How-To Geek

Raspberry Pis are some of the most reliable SBCs out there for hobbyist electrical projects and lightweight self-hosting. Here are 5 commands or utilities that every Pi user should know.

Most desktop software and web browsers have left Windows 7 and Windows 8 in the past, but Firefox still gets security updates on those versions. That's now changing, as Mozilla is ending all support for versions before Windows 10.

Linux is flexible, but it can’t contort itself into a perfect Windows replica. Linux comes with its own set of pros and cons, and expecting it to behave like Windows will lead to disappointments. Instead, appreciate Linux for what it is, and you’ll understand why so many people love the Penguin OS.

Squid Game is the most successful South Korean Netflix show to date, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea. The good part is you don't have to restrict yourself to the dystopian story if you want to explore Korean dramas (K-dramas).

These days, it is very hard to do deliberate, focused work. Digital distractions are everywhere, and you're constantly bombarded with communications, so you need to schedule time and make it count. Focus Time and Automatic Scheduling are great because they solve that problem.

Back in the day, the presence of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) cache was more or less a requirement if you wanted a well-performing SSD that won't choke under pressure. But thanks to one improvement, modern SSDs don't need a DRAM cache anymore to stay competitive.

For decades, the idea of buying a brand-new car for around $20,000 was a realistic goal for many American shoppers, a reliable daily driver without a lofty price tag. In 2025, that era quietly came to an end. With the discontinuation of the last widely available new car under $20,000, the market now offers no mainstream new vehicles at that price point, leaving buyers with fewer truly affordable options as new-car pricing continues to soar.

Google Maps is an extremely helpful tool for navigation, but millions of people use it for more than just directions. Google Maps is packed with features and data, including user reviews, images, restaurant information, saving your parking location, seeing recent trips, and more. If you rely on much of that information, we have some bad news.

If you're a programmer, you probably use Git, and like me, you may find some commands a little too laborious. What you need is a quick way to comprehend, navigate, and inspect your Git history. GUIs excel in this regard, but if you're a devoted terminal user, then you likely prefer a TUI (terminal user interface). For Git, these are in short supply, but I have one today, which makes reading your history a breeze.

You probably own more smart home sensors than you think—you just don't call them that. Many of the devices in your home can act as state detectors that you can use to control your smart home. There's a lot you can do without needing to buy a single new sensor.

One of the best features of AirPods is that they charge continuously when placed in their case, as long as the case itself has power. You put the AirPods in the case and forget about them.

Software development is usually dominated by a handful of commercial tools and the big, established open-source giants. These mainstream options are powerful, sure, but they often completely overshadow a ton of incredibly potent, lesser-known open-source tools that could seriously improve how you work.

If you're still saving Excel spreadsheets with a three-letter .xls extension, you're lugging around a digital anchor from the era of dial-up. Beyond being a 1990s relic, these legacy files are slow, prone to corruption, and—most dangerously—a preferred backdoor for modern malware. It's time to move to XLSX and never look back.

For almost a year, I was jumping from one Linux distro to the next without ever settling on one for more than a week. Here’s how I stopped and found the right distro for me.

Ryobi is one of the most popular tool brands around, particularly with DIYers and homeowners, and for good reason. The brand offers over 300 tools and accessories at affordable prices. The lineup constantly improves, and if you're debating a Ryobi ONE+ tool vs One+ HP, here's what you need to know and why the "HP" model is more expensive.

Does the thought of your parents facing an emergency when you’re not around keep you up at night? Are you worried they won’t be able to use their smartphone when they actually need it? These simple Android tweaks transformed how I care for my aging parents from afar.

As great as Linux can be if you're concerned about security, privacy, and customizability, there are a few things that could be improved. One of the best quality-of-life changes I've made has been switching to Flatpak to install most of my apps.

I've used Microsoft Excel since I was a kid because that's when they started teaching Microsoft Office in school to elementary students. I've been aware of the changes, but one that got away from me is arguably one of the best features Excel ever had.

HDMI cables are a fact of life, and usually you don't need them to be particularly long. Connecting a console or Blu-ray player to a TV that's right next to it usually means having too much cable rather than too little. However, there are plenty of reasons you'd want a longer cable.

Over the last year, I’ve gone from “AI is useless” to “AI is my employee I couldn’t run my business without.” I started out on ChatGPT, and eventually went to Gemini—but Claude is where I feel the most at home.