Every week I hunt down useful software that runs on Linux computers, and while I don’t end up using all of them full-time, there are some that have stayed in my normal workflow. These are the apps that, looking back over the past year, were my favorite to write about and use myself.
Some of these apps you may already know, since they’re often promoted in Linux community discussion. It turns out, there’s a reason for all the attention and praise they get. Some are more obscure and more niche, and hopefully one of these will become a surprise addition to your workflow and daily habits like they were mine.
btop++
A beautiful system resource monitor in the terminal
The btop++ app is hands-down one of the most visually pleasing system resource managers out there for Linux while still being lightweight and useful. It’s widely available in Linux repositories, so you usually don’t need to go far to find it.
I default to using btop++ when I need to monitor how a Linux device is working. It’s easy to expand and close panels if you’re trying to zero-in on specific stats, and you can terminate or kill problematic processes via btop++ too.
cranny
Hourly music loops in the terminal
This extremely simple app for the Linux terminal caught my eye in part because of its unassuming looks and because of its appeal to ambient music enjoyers like me. Cranny is a music player that does one thing very well: looping single songs based on the time of day. At the top of every hour, the loop transitions to the next song in your playlist.
This might remind you of playing Animal Crossing, and that’s because it is in fact based on that. The creator wanted to make a terminal app that lets you play the Animal Crossing soundtrack, or any other music you have, just like you’d hear in the game.
Ferdium
Make web apps manageable
Ferdium is a free web app manager for Linux desktops. In case you don’t know, web apps are essentially websites you’re probably already using, like Gmail, YouTube, and Trello, that are meant to be used to like an app. Some desktop apps you use may have web app versions too, like Discord and Outlook.
Ferdium lets you put all of the web apps you use into one desktop application and organize them. You can create workspaces to group web apps into, like Work and Gaming, and switch between them as needed. You can also tile them in the app window.
GNOME Drum Machine
An easy way to get into making beats
GNOME Drum Machine was one of the most fun I tried. It’s a simple drum loop creator with several pre-made percussion sounds built-in. You can also upload and use your own samples if you have them, plus save sequences as MID files for use in other music-making apps.
Aside from just making noise, this GNOME app can export loops as MP3s along with metadata like the artist’s name and even cover art. Install it and you may accidentally start a journey into music creation.
Kando Menu
Swipe your way to efficiency
Of all the apps and utilities I tried, the Kando menu stands out as one of the most unique desktop extensions I’ve tried. It’s a “pie menu,” a touch gesture-based navigation tool letting you click and swipe to do everything from launching applications to browsing files to even running commands. Kando is ideal for a laptop, and it might make you forget about your keyboard.
Kando was originally a GNOME extension, and you actually still need to get the Kando integration GNOME shell extension to allow Kando to work under Wayland.
nnn
Browse your files from the terminal
The nnn tool is an ultra-fast file browser for the terminal. Install nnn and you can forget about typing cd and ls and other directory navigation commands over and over.
Aside from cruising through directories, you can filter for specific terms, create bookmarks, launch apps and open files, and put files in archives. Keep using nnn and you may never touch a graphical file browser again.
Turntable
Flexible, universal scrobbling
At this point, you might be noticing a pattern hinting at a hobby of mine: music. I listen to a lot of music and collect it too. I also like to scrobble my music so I can track my listening habits across whatever music source I may be using.
Turntable integrates with several scrobbling services, including Last.fm, ListenBrainz, Maloja, and Libre.fm. It’s also flexible in appearance, with actual turntable animations if you want them, plus cover art, and you can also make it run totally in the background if you prefer. It’s flexible to the way you prefer to scrobble.
MusicBrainz Picard
Find and apply music metadata fast
Do you have a digital music collection that needs organizing and proper tagging? The Picard app takes advantage of MusicBrainz’s vast library of music data and lets you quickly identify digital music, edit the metadata like artists, genres, and release date, then save multiple songs at once.
I like the way Picard makes it easy not just to identify music, but to find the right release version of that music. And yes, the app name is referencing a famous Star Trek character, and you will find fun references in the app.
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WTF
A customizable personal dashboard in the terminal
There are a lot of dashboard applications out there, but WTF is the only personal dashboard I’ve tried so far that appealed to my love for data and for easy-to-manage interfaces, all inside a Linux terminal.
WTF, also called wtfutil, gives you several modules you can mix and match to your personal interests and workflow. Most of the available modules are developer-oriented, like Git, DigitalOcean, and New Relic integration. But there are several general use ones you might appreciate, like time zones, Spotify, RSS feeds, and Todoist widgets.
Yakuake
Use the terminal like you’re playing Quake
Learning to work in the Linux terminal is all about efficiency. You can get even faster if you install a drop-down terminal like Yakuake. Just hit a key, and the terminal drops down onto your screen like you might remember from the game Quake. Type the commands you need, then hit the key again and it draws back up out of view until you need it again. Yakuake has become a mainstay on my Linux desktops.
Notably, while trying out Xfce, I couldn’t get Yakuake to work. Guake, the alternative built for GNOME, did work though. So if you’re on Xfce or GNOME, I recommend that instead.