7-ZipFile archiver by Igor Pavlov built around the open 7z format and the LZMA algorithm, offering some of the strongest general-purpose compression ratios available. Its compression code is in the public domain and used far beyond the program itself.ClonezillaDisk imaging and cloning system from Taiwan's NCHC that backs up or deploys entire disks and partitions, supporting mass deployment to dozens of machines at once. A cornerstone tool for system preservation and recovery.fish shellThe "friendly interactive shell": autosuggestions, syntax highlighting and sane completions that work out of the box, with no configuration required. Recently rewritten from C++ to Rust entirely in the open.FlatpakDistribution-independent application packaging and sandboxing for the Linux desktop: one build runs everywhere, with portals mediating access to user data. Together with Flathub it gave the free desktop a common software channel.GPartedGraphical partition editor for creating, resizing and moving disk partitions across every common filesystem, usually run from its bootable live image. For twenty years the tool reached for when disks must be reorganised without losing data.Home AssistantOpen source home automation hub that puts local control and privacy first, integrating thousands of devices without any cloud dependency. Under the Open Home Foundation it is one of the most active open source projects in the world.libvirtToolkit and daemon providing a stable, hypervisor-neutral API for managing virtual machines, storage and virtual networks — the management layer beneath most open source virtualisation stacks.Linux kernelThe kernel started by Linus Torvalds in 1991 that, together with the GNU userland, powers most of the world's servers, all of the top-500 supercomputers, billions of Android devices and countless embedded systems. It is the largest collaborative software project in history.PodmanDaemonless container engine that runs OCI containers rootless by default, closing the security gap of an always-on root daemon while staying command-line compatible with Docker.QEMUGeneric machine emulator and virtualizer able to run software built for one architecture on any other — the backbone of Linux virtualisation with KVM, and the tool that lets preserved operating systems and software of the past actually run today.rsyncThe classic tool for efficient file synchronisation and backup, transferring only the differences between source and destination with its delta algorithm. For nearly three decades the workhorse behind mirrors, backups and archives everywhere.tmuxTerminal multiplexer that splits one terminal into many persistent sessions, windows and panes — work survives disconnects and continues exactly where it stopped. Indispensable for remote administration.
