Linux is everywhere, even when it looks and feels nothing like the desktop operating system most people think of when they hear the name.Add How-To Geek on Google Add as Preferred Source Follow on Google Discover That's because there's a difference between the Linux "kernel" and all the things that are bolted onto it when creating a "distro." When you install Linux on your computer, you're also installing a desktop environment and a bunch of other software modules that allow the kernel to manage and perform jobs we associate with desktop PCs.However, that's all optional, which is why you might be surprised that these gadgets you already own have a Linux heart under all the proprietary window dressing.
Best of all, in some cases, that fact lets you do some pretty cool things.Your LG TV can stream games from your PC Good news about LG TV software? It can happen! There are various ways to use remote play on your smart TV, even if it doesn't have a Steam Link app.If you own an LG TV, then its Linux-based WebOS operating system can run Moonlight TV.
This pairs with the Sunshine app.An alternative, self-hosted game streaming solution.Sunshine and Moonlight have developed a reputation among PC gamers as having even better image quality and performance than Steam Remote Play, and they work with the games you already have.
Once you have both sides of the equation set up, with a sufficient amount of bandwidth on your local network, you can play your PC games on your LG TV as if the PC were plugged directly into the screen.Your eReader can make a page-sized PDF readable on a pocket-sized screen It's a plugin paradise Close Popular eReaders like the Amazon Kindle and Rakuten Kobo product lines all run on a custom Linux distro.In the case of Kindles, you have to jailbreak them.
This removes the locks Amazon put in place, preventing you from running unsanctioned software.It's especially handy to do when your Kindle is no longer supported by Amazon, in which case, it's your only option unless you want to just throw a working device away.In the case of Kobo devices, it's not really jailbreaking.
It's just a simple unlock process using a few zip files and an installer, and you're good to go.With both of these devices ready to receive custom software, you can install KOReader, which is an advanced document viewer that many people prefer to the default ones included with these devices.Most importantly, KOReader contains PDF reflow tools that make these documents readable on an eReader.
The default document readers don't do a great job here, especially with scanned PDFs that don't have text data in them.Your router can block ads for devices that can’t run a blocker It's just a little computer with antennas after all A router is just a specialized network computer.It has a CPU, RAM, storage, and operating system.
For the vast majority of consumer-grade routers, that operating system is Linux, although it's usually quite locked down.However, if you own a router model that's compatible with the free OpenWrt firmware, you can unlock a vast set of options and upgrades.For example, some routers physically have the hardware to use features like an on-board VPN, but manufacturers artificially disable that in order to create some segmentation between cheaper and more expensive models.
Running an integrated VPN is one of the main reasons people look for custom router firmware in the first place, but another near superpower is ad-blocking.By installing the OpenWrt ad-blocking service, you can prevent ad-serving domains from a central list from running traffic on your LAN.This effectively blocks those ads, and works on the same principle a Pi-Hole does.
You just don't need an entire extra box to achieve the result.Of course, DNS-based ad-blocking isn't 100% effective.If a domain is not in the list, it can't be blocked.
Some domains are also mixed, serving both ads and content that you actually want.So if you blocked those domains, you'd be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.Still, it's better than nothing, and as with all router-based services, every device in your home benefits, even the ones that can't run ad-blockers.
Smart TVs and streaming boxes are a good example, but are also the most likely to sneak ads through on otherwise legitimate channels with content you actually want.Linux is the kernel of truth in so many devices The Linux kernel is in everything from security cameras to cheap handheld gaming emulator devices, and chances are a huge chunk of the things you use every day contain this software.Whether that allows you to do anything special with that device varies on an individual basis.
The examples above showcase what can be done when people think outside the literal plastic box in question, and let the little-kernel-that-could be free to do its thing.
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