3 more neat Linux apps and tools to try
Trying this week: a map exploration app that's fully global, a better command for reading files, and a drawing app that makes pixel art easy.
Did you just put Linux on a computer for the first time but don't know what apps to install on it? I search every week for useful Linux apps, and these are three that are definitely worth a try.
bat: A better cat
One of the first commands you learn in any introduction to the Linux command line is cat. Typically you'd use it to quickly read the contents of a file. The cat command has its limits, though, and sometimes you might want a little extra potency in your Linux commands.
Replace your cat workflow with bat and you'll have a more robust file reading experience. It shows line numbers, it adds syntax highlighting, there's built-in paging by default. It also has a command line with functions like text search, as you can see me using in the video above.
Why I like it
I like that you get a vim-like experience with the default bat command, except that exiting is as easy as hitting the q key.
How to get it
You can install the bat command from just about any Linux software repository. In fact, it's often installed by default, so you can try running it before one using one of these commands to install it:
sudo apt install bat #Debian and Ubuntu
sudo dnf install bat #Fedora
sudo pacman -S bat #Arch
sudo zypper install bat #openSUSE
Marble: The whole world in your PC
Ever wanted a maps app that gave you a more global view of the world? KDE Marble lets you explore planet earth (or the moon) from an orbital perspective. Just click and drag the "marble" to move around, zoom in and out, and admire the constellations that are aligned with the current position of the earth.
Marble also lets you switch between views, including a basic atlas that shows the terrain, OpenStreetMap to see streets and building names, maps of average temperatures and precipitation at different times of the year, and more. You can search for specific locations, bookmark them, and create printable routes for trip planning.
Why I like it
Maybe my favorite aspect of Marble is that the earth itself is animated and rotates in real time, and you can also move forward and backward in time to see where objects will be located at a given time. There's a recording feature, too, to capture those movements and changes.
Marble reminds me of the star gazing software that came on CD-ROM with the telescope I had as a kid. A lot of fun for curious minds.
Jordan Gloor
How to get it
Marble is available through many Linux software repositories, including on Flathub, so you'll likely find it just by searching your software manager. Otherwise, you can run one of these commands in your terminal.
sudo apt install marble #Debian and Ubuntu
sudo dnf install marble #Fedora
sudo pacman -S marble #Arch
sudo zypper install marble #openSUSE
Pixelorama: Draw and animate in pixels
You can make pixel art in any drawing app if you work hard enough. But what if there was a graphics app just for making pixel art? And what if it had built-in tools for animating it and exporting it for game asset creation?
Meet Pixelorama, a free and open source app that meets those requirements and happens to run on Linux. It's built-in 2D and 3D shape tools make retro-style artwork a cinch, and it's built to be compatible with game creation engines. The timeline at the bottom lets you create animations, and the new non-destructive animation layering feature that debuted in Pixelorama version 1.2 makes that even easier.
Why I like it
I'm not a graphics artist, but I had a fun and surprisingly smooth experience creating the favicon for my personal website with Pixelorama.
How to get it
The simplest way to get Pixelorama is via Flathub. If your software manager is Flathub-enabled, you can try searching it first. Otherwise, you can use the web app version of Pixelorama on Itch.io.
That's all for this week. If you're new to my website, you can check out the full archive of app recs to discover more free, useful Linux apps.
