Articles by Nick Veitch

• Issue 176 - Tutorial:  Juju - deploy web apps quickly and easily
  
• Issue 165 - Tutorial: Inkscape - Master effects to create striking pictures.
  
• Issue 164 - Coding Academy: Python: Write Blender scripts - Take your python skills into three dimensions.
  
• Issue 164 - HotPicks: Hotpicks - GLMixer, Knotter, Parted Magic, Emergent, Bacula, Powertop, VirtualBox, Ultimate Stunts, 0AD, Profanity and Din
  
• Issue 163 - HotPicks: The best new open source software on the planet - GMSH, FBCMD, Thunderbird, Nuvola, ATop, Lightread, QXMLEdit, Toy Cars, Diagnil, Veusz and Quamachi
  
• Issue 162 - Coding Academy: python: Making maps - Put yourself, or at least your pictures, on the map with Python libraries and Google.
  
• Issue 162 - HotPicks: The best new open source software on the planet - MusE, Expect-lite, StressItOut, Poezio, Revelation, Functy, Super Grub 2, gShogi, Pax Britannica, PDF Cube, and Calise,
  
• Issue 161 - Coding Academy: Python: Get with Google - Build your very own Google Drive app for Linux
  
• Issue 161 - HotPicks: The best new open source software on the planet - DigiKam, PacketFence, Tor, Timeline, GFeedline, CPULimit, XTide, DCCNightmare, Billiards and Rapid Photo Downloader
  
• Issue 160 - Coding Academy: Python: Work With Google's API - We dip into the cauldron of wonder that is the Google data API, and learn how to access everything with Python.
  
• Issue 160 - HotPicks: The Best New Open Source Software On The Planet - Ktorrent, Monit, Gnoduino, YAGF, Pogo, Gnac, Marble, Asteroid, Cube Trains, Fotoxx, Braindump
  
• Issue 160 - Review: Gimp 2.8 - It may be one of the best-known open source projects, but progress can be glacially slow. We look at a release four years in the making.
  
• Issue 160 - Tutorial: Gimp: Cheat your way to a hockney-like collage - Discover how to turn an ordinary digital image into a convincing pop-art masterpiece.
  
• Issue 159 - Coding Academy: Python: Mastering Text and Strings - Discover that there is nothing plain about text, and find out how to use Unicode and ASCII with Python.
  
• Issue 159 - HotPicks: The Best New Open Source Software On The Planet - Firewall builder, Impro-Visor, Sportstracker, Midnight Commander, LDAP Account Manager, Language Tool and more.
  
• Issue 159 - Tutorial: Arduino: Write Some Libraries - In the last in the series, we show you how to write your own Arduino libraries and have more fun with LEDs
  
• Issue 158 - Coding Academy: Python: Inter-process communication - Get your Python scripts talking to each other and feel like the coding equivalent of Parselmouth.
  
• Issue 158 - HotPicks: Hotpicks: MyJGUI, Urban Lightscape, SysUsage and more - We bring you the hottest software from around the net.
  
• Issue 158 - Tutorial: Arduino - Light up the world using just an Arduino and a handful of LEDs.
  
• Issue 157 - Tutorial: Arduino: Using the keyboard - Use a scanned matrix to add buttons to your Arduino
  
• Issue 157 - Tutorial: The lomo look - Use Gimp to make your new photos look old.
  
• Issue 156 - Tutorial: Arduino: Make a chatbot - Why bother with people when you could be instant messaging with your ever-faithful Arduino pal?
  
• Issue 156 - HotPicks: HotPicks - FontForge, Ishw, Gnome photo frame, Pyexpander, Eperiodique, FileMonitor, SpaceFM, Domination, Eliot, Mungempo
  
• Issue 155 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Ubuntu Tweak, Jhead, PuTTY, Arcadia, ReKonq, Nightingale, Aweather, Smallball2, XORCurses, SourceSquare and cronopete
  
• Issue 155 - Tutorial: Arduino: Make some waves - Doing some more tricky things with timers, we turn the Arduino into a waveform generator.
  
• Issue 155 - Coding Academy: Python: Do it with style - The ever-fashionable Nick Veitch acceded to your demands and explains how to create a proper Python package that nobody will snigger at.
  
• Issue 155 - What on Earth: Dart - We wonder whether Google`s new Dart language heralds the dawn of a new age or a bitter schism
  
• Issue 154 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Tomahawk, Htop, Revelation, Mixxx, Nobleape, Marlin, Darktable, Summoning Wars, Phlipple, Shutter and uShare.
  
• Issue 154 - Tutorial: Arduino: Time management - Wrest control of the continually ticking clocks to play some tricks with ticks and tocks.
  
• Issue 154 - Coding Academy: Python: Multiprocessing - We show you why two processes (or more) are better than one and examine ways to unlock the power of your multicore processor.
  
• Issue 153 - Coverdisc: Hotpicks - Bpython, QBittorrent, Box, Luminance HDR, Zero Install, Winswitch, Pngcrush, Pingus, Netrek, Instantbird, Highlight
  
• Issue 153 - Tutorial: Arduino: Make some noise - Music maestro Nick Veitch takes hardware tuning literally and transforms his Arduino into a melody maker in this audibly great instalment.
  
• Issue 153 - Coding Academy: Python: Menus and toolbars - Manage your interface code the way that works best for you
  
• Issue 152 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Synfig Studio, Vinagre, Seahorse, Krita, FileZilla, MonoDevelop, Minetest-c55, Gbrainy, MikeOS, Gramps
  
• Issue 152 - Tutorial: Arduino: Link two together - Join up multiple Arduinos for dual processing fun or link via radio for remote sensing. The well-connected Nick shows you how...
  
• Issue 152 - Coding Academy: Python: Drag and drop for GTK - Drag yourself into the desktop age before Nick drops off.
  
• Issue 151 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Skrooge, Potrace, Pstoedit, Miro, Sigil, SlowmoVideo, GnuPG, TripleA, Triplane, Nethogs, ZoneMinder
  
• Issue 151 - Tutorial: Arduino: Build your own board - Tired of inadvertently blowing up hardware? Nick decides to have a go at putting together one of his own - and finds it's easier than he thought.
  
• Issue 151 - Coding Academy: Python: Make custom tooltips - Build a simple working music player and add custom tooltips to the file list. Nick is the man who knows how.
  
• Issue 150 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Amarok, Archipel, IPython, Takeoff, Rowscope, GPodder, Minitube, CKhet, Cubosphere, Usermin, Tiny Core Linux.
  
• Issue 150 - Coding Academy: Python: Fractal dimensions - Explore the subtle mathematics that powers the universe as we explain how to draw things.
  
• Issue 150 - Coding Academy: Arduino: Servos and steppers - It's time for your to get things moving with your Arduino - let's put the wheels in motion.
  
• Issue 149 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Wavemaker, Blender, Burp, Stellarium, OrDrumbox, GCP, Knights, Unknown Horizons, Fotoxx, PeaZip
  
• Issue 149 - Tutorial: Arduino: Using interrupts - Learning to use an Arduino isn't all about the hardware - we show off some useful programming tips and build a laser-accurate speed trap.
  
• Issue 149 - Coding Academy: Python: Build an RSS reader - String together the power of Feedparser, WebKit and GTK - in half an hour you can have a fast and friendly RSS reader.
  
• Issue 148 - Book review: Atmel AVR Microcontroller Development - The uncontrollable Nick compiles his opinions on a potential hit.
  
• Issue 148 - Book review: HTML & CSS: The Good Parts - The bad parts of Nick try to clean up their codebase.
  
• Issue 148 - HotPicks: HotPicks - PiTiVi, LibreOffice, SRWare Iron, Tomb, Turpial, Geo-*, FreeSeer, PySkool, MegaGlest, Guvcview, Darkstat
  
• Issue 148 - Coding Academy: Arduino: Let there be LEDs! - Nick has a couple of digits for you - seven segment LED display digits to be precise. Get your Arduino displaying useful info.
  
• Issue 148 - Coding Academy: Python: View stereo images - Prepare to be awed, as we demonstrate how to use menus and images in PyGTK to construct an enthralling stereo image viewer.
  
• Issue 147 - Book review: Data Analysis with open source tools - The inarguable truth of numbers leaves Nick in need of analysis.
  
• Issue 147 - Book review: Hello, Android - Nick learns how to reprogram our robot overlords.
  
• Issue 147 - Feature: Distro Showdown! - We've selected the most popular distros of the day to go head-to-head in a cage fight for your affections. Exhaustive trials and contentious conclusions ahoy!
  
• Issue 147 - Coding Academy: Python: QR code generator - Nick harnesses Python to power of the command line and shows you how to make a front-end for useful tools.
  
• Issue 147 - Coding Academy: Arduino: Build a datalogger - We delve into the magic of the I2C interface a build a temperature datalogger with only four components.
  
• Issue 146 - Review: Slackware 13.37 - Nick, our resident slackness expert, checks out this charmingly-titled release of the most venerable Linux distro.
  
• Issue 146 - Book review: Hackers - Nick catches up with some old friends.
  
• Issue 146 - Book review: SQL Antipatterns - If we learn from mistakes, Nick must be very knowledgeable.
  
• Issue 146 - Coding Academy: Python: Making music - Our musical maestro tries to carry a tune with the amazing Python Thingatron. And demonstrates the power of Pygame in the process.
  
• Issue 146 - Coding Academy: Arduino: Getting started - Creating useful things with your Arduino is easier than you thought. We start the series by adding sensors to your hardware.
  
• Issue 145 - Review: Firefox 4 - Although appearing a little on the late side, Firefox 4 is full to the brim with goodies, and that's only the start...
  
• Issue 145 - Book review: Autotools - Nick makes merry with a book he didn't know he needed until now.
  
• Issue 145 - Book review: Practical TCP/IP - We try out a networking tome reprinted for the modern age.
  
• Issue 145 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Clementine, Hasciicam, PieDock, Khayyam/Floyd, LiVES, Nixory, Shotwell, Gigalomania, Zod Engine, giis for ext4, Virt Manager
  
• Issue 145 - Coding Academy: Python: Create a game - Test your programming skills (and your reflexes) with some object-oriented Python code and a round of Whack-a-Mike...
  
• Issue 144 - Review: OpenShot 1.3 - Our distinctly non-linear editor takes a trip to the cutting room to turn 260 hours of footage into five minutes of something worth watching.
  
• Issue 144 - Book review: Foundation Drupal 7 - Managing to appear content, Nick tries out another Drupal tome.
  
• Issue 144 - Book review: Haynes Linux Manual - Nick readies the Swarfega for a session in the workshop.
  
• Issue 144 - HotPicks: HotPicks - EtherApe, Cute CW, Nyagua, Recoll, Bangarang, Konstruktor, Scribes, Oolite, Tennix, Robodoc, pf-kernel
  
• Issue 144 - Tutorial: Bash: Add GUIs to the shell - The command line is where the power lies, but you may need to share it with people who can't be trusted to type. Let's weld the two together.
  
• Issue 143 - Book review: Ubuntu Netbooks - Nick investigates this diminutive option.
  
• Issue 143 - Book review: Pro Python System Administration - Our resident snake wrangler gets practical with Python.
  
• Issue 143 - Feature: SysAdmin Secrets - Tips from the pros to make your Linux box faster, safer and smarter: home network security, command line magic, task scheduling and more.
  
• Issue 143 - HotPicks: HotPicks - KiCad, DMIDecode, Bandwidth, Smartie-utils, Wings3D, Figlet, Din, Kernel Panc, PokerTH, Powertop, Hotot
  
• Issue 142 - Review: Mathematica 8 - We're pleased to see some new additions to the latest iteration of this world-class data-processing software.
  
• Issue 142 - Roundup: Archivers - On test: bzip2, rar, 7zip, lbzip2, xz, lrzip, PeaZip, arj
  
• Issue 142 - Book review: Pentaho Solutions - Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing? Time to put on a hard hat...
  
• Issue 142 - Book review: Beginning Drupal 7 - We swot up on one of the best known CMSes.
  
• Issue 142 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Veusz, PDFtk, Webmin, Prey, Kazam, Gnoduino, Calibre, Tux Football, Skunks, MP3 Diags, Eric
  
• Issue 141 - Review: Linux Mint 10.0 - Codenamed 'Julia', the latest version of Mint brings a waft of freshness and non-free media codecs into Nick's otherwise free software world.
  
• Issue 141 - Roundup: Blogging clients - On test: Gnome blog, Tumblweed, ScribeFire, Qumana, Blogilo, BloGTK, Drivel, Deepest Sender
  
• Issue 141 - Book review: Intermediate Robot Building - Nick replaces himself with a cyborg made from spare parts.
  
• Issue 141 - Book review: PHP: Objects, Patterns and Practice - A weighty lump of PHP lands on our desk.
  
• Issue 141 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Hugin, Maitreya, Back In Time, MoneyGuru, Binary Of Babel, Untangle, Viking, 0 AD, Hedgewars, GeoToad, MKVToolnix
  
• Issue 140 - Review: Komodo 6.01 - A multi-purpose IDE that proves you don't need to be big and clunky to cover all the bases.
  
• Issue 140 - Roundup: Netbooks - On test: Acer Aspire One D255, HP Mini 210, Samsung N230, Dell Mini 1012, MSI Wind U135DX
  
• Issue 140 - Book review: Beginning WordPress 3 - Nick learns how to unleash his rants on to the blogosphere.
  
• Issue 140 - Book review: PHP: The Good Parts - It's as think as a stick-insect, but still full of juicy bits.
  
• Issue 140 - HotPicks: HotPicks - GPredict, pyAggr3g470r, Pitch Perfect, Choqok, Glyphtracer, Mixxx, MDZ, VMS Empire, Xye, Bino, Publimark
  
• Issue 139 - Review: Ubuntu 10.10 - We play an extended version of spot the difference with the latest Ubuntu desktop release - the Maverick Meerkat.
  
• Issue 139 - Book review: 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know - Nick discovers slightly less than a hundred things about this book.
  
• Issue 139 - Book review: Best Android Apps - Nick fills his pocket with magic beans and goes to the marketplace.
  
• Issue 139 - HotPicks: HotPicks - SocNetV, Arcadia, Voice Chatter, Transcoder, Prime Desktop, KRename, Minerva, Pioneers, LGeneral, GParted, Rotter
  
• Issue 138 - Review: Inkscape 0.48 - Check out the vectors on this! Find out why you shouldn't wait to upgrade your favourite drawing package.
  
• Issue 138 - Review: SmartSVN 6.6.2 - Can a proprietary revision control application take on the native hordes and win?
  
• Issue 138 - Book review: Effective UI - A professional literary critic wrote this review, hired by Nick.
  
• Issue 138 - Book review: Dive into Python 3 - Nick immerses himself in some more script-lit.
  
• Issue 138 - Feature: Ubuntu vs Fedora - It's the fight for the future. Whatever your interest in Linux, there are some hot new technologies coming downstream soon. Find out how to try them today, and also how the next generation of desktop distros compare.
  
• Issue 138 - HotPicks: HotPicks - gPodder, Photorec, Streamtuner2, Ghostscript, WhatWeb, Steadyflow, KontrolPack, Caph, OpenTTD, Shutter, Lives
  
• Issue 137 - Review: KDE 4.5 - Moving desks can be a good or a bad thing. Nick Veitch nervously considers moving desktops with the latest release from the KDE team.
  
• Issue 137 - Roundup: FTP clients - On test: CrossFTP, FileZilla, FireFTP, gFTP, Konqueror, LFTP, Nautilus, NCFTP
  
• Issue 137 - Book review: The Definitive Guide to PC-BSD - Fancy a change from Linux? Tale a dip into the world of BSD...
  
• Issue 137 - Book review: Ubuntu Up and Running - Can a book straddle the gap between releases? We've unconvinced.
  
• Issue 137 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Observium, FindRepe, Makagiga, Animbar, Harald Scan, Redshift GUI, KBarcode4-light, GNU Shogi, Lost Labyrinth, Frescobaldi, Firewall Builder
  
• Issue 137 - Tutorial: Bash: Tweeting with OAuth - With Twitter having switched to the safety-first OAuth, our script master leaps to the rescue by creating a Bash client to take the API head on.
  
• Issue 136 - Review: OpenSUSE 11.3 - Looking for a distro that gets the best out of KDE 4.x? You needn't look any further than Novell's latest Linux offering.
  
• Issue 136 - Roundup: Remote desktops - On test: Krdc, RealVNC Java Client, Remmina, TeamViewer, TigerVNC, Vinagre, NoMachine NX
  
• Issue 136 - Book review: Beginning Python Visualization - Python wrangler Nick is let down by what should be a great book.
  
• Issue 136 - HotPicks: HotPicks - ngPlant, Ostinato, PySum, Picogen, Cuneiform, Psensor, The Butterfly Effect, Violetland, Wine, GiftedMotion
  
• Issue 136 - Tutorial: Bash: Master init files - Implement your own init.d script and daemon process to monitor network availability. Nick swims through the sysvinit tunnels to guide you.
  
• Issue 135 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Eagle Mode, Rakarrack, jGnash, Knitter, Dfeta, Scribus, VirtualBox OSE, Widelands, SDL Sopwith, Pybag, Bleachbit.
  
• Issue 135 - Tutorial: Bash: fast and simple scripts - Making useful Bash scripts is easy, so why not have a bash yourself?
  
• Issue 135 - Review: Eclipse 3.6 - Once bloated and overrated, we shed new light on the one development environment that has set out to rule them all.
  
• Issue 135 - Roundup: BitTorrent clients - On test: Deluge, KTorrent, Monsoon, qBittorrent, Torium, Transmission, Vuze.
  
• Issue 134 - Review: UndoDB 3.0 - Ever feel like a trip back in time to fix broken code? Here's a programming tool that turns the table on temperons.
  
• Issue 134 - Roundup: Web browsers - On test: Epiphany, Firefox, Flock, Google Chrome, Konqueror, Midori, Opera, SeaMonkey
  
• Issue 134 - HotPicks: HotPicks - JStock, Open Cubic Player, XMLTV, Presage, KeePassX, Tubularix, Pasang Esmas, Fritzing, Di, Padre
  
• Issue 134 - Tutorial: Python: Build a podcast retriever - Learn how to use Quickly, Ubuntu's great development tool, to build and release your own application.
  
• Issue 133 - Review: FineReader 8 CLI - Want to cut down on paperwork? Electrify your archives with Abbyy's command line-based optical character recognition software.
  
• Issue 133 - Book review: CSS Cookbook - Style-challenged Nick tries a structured approach to web authoring.
  
• Issue 133 - HotPicks:  HotPicks - Ayam, Brain Party, Clockywock, Final Page, Fingerprint GUI, KXStich, Omron++, Ping, PyInstaller, Smb4K, Zim
  
• Issue 133 - Tutorial:  Python: Draw Koch snow - Nick puts his maths head on to combine Pythagoras' theorem, Python, Clutter and Cogls to produce beautifully fluffy Koch snowflakes.
  
• Issue 132 - Book review: Programming Google App Engine - Like a beardy angel, Nick likes to get stuck in clouds.
  
• Issue 132 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Advene, Armegatron, Darkstat, FBReader, gLabels, Gprog, Namebench, NeoTextureEdit, Pac, PyGTKPipes
  
• Issue 132 - Tutorial: Python: Animate your GUI - Clutter is all about building swish new interfaces. We spice up a GUI by adding some good behaviour to buttons.
  
• Issue 131 - Review: VueScan 8.6.10 - Nick can't believe his ears. Is this really a piece of scanning software that can recognise your scanner first time? On Linux?
  
• Issue 131 - Roundup: Photo managers - On test: Fotoxx, Picasa, Bibble Pro, Rawstudio, F-Spot, RawTherapee, Digikam, KPhotoAlbum
  
• Issue 131 - HotPicks: HotPicks - QMotion, Fubar, PCI Utilities, Electric, Gnumeric, XSensors, Worker, Turious, Kajongg, Jailkit, Florence
  
• Issue 131 - Tutorial: Python: Draw with Clutter - Clutter provides the interface, but, drawing on his graphics experience, our guru adds Cairo power to the mix to build a networked clock.
  
• Issue 130 - Review: Pardus 2009.1 - A government-endorsed Linux distro? Yes, and it's actually rather good, despite the lack of English documentation.
  
• Issue 130 - Roundup: Tiny distros - On test: Damn Small Linux, CrunchBang, Lubuntu, Puppy Linux, Slitaz, Tiny Core, Unity, VectorLinux
  
• Issue 130 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Gramps, Tea, Liferea, Fox, Hop, Font Manager, Iotop, Darktable, FreedroidRPG, Freeforth, Highlight
  
• Issue 130 - Tutorial: Python: Stream video - Combine the video power of GStreamer with the graphical cunning of Clutter and you get what is officially known as 'neat stuff'.
  
• Issue 129 - Review: Fluendo DVD Player - An excited Nick dims the lights, draws the curtains and plays DVDs.
  
• Issue 129 - Roundup: Twitter clients - On test: Spaz, Destroy Twitter, Twitux, Gwibber, Choqok, Tweetdeck, Mitter, Mixero
  
• Issue 129 - HotPicks: HotPicks - DFX2Papercraft, Usermin, Komparator 4, MP3 Diags, Evince, Amahi, Tremulous, Performous, Fotoxx, Terraform
  
• Issue 129 - Tutorial: Python: Clutter animations - Our evil code master gets his head in a spin with the help of a news feed and some clever clutter animations.
  
• Issue 128 - Review: Fedora 12 - Putting Ubuntu aside for a moment and donning his Red Hat, Nick wishes he were a network manager all of a sudden. Will we feel the same?
  
• Issue 128 - Roundup:  Antivirus software - On test: AVG Free, Avira Antivir Pro, ClamAV, Sophos, ClamTk, Avast, BitDefender.
  
• Issue 128 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Easy RPM Builder, Digikam, Hydrogen, KrossWordPuzzle, Kobold's Quest, Mathomatic, Shutter, PeaZip, Minitube
  
• Issue 128 - Tutorial:  Clutter: Code a system monitor - Tidying up some Python code with Clutter, we take you far from the command line to a new realm of technicolour graphical possibilities.
  
• Issue 127 - Review:  OpenSUSE 11.2 - It's lean, green, clean and has a lizard for a logo. No, not Nick - this is the latest version of Novell's open source distro...
  
• Issue 127 - Review: Shadowgrounds: Survivor - Step into the light as Nick takes on another ill-mannered alien horde.
  
• Issue 127 - Tutorial: Python: Using OAuth - We authorise an explanation of the OAuth specification to keep your login and password details secure online.
  
• Issue 126 - Review: Shadowgrounds - In the dark, nobody can see our intrepid reviewer. Or the hordes of mutant aliens coming towards them. Read on to find out which is worse...
  
• Issue 126 - Tutorial: Python: Get on the map! - Nick is plotting again, but this time it's for a good cause. Discover the most photogenic part of your neighbourhood with geodata maps...
  
• Issue 125 - Review:  Slackware 13.0 - Which distro was forged in the mists of time and still manages to stay relevant today?
  
• Issue 125 - Tutorial: Python: Mount a Google drive - On-demand document conversion with the Frankenstein's monster-esque mix of Google Docs, Python and Fuse.
  
• Issue 124 - Review: KDE 4.3 - Over 10,000 bugs have been fixed and 2,000 feature requests added, but has six months of development delivered a better desktop?
  
• Issue 124 - Tutorial: Python: Flickr uploader - Things in our Python lab are about to get GUI as we teach you how to upload pictures straight from the web to your desktop.
  
• Issue 123 - Review:  Alien Arena 7.30 - They come from space to steal your cows. Nick is out standing in his field and gibbering at the potential of this futuristic FPS.
  
• Issue 123 - Tutorial:  Python: Digg through XML - Part 4: We unlock the web's API with the power of XML. Your intrepid guide to all things Python won't rest until he has dug Digg.
  
• Issue 122 - Review: Fedora 11 - Is Leonidas heading for victory at last? We disassemble a phalanx of features to test the mettle of the latest Fedora release.
  
• Issue 122 - Tutorial: Python: I speak your tweets - Part 3: Nick continues his Dr Moreau-esque web experiments, this time creating a half-Python, half-Twitter servant that can talk.
  
• Issue 121 - Review: Jets'n'Guns Gold - Faster, kill, faster, upgrade, kill, bomb, maim, injure. Nick relieves the stress of the supermarket with some old-fashioned entertainment.
  
• Issue 121 - Tutorial: Python: Create a chatbot - Part 2: Think like could be better? It really could if you follow our advice and create a chatbot to do your bidding.
  
• Issue 120 - Tutorial: Python: Mash your web up - Part 1: Not content with leaving things well enough alone? We show you ho to subvert the web to fulfil your own purposes.
  
• Issue 112 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Bonnie++, Critterding, KChildlock, Leafpad, Lordsawar!, Nemo, ORDrumbox, Pidgin, Tofu, Wally
  
• Issue 111 - Review: KDE 4.1 - The initial KDE 4.0 release was too little, too early in Nick's book. Can version 4.1 redeem the Kool Desktop Environment?
  
• Issue 111 - Interview: Carl Worth - He's a Cairo developer and has spent six years of his life working on the vector graphics toolkit. He tells us why things are starting to get really interesting...
  
• Issue 110 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Misfit model 3D, ArchView, Oroboros, KAlarm, Be The Wumpus, Diamond Fighters, GET, DeVeDe, Eric, Ping
  
• Issue 109 - Review:  Penumbra: Black Plague - Dingy corridors? Blood-stained walls? Half-human zombies? No, Nick escapes LXF Towers for the day to immerse himself in a new 3D adventure.
  
• Issue 109 - Feature: Libre Graphics 2008 - Talented artists, developers and Nick joined forces recently for the third annual graphics get-together - here's what happened.
  
• Issue 108 - Review: Fedora 9 - Still showing the rest of the free world how things should be done, Fedora 9 scores a hit.
  
• Issue 107 - Review: Mandriva 2008.1 - Could 2008 be the year that Mandriva gloriously re-establishes itself as the premier user friendly Linux distro?
  
• Issue 106 - Review: Nagios 3.0 - Maintaining a network of machines has just got faster, if not easier. We check out the latest open source system monitor.
  
• Issue 106 - Roundup: Linux DVB devices - On test: TechnoTrend C2300 premium, TechnoTrend TT-1500, Hauppauge WinTV-Nova-S, Elgato EyeTV, TwinHan AzureWave, TechnoTrend TV Stick
  
• Issue 105 - Review: Celestia 1.5 - Explore the known universe without leaving the comfort of your own home. Nick may be sitting on the sofa, but he's looking at the stars...
  
• Issue 104 - Review:  Scribus 1.3.3.11 - Cross-platform open source desktop publishing is no longer merely one of Nick's funny dreams - creativity, fly and be free!
  
• Issue 102 - Review:  Autopano Pro 1.4 - Nick often finds himself with his back against the wall, but this time it's because he's trying to shoot a multi-picture panorama.
  
• Issue 99 - Feature: 10 great DIY projects - Create 3D anaglyphs from photos, hack your router, broadcast your webcam, build a Linux media server, child-proof your machine and much more...
  
• Issue 99 - Interview: Jack Aboutboul - Imagine that you could design your own distro online, just downloading an ISO containin the packages you need... With Revisor, you can. Fedora's Jack Aboutboul speaks.
  
• Issue 99 - Feature: Hot Topics - How do distro ground-troops feel about some of the most pressing issues in Linux today? We stirred up some debate with Debian and Gentoo developers at LinuxWorld 2007...
  
• Issue 99 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Cryosleep, Highlight, MikeOS, Transcode, Widelands, Open Movie Editor, CellWriter, Evince, Firewall Builder
  
• Issue 99 - Tutorial: Patching your own kernel - Patches can revolutionise your system by making everything interoperate more efficiently. Colonel Nick gives you your marching orders...
  
• Issue 98 - News: News extra: LinuxWorld 2007 - Team LXF pay a flying visit to San Francisco to check out one of the biggest Linux events of the year.
  
• Issue 98 - Review: VariCAD 2007 2.01 - Computer Aided Design on Linux? We can only imagine you want to use this app, unless any ofthe reader suggestions on the Mailserver page impress...
  
• Issue 98 - Feature: 48 Linux tricks - We all love Free Software, but sometimes it just doesn't work quite how we want it to. Team LXF put their heads together to figure out the top problems that people face on a daily basis, and went about fixing them for you...
  
• Issue 98 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Rawstudio, Simple Docbook Processor, Elastix, Krusader, KardsGT, Atomic Tanks, KBackup, PartImage, rlocate, Kflickr
  
• Issue 97 - Review: eSys ePC basic - It's not quite the $100 laptop, but this PC proves that the concept is getting closer every day. We investigate an option that's too good to be true, surely?
  
• Issue 97 - Interview: Louis Suarez-Potts - He's the Community Development Manager and Community Lead for the vast OpenOffice.org project. But what's he doing at the Libre Graphics Meeting?
  
• Issue 97 - What on Earth: OpenMoko - Whether you believe Charles Bourseul, Philipp Reis, Antonio Meucci or Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, the controversy rings a bell with Nick...
  
• Issue 97 - Tutorial: Manage music files with Python - Fed up with misleading tags and silly filenames? Don't put up with problems; code them out of existence with some Python magic.
  
• Issue 96 - Interview: Oyvind Kolas - One-time graphic student and demo artist, Kolas is at the heart of delivering the grail of Gimp developers: the GEGL engine. We went to Montreal, where he was delivering an update at the Libre Graphics Meeting...
  
• Issue 96 - Feature: Professional DTP with Scribus - So you think Linux can't cut it in the professional world? Perhaps you are right, but we aim to prove otherwise by constructing this entire feature using open source software.
  
• Issue 96 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Ktorrent, Planets, K3Dsurf, Eqonomise, PowerTOP, CheckGmail, ClaSS, Sqliteman, Pyawale, Symbolica
  
• Issue 95 - Interview: Interview: Jim McQuillan and Ron Colcernian - These two men founded the Linux Terminal Server Project eight years ago. Since then it has become an important springboard for many seeking to gain the power of terminal-based computing at low cost.
  
• Issue 95 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Tork, KSquirrel, Clonezilla, Eric, Sturmbahnfahrer, TaxiPilot, Misfit Model 3d, GraphMonkey, PeaZip
  
• Issue 94 - Review: Mandriva 2007 Spring Free - Metisse may spin you around, but is there anything past the eye candy?
  
• Issue 94 - Feature: Distro showdown - If you look beyond version numbers, what are the real differences between today's top Linux distros? We look at security, hardware compatibility, performance, community, software selection and more -- and find the best all-round distro.
  
• Issue 94 - Interview: Andreas Typaldos - He believes that not all businesses are willing (or able) to have a perfectly pure Linux setup. If Linux -- and his company, Xandros -- are to thrive, he tells LXF, they need to accept that it's a mixed platform world.
  
• Issue 94 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Semantik, Sylpheed, UADE, Gramps, Warzone 2010, Kwa, Fracplanet, Speedcrunch, MyMP3db, Viking
  
• Issue 93 - Review: Scribus 1.3.3.8 - Scribus is the best DTP software for Linux - but then, it's pretty much the only DTP software for Linux. Can it challenge the greats?
  
• Issue 93 - Interview: Jeremy Allison - He's an open source hero for quitting Novell, but Jeremy Allison just wants to work on Samba. And play Half-Life.
  
• Issue 93 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Kflickr, RecordMyDesktop, Anjuta, Virgil, Cedar Backup, Little Polish, Hinversi, KRename, Lm_sensors, Gambas
  
• Issue 92 - Review: Genius Look 316 - A web cam that supports Linux out the box? Can it be true?
  
• Issue 92 - Interview: Ian Murdock - These days he works on bringing order to what he describes as the "chaos" of Linux. But what does Ian Murdock think about how Debian, the project that he created, is being run?
  
• Issue 92 - HotPicks: HotPicks - Kdesvn, GREYCstoration, XML Copy Editor, Raw Studio, TuxWordSmith, UFO: AI, ClamTk, Nagios, KeyFrog, AcetoneISO
  
• Issue 91 - Review: Nokia N800 - The latest internet tablet from Nokia is here, with Linux on board and loads of new goodies...
  
• Issue 91 - Review: HP DVD940e - A drive that burns and labels discs? And works on Linux? The burning question: is it worth it?
  
• Issue 91 - Feature: Reinventing The Gimp - The Gimp has been awakened. We find out how it is being revitalised for the 2.4 upgrade, why the GEGL project looms large, and what other users are doing with the Linux graphics tool of choice.
  
• Issue 91 - Interview: Eric Allman - He's one of the fathers of Sendmail, and tells us about the past and present challenges for a system of communication that many now claim is a basic human right...
  
• Issue 90 - Tutorial: Grub: Hack your bootloader - The standard distro installation may boot itself very well, but what if you have a dozen operating systems to juggle?
  
• Issue 89 - What on Earth: Python 3000 - Rewriting a programming language, especially one as popular as Python, is no easy task. But is it time for something completely different?
  
• Issue 89 - Tutorial: Gimp: layers in ten minutes - If you've been neglecting layers, you're missing out on some powerful effects.
  
• Issue 88 - Review: DLAN 200 AVdesk - Plug in, turn on and surf's up - at some 200Mb per second - with the latest Devolo network kit.
  
• Issue 88 - Interview: Jim Zemlin - Open source is about free and open standards. But who actually sets the standards for Linux, and makes sure they are followed? Jim Zemlin has his work cut out...
  
• Issue 88 - Tutorial: RPM: Build your own packages - Packaging isn't just for Christmas. Learn how to make software install like it should all year round, by bundling it up as an RPM.
  
• Issue 87 - Review: Oxygen 7.2 - Creating tagged text should be exciting and fun! Brace yourself for an XML editor that is really well-formed.
  
• Issue 87 - Book review: Twisted Network Programming Essentials - Nick Veitch gets down with this off-beat Python paperback.
  
• Issue 87 - Feature: Fedora Core 6 uncovered - Infinity? Freedom? Is Fedora trying to corner the market on idealism? Why is a wiki better than DocBook? Who is actually in charge? We answer all the questions.
  
• Issue 87 - Interview: Nat Friedman - The release of SLED 10 proved that Linux is ready for the business desktop. The project leader is Nat Friedman, and he maps out his vision of the future.
  
• Issue 86 - News: EuroOSCon 2006 - A week with geeks in Brussels can only mean one thing: coding. And waffles. And lots of beer.
  
• Issue 86 - Review: Partition Manager 8.0 - NTFS support? Inconceivable! We try some software that could keep your hard drive firing on all cylinders.
  
• Issue 85 - News: LinuxWorld show report - Which technology would generate the loudest buzz this year? We hit the Moscone carpet to find out.
  
• Issue 84 - Review: AC3D 6 - Linux is blessed with 3D tools, but few were designed for ordinary users. Here's one you don't need a doctorate in astrophysics to play with.
  
• Issue 84 - Book review: Flickr Hacks - Two of Nick's favourite things in one book!
  
• Issue 84 - Feature: Mighty Reel - A first look at the media centre you can program yourself.
  
• Issue 84 - Tutorial: Greasemonkey: Mod the web! - Do you itch to improve even the best websites? Use Greasemonkey to get sites to work the way you want them to.
  
• Issue 82 - Review: SlickEdit 11 - A commercial text editor for programmers - is it worth paying to code?
  
• Issue 80 - Feature: Libre graphics - Adobe, Corel, Quark et al had better look over their shoulders - free software is catching up with them. We went to the first Libre Graphics Meeting, a landmark event for open source.
  
• Issue 79 - Review: Devolo MicroLink dLAN Highspeed - Powerline Ethernet gets a much needed super speed boost.
  
• Issue 79 - Roundup: Vector graphics editors - Shall I compare thee to a bitmap? Vector graphics are all the rage, so we test some of the best editors available for design, illustration or just doodling.
  
• Issue 79 - Feature: Move to Mepis! - Switching your OS? Making the right choice can be tricky, but before you make up your own mind, why not spend the weekend in Mepis?
  
• Issue 78 - Feature: Take your photos further - Open source offers all the tools you need to capture, edit, print and share your photographic masterpieces. Join us in the darkroom and learn the skills!
  
• Issue 78 - Tutorial: Realsoft 3D: SDS modelling - We help you get to grips with surface modelling - and a small, slippery fish...
  
• Issue 77 - What on Earth: Boo - We peek at an intriguing new language written by a Python lover with a vision.
  
• Issue 77 - Feature: At your service - Do you ever think your Linux box would be able to do more for you than start up OpenOffice.org and run Frozen Bubble all day? Give your PC some real work for a change by turning it into an internet superserver.
  
• Issue 77 - Tutorial: Realsoft 3D: Getting started - Get a head start with Realsoft 3D - follow Nick to draw a simple wine glass 3D object.
  
• Issue 76 - Review: Cedega 5.0.1 - Windows gaming on Linux? Cedega distils Wine into something more palatable...
  
• Issue 76 - Book review: Samba 3 By Example, 2nd Edition - An old friend explains things to Nick Veitch.
  
• Issue 76 - Tutorial: Fuse: Virtual filesystems - We delve into the kernel for an imaginative way to implement userspace filesystems.
  
• Issue 75 - Feature: Take on the tech of 2006 - Big things are promised for Linux in 2006, on the desktop and server - and for once, those aren't empty promises. We've seen the software of the future - downloaded it, installed it and even played with it - and want to share it with you...
  
• Issue 74 - Review: Maya 7 Unlimited - If this release was a chance to catch up on new features, the suite is all the better for it!
  
• Issue 73 - Book review: Astronomy Hacks - Observe Nick Veitch mixing with the stars.
  
• Issue 71 - Review: VariCAD 2005 - Its version numbers are now date-based - but has anything else changed?
  
• Issue 71 - Book review: Teach Yourself Perl in 24 Hours, 3rd Edition - Starting his stopwatch, Nick prepares to take things literally.
  
• Issue 71 - Interview: Mark Shuttleworth - He has transformed the Debian community by putting his money where his mouth is. The result is Ubuntu, but why was it started, where is it going in the future, and what does its success mean for Debian?
  
• Issue 70 - Book review: Python Cookbook, 2nd Edition - Nick slithers into the kitchen.
  
• Issue 69 - Review: Oxygen XML Editor 6.0 - The well-formed and completely valid Nick Veitch structures his opinions on this commercial editor.
  
• Issue 69 - Feature: Emulate! - Dust off the greatest games ever made - then play them using emulators for the Amiga, Spectrum, C64, Mega Drive, SNES, Arcade machines and more.
  
• Issue 69 - Feature: Linux at Wimbledon - Others may end up with the flowers, champagne and silverware at Wimbledon this week, but in the background Linux is doing all the hard work.
  
• Issue 69 - Interview: Alan Cox - He has the beard and the attitude to match - Alan Cox is the archetypal kernel hacker, and he's here to talk to you.
  
• Issue 68 - Review: Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional - A button is not a toy, we're given to understand. Certainly not when they cost over two quid each...
  
• Issue 68 - Book review: Linux Quick Fix Notebook - Nobody loves a quick fix more than Nick. Could the latest from the Bruce Perens Open Source Series be The One?
  
• Issue 68 - Feature: Infosecurity Europe 2005 - Every year, security pros and the paranoid converge on London for Europe's biggest IT event. This year Nick slipped past the guards to ring back this report.
  
• Issue 67 - Review: SlickEdit 10 - The world's slickest editor? We find out if there's more to life than Emacs...
  
• Issue 67 - Book review: Hardening Apache - Securing your server is a full-time job...
  
• Issue 67 - Feature: Command line vs the GUI - PC GUIs are 20 years old. Nick wants to get back to the console; Rebecca thinks he's mad. Here's their polite debate.
  
• Issue 66 - Review: Devolo MicroLink dLAN Starter Kit - Nick gets to the garage to test a winning alternative to wireless home LANs.
  
• Issue 66 - Book review: Knoppix Hacks - We look for buried treasure in the latest Hacks book.
  
• Issue 66 - Feature: Firefox - Take Back the Web - Firefox is one of the most successful open source projects ever. With help from its creator, Blake Ross, we reveal how it made the breakthrough in five key areas.
  
• Issue 66 - Interview: Stephen Tweedie - Writing a filesystem takes a programmer a cut above the rest. Writing a filesystem that's reliable to the extreme? Meet ext3 coder Stephen Tweedie...
  
• Issue 66 - Feature: Linux Pro: The next big threat? - Worried about the future? Given the growth of spyware, perhaps we all should be.
  
• Issue 66 - Feature: Linux Pro: Intruder alert! - Don't trust your defences to a firewall alone - set up some booby-traps with Tripwire.