This week in our forums…
Key Stats
In the past week, our Linux forums had the following activity and key statistics:
Total New Posts: 58
Total New Topics: 6
Top Members
@hydn: 17 posts, 26 likes
@J_J_Sloan: 6 posts, 12 likes
@shybry747: 4 posts, 11 likes
@MarshallJFlinkman: 4 posts, 7 likes
@benowe1717: 3 posts, 6 likes
@sfrias: 1 post, 6 likes
@system: 5 posts, 4 likes
@tmick: 3 posts, 4 likes
@P_Perry: 3 posts, 4 likes
@Powder: 1 post, 3 likes
Interesting Topics
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In General Discussions, @J_J_Sloan shared a candid take in I think I’m done with raspberry pi. The thread weighs the reliability tradeoffs between Raspberry Pi and low cost mini PCs, with several members pointing to microSD fragility as the recurring weak point. @benowe1717 and @sfrias offered real world experiences and mitigations, while @hydn pointed to alternatives like eMMC and USB storage for improved durability.
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In Linux Support, @Luke ran into a frustrating update error in Flatpack Failure when receiving data from the peer. The community quickly honed in on network instability as the likely culprit. @hydn suggested IPv4 vs IPv6 checks, curl and ping diagnostics, Flatpak repairs, and DNS changes to rule out upstream issues. @toadie and @tmick added perspectives on Flatpak reliability, and @MarshallJFlinkman noted successful updates even through Tor.
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@hydn started a how to in Site Help with How to Use the New Full Text Editor. It walks through enabling the new editor, what it changes, and how Markdown remains fully supported. If you publish guides or longer posts, the visual tools and formatting options should make your workflow smoother.
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In Showcase, @hydn shared a monitoring case study in Using Checkmk (Community Edition) for deeper server observability. A read only NAS mount alert surfaced an underlying issue that other tools didn’t catch, highlighting why layering Checkmk and Netdata can pay off for homelabs and small fleets.
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@mafolsson opened a practical hardware thread in General Discussions with Wanna run Kodi, rename files, download torrents and be able to access files on AMD Athlon II X2 250 x 2 with 4GB of ram (Packard Bell imedia S1300). They’re after a lightweight setup for Kodi, occasional torrents, and basic file management on modest hardware. The conversation leans toward leaner distributions or appliance builds like LibreELEC for a better FHD media experience.
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In Community, @system published the annual wrap up in 2025: Linuxcommunity.io Year in Review. It spotlights top readers, most discussed threads, and category highlights. @hydn followed with a thank you and well wishes for the year ahead.
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A performance deep dive continued in General Discussions in Linux vs FreeBSD Disk I/O: Why Is FreeBSD Faster?. @J_J_Sloan shared dbench results showing better scaling on FreeBSD with identical hardware and ZFS. @hydn linked to OpenZFS tuning resources, and @MarshallJFlinkman suggested checking ARC parity and consulting the Practical ZFS community for developer level guidance.
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Also in General Discussions, @tmick circled back on desktop performance in Fedora-KDE-43 review, noting KDE Neon felt snappier than Fedora and similar to Manjaro in their testing. @shybry747 and @Brian_Masinick weighed the practical tradeoffs between tiling managers and efficient workspace switching for everyday workflows.
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A cautionary tale resurfaced in General Discussions with fresh replies in Only realized my error after the machine was nuked. @shybry747 shared a hard learned lesson about backups and timing, reinforcing why off device snapshots and verified copies matter before risky maintenance.
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In Articles & guides, the ongoing discussion around immutable distros continued in Immutable Linux Distros: Are They Right for You? Take the Test. @Powder described a carefully designed workflow that favors rebuildable, stable setups, while @P_Perry highlighted friction with AMD ROCm on some images. Members compared A/B update models and where immutable shines or gets in the way for GPU accelerated tools and gaming.
Activity by the @staff Group
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Product updates and resource maintenance:
- @hydn updated guidance on printer support with new notes based on member feedback: Finding Linux Compatible Printers.
- Refreshed a performance comparison with current data in CDN Benchmarking: How to Compare the Performance of Different CDNs.
- Shared news and status changes on devices and projects:
- Pinebook Pro availability and future plans: Pinebook Pro - My First Impressions and Setup Tips
- Pockit status update: Pockit: A card-sized modular computer
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Security and tooling:
- Updated install guidance for CSF after upstream changes, now recommending ConfigServer.dev: How I’m Continuing to Use CSF After ConfigServer’s Shutdown.
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Homelab and observability tips:
- Suggestions for practical monitoring to validate resource impact and background workloads: Self-hosted Projects That Earn (Make money from your Home lab).
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Community operations:
- @system published the annual roundup recognizing top contributions and activity across categories in 2025 (see the Year in Review linked above).
Best Reply or Topic of the Week
- Best Reply: @sfrias’ thoughtful engineering deep dive on storage reliability in the Raspberry Pi thread. It details strategies to mitigate SD card fragility, explores SPI and voltage adaptation, and discusses kernel level adjustments for more robust storage paths. Read it here: I think I’m done with raspberry pi — post #8.
Thanks for reading. See you again next week! 
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