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Linux OTC

Bill, Leo, Majid, Eric, and Charlie

Linux “Off The Cuff”

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20 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 2 min
English

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Monday · 55 min
80 – Man on a (Failed) Mission
Linux OTC is an unscripted, community-focused podcast dedicated to the world of open-source computing. In this milestone 80th episode, hosts Bill, Charlie, and Majid dive into a lively discussion that balances personal anecdotes with deep technical insights. From the practical challenges of helping friends and family transition to Linux—including hardware compatibility hurdles—to navigating the complexities of modern system administration, the show offers a relatable look at life in the Linux ecosystem. Beyond basic troubleshooting, the hosts explore the rapidly evolving intersection of technology and artificial intelligence. They discuss the growing trend of “vibe coding,” the rise of AI-integrated distributions like Omachi, and broader concerns regarding human creativity in an automated age. Whether you are a seasoned developer or a casual enthusiast, Linux OTC provides an engaging and thoughtful space to keep up with the latest trends, debates, and personal stories from the vibrant open-source community.
September 7 · 1 hr 12 min
79 – In The Bath With Claude
This episode of the *Linux OTC* podcast features hosts *Bill*, *Charlie*, and *Eric* engaging in a lively and unscripted discussion about several contemporary technology topics, with a heavy focus on the implications of **Artificial Intelligence**. **Key Discussion Highlights:** * **AI and Software Development:** The hosts debate how AI is transforming the landscape of coding. They discuss the concept of “vibe coding,” where AI handles the technical implementation of an idea, shifting the human role to that of a creative director or problem solver. * **The “Racket” of AI:** A critical segment where the hosts compare AI development to a “racket,” arguing that large companies create potential problems—like rapid vulnerability scanning or misinformation—and then charge users for solutions to protect themselves from those very problems. * **Technology and Ethics:** The conversation touches on the broader societal impacts of the internet and AI, drawing comparisons to historical shifts like the automotive industry and questioning whether the convenience of modern tech justifies its costs to humanity. * **AI as a Companion:** *Charlie* shares his personal experience of using AI for conversation, sparking a debate about the human need for connection and whether interacting with AI “extracts” user data or fulfills a genuine emotional need, despite the inherent lack of empathy in the bot. * **The Inevitability of AI:** The discussion concludes with the consensus that, like the transition from horses to cars, AI adoption is essentially inevitable, and the focus remains on how individuals will navigate this changing landscape.
August 23 · 59 min
78 – What is a Criminal?
Join hosts Bill, Charlie, Eric, and Majid in episode 78 of Linux OTC to dig into phone security, payment scams, and the state of KDE Plasma distros. Charlie opens with a story about a China-specific phone where Google pulled Google Pay functionality overnight, sparking a wider talk about telemetry, GDPR, and security risks on Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Oppo devices. The hosts compare privacy-friendly payment tools like Curve, Walt, and privacy.com, then Eric and Majid share unsettling stories about AI voice-cloning scams targeting elderly relatives, underscoring why “safe words” are becoming a real family security measure. The second half turns to the Linux desktop, comparing KDE Neon, the new immutable Arch-based KDE Linux, and Tuxedo OS’s move from Ubuntu to Debian testing. The group debates Flatpak’s stalled development against the upcoming systemd-dependent Flatpak Next, weighs Snap against Flatpak, and covers Fedora’s shift toward an atomic, bootc-based image. Eric recounts driver headaches on openSUSE Tumbleweed, while Bill recommends the up-and-coming Softless Linux. Charlie also plugs FOSSStudio (fsudio.org) and Fetch Terminal. New episodes land every two weeks — find the show on Matrix, Discord, and Fosstodon.
July 29 · length unknown
77 – Benevolent Dictators for Life?
Join hosts Bill, Charlie, Eric, and Majid in episode 77 of Linux OTC to unpack a heated Linux Mint vs GNOME Calendar dispute and what it means for how distros handle outdated packages. The hosts open with a personal detour into culture and identity before diving into the core issue: users on Linux Mint’s LTS base are hitting bugs already fixed upstream in GNOME Calendar, leaving developers and distro maintainers pointing fingers at each other. The conversation covers release cadence, the tension between stable branches and rolling releases, Flatpak’s growing role in desktop software, and whether desktop-integrated apps should ever ship via Flatpak at all. The second half turns to a Flatpak governance controversy involving a banned developer and a Flathub reviewer, sparking a wider debate about open-source project leadership and the case for a benevolent dictator for life. Charlie shares his first vibe-coding experiment building a Cinnamon Spices applet, and the group compares vulnerability-scanning results using Arcane and Trivy. They also revisit Arch Linux installers like EndeavourOS and Arch OS, discuss AUR helpers, and rank graphical package managers including KDE Discover, GNOME Software, and Bazaar. New episodes drop every two weeks — join the conversation on Matrix.
July 12 · 1 hr 20 min
76 – Take A Picture, I Won’t Remember
We start this episode with some feedback from back in May. This gets us into a conversation about photo management. We get into music a bit, we lament about the state of the music industry. We talk a little about the evolution of the methods we consume the content, and how we used to archive the media. We talk about the questionable expertise of many mainstream commercial hardware support businesses. All this and so much more!
July 1 · 41 min
75 – We are all Marjorie
Join hosts Majid, Charlie, and Eric in episode 75 of Linux OTC to explore the surprisingly rich connections between language, technology, AI, and digital privacy. The episode opens with a lively discussion about the quirks of English as a global language, code-switching, and regional dialects — with Charlie and Majid sharing personal anecdotes about communicating across cultures. The conversation naturally pivots to AI and vibe coding, with Charlie praising Claude for helping him troubleshoot Docker Compose files on ZimaOS by parsing error logs, Eric reflecting on using AI to generate bash scripts, and Majid noting mixed results with Gemini for self-hosting tasks like setting up Jellyfin and Audiobookshelf. The second half tackles AI’s broader implications: medical transcription tools, data privacy concerns around Google, Apple, Copilot, and ambient surveillance, and the sustainability of AI consuming creator content without attribution — using the now-legendary “Marjorie from Tuscany” as a case study. The trio rounds out the episode debating GNOME’s governance, the AUR’s recent turbulence, and the tension between project vision and community input, with Charlie teasing that the FOSS and open-source philosophy discussion will continue on the FossNerds podcast soon.
June 15 · 58 min
74 – Is the AUR Only For Muppets?
In this episode we deep dive, rather pretentiously into the world of the AUR, and get into the recent bulk discovery of malware in said repository. Some question whether the AUR should exist at all, others believe the AUR is and should be a “wild west” of opportunity, good and bad. The debate gets a bit heated at times. We also get into AI – of course we do. All this, and way more!
June 2 · 50 min
73 – Nerds²
Join hosts Bill, Charlie, Jim, and Majid in episode 73 of Linux OTC to explore open-source operating systems. The chat kicks off by comparing Debian’s origins with early Ubuntu. Jim shares his deep dive into the BSD ecosystem, detailing his switch to using GhostBSD. He highlights hardware compatibility on older machines, but opens up about a major storage dilemma caused by a ZFS snapshot filling his 60GB SSD during an update. The crew also explores philosophical divides between Linux and BSD. They discuss the implications of permissive BSD licensing versus the GPL, debating how corporate influence impacts the Linux desktop. The discussion flows into file systems, weighing ZFS against UFS for users with limited storage. Finally, they swap stories about upgrading old hardware and announce the community’s migration to a Matrix room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1rk5uAmWaA&t=1s
May 21 · 1 hr 10 min
72 – We Finally Got It Right!
Welcome to Episode 72 of the Linux OTC podcast, where hosts Bill, Charlie, Eric, and Majid dive straight into the technical hurdles of content creation, specifically critiquing Discord’s feature creep and reliability issues. The conversation quickly expands into a broader philosophical discussion on the societal impact of modern social media. The hosts express deep concerns about how algorithms heavily reinforce confirmation bias, debate the effectiveness of age restrictions like COPPA, and emphasize the critical role of parental responsibility in navigating digital spaces for younger users. In the second half, the crew shifts focus to the Linux ecosystem and the ongoing challenge of “de-Googling” their lives. They explore the merits and difficulties of self-hosting, highlighting tools like Nextcloud and praising Immich as a powerful, self-hosted alternative to Google Photos. The episode wraps up with a relatable deep dive into the frustrations of “distro hopping,” discussing Eric’s transition from Pop!_OS to PikaOS, the benefits of Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), and the current landscape of desktop environments like Gnome, KDE Plasma, and Budgie. Finally, the team announces that the podcast is officially joining the Linux Syndicate network.
May 2 · 55 min
71 – Compound Stupidity
We start off talking about the non standard experience you get from one Linux distro to another. Majid talks about his experience transferring files. Some Distros are a little closer to the upstream than others. This gets us into a discussion about Fedora, RHEL, and the like. All of this and way more!
April 19 · 1 hr 8 min
70 – Make Linux Great Again
After a poignant start, our new host Charlie joins us again for a conversation about all things spanning the range between celebrity, to classic pop culture, and on to to Debian and it's constituents. Intellectual fundamentalism rears it's head. Choice prevails! Oh and buckle up kids - we talk about Systemd.
April 4 · 1 hr 6 min
69 – Welcome Back Charlie
This week we welcome a new voice to the fold. Charlie, AKA Immutable Charlie joins us to talk Linux
March 21 · 54 min
68 – Streaming Drivers
We're all over the place on this episode. We start off with the abysmal state of media streaming. Majid and Eric get into a conversation about watches. We get into it about our experiences with Amazon as well as other online commerce offerings. Bill talks a bit about the sad state of affairs within his industry. Eric talks about a recent challenge trying to find a tech solution to a friend's photography storage problem. All this, and way more!
March 8 · 1 hr 6 min
67 – “Needs No Introduction”
Yes friends, that time is finally here; episode "67." Much of the conversation is about the relevance of older technology in a time when up-to-date RAM and other parts are expensive, and scarce. We get into a conversation about compiling software that is not available in your repos verses using a containerized solution like Distrobox. We get into encryption and how to get the benefits of encryption on any cloud storage solution. Quantum computing is also covered a bit. All this and way more!
February 21 · 1 hr 5 min
66 – The Mountain Of Source
Server rebuilds, Memory shortages, Energy prices, Compiling software, and the AUR. all that and way more!
January 25 · 59 min
65 – “Wine-ers Of The World Unite!”
Bill and Eric wax philosophical about technology and it's users. They get into Ad blocking, anti-virus, and the like. The nature of "free" software comes up. Gaming on Linux, Wine, virtualization, etc. They get into the concept of a software repository, and the associated package manager. The layers of effort that goes into every distribution. All of this and more!
#64
January 11 · 1 hr 17 min
64 – The Eric Strikes Back
Eric makes his triumphant return where we start off talking about some recent pc builds Bill had been working on during his time off. We get into some of the vagaries of hardware issues and what we've done in the past to deal with them. Majid talks about recent laptop purchases. Eric gets into some issues he experienced while using multiple versions of Handbrake. These topics and more!
#63
Dec 13, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
63 – Audio Antics and Arch Adventures: The 67 Chronicles
In this lively episode of Linux OTC, we kick off with some unexpected technical hiccups when Majid’s audio takes a turn for the bizarre, sparking a spirited debate about the causes. As we navigate through the audio chaos, the conversation shifts to the fascinating evolution of smartphones, exploring how they’ve transformed our daily lives. Later, we dive into the intricacies of Arch Linux and debate the merits and pitfalls of using the AUR (Arch User Repository). Battery life also makes a brief appearance as we share tips and experiences to help listeners maximize their device’s endurance. Amidst the tech talk, one amusing cultural meme—“67”—keeps making its way back into the conversation, adding a humorous twist to our discussions. Join us for a blend of tech insights, friendly banter, and plenty of laughs!
#62
Nov 29, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
62 – What Could Go Wrong?
One hardware failure after another for these guys. Bill's video card woes, Majid's server issues. We even had a complete SATA controller failure on one of the most important machines. We get through it. We get into distro hopping, as well as a little conversation about Cosmic, verses Gnome.
#61
Nov 21, 2025 · 59 min
61 – Discord Woes
Bill's video card problems, we get into the new Steam hardware a bit, a little bit on Docker. Way more!

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