6 must-read Linux and open source tutorials of the year

The most practical guides we published, from observability to retrocomputing to faster local dev environments.

As 2025 comes to a close, the open source community continues to inspire with innovation, reflection, and even nostalgia. This year’s standout stories remind us that open source is more than code—it’s a culture of empowerment, collaboration, and creativity. Let’s revisit some of the highlights that shaped our conversations.

Building smarter, faster: One tool for 26 frameworks

By Bernardo Martinez

Local development has long been a patchwork of tools and configurations. Enter DDEV, a Docker‑based environment that supports 26 frameworks and CMSs out of the box. By bundling essentials like npm, yarn, composer, mail, and Traefik, DDEV eliminates DevOps headaches and empowers developers to focus on building. It’s a shining example of how open source reduces friction and boosts productivity.

AI code assistants: Helpful but imperfect

By Paul Dhaliwal

AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot made waves this year, promising speed and efficiency. Studies show productivity gains, but limitations remain: lack of contextual intelligence, reliance on imperfect training data, reduced creativity, and ethical concerns around bias and accountability. Paul emphasizes that AI tools are accelerators, not replacements—human oversight remains essential.

Rethinking documentation: Goodbye Man pages, hello tldr

By Jay LaCroix (Learn Linux TV)

Linux veterans and newcomers alike discovered the joy of tldr‑pages, a community‑driven alternative to traditional man pages. With concise, example‑driven command references and offline caching, tldr makes Linux documentation approachable without sacrificing depth. It’s proof that open source thrives when usability and collaboration meet.

Observability made simple: OpenTelemetry in Django

By Jessica Garson

Monitoring applications is no longer optional—it’s mission‑critical. OpenTelemetry, born from OpenTracing and OpenCensus, emerged as the standard for observability. Jessica’s hands-on observability guide shows how to instrument a Django to‑do app, connect it to Elastic, and capture metrics, logs, and traces. Developers now have a more straightforward path to understanding performance and user impact, thanks to OpenTelemetry’s unified approach.

Retrocomputing joy: FreeDOS 1.4 turns 30

By Jim Hall

This year marked the 30th anniversary of FreeDOS, with version 1.4 bringing stability, improved networking via mTCP, rewritten help content, new image tools, and sound card emulators for classic DOS games. FreeDOS remains a vibrant platform for retrocomputing enthusiasts—preserving computing heritage while still enabling new DOS programs.

Bonus: Read Jim’s DOScember series and take the retro computing challenge.

Everyday empowerment: 10 open source tools for life

By Don Watkins

Open source isn’t just for developers. I curated a list of ten essential tools that enhance daily life. From Firefox and Bitwarden to LibreOffice, Signal, and Audacity, these solutions prove that open source is practical, powerful, and accessible to everyone. My list underscores how open source extends far beyond developer circles into everyday empowerment.

Resources to keep exploring

For those inspired to dive deeper,  the We Love Open Source education hub from All Things Open offers a rich library of downloads, guides, and resources to continue learning and experimenting. Explore them at allthingsopen.org/downloads and allthingsopen.org/articles.

Closing thoughts

This year’s stories highlight the breadth of open source: it accelerates modern development, questions the role of AI, simplifies documentation, preserves retro systems, and empowers everyday users. The common thread is empowerment—open source reduces barriers, expands creativity, and connects us to both the past and the future of technology.

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