Linux Lane

Linux is a friendly operating system; it just chooses its friends well.

I started using Linux in the autumn of 2000. As of this writing. It's been more than 25 years. A quarter century using it! Stuff adds up with time:

Or more recently:

And latest:

A look at Alpine Linux

I use BunsenLabs Linux, by the way. Other distributions I watch closely:

Salix: Linux for the lazy Slacker
antiX Linux: Proudly anti-fascist "antiX Magic" in an environment suitable for old and new computers.
The Void (Linux) distribution: Enter the void

DistroWatch.com remains an invaluable source of news.

Other links

Linux on Older Hardware: The Complete Revival Guide (2026) (24 June 2026) From dusty desk drawer to daily driver: a hands-on guide to reviving old hardware with lightweight Linux, zram tuning, and smart browser choices.

Ten + 1 Reasons to Avoid the Immutable Desktop (18 June 2026)

Flathub Draws a Hard Line on AI: No Vibe-Coded Apps Allowed, Period (30 May 2026) Burned-Out Flathub Maintainers Just Banned AI Code From the Linux App Store and Nobody Can Agree If It Was the Right Call

Linux is Getting a New Default Folder in Your Home Directory (28 April 2026) It may look like a small addition, but standardizing something many Linux users already do can improve workflows, application behavior, and even documentation over time.

France Launches Government Linux Desktop Plan as Windows Exit Begins (9 April 2026) France is transitioning government desktops to Linux, with each ministry required to formalize its implementation plan by autumn 2026.

Never-before-seen Linux malware is “far more advanced than typical” (14 January 2026)
Various desktop Linux tips for newbies (16 August 2025)
Unprecedented Linux Growth in Europe Amid Windows 10 End-of-Life (5 July 2025)
Linux File System Structure Explained (7 April 2024)
Why is Debian the way it is? (8 October 2023)
My Accessibility Stack and the future on Wayland (September 2023)
After 30 Years, Linux Finally Hits 3% Market Share (9 July 2023)
Bash alternatives to cloud products and platforms (2 July 2023)
Rant: year of Linux on the desktop (29 December 2022)
How Wine works 101 🍷 (10 October 2022)

SELinux is unmanageable; just turn it off if it gets in your way (2022-04-27) An object lesson in why policing must be transparent, accountable and flexible. Wait, what were we talking about?

Flatpak Is Not the Future (18 November 2021)
Debian's which hunt (28 October 2021)
Floppinux - An Embedded 🐧Linux on a Single 💾Floppy (22 May 2021)
5 reasons why I love coding on Linux (13 February 2021)
Systemd is bad parsing and should feel bad (October 2018)
The Fascinating World of Linux System Calls (17 December 2014)
Broken by design: systemd (9 February 2014)

History of UNIX Manpages and other things UNIX:

The trouble with symbolic links (7 July 2022)
Unix command line conventions over time (19 May 2022)
The history of *nix package management (15 August 2017)
Fonts on Unix (4 June 2017)
Screenshots from developers: 2002 vs. 2015 (10 December 2015)
The Birth of Standard Error (11 December 2013)

X11

Window Managers for X: A world of choice for your Linux/UNIX desktop

Wayland set the Linux Desktop back by 10 years (18 March 2026)

Forked-off Xlibre tells Wayland display protocol to DEI in a fire (10 June 2025) Project to modernize the X.org X11 server seems to actively court controversy

The X Window System is still hanging on at 40 (21 June 2024) Never underestimate the stickiness of legacy technology

The technical merits of Wayland are mostly irrelevant (31 August 2023)
Building an Alternative Ecosystem (14 September 2021)
Unix Shell: Philosophy, Design, and FAQs (26 January 2021)
A Neighbourly Solution to the 'X is Deprecated?!' Conundrum (29 October 2020)
on abandoning the X server (28 October 2020)

And from long ago: A day without X (21 May 2007)