3 Obscure but Cool Linux Apps to Install This Weekend (October 17

It’s the weekend again, which means it’s time to break out those Linux desktops and use them the way computers are intended: solving problems and having fun. I found a few more native Linux apps that range from practical to niche in terms of usage.

These apps have a common thread when it comes to media consumption and management. I didn’t intend to do it this way, but maybe that’s just because I’ve been working on my list of movies to watch lately. Either way, I hope you find at least one Linux tool that is useful to you.

Constriction: Control those large video files

We’ve all been there. You try to download a video, whether in an email attachment or in a chat, and the download fails. The video is just too big. You don’t want to open it in a video editor and try to configure the rendering output, and all the buttons and dials that full conversion apps like VLC give you are too intimidating. In this case, just open Constrict. It is a lightweight video compression tool (like reducing file size) that is also extremely simple to use. No need to memorize FFmpeg flags here.

Simply select the video file (which can include GIFs) and tell Constrict what size you need the file to be. For example, if your email client limits you to files no larger than 20 MB, simply set the target size to 20 MB or less. There are reasonable defaults for the rest of the options Constrict offers, but they are there to refine the output if the first run does not produce acceptable results.

One feature I particularly like is the “Additional Quality” toggle. Compression always takes time, but if you have more time, you can have Constrict produce a higher quality video while still reaching the target file size.

As far as I know, the only way to install the app is to search for Constrict on Flathub. You can retrieve it via the terminal with this command:

flatpak install flathub io.github.wartybix.Constrict

cranny: play music every hour in the terminal

I was very excited to come across Recoin this week. It’s a terminal-based app for listening to music, but only for one way of listening: looping individual songs that change every hour. If this seems strange, let me point out that I listen to a lot of background music on repeat. I also listen to different music depending on my mood and activity, so it almost felt like this project was made especially for me.

The Cranny app is actually the spiritual successor to one of the developer’s previous projects, Nook. This was a browser extension designed to play in-game music every hour. Animal crossing more precisely, but it was eventually converted into a desktop application for Linux. The developer later abandoned the project, but came back with a terminal-based solution.

Unfortunately, Cranny is not available in any popular repositories. Instead, you need to download the code from the GitHub repository and build the app from source, while ensuring that the correct dependencies are installed. Follow the official cranny installation instructions for details.

It will also be helpful to become familiar with creating symlinks, as this is how you point to your music. That said, the Cranny developer has done a good job explaining the process in the documentation linked above, so don’t be too intimidated.

Box Office: Keep a Private Watchlist of Movies and TV Shows

If you’re like me, you love watching movies and TV shows, but you have trouble remembering what you want to watch and what you’ve watched recently. The Ticket Booth app offers a simple graphical solution for this. It has only one objective: to allow you to follow your favorite series and films.

You can add all the movies and series you plan to watch, then check them off as you watch them so you have a record of your viewing history. With TV Shows, you can track individual seasons and episodes, and thanks to its TMDB integration, it’s even able to send you notifications when new episodes are released. You also receive a notes area for each item on your list so you can write down your thoughts as you watch.

What I really like about Ticket Booth is that it offers a way to maintain a watchlist with little to no internet connectivity. It usefully retrieves content metadata such as posters, descriptions and release dates from TMDB. Still, no account creation is required, and you can turn off online connectivity and use Ticket Booth completely offline if and when you want. You can also export your data to backup and move your watchlist and history as needed.

I typically rely on Letterboxd’s movie tracking capabilities, but Ticket Booth gives me a more private experience. It also does all of this in a clean, modern interface.

You can install Ticket Booth from Flathub, either through your graphics software manager or by using this command:

flatpak install flathub me.iepure.Ticketbooth

If you missed last week’s Linux software roundup, be sure to check it out. There were some real gems that I don’t think anyone should overlook.