3 cool and useful Linux apps to try
This week I'm taking a look at an expense tracking tool for the terminal, a simple file server generator, and a fun drum machine.
Don't know what to do next with your Linux computer? Every week I look for free and open source Linux software that works well and is useful for everyday desktop work. Here's this week's finds.
Bagels: Track your expenses in the terminal
If you like to be productive in the Linux terminal, and you don't trust third-parties to handle your financial data, you may want to try Bagels. It's an expense tracking app with an attractive terminal interface
You start Bagels by creating an account (which can represent anything from a credit card report to an employee expense account) Bagels stores your data in a local database that you can export to other devices whenever you want.
Jordan Gloor
Why I like it
I recently decided to start tracking my expenses and income manually again, and Bagels has actually made me think about my purchases differently. The manual entry process makes it feel like every cent counts.
How to get it
Bagels isn't widely available, but those running an Arch-based Linux distribution can get it from the AUR with yay -Ss bagels. It can also be installed through the Pipx package manager with pipx install bagels or through Homebrew with brew install bagels.
Once you've installed it, you can just type bagels into your terminal, and you'll be greeted by a neat animation.
copyparty: An ultra easy file server
Have files to share between devices but don't want to use a third party service? One of the simplest and fastest solutions is a little program called copyparty. It's a file server that can run directly on your computer (or a mini PC or a Raspberry Pi) that can do just about anything a cloud provider can do, but it's all local.
The copyparty program is also light as a feather, meaning you don't need a high-powered NAS to run it. In fact, all you technically need is Python installed on your system (which already is on just about every Linux distribution).
As you can see in my screen recording, uploads are very fast. There are tons of extra features and extensions that can be used for advanced file management, like indexing and thumbnails. You can optionally enable specific server types, like FTP, SFTP, SMB, and more. There's a built-in music player, a note-taking tool, advanced search tool, just to scratch the surface of copyparty's capabilities. The more you use it, the more you'll learn there is.
Why I like it
What I really like about copyparty is that it holds your hand throughout the setup process. It doesn't assume you're an expert at managing file servers, and instead it gives you hints and instructions from the moment you try to run it. There's also a ton of documentation, and multiple ways to install copyparty.
How to get it
Maybe the simplest way to install copyfile is to download and run copyfile-sfx.py from the latest copyfile GitHub release. Arch users can also get it from Arch's "Extra" repository with sudo pacman -S copyparty, and it's also available through Fedora Linux's repositories with sudo dnf install copyparty.
GNOME Drum Machine: A simple beat-maker
Ever thought about making electronic music but wasn't sure where to get started? An extremely simple option that's also free and open source is GNOME Drum Machine. It's part of the GNOME Circle collection of apps, and it's built to fit into the GNOME desktop while letting you easily create simple beats.
Creating sounds is as easy as clicking a button, which enables its sound in the sequence. Press play, listen to how it sounds, and click more sound buttons to add or remove them live. Adjust the BPM for songs at different speeds, and even add your own sounds with the sample uploader.
When you're done creating a beat, you can save the pattern as a MIDI file or export the audio as an MP3 with a song title, artist name, and even cover art.
Why I like it
GNOME Drum Machine is just fun. I'm not a musician, but it didn't take long for me to start making loops. I also like the built-in patterns that give you a launch pad to make music in different moods and styles.
How to get it
GNOME Drum Machine is available from Flathub, so you can likely install it just by searching your software manager. If you're running Ubuntu Linux, you can also install it via the command line with sudo apt install drum-machine.
If you're still looking for useful Linux software, be sure to check out my archive of Linux app recommendations. You should also subscribe to the newsletter below to get them in your inbox every week.
