AB9IL.net: Skywave Linux v5.5 Release Message

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Fellow Linux and SDR enthusiasts...

Here is a brief message to blog to advise that I have upgraded Skywave Linux to version 5.5, bringing a kernel upgrade, feshened SDR lists, along with software updates and bug fixes. Although this release retains a 5.x version numbering, some of the changes are significant.

  1. We are now on Xanmod's Linux Kernel 6.13, which has some nice efficiencies, optimizations, and broadened hardware support. There are some bleeding-edge versions of Kernel 6.14 out, but I decided to let that series mature more before using it in Skywave Linux. It was enough of a battle getting this release working smoothly with the latest Debian Sid package upgrades. Recent upgrades broke the X server for several days. It was a real mess until I set up some systemd units to properly start the Xserver and DWM. You might not notice the difference boot time, but it is indeed a little faster and much more reliable.
  2. Most of the utilities and scripts associated with Skywave Linux, such as the wrappers for SuperSDR and Sshuttle, are based on originals stored in my Github repositories. The binaries or scripts are now cloned from the repos to /usr/local/src and symlinked to /usr/local/bin. Maintenance is easier, as they can now be updated with a simple "git pull."
  3. Some tools have been changed for efficiency and to use data files in csv format, instead of odd mixtures of spaces and quotations.
    • Csv data can be more easily edited, parsed, and otherwise managed.
    • The Internet Radio Playlist no longer needs a template, and can handle thousands of stations.
    • SuperSDR-Wrapper now also uses csv files, loading parsed SDR server and station data into Pandas dataframes.
  4. Note-taking is better now in Skywave Linux:
    • Obsidian now gets its own keybind:Super + O.
    • I crafted a nifty terminal-based note sorter and editor, available with Super + Shift + O. Hit the Fkey for deep, recursive searching through all subfolders.
  5. Two AI chatbots are available in the terminal: Go-Tgpt and Python-Tgpt. They are related projects, written respectively in Golang and Python, with plenty of options in terms of AI models you can query.
    • Python-tgpt can use more than 40 models.
    • Go-tgpt has access to fewer models, but they are quite good.
    • Pick a model with the quality and speed you need; most allow anonymous access and don't require an API key.
  6. Wezterm multiplexing is set up and running smoothly. Therefore, pop-up terminals available on keys Super + Enter and Ctrl - Alt - T are now set to open a clean Wezterm, with no Tmux. Split your panes with the same key combos: Ctrl + A, \ or Ctrl + A, - (that's the pipe key or dash key, with no shift needed).
  7. Separately from the bootable iso file, I have created a converter script. It transforms Debian (or its derivatives) into an equivalent Skywave Linux operating system. It can install the scripts, utilities, fonts, and configuration files. If you want to try it on a minimal Debian, Xebian, Mint LMDE, or MX Linux rig, look for it in the downloads section here on SourceForge.

Over the last month, I have divided my time equally between Python-Tgpt, Go-Tgpt, and the Leo chatbot, which runs in the Brave Browser. The quality of responses varies somewhat between the models used, but they are each useful in exploring different topics and working on software programming, radio science, and the like. Every now and then the AI models give wrong answers, so accomplish some due diligence before you base risky actions on something you get from an AI machine.

Skywave Linux is the bootable, self-contained live Linux environment which gives you access to live, over the air radio signals and streaming media from around the world. No strings attached. Skywave Linux is free as in "freedom" and free as in "free beer."

Cheers,
Phil C / Skywave Linux


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