Les Pounder

Blackpool

Freelance Author, Journalist, Trainer and Maker at Freelance

Associate Editor @tomshardware Writer for @linuxformat Formerly @TheMagPi, @ElectromakerIO,Linux User & Developer,@KidsCodeCS,@micro_mag All views are my own.

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Articles

How to run FreeDOS, an open-source version of DOS, on any PC

5 days ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

I remember using MS-DOS 6.22 on my first PC, a 486 DX 33 with a “massive” 4MB of RAM. It was quite the culture shock, upgrading from a Commodore Amiga 500, and its Workbench graphical operating system, to the text based MS-DOS. I quickly learnt how MS-DOS worked, and because I wanted sound when playing Star Wars: X-Wing, I learnt how to tweak my configuration.
The latest Ubuntu is great news for Linux fans everywhere

6 days ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)Ubuntu 25.04, codenamed “Plucky Puffin” was recently released. Ubuntu 25.04 is an interim release, bringing new features and updates for the vulnerable Ubuntu Linux distro, and I got hands on with a release candidate to tell you all about the latest version. I’ve been casually using Ubuntu since 5.04 “Warty Warthog”, and seriously using it since 6.06 “Dapper Drake”, the first Long Term Support (LTS) release back in 2006.
Best Linux distros for reviving an old PC

1 week ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

(Image credit: Pexels, OpenClipArt)Installing Linux is a great way to breathe life into that decade old laptop that is sitting doing nothing in the corner of the room. Linux is generally lighter than Windows (sure you can slim Windows down) and its open and free nature means that there are a myriad of distros on offer. But herein lies the problem. Which distro do we try? The answer is subjective. What do you want to do? What is the spec of your machine?
This AI-enabled terminal app can supercharge the command prompt and write code for you.

3 weeks ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

The word “Warp” isn’t something that makes us think “AI enabled terminal emulator”. For me, I think of Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike heading off on another adventure to the final frontier. But, Warp is an “intelligent terminal” app that offers the tantalizing proposition of “become a command line power user on day one”.
Hollyland Lark M2 Wireless Lavalier Microphone drops to a low price for Amazon's Big Spring Sale 2025

3 weeks ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

This is a deal that I can personally stand behind, because I bought the Hollyland Lark M2 Wireless Lavalier Microphone back in December 2024, and it wasn't this cheap!The kit comes in a charging case, with two microphones and a receiver.
Raspberry Pi's new PoE+ Injector supports all generations of PoE HATs

1 month ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is nothing new to the Raspberry Pi. Introduced with the Raspberry Pi 3B+, PoE provides power over a network connection and is handy for installing a Raspberry Pi in a remote or awkward location. The new $25 Raspberry Pi PoE+ Injector may not be the PoE HAT+ that we have been waiting for since the launch of the Raspberry Pi 5, but it is a step on the journey towards it.
Raspberry Pi 5 powered 'wall arcade' features a big, low-res RGB LED matrix display

1 month ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

There's nothing like retro gaming on the Raspberry Pi but we haven't quite seen a gaming rig like this. Leave it to the Pi community to blow our minds and expectations out of the water. This project, created by maker and developer John Park is using our favorite SBC — the Raspberry Pi 5 — to drive a cool wall arcade featuring RGB LED matrix panels as the main display. Pico-8 Wall Arcade - YouTubeWatch On According to Park, this setup doesn't just look the part.
Raspberry Pi Pico 2's RP2350 SoC goes on general sale

1 month ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 and the Pico 2 W have been on sale for a number of months now, but the chip that powers it, the RP2350 has not been generally available. This has all changed with Raspberry Pi releasing the RP2350 for general sale for those eager to integrate the powerful microcontroller into their projects. If you want your own RP2350 for a project, then you can pick them up from approved Raspberry Pi resellers.
Five Best Photoshop Alternatives Tested: Image Editing for Free

1 month ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

(Image credit: pexels.com)Adobe Photoshop has been around for many, many years and it has been the de facto standard used in the creative industries. Heck, when I was in college I learnt how to use Adobe Photoshop 1.0 and made my own magazine with Photoshop and Aldus Pagemaker. The problem with Photoshop has always been cost. I have long spouted the idiom “the right tool for the job” to anyone who would listen to me, but I had to make a concession.
Raspberry Pi powers briefcase-sized PiEEG 'Bio Lab' project

1 month ago | tomshardware.com | Les Pounder

Computer inputs are not just limited to keyboards and mice. We can use sensors to measure light levels, acceleration, and perhaps our brain! Ildar Rakhmatulin's PiEEG project, last seen back in 2023, now comes in the form of the PiEEG Bio Lab with everything that you need to read and analyze your brain and body signals.