My favorite Linux software of 2023
2023 was a great year for open source, in my opinion. Many of my old Linux software favorites got major updates or overhauls. Inkscape, Scribus, and Blender are more amazing than ever! Linux itself has become a lot easier and more stable thanks to the awesome kernel updates. I know some folks have issues with Wayland and\or systemd, but along with Pipewire, I think it’s a true competitor to Windows for most home users. My computers have never been this stable! Of course it all depends on your distro and desktop choice. I am using Ubuntu, which I avoided for years, but it works too well with System 76 hardware. I have also been running Gnome exclusively for a few years now.
Here are fifteen of my favorite Linux apps.
| Ocenaudio | Audio editor. |
| Zettlr | Writing, markdown. |
| Joplin | Notes. Great features and organization! Also syncs with iPhone, etc. |
| Midori | Web Browser. |
| Tabby | Terminal with SSH, sFTP. Has great theming and split sessions. |
| FBReader | E-Book reader and organizer. |
| Tiny Beast Dictionary | Dictionary. |
| Maestral | Dropbox client. Fast! |
| Upscayl | Image upscale utility. Great results. |
| GPU Screen Recorder | Screen recorder\caster. Replaced OBS for me. |
| Gnome Feeds | RSS\Atom news reader. Great organization. |
| CodeLobsterIDE | Web development IDE. PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, etc. |
| OnionMediaX | Audio\Video download & conversion utility. YouTube video to MP3. |
| JamesDSP | Live system audio processing and effects. |
| Atril Document Viewer | PDF viewer. The best I could find. You can print! |
If you’re into creating audio. I think you can’t beat Bitwig Studio, U-He plugins, and Atlas 2. Also, Sononym as an alternative to Atlas 2 is nice too. Those are proprietary products, but they really rock. 😉
I hope you find these useful and they make your computing more productive and fun!