Jonathan Bowman

Categories: Linux

Linux on the Dell XPS: Fixing AX201 Wi-Fi performance

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I am very happy with Linux on my Dell XPS 13 9310. I use the latest version of Fedora (38 at the time of this writing).

However, the Wi-Fi connection gave me great difficulty for months before I learned that performance is much better with the power saving functionality turned off. With power saving on, I would often lose packets right and left. Here are the steps to fix this.

How to Upgrade to Fedora 37 In Place on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

The time has once again arrived to upgrade Fedora. As detailed in another article, I installed Fedora on WSL 2. Now I want to upgrade to Fedora version 37. I could do a clean install of course, using the steps detailed in that article, but I want to upgrade in place.

A POSIX Playground Container for Shell Script Testing

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After exploring portable scripting in the previous article, I built a container available on Docker Hub, useful for testing and experimentation.

Writing Bash Scripts that aren't Only Bash: Checking for Bashisms and Using Dash

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Shells like Bash or Zsh are advanced and user-friendly, and include features beyond what a simpler POSIX-compliant shell might offer. You will do well to utilize the full features of your shell when writing scripts.

There are situations, however, when portability should be a valued feature, allowing the script to run on a variety of shells.

Bash Execution Tips for Shell Jockeys and Script Fabricators

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Have you ever wanted to execute one command if another failed? Or one command only if the first one succeeded? What about background execution?

Bash and other popular shells such as Zsh and Ash/Dash have some useful but sometimes confusing operators for command execution.

Upgrade SSH Client Keys and Remote Servers after Fedora 33's New Crypto Policy

Public key authentication failing after a distro or OpenSSH upgrade? Yeah, me too.

Schedule jobs with systemd timers, a cron alternative

For any sysadmin, devops engineer, or general Linux enthusiast, automating the annoying/boring/difficult stuff is crucial. And task scheduling plays a key role in automation.

How to Upgrade Fedora on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

As detailed in another article, I installed Fedora on WSL 2. Now I want to upgrade to Fedora version 34. I could do a clean install of course, using the steps detailed in that article, but I want to upgrade in place.

You may not need systemd on WSL

To systemd or not to systemd...

Most popular Linux distributions use systemd as the init system. It is like a Swiss-army knife that controls startup, shutdown, service monitoring, and so much more.

In late 2022 Microsoft announced systemd support in WSL.

Prior to that point, however, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) danced to its own initialization tune, and distros running on WSL did not use systemd, and did not generally employ a traditional init system.

This taught folks like me something: I don’t always need to have systemd or other init system for a good Linux experience. Running WSL without systemd is OK.