LINUX Unplugged

577: Summer Kernel Corn Roast

Contributed by Lukas

Sixty vulnerabilities and exposures disclosed in one week sounds like a lot. We'll explain why it's just business as usual.Sponsored By:Core Contribut...

665: Patch Me If You Can

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We dig into the Copy Fail vulnerability and test a proof-of-concept against our own box. Plus, Jon Seager, VP of Engineering at Canonical joins us, an...

664: Back to Root

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After 26 years, we return to our roots and reflect on why LinuxFest Northwest is still a special event.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annual Membership: P...

663: The 99.8% Rescue

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We all have data to rescue, you just don't realize it yet. This week we build our own custom live rescue distros, recover real data, and show you how ...

662: The GitHub Diet

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is it time to replace GitHub in our workflow? We git into it. Plus, our favorite features in the new Linux 7.0 release.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annu...

661: Sink Your Claws In

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The expensive, challenging, and humbling journey with open source agents.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annual Membership: Put your support on automatic w...

660: Boots and Breakups

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ubuntu wants a leaner, stricter GRUB, and your favorite setup may not survive the cut. We break down what’s really changing, and the practical ways ...

659: Truth Trapper Keepers

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The self-hosted app that turned Chris into a family Time Lord, then we iterate on a long-desired hardware hack.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annual Membe...

658: Automated Love Crunch

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We each spent the week on our own projects, breaking then fixing things. Now we're back to compare progress, and a few lessons learned.Sponsored By:Ju...

657: Slop to Slap

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After experiencing Planet Nix and SCaLE, we come back convinced the next phase of Linux is already taking shape.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annual Memb...

656: Why KDE Linux Surprised Us

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We take KDE Linux for a spin and push it a little too far. Plus, a friend of the show stops by with a fresh tool: Nebula Commander.Sponsored By:Jupite...

655: Speeding Up Mistakes

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Planet Nix and SCaLE are just days away, and we're getting a head start with two guests, the tech, and the trends shaping open source. Our trip starts...

654: Creating Discord in the Matrix

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We were minutes away from shutting down our Matrix server when the Discord news hit. Now we're not just keeping it, we're doubling down. Can open sour...

653: The Kernel Always Wins

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The news this week highlights shifts in Linux from multiple angles. What's evolving, why it matters, and that moment where the future actually works.S...

652: Have Your Bot Call My Bot

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We stress tested open source AI agents this week. What actually held up, and where it falls apart. Plus Brent's $20 Wi-Fi upgrade.Sponsored By:Jupiter...

651: Uptime Funk

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When your self-hosted services become infrastructure, breakage matters. We tackle monitoring that actually helps, alerts you won't ignore, and DNS for...

650: This Old Network

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We rebuild a small office network around Linux, with an Unplugged twist and real-world constraints. Things don't go quite as expected...Sponsored By:M...

649: Burned by AI

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The storage apocalypse has arrived. An old friend drops by to talk survival strategies as prices explode, and we pitch our own unapologetically 90s ap...

648: I See Live People

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We unleash a networking monitoring tool to spot new devices, track changes in real time, and fire alerts straight into Home Assistant, MQTT, and your ...

647: Plausibly Postulated Prophecies

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We make our big Linux predictions for 2026, but first, we score how we did for 2025.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined Netw...

646: The Great Holiday Homelab Special 🎄

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Great Holiday Homelab Special! Where our community brought their absolute best, from budget busters to beautiful disasters. Plus, a boosties celeb...

645: COSMIC Christmas

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We cut the streaming cord the Linux way with free, legal internet TV you can curate, DVR, and self-host via Jellyfin or Plex. Then, we talk COSMIC sta...

644: The People's Filesystem

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kent Overstreet joins us for a full update on bcachefs. What's new, what's next, and the surprising upside of getting kicked out of the kernel.Sponsor...

643: The Sunday Soapbox

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We pull on a few loose threads from recent episodes, and some of them unravel into way more than we expected.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed...

642: Tunneling Home for the Holidays

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris cooked up a wild remote-access trick for Jellyfin that skips VPNs entirely. One tiny toggle spins up a secure tunnel on demand. Simple, absurd, ...

641: Something New, Something Old

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We dig into the biggest Linux hardware news of the year, then fire up our new-to-us 1L PC server.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from...

640: Duece Configalo: Desktop Gigolo

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We dive into your configs, the genius moves, the glorious blunders, and everything in between.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from De...

639: The Mess Machine

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After all the AI hype is over, one change for Linux will be sticking around; we put it to the test.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula fr...

638: The Distro Everyone Should Copy

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fedora 43 arrives with polish, new spins, and a smarter installer; and one decision the rest of the Linux world should pay attention to.Sponsored By:M...

637: Chris' Smart Home Disaster

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest failure in seven years, right before a trip. What broke, how Chris pulled it back together, and how Wes would fix it right.Sponsored By:Ma...

636: Engineering the Future

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're back from Texas just in time to chat with Jon Seager, Canonical's VP of Engineering, and their new era with Ubuntu 25.10. On the way, we visit S...

635: The Texas Linux Fest Special

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our cross-continent race to Texas Linux Fest culminates into fantastic meat, meetups, and more.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from D...

634: Config Confessions

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From finely tuned to total config carnage. We review listener homelabs to share what works, and what really doesn't.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet ...

633: A Kernel in Every Core

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can't get enough Linux? How about multiple kernels running simultaneously, side by side, not in a VM, all on the same hardware; this week it's finally...

632: The Nightly Wobble

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our first look at KDE Linux, then Chris shares the latest on Hyprvibe, while Wes braves his first install.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Ne...

631: Offline By Default

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris managed to turn low bandwidth into a lifestyle, and curated a batch of self-hosted apps that make near-offline living possible.Sponsored By:Mana...

630: Google's Garden Lockdown

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Google's sideloading lockdown has us pushing Wes' Pixel further than Google ever dreamed.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from Defined...

629: Arch Enemies

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Arch is under fire, two weeks and counting. We'll break down the mess, and share a quick fix. Plus, the killer new apps we've just added to our homela...

628: Don't Call it a Christro

17 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When personalities clash, the users come last. Meanwhile, Chris' hyper-tuned setup stops being a toy and starts looking like a daily driver.Sponsored ...

627: The 2 a.m. Rescue

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wes performs a 2 a.m. rescue at DEFCON, and Chris attempts to build a Linux desktop using nothing but vibes.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed ...

626: The Btrfs Blues

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Btrfs bug that bites is in the wild, and we discover whole home audio that works like a charm.Sponsored By:Managed Nebula: Meet Managed Nebula from ...

625: They're Doing it Wrong!

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A radical rethink of what a Linux distro should do, and what it should stop doing. Plus, we dig into what's great about Linux 6.16.Sponsored By:Manage...

624: Tiny PC, Huge Problems

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Everything wrong with our homelabs, and how we're finally fixing them. Plus: two self-hosted apps you didn't know you needed.Sponsored By:Managed Nebu...

623: 50 Days of Blue

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris fled a declarative-first world for the promised land of Bluefin's atomic simplicity. Fifty days in, did he find desktop bliss or just fresh comp...

622: Omarchy Hits Different

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Developers are abandoning their Macs for a new frontier: Arch Linux with Hyprland. We dive into Omarchy, and the broader trend fueling it.Sponsored By...

621: The Sunday Secret Sauce

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're highlighting several stories and reviews that never made it into the show. From GrapheneOS trouble, Asahi updates, Framework's desktop reveal, S...

620: Brent Loves Building Things

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Off-the-shelf didn't cut it, so we built what we needed using open hardware and open source.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmable networ...

619: The Trouble with TUIs

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We spent the week learning keybindings, installing dependencies, and cramming for bonus points. Today, we score up and see how we did in the TUI Chall...

618: TUI Challenge Kickoff

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our terminal apps are loaded, the goals are set, but we're already hitting a few snags. The TUI Challenge begins...Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale i...

617: The Disposable Server

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Spin up, share, nuke. We each build a throwaway server, and then rate each others' setups.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmable networki...

616: From Boston to bootc

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off Red Hat Summit, Chris is eyeing an exit from NixOS. What's luring him back to the mainstream? Our highlights, and the signal from the noise ...

615: 25.05 Reasons to NixOS

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With NixOS 25.05 around the corner, we sit down with a release manager to unpack what's new, what's changing, and what's finally getting easier. Spoil...

614: Self-Hosted Location Tracking

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We test-drive a self-hosted alternative to Google Location History. Plus, we cover the week's Linux news highlights, then spill the beans on our upcom...

613: Packets, Power, and Paulus

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We chat with the founder of Home Assistant and then fire up Brent's Linux-powered rig.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmable networking s...

612: 25 Years of LinuxFest Northwest

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're live from LinuxFest Northwest 2025. We're joined by guests from the audience, try our hand at Linux trivia and share our experiences from the be...

611: Distro Double Trouble

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fedora 42 and Ubuntu 25.04 are here—We break down what's new, what stands out, and what we love most about each release.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tail...

610: Linus' Next Big Thing

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apple's software is going rotten, while Linux sneaks up as the better Mac. Linus grumbles through Git's 20th birthday, and we spot a hardware window L...

609: We Used to Be Friends

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We attempt to get one of the great gaming classics running on Linux, and dig into some of the technical issues still holding back Linux. Plus: Chris h...

608: Linus' NT Surprise

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Linux 6.14 lands with big improvements for gaming, laptops, and filesystems—but why is a Windows feature sneaking into our kernel?Sponsored By:Tails...

607: Ubuntu's Rusty Roadmap

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Canonical's VP of Engineering for Ubuntu reveals why they're swapping coreutils for Rust-built tools. Then we break down the GNOME 48 release, and why...

606: Nix's Magic Cookbook

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have stories to share, guests joining us, insights from our week at Planet Nix, and Brent's big bombshell.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a pr...

605: Goodbye World

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are digging into a superpower inside your Linux Kernel. How eBPF works, and how anyone can take advantage of it.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale i...

604: One Week Left

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're pre-gaming two of the biggest Linux events of the year. Engineers, organizers, and surprise guests are dropping by to give us the scoop before i...

603: All Your Kernels Belong to Rust

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There have been major Rust developments in the Linux Kernel; we discuss what's new and how it will impact the future. Plus, we're joined by a special ...

602: The BSD Humbling

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our FreeBSD Challenge comes to a close, and chances are one of us will be paying the Windows tax.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmable n...

601: Taming the Demons

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's week one of our FreeBSD challenge, and for one of us, that penalty Windows install looks uncomfortably close! Plus, Zach Mitchell joins us to upd...

600: Everyone, Everywhere, All at Once

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We celebrate 600 episodes, announce a new show feature, and officially launch the FreeBSD challenge.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmabl...

599: Psycho Shower Linux Power

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the eve of episode 600, we introduce our next challenge and explore the new wave of Linux phones.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmabl...

598: Not Your Distrohopper's Distro

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With more criticisms of NixOS than ever—do they have a point? We'll dig into the tough critiques and give our perspective.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Ta...

597: Cache My OS

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're taking on some of the toughest critiques of the Linux desktop, then taking a look at CachyOS and what makes it feel like a million bucks.Sponsor...

596: Perilously Pontificated Predictions

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We make our big Linux predictions for 2025, but first, we score how we did for 2024.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a programmable networking sof...

595: Network 'n Burning Bonanza

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We tested out the OpenWRT One and tried it in a unique use case. Then, Wes goes back to 1999 to solve a problem.Sponsored By:Tailscale: Tailscale is a...

594: 2024 Tuxies

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's the fifth annual Unplugged Tuxies; our community votes on the best projects, distros, and desktops of 2024. Join us for the final Tuxies, and the...

593: Zen and the Art of Kernel Preempting

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A special guest joins us for the news, then we dive headfirst into our RT Linux kernel adventures—where speed seduced, but stability ghosted us.Spon...

592: Chris' Netboot Nonsense

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

USB thumb drives are old and busted. No hard drive? No problem. Need a quick system rescue or work in another distro for the day? Easy.Sponsored By:Ta...

591: KDE Goes Banana

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The KDE and GNOME projects are working on official Linux distributions, but do we need more distros? We dig into their special sauce.Plus: Wes' top DN...

590: Self-Host Before You're Toast

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, we took a small step toward digital privacy. Today, we're rethinking everything about our online lives, and we'll give you the tools to...

589: 6 Reasons to Love Linux 6.12

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Linux 6.12 kernel isn't just another update — it's a game-changer that deserves our full attention, from performance improvements to fascinating...

588: Clearing out the Tumbleweeds

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We go back in time to revisit our favorite classic SUSE release and then fix Brent's broken box the hard way.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annual Members...

587: Triple Fedora Taste-Test

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fedora 41 is here! We break down the best new features, then branch out for a three-way spin showdown. Which flavor will come out on top?Sponsored By:...

586: Kexec with Determination

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're hot-swapping our rigs to Fedora 41; then Graham Christensen gives us the inside scoop on a new Nix distribution, and Determinate Systems' big we...

585: Choosy Moms Choose Ubuntu

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes got Mom a new Linux laptop, and he lets her pick the distro. Plus, we take a look at the new Ubuntu 24.10, and why we think this release might be ...

584: Captain Meshtastic and the Solar Cowboy

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After building nodes, climbing roofs, swapping antennas, and even some war driving, it's time for our Meshtastic deep dive!Sponsored By:Jupiter Party ...

583: Nix on Easy Mode

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes gives his shell superpowers to solve a tricky problem. Then, we share an update on our favorite Google Photos alternative, including breaking chan...

582: On the CUPS of Disaster

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We explain the one-packet attack on CUPS and discuss its real-world implications. Plus, a Meshtastic update and more.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annual...

581: The Linux Escape Hatch

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if we had to abandon ship and stop using Desktop Linux? We've come up with a master plan, and put it to the test.Sponsored By:Jupiter Party Annua...

580: Brent's Boogie Bus Broadcast Bash

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The things we like in the new Nextcloud release, and we attempt to upgrade our production server live—from a big blue bus.Sponsored By:Core Contribu...

579: Lost & Found

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Secret moments from the show you've never heard before. We kick off with some hardware hurdles, then dive into the news and share a few surprising sto...

578: Young and the Rustless

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rust meets Linux in a clash of coding cultures. Why some developers are resisting, and where things go from here.Sponsored By:Core Contributor Members...

576: The Secret Server

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We reveal how we turned our humble LAN into a public server farm, all while keeping our IP address under wraps and our ISP blissfully unaware.Sponsore...

575: Brent's Busted Builds

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brent's computer pulls an all-nighter at the worst possible moment, and the hits keep coming for open-source Android distributions and our new 2FA too...

574: COSMIC Encounter

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The COSMIC desktop is just around the corner. We get the inside scoop from System76 and go hands-on with an early press build.Sponsored By:Core Contri...

573: Universal Blue Man Group

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Think Silverblue, but with cloud-native tooling used to build it. From Aurora to Bazzite, our impressions of the ambitious Universal Blue project.Spon...

572: Data Security Only a Maniac Could Love

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes' self-decrypting bcachefs disk and a GrapheneOS twist that'll make you ditch your iPhone.Sponsored By:Core Contributor Membership: Take $1 a month...

571: Multi-Machine Lifestyle

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wes reports from the Skunkworks lab, and Brent tells us about his new computing lifestyle.Sponsored By:Core Contributor Membership: Take $1 a month of...

570: RegreSSHion Strikes

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We dig into the RegreSSHion bug, debate it's real threat and explore clever tools to build a tasty fried onion around your system.Sponsored By:Core Co...

569: Our Plasma Panacea

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why we think Plasma 6.1 is the desktop for people who like to mess with computers.Sponsored By:Core Contributor Membership: Take $1 a month of your me...

568: All Your Silos are Broken

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Online identity is a ticking time bomb. Are trustworthy, open-source solutions ready to disarm it? Or will we be stuck with lackluster, proprietary sy...

567: So Long sudo

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Your Linux box is a-changin'. systemd has a huge new release; we'll get into the most impressive features, including the new sudo replacement. Plus, o...

566: Chef's Choice Ubuntu

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We try Omakub, a new opinionated Ubuntu desktop for power users and macOS expats.Sponsored By:Core Contributor Membership: Take $1 a month of your mem...