FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 24: The Ultimate Visual Playground for Generative AI
For the final reveal, this isn't just a tool, it's an entire ecosystem. Meet ComfyUI, the node-based powerhouse that has evolved far beyond a single use. It's the definitive visual interface for running Flux, SD3, SVD, and dozens of other cutting-edge models locally, handling images, videos, animations, and more.
ComfyUI turns complex AI workflows into visual diagrams. Create a consistent character across scenes by connecting a few nodes. Upscale a video with frame interpolation by adding another branch to the graph. Its modular nature keeps it at the frontier: when a new model drops, the community integrates it rapidly.
Pro tip: Explore the shared workflows on platforms like Civitai to find ready-to-use pipelines for character generation, animation, or custom music video tools. With ComfyUI, the process is about visually orchestrating the future of creation.
Link: https://github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI
What gets built in this ultimate visual playground? A consistent animated short, a batch of product concepts, or a custom model-testing pipeline?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #AI #GenerativeAI #ComfyUI #SD3 #SVD #VideoAI #Animation #NodeBased #Workflow #MachineLearning #CreativeAI #LocalAI #Research #FutureOfCreation #DigitalArt #Tech #Innovation #ChristmasEve #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #FOSSAdvent #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz
#FOSSAdvent
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 23: Generating Text with Text-Generation-WebUI
Today we explore Text-Generation-WebUI, a FOSS tool that lets us run large language models locally through a simple web interface. For this demo, I am using 20B GPT-OSS from OpenAI in 4-bit quantization.
I tested it with a physics/chemistry prompt: "Derive the general formula for the energy levels of a particle confined in a 2D infinite square well potential (a 'quantum box') with side length L. Start from the time-independent Schrödinger equation and apply the appropriate boundary conditions." The model produced correct results, although LaTeX rendering had minor issues. You also get full access to its reasoning, so you can follow step by step how the model arrives at the solution.
Everything runs locally, so our data stays private and no cloud services are required. Text-Generation-WebUI is perfect for experimenting with AI, studying, or nerdy fun.
Pro tip: try giving the model a challenging physics, math, or coding problem and check its reasoning along with the answer.
Link: https://github.com/oobabooga/text-generation-webui
What problem would you test with your local language model, a math derivation, a story, or code snippet?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #TextGenerationWebUI #LocalAI #LanguageModels #GPTOSS #4bitQuant #NLP #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #CommandLine #CreativeAI #AI #Fediverse #TechNerds #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz #llm
Today we explore Text-Generation-WebUI, a FOSS tool that lets us run large language models locally through a simple web interface. For this demo, I am using 20B GPT-OSS from OpenAI in 4-bit quantization.
I tested it with a physics/chemistry prompt: "Derive the general formula for the energy levels of a particle confined in a 2D infinite square well potential (a 'quantum box') with side length L. Start from the time-independent Schrödinger equation and apply the appropriate boundary conditions." The model produced correct results, although LaTeX rendering had minor issues. You also get full access to its reasoning, so you can follow step by step how the model arrives at the solution.
Everything runs locally, so our data stays private and no cloud services are required. Text-Generation-WebUI is perfect for experimenting with AI, studying, or nerdy fun.
Pro tip: try giving the model a challenging physics, math, or coding problem and check its reasoning along with the answer.
Link: https://github.com/oobabooga/text-generation-webui
What problem would you test with your local language model, a math derivation, a story, or code snippet?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #TextGenerationWebUI #LocalAI #LanguageModels #GPTOSS #4bitQuant #NLP #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #CommandLine #CreativeAI #AI #Fediverse #TechNerds #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz #llm
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 22: Unleash AI Art with Automatic1111
Meet Automatic1111, the powerful and accessible open source web interface that brings cutting edge Stable Diffusion AI image generation to your local machine. It puts the full creative potential of text to image models directly into your hands, with no external services or restrictions required.
Built as a comprehensive Gradio web UI, it transforms complex AI model operations into an intuitive visual workflow. Its true strength lies in its extensive feature set: from basic text prompts and image to image translation, to advanced techniques like inpainting, outpainting, custom model merging, and detailed hyperparameter tuning. Everything runs on your own hardware, ensuring complete privacy, ownership of your creations, and freedom to experiment without limits.
Whether you're an artist exploring new visual styles, a designer generating concepts, or simply curious about AI creativity, Automatic1111 provides the tools to generate, modify, and refine images with granular control.
Pro tip: Dive into extensions like ControlNet for precise pose and composition control, or train your own DreamBooth model to generate images in a unique personal style.
Link: https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui
What will you create first? Concept art, character designs, or surreal landscapes from your imagination?
#FOSS #OpenSource #AIArt #Automatic1111 #GenerativeAI #TextToImage #LocalAI #Privacy #CreativeAI #MachineLearning #OpenSourceArt #Fediverse #TechNerds #DigitalArt #AdventCalendar #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #FOSSAdvent #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz
Meet Automatic1111, the powerful and accessible open source web interface that brings cutting edge Stable Diffusion AI image generation to your local machine. It puts the full creative potential of text to image models directly into your hands, with no external services or restrictions required.
Built as a comprehensive Gradio web UI, it transforms complex AI model operations into an intuitive visual workflow. Its true strength lies in its extensive feature set: from basic text prompts and image to image translation, to advanced techniques like inpainting, outpainting, custom model merging, and detailed hyperparameter tuning. Everything runs on your own hardware, ensuring complete privacy, ownership of your creations, and freedom to experiment without limits.
Whether you're an artist exploring new visual styles, a designer generating concepts, or simply curious about AI creativity, Automatic1111 provides the tools to generate, modify, and refine images with granular control.
Pro tip: Dive into extensions like ControlNet for precise pose and composition control, or train your own DreamBooth model to generate images in a unique personal style.
Link: https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui
What will you create first? Concept art, character designs, or surreal landscapes from your imagination?
#FOSS #OpenSource #AIArt #Automatic1111 #GenerativeAI #TextToImage #LocalAI #Privacy #CreativeAI #MachineLearning #OpenSourceArt #Fediverse #TechNerds #DigitalArt #AdventCalendar #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #FOSSAdvent #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 21: See What AI Sees with BLIP
Meet BLIP, the versatile open source AI that bridges vision and language. It's not just another image recognition tool, it's a unified model that can understand images and generate human-like text about them, performing tasks like visual question answering, image captioning, and even searching images based on natural language queries.
Its strength lies in its multifaceted design. Trained on web-scale image-text pairs, BLIP excels at both understanding the content of an image and generating accurate, nuanced descriptions. This makes it incredibly useful for creating accessible alt-text, organizing large photo libraries with intelligent search, or building interactive applications where AI can "see" and "talk" about visual content. Everything runs locally, keeping your visual data private.
Whether you're automating metadata generation, building an educational tool, or adding smart visual analysis to your project, BLIP provides a powerful, all-in-one solution to make your applications see and describe the world.
Pro tip: Use BLIP to automatically caption your image datasets, or combine it with a TTS model like Coqui to create a system that describes images out loud.
Link: https://github.com/salesforce/BLIP
How will you give your projects better vision? Automating alt-text, creating a visual Q&A chatbot, or organizing a decade of unsorted photos?
#FOSS #OpenSource #BLIP #ComputerVision #AI #Accessibility #AltText #ImageCaptioning #VQA #VisionAndLanguage #LocalAI #DeepLearning #MultimodalAI #Fediverse #TechNerds #AdventCalendar #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #FOSSAdvent #Adventskalender #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz
Meet BLIP, the versatile open source AI that bridges vision and language. It's not just another image recognition tool, it's a unified model that can understand images and generate human-like text about them, performing tasks like visual question answering, image captioning, and even searching images based on natural language queries.
Its strength lies in its multifaceted design. Trained on web-scale image-text pairs, BLIP excels at both understanding the content of an image and generating accurate, nuanced descriptions. This makes it incredibly useful for creating accessible alt-text, organizing large photo libraries with intelligent search, or building interactive applications where AI can "see" and "talk" about visual content. Everything runs locally, keeping your visual data private.
Whether you're automating metadata generation, building an educational tool, or adding smart visual analysis to your project, BLIP provides a powerful, all-in-one solution to make your applications see and describe the world.
Pro tip: Use BLIP to automatically caption your image datasets, or combine it with a TTS model like Coqui to create a system that describes images out loud.
Link: https://github.com/salesforce/BLIP
How will you give your projects better vision? Automating alt-text, creating a visual Q&A chatbot, or organizing a decade of unsorted photos?
#FOSS #OpenSource #BLIP #ComputerVision #AI #Accessibility #AltText #ImageCaptioning #VQA #VisionAndLanguage #LocalAI #DeepLearning #MultimodalAI #Fediverse #TechNerds #AdventCalendar #adventkalender #adventskalender #KI #FOSSAdvent #Adventskalender #ArtificialIntelligence #KünstlicheIntelligenz
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 19: Master Git from the Terminal with lazygit
Struggling with Git's arcane commands? Meet lazygit, the elegant terminal UI that turns Git complexity into visual intuition. It’s not a wrapper, it’s a full-featured Git client that lives in your terminal, giving you a bird’s-eye view of branches, commits, stashes, and diffs, all navigable with a keyboard.
With lazygit, you visually stage files, browse commit histories, resolve merge conflicts, and even cherry-pick commits through an interactive interface. Everything is local, fast, and designed for the power user who lives in the terminal. It reduces multi-step Git operations to a few keystrokes, making complex workflows simple.
Pro tip: Use lazygit for interactive rebasing (r then i) or to easily review and navigate the patch of every commit in your history. With lazygit, you're not just running Git commands, you're conducting your repository.
Link: https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit
What complex Git workflow would you tame with visual power? An interactive rebase, a tricky merge conflict, or just keeping your daily commits clean?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #Git #VersionControl #Developer #CLI #Terminal #TUI #Productivity #Tools #VCS #Programming #Coding #DevTools #Workflow #Efficiency #Go #OpenSourceTool #Tech #SoftwareDevelopment #FOSSAdvent #Adventskalener #linux #unix
Struggling with Git's arcane commands? Meet lazygit, the elegant terminal UI that turns Git complexity into visual intuition. It’s not a wrapper, it’s a full-featured Git client that lives in your terminal, giving you a bird’s-eye view of branches, commits, stashes, and diffs, all navigable with a keyboard.
With lazygit, you visually stage files, browse commit histories, resolve merge conflicts, and even cherry-pick commits through an interactive interface. Everything is local, fast, and designed for the power user who lives in the terminal. It reduces multi-step Git operations to a few keystrokes, making complex workflows simple.
Pro tip: Use lazygit for interactive rebasing (r then i) or to easily review and navigate the patch of every commit in your history. With lazygit, you're not just running Git commands, you're conducting your repository.
Link: https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit
What complex Git workflow would you tame with visual power? An interactive rebase, a tricky merge conflict, or just keeping your daily commits clean?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #Git #VersionControl #Developer #CLI #Terminal #TUI #Productivity #Tools #VCS #Programming #Coding #DevTools #Workflow #Efficiency #Go #OpenSourceTool #Tech #SoftwareDevelopment #FOSSAdvent #Adventskalener #linux #unix
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 17: Navigate Everything with Fuzzy Logic (fzf)
Tired of scrolling through endless lists in your terminal? Meet fzf, the command-line fuzzy finder that turns navigation into a superpower. It’s not just a search tool, it’s a universal filter that connects to everything: your command history, files, processes, Git branches, and more. Type a few fuzzy characters, and watch it find what you need in milliseconds.
Unlike rigid searches, fzf understands intent. Looking for a docker command you ran last week? Just press Ctrl+R and type "doc run ubuntu". Need to switch to a specific Git branch? A simple git branch | fzf lets you find it with partial words. It works locally, respects your privacy, and integrates seamlessly with your shell, editor, and custom scripts.
Pro tip: Combine fzf with tools like fd (fd | fzf) for file searches or z (z | fzf) for directory jumps to create your own lightning-fast navigation flows. With fzf, you're not just filtering lists, you're querying your entire digital workflow.
Link: https://github.com/junegunn/fzf
What would you find at the speed of thought? A forgotten one-liner from months ago, a deeply nested config file, or the perfect branch to merge?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #CLI #Productivity #Terminal #Linux #Developer #Tools #FuzzyFinder #Navigation #Shell #Zsh #Bash #Vim #Neovim #Workflow #Efficiency #KeyboardDriven #Search #Unix #CommandLine #PowerUser #Automation #DevTools #Tech #Coding #Rust #Go #SystemTool #Adventskalender #FOSSAdvent
Tired of scrolling through endless lists in your terminal? Meet fzf, the command-line fuzzy finder that turns navigation into a superpower. It’s not just a search tool, it’s a universal filter that connects to everything: your command history, files, processes, Git branches, and more. Type a few fuzzy characters, and watch it find what you need in milliseconds.
Unlike rigid searches, fzf understands intent. Looking for a docker command you ran last week? Just press Ctrl+R and type "doc run ubuntu". Need to switch to a specific Git branch? A simple git branch | fzf lets you find it with partial words. It works locally, respects your privacy, and integrates seamlessly with your shell, editor, and custom scripts.
Pro tip: Combine fzf with tools like fd (fd | fzf) for file searches or z (z | fzf) for directory jumps to create your own lightning-fast navigation flows. With fzf, you're not just filtering lists, you're querying your entire digital workflow.
Link: https://github.com/junegunn/fzf
What would you find at the speed of thought? A forgotten one-liner from months ago, a deeply nested config file, or the perfect branch to merge?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #CLI #Productivity #Terminal #Linux #Developer #Tools #FuzzyFinder #Navigation #Shell #Zsh #Bash #Vim #Neovim #Workflow #Efficiency #KeyboardDriven #Search #Unix #CommandLine #PowerUser #Automation #DevTools #Tech #Coding #Rust #Go #SystemTool #Adventskalender #FOSSAdvent
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 15: See the Logic, Not Just the Lines with Difftastic
Forget confusing text diffs. Difftastic is a brilliant open-source tool that shows the true intent of your code changes. It understands programming syntax, ignores formatting noise, and highlights semantic differences in your commits, perfect for clear code reviews and complex refactorings. It acts like X-Ray for your code, detecting when you’ve moved a function or changed logic, not just edited text. By ignoring formatting changes, it shows what actually changed, not what your autoformatter did. Plus, it runs entirely offline, so your code never leaves your machine, and it supports over 50 languages and formats, from Python and Rust to JSON and Markdown.
Pro tip: Integrate it as your Git difftool to review pull requests with clarity and instantly grasp the developer’s intent.
Link: https://github.com/Wilfred/difftastic
What would you clarify first with a diff tool that shows the intended change?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #DevTools #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Git #VersionControl #CodeReview #Refactoring #Developer #CLITools #Productivity #Rust #Python #JavaScript #WebDev #Backend #Linux #Tech #Coding #ProgrammingTools #IDE #VSCode #Neovim #DeveloperProductivity #CleanCode #DevOps #FOSSadvent #adventskalender #Difftastic
Forget confusing text diffs. Difftastic is a brilliant open-source tool that shows the true intent of your code changes. It understands programming syntax, ignores formatting noise, and highlights semantic differences in your commits, perfect for clear code reviews and complex refactorings. It acts like X-Ray for your code, detecting when you’ve moved a function or changed logic, not just edited text. By ignoring formatting changes, it shows what actually changed, not what your autoformatter did. Plus, it runs entirely offline, so your code never leaves your machine, and it supports over 50 languages and formats, from Python and Rust to JSON and Markdown.
Pro tip: Integrate it as your Git difftool to review pull requests with clarity and instantly grasp the developer’s intent.
Link: https://github.com/Wilfred/difftastic
What would you clarify first with a diff tool that shows the intended change?
#AdventCalendar #FOSS #OpenSource #DevTools #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Git #VersionControl #CodeReview #Refactoring #Developer #CLITools #Productivity #Rust #Python #JavaScript #WebDev #Backend #Linux #Tech #Coding #ProgrammingTools #IDE #VSCode #Neovim #DeveloperProductivity #CleanCode #DevOps #FOSSadvent #adventskalender #Difftastic
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 14: Bring Text to Life with Coqui TTS
Meet Coqui TTS, a powerful, open-source deep learning toolkit for cutting-edge Text-to-Speech. It turns written words into natural, expressive audio using state-of-the-art neural models, all while running completely offline on your own machine.
Coqui TTS supports a wide range of languages and voices, and its real strength lies in flexibility: you can use pre-trained models for instant results or train custom voices with your own datasets. Everything happens locally, your data stays private, no APIs or subscriptions required. Whether for accessibility tools, narration, creative projects, or research, Coqui gives you full control over synthetic speech, from tone and pace to emotional delivery.
Pro tip: Experiment with voice cloning or fine-tune a model for a unique vocal character. With Coqui, you’re not just generating speech you’re crafting it.
Link: https://github.com/coqui-ai/TTS
What would you create with open-source, local TTS-audiobooks, game dialogue, or your own custom assistant voice?
#AdventCalendar #AI #OpenSource #TTS #Python #MachineLearning #CoquiTTS #AIVoices #VoiceSynthesis #LocalAI #FOSS #Privacy #Accessibility #TextToSpeech #CreativeTech #VoiceTech #DeepLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNerds #Innovation #FOSSAdvent #ContentCreation #EthicalAI #VoiceCloning #DevTools #FutureTech #AITools #SpeechAI #linux #ki #adventskalender
Meet Coqui TTS, a powerful, open-source deep learning toolkit for cutting-edge Text-to-Speech. It turns written words into natural, expressive audio using state-of-the-art neural models, all while running completely offline on your own machine.
Coqui TTS supports a wide range of languages and voices, and its real strength lies in flexibility: you can use pre-trained models for instant results or train custom voices with your own datasets. Everything happens locally, your data stays private, no APIs or subscriptions required. Whether for accessibility tools, narration, creative projects, or research, Coqui gives you full control over synthetic speech, from tone and pace to emotional delivery.
Pro tip: Experiment with voice cloning or fine-tune a model for a unique vocal character. With Coqui, you’re not just generating speech you’re crafting it.
Link: https://github.com/coqui-ai/TTS
What would you create with open-source, local TTS-audiobooks, game dialogue, or your own custom assistant voice?
#AdventCalendar #AI #OpenSource #TTS #Python #MachineLearning #CoquiTTS #AIVoices #VoiceSynthesis #LocalAI #FOSS #Privacy #Accessibility #TextToSpeech #CreativeTech #VoiceTech #DeepLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNerds #Innovation #FOSSAdvent #ContentCreation #EthicalAI #VoiceCloning #DevTools #FutureTech #AITools #SpeechAI #linux #ki #adventskalender
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 13: Screen-Mirroring & Recording with scrcpy
Today’s tool is scrcpy, a powerful open-source utility that lets you mirror and control your Android device from your PC via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) over USB or Wi‑Fi.
With scrcpy, you can see your phone screen on your desktop and control it directly from your PC using your mouse and keyboard. You can also record screencasts from the mirrored session, perfect for tutorials, capturing gameplay, or streaming mobile apps, all without installing anything on your phone.
CLI-friendly and lightweight, scrcpy gives you full PC-based control over your device: navigate, type, launch apps, or record everything from your desktop. No bloated software, no intrusive permissions.
Link: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy
As a developer, which part of your workflow would scrcpy improve the most? Testing, debugging, or presenting your app?
#ScreenMirror #AndroidToPC #DevProductivity #TechTools #FreeSoftware #AndroidDev #DeveloperTools #USBdebugging #TechHacks #ProductivityTools #CommandLine #TechTips #DIYTech #DigitalNomad #Workflow #TechCommunity #LinuxTools #CrossPlatform #adventkalender #adventskalender #AndroidScreen #MirroringTool #OpenSourceTools #TechFreedom #NoRoot #FOSSLove #FOSSAdvent #android #linux
Today’s tool is scrcpy, a powerful open-source utility that lets you mirror and control your Android device from your PC via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) over USB or Wi‑Fi.
With scrcpy, you can see your phone screen on your desktop and control it directly from your PC using your mouse and keyboard. You can also record screencasts from the mirrored session, perfect for tutorials, capturing gameplay, or streaming mobile apps, all without installing anything on your phone.
CLI-friendly and lightweight, scrcpy gives you full PC-based control over your device: navigate, type, launch apps, or record everything from your desktop. No bloated software, no intrusive permissions.
Link: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy
As a developer, which part of your workflow would scrcpy improve the most? Testing, debugging, or presenting your app?
#ScreenMirror #AndroidToPC #DevProductivity #TechTools #FreeSoftware #AndroidDev #DeveloperTools #USBdebugging #TechHacks #ProductivityTools #CommandLine #TechTips #DIYTech #DigitalNomad #Workflow #TechCommunity #LinuxTools #CrossPlatform #adventkalender #adventskalender #AndroidScreen #MirroringTool #OpenSourceTools #TechFreedom #NoRoot #FOSSLove #FOSSAdvent #android #linux
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 12: Plotting Like a Pro with Gnuplot
"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
This quote fits perfectly for Gnuplot, a classic FOSS plotting engine that’s still alive, powerful, and incredibly useful for creating beautiful scientific and mathematical visuals directly from the command line.
Gnuplot can generate 2D and 3D plots, animate datasets, visualize functions, and export to nearly any format you might need: PNG, SVG, PDF, EPS, and more. And one of its greatest strengths?
You don’t need a whole Python stack, dozens of libraries, or virtual environments just to make a graph. Gnuplot runs instantly, scriptable, lightweight, and beautifully minimal.
Whether you’re analyzing experimental results, visualizing parametric curves, or just plotting a weird math idea you had at 2 AM (we’ve all been there), Gnuplot gets it done fast and clean.
Pro tip: try rendering a dramatic 3D surface plot or a festive math figure, like a parametric Christmas tree. Gnuplot makes it surprisingly easy to turn equations into art.
Link: https://sourceforge.net/p/gnuplot/gnuplot-main/ci/master/tree/
What’s a plot you’d LOVE to generate with Gnuplot, serious or purely nerdy?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #Gnuplot #DataViz #Plotting #3DGraphics #MathArt #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #CommandLine #ScienceTools #Fediverse #TechNerds #PlottingMagic #adventkalender #adventskalender #DataVisualization #Science #Python #Research #Engineering #AcademicChatter #STEM #Tech #Physics #Chemistry #Maths #SciComm #OpenScience #Research
"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
This quote fits perfectly for Gnuplot, a classic FOSS plotting engine that’s still alive, powerful, and incredibly useful for creating beautiful scientific and mathematical visuals directly from the command line.
Gnuplot can generate 2D and 3D plots, animate datasets, visualize functions, and export to nearly any format you might need: PNG, SVG, PDF, EPS, and more. And one of its greatest strengths?
You don’t need a whole Python stack, dozens of libraries, or virtual environments just to make a graph. Gnuplot runs instantly, scriptable, lightweight, and beautifully minimal.
Whether you’re analyzing experimental results, visualizing parametric curves, or just plotting a weird math idea you had at 2 AM (we’ve all been there), Gnuplot gets it done fast and clean.
Pro tip: try rendering a dramatic 3D surface plot or a festive math figure, like a parametric Christmas tree. Gnuplot makes it surprisingly easy to turn equations into art.
Link: https://sourceforge.net/p/gnuplot/gnuplot-main/ci/master/tree/
What’s a plot you’d LOVE to generate with Gnuplot, serious or purely nerdy?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #Gnuplot #DataViz #Plotting #3DGraphics #MathArt #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #CommandLine #ScienceTools #Fediverse #TechNerds #PlottingMagic #adventkalender #adventskalender #DataVisualization #Science #Python #Research #Engineering #AcademicChatter #STEM #Tech #Physics #Chemistry #Maths #SciComm #OpenScience #Research
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 10: Using Your Phone as a Microphone with Audiosource
Today we explore Audiosource, a nifty FOSS tool that lets you use your Android phone as a microphone for your computer.
Audiosource works via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), streaming audio from your device over USB or Wi-Fi directly to your Linux system. This is perfect if you want a quick wireless mic, don’t have a dedicated microphone, or just love tinkering with FOSS tools.
Everything runs from the command line, giving you full control and total nerdy satisfaction. Plug in your phone, run the command, and your device becomes a fully functional mic!
Pro tip: try combining it with recording or streaming software, or even some AI audio processing, the possibilities are endless.
Link: https://github.com/gdzx/audiosource
In which situation would you turn your smartphone into a quick plug-and-play microphone using Audiosource?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #Audiosource #Android #Microphone #ADB #AudioStreaming #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #TechNerds #CommandLine #Fediverse #WirelessMic #DIYTech #DigitalPrivacy #Adventkalender #Adventskalender
Today we explore Audiosource, a nifty FOSS tool that lets you use your Android phone as a microphone for your computer.
Audiosource works via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), streaming audio from your device over USB or Wi-Fi directly to your Linux system. This is perfect if you want a quick wireless mic, don’t have a dedicated microphone, or just love tinkering with FOSS tools.
Everything runs from the command line, giving you full control and total nerdy satisfaction. Plug in your phone, run the command, and your device becomes a fully functional mic!
Pro tip: try combining it with recording or streaming software, or even some AI audio processing, the possibilities are endless.
Link: https://github.com/gdzx/audiosource
In which situation would you turn your smartphone into a quick plug-and-play microphone using Audiosource?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #Audiosource #Android #Microphone #ADB #AudioStreaming #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #TechNerds #CommandLine #Fediverse #WirelessMic #DIYTech #DigitalPrivacy #Adventkalender #Adventskalender
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 9: 3D Rendering with POV-Ray
Today we explore POV-Ray, a powerful FOSS tool for creating stunning 3D graphics.
POV-Ray stands for Persistence of Vision Raytracer. It allows you to describe complex 3D scenes in a text-based scene description language and render them into high-quality images. You can create anything from simple geometric shapes to intricate molecular structures or artistic compositions.
It’s perfect for nerds, FOSS enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to combine programming and art to produce beautiful visuals. POV-Ray works entirely via the command line, so you can automate renders, tweak parameters, and experiment endlessly with light, textures, and camera angles.
Pro tip: try rendering a molecule, a futuristic scene, or a holiday-themed object in 4K resolution, the results are mesmerizing!
For this example, I have rendered the HIV Protease Inhibitor from the RCSB PDB entry 1HVR (Rational design of potent, bioavailable, nonpeptide cyclic ureas as HIV protease inhibitors).
Link: https://github.com/POV-Ray/povray
Which 3D scene would you love to bring to life with POV-Ray?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #POVRay #3DRendering #RayTracing #Graphics #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #CommandLine #CreativeCoding #DigitalArt #TechNerds #OpenSourceGraphics #Fediverse #Adventkalender #ProteinVisualization #Chemistry #StructuralBiology #MolecularVisualization #HIVProteaseInhibitor #ScienceArt #adventskalender
Today we explore POV-Ray, a powerful FOSS tool for creating stunning 3D graphics.
POV-Ray stands for Persistence of Vision Raytracer. It allows you to describe complex 3D scenes in a text-based scene description language and render them into high-quality images. You can create anything from simple geometric shapes to intricate molecular structures or artistic compositions.
It’s perfect for nerds, FOSS enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to combine programming and art to produce beautiful visuals. POV-Ray works entirely via the command line, so you can automate renders, tweak parameters, and experiment endlessly with light, textures, and camera angles.
Pro tip: try rendering a molecule, a futuristic scene, or a holiday-themed object in 4K resolution, the results are mesmerizing!
For this example, I have rendered the HIV Protease Inhibitor from the RCSB PDB entry 1HVR (Rational design of potent, bioavailable, nonpeptide cyclic ureas as HIV protease inhibitors).
Link: https://github.com/POV-Ray/povray
Which 3D scene would you love to bring to life with POV-Ray?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #POVRay #3DRendering #RayTracing #Graphics #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #CommandLine #CreativeCoding #DigitalArt #TechNerds #OpenSourceGraphics #Fediverse #Adventkalender #ProteinVisualization #Chemistry #StructuralBiology #MolecularVisualization #HIVProteaseInhibitor #ScienceArt #adventskalender
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 8: Programming LEGO Robots with NQC
Today we explore NQC (Not Quite C), a wonderfully nerdy and lightweight programming language for the classic LEGO Mindstorms RCX robot brick.
Inside the RCX lives a tiny 8-bit Hitachi H8/300 CPU running at about 16 MHz together with 32 KB of RAM. Even with this extremely small hardware budget, the RCX can handle multitasking, read sensors, control motors and communicate via infrared. It feels like pure retro embedded magic.
NQC lets you write C-like programs on your computer and upload them directly to the RCX. It is minimalistic, fast, easy to learn and perfect for anyone who loves old-school robotics or wants to revisit the early days of DIY programming before Raspberry Pi and Arduino existed.
Working with NQC is a wonderful reminder of how much creativity is possible with almost no resources. Watching a tiny 32 KB robot happily execute parallel tasks still feels incredibly charming today.
Pro tip: If you still have an RCX somewhere, power it up. These yellow bricks are more alive than you remember once you start programming them again.
Link: https://github.com/BrickBot/nqc
Which small robot would you build or revive with the RCX?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #NQC #Mindstorms #LEGO #RCX #Robotics #Embedded #RetroComputing #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #Adventkalender #Adventskalender #TechNerds #STEM #Programming #Fediverse #FOSSAdvent #OpenTools #Robotik #OldSchoolTech
Today we explore NQC (Not Quite C), a wonderfully nerdy and lightweight programming language for the classic LEGO Mindstorms RCX robot brick.
Inside the RCX lives a tiny 8-bit Hitachi H8/300 CPU running at about 16 MHz together with 32 KB of RAM. Even with this extremely small hardware budget, the RCX can handle multitasking, read sensors, control motors and communicate via infrared. It feels like pure retro embedded magic.
NQC lets you write C-like programs on your computer and upload them directly to the RCX. It is minimalistic, fast, easy to learn and perfect for anyone who loves old-school robotics or wants to revisit the early days of DIY programming before Raspberry Pi and Arduino existed.
Working with NQC is a wonderful reminder of how much creativity is possible with almost no resources. Watching a tiny 32 KB robot happily execute parallel tasks still feels incredibly charming today.
Pro tip: If you still have an RCX somewhere, power it up. These yellow bricks are more alive than you remember once you start programming them again.
Link: https://github.com/BrickBot/nqc
Which small robot would you build or revive with the RCX?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #NQC #Mindstorms #LEGO #RCX #Robotics #Embedded #RetroComputing #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #Adventkalender #Adventskalender #TechNerds #STEM #Programming #Fediverse #FOSSAdvent #OpenTools #Robotik #OldSchoolTech
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 7: Enhancing Images with Real-ESRGAN
Today we explore Real-ESRGAN, a powerful FOSS tool for upscaling and improving image quality.
The name stands for Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks, highlighting the AI-powered approach behind the magic.
Real-ESRGAN can take a low-resolution or slightly blurry image and enhance it, adding details that make it look sharper and more natural. It works via the command line, where you provide an input image and get an upscaled output image. You can instantly compare the results in your favorite image viewer, like EOG.
It’s perfect for nerds, FOSS enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to improve images without relying on commercial software.
Pro tip: try upscaling an old screenshot or a tiny meme, the results are often hilarious and impressive at the same time!
Link: https://github.com/xinntao/Real-ESRGAN
Which old or low-res image would you love to upscale with Real-ESRGAN?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #RealESRGAN #AI #ImageEnhancement #SuperResolution #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #Upscale #GAN #Artificialtelligence #ImageProcessing #TechNerds #CommandLine #Fediverse #OpenTools #adventkalender #adventskalender
Today we explore Real-ESRGAN, a powerful FOSS tool for upscaling and improving image quality.
The name stands for Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks, highlighting the AI-powered approach behind the magic.
Real-ESRGAN can take a low-resolution or slightly blurry image and enhance it, adding details that make it look sharper and more natural. It works via the command line, where you provide an input image and get an upscaled output image. You can instantly compare the results in your favorite image viewer, like EOG.
It’s perfect for nerds, FOSS enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to improve images without relying on commercial software.
Pro tip: try upscaling an old screenshot or a tiny meme, the results are often hilarious and impressive at the same time!
Link: https://github.com/xinntao/Real-ESRGAN
Which old or low-res image would you love to upscale with Real-ESRGAN?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #RealESRGAN #AI #ImageEnhancement #SuperResolution #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #Upscale #GAN #Artificialtelligence #ImageProcessing #TechNerds #CommandLine #Fediverse #OpenTools #adventkalender #adventskalender
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 6: Cracking Passwords with John the Ripper
Today we explore John the Ripper, one of the most powerful and flexible open-source password-cracking tools. It is widely used for security testing, digital forensics, and understanding how weak passwords can be recovered.
John works by taking a password hash and trying to recover the original password. It can do this in different ways, for example through brute force, where every possible combination is tried, or through wordlists, where John tests passwords from a predefined dictionary. When the generated hash matches the original, the password is revealed.
This tool is perfect for learning about cybersecurity, testing the strength of your own passwords, or experimenting with how attackers might attempt to crack weak credentials.
Pro tip: try using both brute force and a wordlist. You’ll immediately see how effective wordlists can be compared to testing every combination.
Which hashing algorithm gives you the most headaches?
Link: https://github.com/openwall/john
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #JohnTheRipper #CyberSecurity #PasswordCracking #SecurityTools #HashCracking #Pentesting #EthicalHacking #DigitalForensics #Unix #Infosec #NerdContent #TechNerds #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #adventkalender #adventskalender
Today we explore John the Ripper, one of the most powerful and flexible open-source password-cracking tools. It is widely used for security testing, digital forensics, and understanding how weak passwords can be recovered.
John works by taking a password hash and trying to recover the original password. It can do this in different ways, for example through brute force, where every possible combination is tried, or through wordlists, where John tests passwords from a predefined dictionary. When the generated hash matches the original, the password is revealed.
This tool is perfect for learning about cybersecurity, testing the strength of your own passwords, or experimenting with how attackers might attempt to crack weak credentials.
Pro tip: try using both brute force and a wordlist. You’ll immediately see how effective wordlists can be compared to testing every combination.
Which hashing algorithm gives you the most headaches?
Link: https://github.com/openwall/john
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #JohnTheRipper #CyberSecurity #PasswordCracking #SecurityTools #HashCracking #Pentesting #EthicalHacking #DigitalForensics #Unix #Infosec #NerdContent #TechNerds #AdventCalendar #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent #adventkalender #adventskalender
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 5: Hiding Secrets with Steghide
Today we explore Steghide, the classic command line tool for steganography. It is used for hiding data inside files.
Steghide allows you to embed secret messages, images, or any other data into cover files such as images or audio files. It works by cleverly hiding information within the color channels of images, making it invisible to the naked eye. Only someone with the correct password can extract the hidden data.
This tool is perfect for nerdy experiments, privacy enthusiasts, or simply for impressing friends with secret messages.
Pro tip: try hiding a small text file inside a JPEG image and then extracting it again. It feels like terminal magic!
What secret would you hide with Steghide?
Link: https://github.com/StegHigh/steghide
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #Steghide #Steganography #HiddenData #Privacy #Fediverse #FreieSoftware #CommandLine #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #TechNerds #DigitalPrivacy #Unix #CyberSecurity #FunWithCLI #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent
Today we explore Steghide, the classic command line tool for steganography. It is used for hiding data inside files.
Steghide allows you to embed secret messages, images, or any other data into cover files such as images or audio files. It works by cleverly hiding information within the color channels of images, making it invisible to the naked eye. Only someone with the correct password can extract the hidden data.
This tool is perfect for nerdy experiments, privacy enthusiasts, or simply for impressing friends with secret messages.
Pro tip: try hiding a small text file inside a JPEG image and then extracting it again. It feels like terminal magic!
What secret would you hide with Steghide?
Link: https://github.com/StegHigh/steghide
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #Steghide #Steganography #HiddenData #Privacy #Fediverse #FreieSoftware #CommandLine #NerdContent #AdventCalendar #TechNerds #DigitalPrivacy #Unix #CyberSecurity #FunWithCLI #OpenTools #FOSSAdvent
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 4: Creating ASCII Art with FIGlet
Today we celebrate FIGlet, the tiny, legendary CLI tool that turns ordinary text into beautiful ASCII art.
Need a fun title for your scripts? A banner for a terminal presentation? A stylish way to label your screenshots? FIGlet has you covered.
It supports tons of fonts, works on every Unix-like system, and fits perfectly into any CLI workflow.
Pure retro charm, zero dependencies, maximum nerd energy.
Pro tip: combine it with toilet, lolcat, or pipes to create even wilder banners.
What’s your favorite FIGlet font?
Link: https://github.com/cmatsuoka/figlet
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #ASCII #ASCIIArt #FIGlet #NerdContent #Fediverse #FreieSoftware #Konsole #Unix #ArtInTheTerminal #DevTools #Shell #CommandLine #AdventCalendar #TechNerds #RetroComputing #FOSSAdvent
Today we celebrate FIGlet, the tiny, legendary CLI tool that turns ordinary text into beautiful ASCII art.
Need a fun title for your scripts? A banner for a terminal presentation? A stylish way to label your screenshots? FIGlet has you covered.
It supports tons of fonts, works on every Unix-like system, and fits perfectly into any CLI workflow.
Pure retro charm, zero dependencies, maximum nerd energy.
Pro tip: combine it with toilet, lolcat, or pipes to create even wilder banners.
What’s your favorite FIGlet font?
Link: https://github.com/cmatsuoka/figlet
#FOSS #OpenSource #Linux #CLI #Terminal #ASCII #ASCIIArt #FIGlet #NerdContent #Fediverse #FreieSoftware #Konsole #Unix #ArtInTheTerminal #DevTools #Shell #CommandLine #AdventCalendar #TechNerds #RetroComputing #FOSSAdvent
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 3: Exploring Gemini with Amfora
Gemini is a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to the web! A place where content is simple, text-focused, and completely tracker-free.
It uses its own protocol (gemini://) and a minimalist page format called GMI, which is very close to Markdown: just headings, links, lists, and plain text. No JavaScript, no cookies, no ads... just clean information.
To browse Gemini, you need a Gemini client.
One of the most popular terminal clients is Amfora. It brings the whole Geminispace into your terminal with a clean UI, keyboard navigation, and zero distractions. Perfect for reading blogs, tech posts, small communities, and even news (yes, the German newspaper taz has a Gemini capsule!).
Gemini is the perfect reminder that the internet can be simple, fast, and human-sized again.
Link: https://github.com/makew0rld/amfora
Do you still browse Gemini? Which capsules do you like?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Gemini #GeminiSpace #Amfora #CLI #Terminal #Linux #GeminiProtocol #Markdown #Datenschutz #FreieSoftware #GeminispaceDE #MinimalWeb #TechNerds #Dezentral #Fediverse #CommandLine #Privacy #Unix #FOSSAdvent #LinuxTools #FOSSAdventCalendar #adventcalendar
Gemini is a lightweight, privacy-friendly alternative to the web! A place where content is simple, text-focused, and completely tracker-free.
It uses its own protocol (gemini://) and a minimalist page format called GMI, which is very close to Markdown: just headings, links, lists, and plain text. No JavaScript, no cookies, no ads... just clean information.
To browse Gemini, you need a Gemini client.
One of the most popular terminal clients is Amfora. It brings the whole Geminispace into your terminal with a clean UI, keyboard navigation, and zero distractions. Perfect for reading blogs, tech posts, small communities, and even news (yes, the German newspaper taz has a Gemini capsule!).
Gemini is the perfect reminder that the internet can be simple, fast, and human-sized again.
Link: https://github.com/makew0rld/amfora
Do you still browse Gemini? Which capsules do you like?
#FOSS #OpenSource #Gemini #GeminiSpace #Amfora #CLI #Terminal #Linux #GeminiProtocol #Markdown #Datenschutz #FreieSoftware #GeminispaceDE #MinimalWeb #TechNerds #Dezentral #Fediverse #CommandLine #Privacy #Unix #FOSSAdvent #LinuxTools #FOSSAdventCalendar #adventcalendar
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 2: newsboat
Stay up-to-date with your favorite websites and RSS feeds without leaving the terminal! newsboat is a fast, flexible RSS/Atom feed reader for the command line. Perfect for nerds who love minimalism and efficiency.
Scroll through the latest updates and mark them as read, no GUI needed.
Link: https://github.com/newsboat/newsboat
#FOSS #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Linux #CLI #Terminal #LinuxTools #FOSSAdvent #FOSSAdventCalendar #Coding #Programming #Tech #Nerd #AI #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #DevLife #Geek #Productivity #StudyTools
Stay up-to-date with your favorite websites and RSS feeds without leaving the terminal! newsboat is a fast, flexible RSS/Atom feed reader for the command line. Perfect for nerds who love minimalism and efficiency.
Scroll through the latest updates and mark them as read, no GUI needed.
Link: https://github.com/newsboat/newsboat
#FOSS #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Linux #CLI #Terminal #LinuxTools #FOSSAdvent #FOSSAdventCalendar #Coding #Programming #Tech #Nerd #AI #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #DevLife #Geek #Productivity #StudyTools
FOSS Advent Calendar - Door 1: pdfgrep
Search PDFs like a pro! Tired of manually opening PDFs to find a specific term? pdfgrep lets you search text inside PDF files directly from the terminal! Super handy for research papers, lecture notes, or any PDF-heavy workflow
You’ll instantly see all matches and the file name... no more endless scrolling!
Link: https://gitlab.com/pdfgrep/pdfgrep
#FOSS #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Linux #CLI #Terminal #LinuxTools #FOSSAdvent #FOSSAdventCalendar #Coding #Programming #Tech #Nerd #AI #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #DevLife #Geek #Productivity #StudyTools
Search PDFs like a pro! Tired of manually opening PDFs to find a specific term? pdfgrep lets you search text inside PDF files directly from the terminal! Super handy for research papers, lecture notes, or any PDF-heavy workflow
You’ll instantly see all matches and the file name... no more endless scrolling!
Link: https://gitlab.com/pdfgrep/pdfgrep
#FOSS #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #Linux #CLI #Terminal #LinuxTools #FOSSAdvent #FOSSAdventCalendar #Coding #Programming #Tech #Nerd #AI #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #DevLife #Geek #Productivity #StudyTools
Client Info
Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.07
Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst