Free and Open Source 2D Animation Software for Linux

After featuring some of the best Free and Open Source 3D animation software, it's time to take a look at some 2D computer graphics program for Linux users who are into creating two-dimensional models. These free 2D animation software is as capable as those that are commercially available so do take time to try them first before emptying your wallet.

Here are a few Free and Open Source 2D animation software for Linux that you may like:

Synfig
Synfig is a 2D vector graphics and timeline-based computer animation program that was originally the custom animation platform for the now discontinued Voria Studios. The main goal of the project is to create a program that is capable of producing "feature-film quality animation with fewer people and resources." The program offers an alternative to manual tweening so that the animator doesn't have to draw each and every frame. Synfig is capable of simulating soft-shading using curved gradients within an area so that the animator doesn't have to draw shading into every single frame.

Learn more about Synfig HERE

KToon
KToon is a 2D Animation Toolkit designed by Toonka Films animators for aspiring animators. It is designed to function in a similar way to popular proprietary animation packages, like Macromedia Flash. It currently lacks a scripting language like Macromedia's ActionScript, but it can export movies as AVI files and Flash animations. KToon uses OpenGL and Qt toolkit as programming resources.

Learn more about KToon HERE

Pencil
Pencil is a drawing and 2D animation software that is written in C++ and is based on QT. It uses a unique bitmap/vector drawing interface to produce simple 2D graphics as well as animation. Pencil is also available for Windows, Mac, and BSD.

Learn more about Pencil HERE

If you know of other free and open source 2D animation software that I failed to include here, please share them with us via comment.

10 Essential UNIX/Linux Command Cheat Sheets

Linux has become so idiot proof nowadays that there is less and less need to use the command line. However, the commands and shell scripts have remained powerful for advanced users to utilize to help them do complicated tasks quickly and efficiently.

To those of you who are aspiring to become a UNIX/Linux guru, you have to know loads of commands and learn how to effectively use them. But there is really no need to memorize everything since there are plenty of cheat sheets available on the web and on books. To spare you from the hassles of searching, I have here a collection of 10 essential UNIX/Linux cheat sheets that can greatly help you on your quest for mastery:

UNIX Tutorial for Beginners
This is a quick and easy UNIX/Linux tutorial page that is aimed at beginners. It gives a subtle introduction to some of the most important UNIX/Linux commands.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Learning the Shell
Aside from showing you how to apply the most basic UNIX/Linux commands, “Learning the Shell’ will teach you the utmost importance of using the command line.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Learn UNIX in 10 Minutes
From the page: This is something that I had given out to students (CAD user training) in years past. The purpose was to have on one page the basics commands for getting started using the UNIX shell (so that they didn't call me asking what to do the first time someone gave them a tape).

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

FOSSwire Unix/Linux Command Cheat Sheet
A one page UNIX/Linux command reference that you can download in PDF format. You can easily print it, and then paste it on your wall.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

UNIX Toolbox
From the page: This document is a collection of Unix/Linux/BSD commands and tasks which are useful for IT work or for advanced users. This is a practical guide with concise explanations; however the reader is supposed to know what s/he is doing.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Practical Linux Command Line Reference
This is another handy one-page cheat sheet for common command line operations. All of the commands have been tested on Fedora and Ubuntu.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

How to Look Like a UNIX Guru
From the page: This lecture takes you through the basic commands and then shows you how to combine them in simple patterns or idioms to provide sophisticated functionality like histogramming. This lecture assumes you know what a shell is and that you have some basic familiarity with UNIX.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

A Directory of Linux Commands (in alphabetical order)
From the O'reilly book “Linux in a Nutshell, 5th Edition”, it features an alphabetical list of 687 commands and a short description on each one of them.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Linux Security Quick Reference Guide
This quick reference guide (in PDF) will serve as your aid on improving the security of your Linux system. It provides some pointers to more in-depth security information that could help you become a good UNIX/Linux system administrator.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Bash Programming Cheat Sheet
From the page: A quick cheat sheet for programmers who want to do shell scripting. This is not intended to teach programming, etc. but it is intended for someone who knows one programming language to begin learning about bash scripting.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Through comments, feel free to share some links to other essential UNIX/Linux cheat sheets that I failed to include here.

How Much Memory/RAM Do You Really Need?

We will kick-off the year with some computer hardware tips and info. I have already given you some guidelines on installing, upgrading or increasing RAM. This time, I will tackle another key information regarding memory.

Today, RAM has become cheaper and cheaper while software programs have turned into resource hungry beasts. That left some of us thinking and asking, ‘how much memory do we really need?’

Different computer users have diverse RAM requirements. People who are more into office applications and internet browsing will not need a huge amount of memory. Recommended RAM for them would be 512MB, although 256MB will do just fine. For gaming, photo editing, and multimedia applications, 1GB of RAM is ideal. Heavy graphic design apps like 3D CAD and video editing software will definitely need a much greater RAM, a minimum of 2GB to be exact.

Operating system should also be considered when estimating memory needs. An insane OS like Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard will demand bigger RAM even if you will only use it for lighter tasks. Their minimum requirement is 1GB, while the most widely used Windows XP will only need around 256MB to function well. Linux is probably the most memory efficient operating system that I have ever used. Using lightweight distros, 128MB is typically good enough when doing basic chores and even when multitasking.

It is common sense that the more RAM/memory you have the better your computer will perform. The maximum recommended RAM for 32-bit computer is 4GB. 64-bit machine needs 4GB or more in order for it to be fully utilized. That wraps-up today’s hardware tech guide; I hope you have learned something.

20 Coolest Linux Distro-themed Wallpapers

Since my list of 25 Coolest Linux Wallpapers unexpectedly became a huge hit, I’m going to share to you some more to keep the Linux pride alive. This time, I have collected some of the coolest, high quality distro-themed wallpapers. I know that you are excited already, so let’s cut to the chase and just present to you the "20 Coolest Linux Distro-themed Wallpapers" in no particular order.

1. Fedora


2. Debian


3. Kubuntu


4. CentOS


5. FreeBSD


6. Gentoo


7. Mint


8. Mandriva


9. Mepis


10. PCLinuxOS


11. OpenBSD


12. Ubuntu


13. RedHat


14. Slax


15. Sabayon


16. Suse


17. Slackware


18. Zenwalk


19. Xubuntu


20. Ubuntu, Suse, Debian, Fedora

25 Coolest and Funniest Tux Wallpapers

People just can't get enough of Tux, the world-renowned penguin mascot of Linux. I'm saying this because my collection of "30 Coolest and Funniest Tux Icons" has already received a mind-blowing number of hits in just a short period of time. Because of that, I decided to give Tux lovers another treat by handing out my list of twenty-five coolest, funniest, and maybe cutest Tux wallpapers. So without any more delay, here they are:

Note: click on the images to see full size

1. Tux Pirate


2. Black Tux


3. Stone Age Tux


4. Tiny Tux


5. Star Wars Tux


6. Rocket Tux


7. Prisoner Tux


8. Homer Tux


9. Evil Tux


10. Grammatically Incorrect Tux Pirate


11. iPhone Tux


12. Tux Art


13. Gambler Tux


14. Techie Tux


15. Apple-eating Tux


16. Tux of Zorro


17. Sky Tux-apple


18. Tux Guevara


19. South Park Tux


20. Tux Graffiti


21. Glowing Tux


22. Silver Tux


23. Killer Tux


24. Tux World


25. Giant Tux