Linux is a versatile operating system. Many computer users around the world use the Linux operating system to complete their tasks. There are some applications that are helpful to boost the user experience. In this article, I will discuss the 15 best unknown Linux apps to aid in your day-to-day experience.
List of 15 Best Unknown Linux Apps to Increase Your Productivity
Here, I have listed the 15 best unknown Linux apps to increase your productivity as a Linux user.
1. HomeBank: Personal Financial-Accounting Software
If you have a bank account and you want to manage this bank account in a safe and secure way, HomeBank is an efficient, engaging, and convenient-to-use application for managing your bank accounts. It provides lots of necessary tools such as easy analysis with graphs.
System Requirement
To install the HomeBank Application, you have to meet the following requirements.
- Hardware: 11 MB (Mega Byte) of disk space is required to install this application.
- You can use the HomeBank application on Ubuntu, Debian, OpenSUSE, Fedora, Mandriva, Gentoo Linux, and Arch Linux distro of Linux.
Installation Process
Run the following command into the terminal to install the HomeBank into your Linux.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mdoyen/homebanksudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install homebankReasons to Use
- Easy to import from Quicken, Microsoft Money, or other software.
- Easy to import bank account statements.
- Detection of the duplicate transaction at import.
- Multiple currencies with online updates.
- Automatic cheque numbering.
Reasons to Avoid
Mention worthy drawback of the HomeBank application is the lack of support.
2. Xfce Terminal: Terminal Emulator
There are three terminals available for Linux but the Xfce terminal is the lightest application among them. It has unlimited features including drop-down, unlimited scrolling, tab, full color, font, and transparent background. The user interface is quite simple and user-friendly.
System Requirement
- Hardware: For Ubuntu-based distro, Xubuntu minimum requirements are as follows:
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Hard Disk Space: 7.5 GB.
- Graphics Card and Monitor capable of 800×600 resolution.
- You can use the Xfce Terminal application in the Xubuntu, MX Linux, Manjaro, Kwort, Mythbuntu, and Pentoo distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Run the following command into the terminal to install the Xfce terminal into your Linux.
sudo apt install xfce4-terminalReasons to Use
- Lightweight development.
- Simple to use.
- Easy to manage files.
- The environment is stable.
- Easy to configure.
Reasons to Avoid
It might not have some advanced features or options that other terminal emulators offer such as tabs, split views, transparency, etc. It may not support some keyboard shortcuts or commands that are common to other terminal emulators.
3. ClamAV: Antivirus App
ClamAV is an antivirus for your Linux system. It can identify and relocate any virus-infected files in your system.
System Requirement
- Hardware: It requires 2 GB RAM.
- This application is available for the Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS distros of Linux.
Installation Process
To install the ClamAV execute the following command into the command prompt.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install clamav clamav-daemonReasons to Use
- It is open source.
- Free software.
- Available on many Linux Distro.
Reasons to Avoid
Only limited to the command line interface.
4. TinyCA: Reliable Certificate Authority
TinyCA is an entity to issues digital certificates to ensure identities on the internet. It is available in a wide variety of languages.
System Requirement
This application is available for the Debian and Gentoo distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Run the following command into the terminal to install TinyCA.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install tinycaReasons to Use
- Unlimited (Certificate Authority)CAs are possible.
- Support for creating and managing SubCAs.
- Available in a wide variety of languages (e.g.: C, C++, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, and PHP).
Reasons to Avoid
This application is too costly.
5. MultiTail: Logfiles Displayer
MultiTail is an open-source utility that can display multiple log files to the standard output in a single window.
System Requirement:
This application is available for RHEL, CentOS, Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint distros of Linux.
Installation Process
To install MultiTail run the following command into the command prompt.
For RHEL/CentOS/Fedora distro:
yum install -y multitailFor Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint distro:
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install multitailReasons to Use
- It enables you to use multiple input sources.
- It provides color display using regular expressions in case of important information.
- Line filtering.
- Interactive menus for adding and deleting shells.
Reasons to Avoid
Limited cross-platform support and high system resource usage is the key drawback of using the MultiTail application in Linux.
6. BloGTK: Blog Writing Utility
BloGTK is a utility to write and post multiple blogs from a Linux desktop.
System Requirement
This application is available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch Linux distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Execute the following command into the terminal to install the BloGTK.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install blogtkReasons to Use
- It provides a built-in spellchecker.
- It saves the posts to disk as XML that can be read in other applications.
- Works with the Weblog, WordPress, Habari, Windows Live Spaces, etc. platforms.
Reasons to Avoid
It may not support some blogging platforms or features that are newer or less common. It may not have a user-friendly interface or documentation for beginners.
7. Giver: File Sharing Platform
If you are looking for an application to transfer files within a Local Area Network(LAN) then Giver is the right solution to serve your purpose. You can easily share a file with a user within the LAN.
System Requirement
This application is available for Linux Mint distros of Linux.
Installation Process
To install Giver, run the following command into the terminal.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install giverReasons to Use
You can instantly share files within the LAN whenever necessary.
Reasons to Avoid
It may not work well with some network configurations or firewalls. It may not support some file formats or sizes that are larger than 2 GB.
8. Transkode: Audio Transcoding Tool
Transkode is a KDE/Qt-based frontend for various audio transcoding tools. It converts audio files between different formats.
System Requirement
This application is available for Kubuntu, Fedora KDE, Manjaro KDE, etc. distros of Linux.
Download link
You can download the Transkode from this link.
Reasons to Use
- It can convert audio files between different formats such as wav, mp3, mpc ogg, flac, etc.
- It can adjust various parameters of the output files such as bitrate quality sample rate, channels, etc.
- It can use multiple threads to speed up the transcoding.
Reasons to Avoid
It may not support some audio formats or codecs that are newer or less common. It may have some bugs or compatibility issues with some Linux distributions or versions.
9. Floola: An Efficient iPod and Motorola Manager
Floola is a free software to efficiently manage your iPod or Motorolla application. It is a standalone application that can run directly from your iPod and needs no installation under MacOS, or Linux.
System Requirement
This application is available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch Linux distros of Linux.
Download Link
By visiting this link, you can download the Floola application.
Reasons to Use
- It is a freeware application that can manage iPods or Motorola mobile phones.
- It can copy, rename, delete, or add songs and videos to your device without using iTunes.
- It can convert any audio or video format that is compatible with your device.
Reasons to Avoid
It is discontinued and no longer updated as the last release was in 2012. It might have an instability issue when syncing large amounts of data.
10. GIMP: Art and Design App for Linux
GIMP is an advanced cross-platform picture editor for graphic designers in Linux. It is a free and open-source image manipulation program.
System Requirement
This application is available for Debian, and Ubuntu distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Run the following command into the terminal to install the GIMP application.
apt-cache search ^gimpsudo apt install gimpapt-cache search gimp | grep ^gimpsudo apt install gimp-plugin-registryReasons to Use
- It can open and edit PSD.
- Open-source.
- It develops files of tiny size.
- It has a customizable user interface.
Reasons to Avoid
The interface of this application is a little cluttered.
11. Cheese Webcam Booth: Photobooth-inspired GNOME
It is basically a webcam that can capture photos and record videos. You can easily share these photos and videos with your friends conveniently.
System Requirement
This application is available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, and OpenSUSE distros of Linux.
Installation Process
To install the Cheese application, execute the following command in the prompt.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install cheeseReasons to Use
- It can capture photos.
- It can record videos.
- You can capture several photos in one button press in burst mode.
Reasons to Avoid
It may not have enough features or options for advanced users. It may not be compatible with some video formats or codecs.
12. AcidRip: A GTK Application for Ripping and Encoding DVDs
AcidRip is an application that is used to extract and encode DVD videos in Linux. It also calculates the bitrate for a given file size.
System Requirement
This application is available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, and Arch Linux distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Copy the following command into the terminal then press the ENTER button to install AcidRip in Linux.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install acidripReasons to Use
- Calculate video bitrate for given filesize.
- Find the longest title.
- Parses the DVD into the contents tree.
Reasons to Avoid
It provides limited options and controls for advanced users. It has some bugs or compatibility issues with certain DVD formats or codecs.
13. Falkon: Web Browser
Falkon is an open-source web browser that was formerly known as QupZilla. It aims to be a lightweight and fast browser.
System Requirement
This application is available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, OpenSUSE, and Arch Linux distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Run the following command into the terminal to install the Falkon in Linux.
sudo apt updatesudo apt install snapdsudo snap install falkonReasons to Use
- Free and open source.
- It supports multiple tabs and windows, bookmarks, history, password manager, and private browsing.
- It has a customizable user interface with themes and extensions.
Reasons to Avoid
It may not be compatible with some websites that use advanced web technologies or require specific browser features. It may not have as many extensions or plugins as other popular browsers like Chrome or Firefox.
14. Thunderbird: Best Email Client for Linux
Thunderbird is a simple email client that efficiently manages emails. It can compose emails and manage multiple accounts.
System Requirement
This application is available for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, and OpenSUSE distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Execute the following command into the terminal to install Thunderbird in Linux.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -ysudo apt install thunderbirdReasons to Use
- Easy access and management of emails.
- Composing new emails.
- Managing multiple accounts.
Reasons to Avoid
This application is not cloud-based.
15. GDdebi: Package Installer
GDdebi is an application to manage and install Debian package files in Debian and Debian-based Linux distribution systems.
System Requirement
This application is available for Debian, and Ubuntu distros of Linux.
Installation Process
Run the following command into the terminal to install the GDdebi in Linux.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install gdebiReasons to Use
- GDdebi provides a user-friendly interface while installing.
- It checks for dependencies.
Reasons to Avoid
It is only a Graphical User Interface(GUI) application. Providing limited functionality and having security risk is the main drawbacks of using GDdebi in Linux.
Conclusion
Here, in this article, I have discussed the 15 best unknown Linux apps. By going through this article, I hope that you will be productive enough to use these applications and enhance your performance in Linux.
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