Linux Out Loud

Welcome back to another episode of Linux Out Loud! In this episode, Wendy, Nate, Matt, and Bill dive into the wild world of Linux with tales of netbook resurrection, ESP32 adventures, and AUR nightmares. Nate brings his trusty netbook back from the dead, proving that even the most stubborn hardware can have a second life. Bill takes us on a journey into the ESP32 world, sharing his latest projects and the unexpected challenges that come with tinkering at the hardware level. Wendy shares her harrowing experience with the Arch User Repository, where one wrong move can turn a simple package install into a full-blown disaster. Along the way, the crew discusses Bluetooth relays saving the day, Wazuh tinkering for better security, keyboard battles, 3D printer adventures, finding browser zen, and the surprising benefits of UPS battery backups. Whether you're a seasoned Linux veteran or just starting your open-source journey, there's something here for everyone. Don't forget to subscribe for more Linux fun!

Show Links:

Veronica Explains Video: https://youtu.be/E7vFdy4BEAY

Trinity Desktop: https://www.trinitydesktop.org

Marklite.app: https://marklite.app

SSHFS: https://github.com/libfuse/sshfs

Wazuh (SIEM/XDR): https://wazuh.com

MeshCentral: https://github.com/Ylianst/MeshCentral

ESP32 Documentation: https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32/overview

X104 Full-Size Keyboard: https://rkgamingstore.com/products/x104-full-size-keyboard

APC UPS 1500VA/900W (BR1500MS2): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TBXFHTH

Vivaldi Browser: https://vivaldi.com

Zen Browser: https://zen-browser.app

Linux Out Loud 122: https://youtu.be/wMJsrC122ww

Connect with the Hosts on Discord:

Matt – @Dark1ltg

Wendy – @Wendy.sh

Nate – CubicleNate.com @CubicleNate

Bill – @ctlinux on Mastodon

Special Guest: Bill.

Description:

Nate hosts a hardware‑heavy patch day as Wendy upgrades her main workstation from a Ryzen 9 3900X to a 5950X, experiments with 3D‑printed retro ITX cases, and shares updates on her MOVA V50 robot vacuum and UniFi travel router. Matt tunes an HP Omen Transcend 14 with OmenCTL and gives an MSI Trident 3 a GPU transplant, while Nate resurrects a retired Dell R740 into a TrueNAS‑powered “Franken‑NAS” built from leftover 16 TB drives and budget SFP+.

Show Links:

Wendy

Ryzen 9 5950X vs Ryzen 9 3900X

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-Ryzen-9-5950X-vs-AMD-Ryzen-9-3900X/4086vs4044

3D artist profile (retro ITX cases)

https://www.cgtrader.com/designers/sgw32

Retro-style mini ITX PC case

https://www.printables.com/model/1225304-retro-style-mini-itx-pc-case

ITX llama retro mini ITX case

https://www.printables.com/model/1165579-itx-llama-retro-mini-itx-case

Amiga-style mini ITX case

https://www.printables.com/model/1351873-amiga-style-mini-itx-case

MOVA V50 Ultra Complete Robot Vacuum

https://us.mova.tech/products/mova-v50-ultra-complete-robot-vacuum

UniFi Travel Router

https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/utr

Matt

OmenCTL (HP Omen control utility)

https://github.com/yunusemreyl/OmenCtl

Sky Break (delisted game archive)

https://archive.org/details/sky-break_delisted

Nate

TrueNAS

https://www.truenas.com/

Rockstor

https://rockstor.com/

Wendy is back from hauling robots to Texas and getting ready to drive another one to California, so the crew leans hard into life on the road with Linux. Bill talks about moving his systems over to Bazzite, tells the story of an overworked NVIDIA 1080 that literally ate into another GPU, and explains how HomeBridge 2.0 keeps his smart‑home world humming. Nate shares his first impressions of Tux Manager, a Linux clone of the classic Windows Task Manager, and walks through the Framework‑plus‑Flip‑Go combo that makes his roaming setup feel like CubicleLabs away from home.

From Steam Decks and One X Players to UniFi travel routers and noise‑canceling headphones, everyone opens their travel bags and talks about the gear they actually trust when Wi‑Fi is sketchy and power outlets are rare. Wendy also geeks out over her new MOVA V50 robot vacuum, complete with a dedicated “Sentinels” Wi‑Fi SSID, and how little self‑hosted comforts make a hotel room feel just a bit more like a homelab. Along the way, there are jokes about Ethernet‑cable hair, data having weight, and why the best layover is the one where your SSH tunnel actually connects.

If you’re curious about the recent Linux vulnerabilities and the ABCs of CVEs, don’t miss SUDO Show 76, where they break it all down in a fun and informative way.

Connect with the Hosts on Discord:

Matt – @Dark1ltg

Wendy – @Wendy.sh

Nate – CubicleNate.com @CubicleNate

Bill – @ctlinux on Mastodon

Special Guest: Bill.

Matt is back in the driver’s seat, and it feels like coming home to a homelab with a few extra blinking lights. In this episode of Linux Out Loud, he, Wendy, and Nate catch up on VDO.Ninja recording experiments, robotics‑world travel plans, and why old Surface hardware is happier running openSUSE than “almost‑retired” Windows. Nate walks through upgrading Home Assistant from an overworked Raspberry Pi 3 to a Lenovo ThinkCentre with over 115 devices, plus his plans for fully local smart‑home control and a Star Trek‑style “red alert” scene. Matt dives into CasaOS for easy containerized media hosting, GameVault as a self‑hosted Steam‑like library for GOG and DRM‑free games, and Pegasus Frontend for building your own living‑room console UI—then talks about reviving Game Sphere with a focus on digital ownership and realistic budget gaming.

Show Links:

VDO.Ninja – browser‑based P2P video rooms – https://vdo.ninja/

FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship venue – George R. Brown Convention Center – https://www.grbhouston.com/

openSUSE Tumbleweed – rolling release Linux – https://get.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/

Home Assistant – open‑source home automation – https://www.home-assistant.io/

HACS – Home Assistant Community Store – https://hacs.xyz/

Tasmota – open‑source firmware for smart devices – https://tasmota.github.io/docs/

Framework founder Nirav Patel compares Apple “Neo” vs Framework Laptop 12 – https://youtu.be/uvYt1GgcsUI

Framework Laptop 12 – modular, repairable laptop – https://frame.work/laptop12

iFixit Surface Pro 7 battery replacement guide (right‑to‑repair context) – https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+7+Battery+Replacement/144417

CasaOS – simple home cloud / container UI – https://www.casaos.io/

GameVault – self‑hosted game library / launcher – https://github.com/Phalcode/gamevault

Pegasus Frontend – cross‑platform game frontend – https://pegasus-frontend.org/

GOG.com – DRM‑free games (source for Matt’s library) – https://www.gog.com/

Steam – PC game platform (and the piracy vs preservation discussion) – https://store.steampowered.com/

Connect with the Hosts on Discord:

Matt – @Dark1ltg

Wendy – @Wendy.sh

Nate – CubicleNate.com @CubicleNate

In this spring‑cleaned episode of Linux Out Loud, Wendy, Bill, and Nate dust off their homelabs and see just how far Linux can push “retired” hardware. Bill talks about guiding a Linux‑first startup, Fyra Stack, as they build a colo and VPS business in downtown Chicago, wiring it all together with Proxmox, PostgreSQL, Snipe‑IT, and osTicket—plus a few cursed Zigbee light bulbs along the way. Nate dives into one of his favorite pastimes: installing openSUSE Tumbleweed on everything from a 2007 white MacBook to a 2015 MacBook Air and a pair of well‑worn Surface Pros, comparing battery life, sleep quirks, and how “modern” Plasma feels on ancient gear. Wendy rounds things out with creative test‑taking workarounds using ChromeOS Flex and a quick look at VDO.Ninja for remote recording, before the trio wraps up the cleaning spree.

Show Links:

Fyra Stack – Linux‑focused startup (colo and VPS) – https://fyrastack.com/

Proxmox VE – virtual environment and homelab hypervisor – https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-ve

PostgreSQL – open‑source relational database – https://www.postgresql.org/

Snipe‑IT – open‑source IT asset management – https://snipeitapp.com/

osTicket – open‑source support ticket system – https://osticket.com/

openSUSE Tumbleweed – rolling release Linux – https://get.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/

MX Linux – lightweight Linux for older hardware – https://mxlinux.org/

Arch Linux – general‑purpose rolling Linux distribution – https://archlinux.org/

ChromeOS Flex – ChromeOS for older PCs and Macs – https://chromeenterprise.google/os/chromeos-flex/

iFixit – repair guides (example: Surface Pro 7 battery replacement) – https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+7+Battery+Replacement/144417

Framework Laptop 12 – modular, repairable laptop – https://frame.work/laptop12

StarLabs Starlite – Linux laptop – https://us.starlabs.systems/products/starlite

VDO.Ninja – peer‑to‑peer live video – https://vdo.ninja/
Special Guest: Bill.