switching to Linux completely and realising I no longer had access to 3TB of data. Of all file systems I happened to us the only one that is incompatible with Linux drivers and the only way to read the data was a proprietary industrial solution from Paragon Software. After months of looking up how to read ReFS from Linux, I figured out a solution that doesn't seem to exist anywhere else on the internet: Passing the entire drive (not partition) to a Virtual Machine running Windows. This can be done completely offline and as far as I can see has no privacy implications. Here's how I did it:

1. Install Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) from your package manager
Very useful tool for managing KVM instances and more. I also used it to understand how to get KVM working at all.

2. Ensure KVM works
https://computingforgeeks.com/install-kvm-qemu-virt-manager-arch-manjar/
I used the above link and some troubleshooting skills to get everything running.

3. Download Windows 10 ISO
Windows 11 introduces login issues and install requirements and blah blah blah... Feel free to try with Windows 11 but I found 10 to provide a far simpler experience and since I didn't connect to the internet I wasn't worried about malware and security updates.

4. Install Windows 10 in a VM using VMM
I used OpenSnitch to block internet access, but the network can be configured before launching the ISO for install by checking the "Customize configuration before install" option and disabling the network. Other than that just read the prompts, click next, and wait for Windows to install.

5. Pass the drive to the VM
After the install is complete and Windows 10 is able to boot, shut down the VM. In the top left there are 2 icons: a monitor and an (i). These are tabs, the monitor shows the VM and the (i) shows "hardware" details. Open the hardware tab and Add Hardware. In the popup select Storage from the sidebar, then select "Select or create custom storage". In the text field beneath it type the path to the ReFS drive (eg. /dev/sdb, NOT the partition /dev/sdb1). After that just click Finish.

6. Pass an NTFS drive or partition to move the data to
Repeat the above process for a drive that both Linux and Windows can read. There are ways to make Windows read ExFAT drives, but that's beyond the scope of this post.

7. Run VM and copy the data
When Windows launches it should have both drives visible in the file explorer. You can copy and paste what you want, or use a Robocopy noscript (tutorial) for convenience.



Follow these steps and Bobs your uncle. At least in my case. This may not be the best way but it's the only one I found online. Please comment if something isn't clear, and good luck 🫡

https://redd.it/1jt55us
@r_linux

Looking for a music player that fits my requirements.

Needs:

Artwork thumbnails for all songs in playlist view (preferably search too)

A way to see quickly see all songs not in playlists (like smart playlists in iTunes)
Able to switch from playlist to album to artist view quickly

A recently added songs view, and recently added albums view.

Handles large libraries.

I currently use quod libet.

https://redd.it/1jtcmup
@r_linux

Feeling defeated after failing to install Linux, maybe also ruined a USB

I followed three seperate video guides on how to install Linux. First Linux Mint 22.1, and then POP os 22.04

First attempt failed because I tried using the GPT partition scheme (using the program Rufus), turns out my laptop is too old for that. Second attempt I use MBR, and I actually thought it worked. The laptop booted into Mint, so I go to install it on the SSD, it says it worked. I restart the laptop and remove the USB when prompted only to be told there's no OS on the SSD... that feels like my best attempt

I later tried installing Pop OS, because desperation I guess. I used Belena Etcher, similar results to the above text

I have no idea if I'm missing something or I have a faulty piece of hardware or what

https://redd.it/1jtcxp5
@r_linux

Centralized "headquarters" place - for all your notifications/mails/weather etc.?

Basically, do you have any solution/idea, (FL)OSS-based, preferably Linux, that would centralize all the information in one place. Kind of like an interactive dashboard.

Be it an ootB solution, series of hacks etc.

What I mean is - using KDE, I have all these programs, but they are not reactive nor centralized - I have an email client, ok I guess it does push notifications, calendar is only in my Thunderbird not in my taskbar, I have weather in my taskbar, then my notifs from phone which sometimes don't work with KDE Connect (I guess Android kills the background processes), then I have notes in a separate app, news in 2 different portals etc. Whereas I would like some central dashboard, maybe something like Firefox new tab page, where I could see all of this at at glance.

https://redd.it/1jtfpsa
@r_linux

WebAssembly Compatibility with User-Space Linux
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689031.3717470

https://redd.it/1jtided
@r_linux

Tentative Nvidia modules patches for linux kernel 6.15-rc1

I've created 3 patches to make compiling the Nvidia modules (version 570.124.06) for linux kernel 6.15-rc1 work... You can find them here: github.

You can use them with dkms for instance.

P.S. This is not for the faint of heart and/or newbies and of course YMMV!

https://redd.it/1jtixam
@r_linux

Lessons from open source in the Mexican government
https://lwn.net/Articles/1013776/

https://redd.it/1jtl4p6
@r_linux

Package manager apt makes version jump to 3.0.0
https://www.heise.de/en/news/Package-manager-apt-makes-version-jump-to-3-0-0-10342858.html

https://redd.it/1jtl0yu
@r_linux

Thunderbird Launches Open-Source Premium Webmail Service
https://cyberinsider.com/thunderbird-launches-open-source-premium-webmail-service/

https://redd.it/1jtm53s
@r_linux

Need a PDF reader app that can verify digitally signed PDFs

All my government ID cards are digitally signed by the government. In Adobe PDF Reader, I can usually add the signer’s details to the trusted list, so my ID cards no longer show the ‘?’ mark. Once added to the trust list, the ‘?’ mark changes into ✅.



https://redd.it/1jtp83j
@r_linux