Category: open source

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How to Easily Remove Metadata from Photos with ExifCleaner

In today’s world, nearly everyone owns a digital camera. Cameras are now integral components of smartphones and laptops. If you use consumer electronics, you likely have access to a digital camera.

As a result, billions of digital images are available on the Internet from various devices and sources. Each image taken with a digital camera includes Exchangeable Image File Format (Exif) metadata, which provides information about when and where the picture was taken, the camera used, file size, MIME type, color space, and much more.

Every picture you capture with a digital camera contains numerous tags with a wealth of information, some of which may be considered confidential. Major social media platforms claim to remove this metadata to protect users from cybercrime; however, this is not true for individuals who run their blogs or wikis and post images of family gatherings or classrooms. Someone could download an image from these sites and potentially access sensitive personal information stored in the metadata.

Viewing Exif Data

How can you check what metadata is included in the images you share, and how can you remove it? I recently discovered an open-source project called ExifCleaner. ExifCleaner is a cross-platform tool that easily removes all Exif metadata from images, videos, PDFs, and other file types.

Installing EXIFCleaner

ExifCleaner is released under the MIT license and is easy to use and install. Download and install the AppImage, deb or rpm file for your distribution. MacOS and Windows downloads are available too. If you are a Homebrew user you can install Exifcleaner with the following command:

brew install --cask exifcleaner

Exifcleaner was built for Intel MacOS exifcleaner and so requires Rosetta 2 to be installed.

Use ExifCleaner

Once installed, launch the graphical application. You can drag and drop an image into the window or use the “Open” option from the File menu to load an image. Multiple images can be loaded at once.

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

Once loaded, ExifCleaner clears all metadata instantly. There’s no further action required, but there’s also no confirmation or warning. Only open files in ExifCleaner that you want to scrub metadata from.ExifCleaner can process dozens of file types, including JPG, 3G2, 3GP2, AAX, CR2, MOV, PDF, PNG, etc.

Try ExifCleaner

ExifCleaner is available in twenty-four languages and boasts a large development community. If you’re interested in contributing to the project’s development, contact the team and check out the source code. To learn more about ExifCleaner, visit the official website.



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From web to client: The Mastodon experience

Mastodon is an open-source social networking platform for microblogging. While it has a web-based interface, many users prefer to use a client to access Mastodon. Clients are programs or applications that allow users to access and interact with the Mastodon platform from various devices, including computers, tablets, and phones. I moved to Fosstodon in 2019, and it has become my primary social networking site.

Web Interface

Like most users, I started using the Mastodon web app by pointing my browser at joinmastodon.org. I found an instance to join, created an account, and logged in. I used the web app to read, like, and reblog posts from my favorite Mastodon users. I also replied to posts without ever having to install anything locally. It was a familiar experience based on other social media websites.

The disadvantage of the web app is that it lacks the richness of a dedicated Mastodon client. Clients provide a more organized and streamlined interface, which makes it easier to navigate, manage notifications, and interact with others in the fediverse. Clients also make it easier to find and generate useful hashtags, which are essential to sharing your message in a non-algorithm-driven environment.

Mastodon is open source, though, so you have options. In addition to the web apps, there are a number of Mastodon clients. According to Mastodon, there are nearly sixty clients for Mastodon available for desktop, tablet or phone.

Clients

Each client app has its own unique features, UI design, and functionality. But they all ultimately provide access to the Mastodon platform:

I started my client journey with the Mastodon app for iOS. The app is easy to use and is open source. The app is written in Swift. It is the official iOS app for Mastodon.

I moved to MetaText which is no longer being developed. I liked the Metatext interface. It made interacting with Mastodon easier on my iPhone. Metatext is open source with a GPL v3 license.

I am currently using Ice Cubes which is my favorite Mastodon app for both iOS and MacOS. Ice Cubes has everything I was looking for in a Mastodon client. Crafted using SwiftUI technology exclusively, this application boasts impressive speed, minimal resource consumption, as well as user-friendly functionality. It features an intuitive design framework on iOS devices like iPhone/iPad and MacOS systems.

My favorite desktop Linux app for Mastodon is Tuba. It is available as a Flatpak. It’s intuitive and easy to use. Tuba is open source with a GPL v3 license.

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

How is Mastodon changing your reading habits? What are your favorite apps? Be sure to comment.

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Fastfetch: High-Performance Alternative to Neofetch for System Information Display

Yesterday I wrote about Neofetch which is a tool that I have used in the past on Linux systems I owned. It was an easy way to provide a good snapshot of the distribution I was running and some other pertinent information about my computing environment. One of my readers replied to let me know that the project was no longer being maintained. It was last updated in August 2020. The commenter suggested that I check out Fastfetch. I thanked the reader and followed the link he provided to the Github repository for Fastfetch.

The project maintains that it is, “An actively maintained, feature-rich and performance oriented, neofetch like system information tool.” It is easy to install and provides much of the same information that was provided by Neofetch. However, it does supply your IP address but the project maintains that presents no privacy risk. The installation for Fedora and RPM based distributions is familiar by entering the following command. 

$ sudo dnf install fastfetch

If you are a Ubuntu based distribution like my Linux Mint daily driver then the installation requires the download of the appropriate .deb file. Once the package was installed on my system I decided to try it.

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.00

Fastfetch can be easily installed on a MacOS with Homebrew. I decided to try it on my MacBook.

Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0
% brew install fastfetch

Fastfetch is written in C with 132 contributors. It is open source with an MIT license. In addition to Linux and MacOS systems you can install Fastfetch on Windows with Chocolatey. The project states that Fastfetch is faster than Neofetch and it is actively maintained. Fastfetch has a greater number of features than it’s predecessor and if you want to see them all enter the following command. For more information and examples be sure to visit the project wiki

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Neofetch: The Universal System Info Display Tool

Neofetch, hosted on the reputable and active project homepage at the Github repository, is designed to create system configuration screenshots on various platforms. The primary difference between Neofetch and ScreenFetch lies in its broader support; it extends beyond Fedora, RHEL, or CentOS and provides compatibility with almost 150 different operating systems, including lesser-known ones like Minix and AIX!

The Neofetch installation procedure is equally straightforward:

Debian and Ubuntu users use the following command:

$ sudo apt install neofetch

For Fedora and other RPM-based distributions use the following command:

$ sudo dnf install neofetch
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

You can also install neofetch on other operating systems including MacOS. 

$ brew install neofetch
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

Once installed, Neofetch provides a standard system info display that can be further modified for your specific preference: image files, ASCII art, or even wallpaper, to name a few; all these customizations are stored in the .config/neofetch/ directory of the user’s home folder.

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Empowering Creators with Open Source Software

As we welcome another academic year, the integration of creative arts within school curriculums remains vital. Among open source resources that empower students to engage with digital soundscapes is Audacity, a free and versatile audio recording and editing software cherished by educators for its simplicity and power in the classroom setting. Audacity’s capacity has only grown, making it an indispensable tool not just today but as we look ahead to 2025 with ever-evolving educational needs:

Podcasting Platform of Choice: Connectivity through Sound
Teachers and students alike have adopted Audacity for crafting podcasts, serving an array of purposes from explaining classroom procedures directly within lessons to delivering language learning content. This interactive form has become a cornerstone in modern pedagogy by facilitating out-of-class communication that supplement the traditional teaching experience and offering students additional access points into course material through auditory means, which can enhance comprehension for many learners.

Language Acquisition with Audio Engagement: Learning Languages Through Listening
For language education, Audacity has been transformative by providing a platform where foreign language pupils record their spoken lessons and listen to them repeatedly—all within the safety net of open source software that champions accessibility for all students. This feature nurtures self-directed learning as well as peer interaction in multi-language classrooms, setting up an immersive auditory environment akin to real-world conversational scenarios.

Creative Expression Through Sound: Student Audio Projects Evolving with Time and Technology
Students’ love for sound extends beyond passive listening; they are creators in their own right using Audacity to produce unique audio projects such as bird songs, oceanic ambient tracks, or even creating custom narrations over chosen background music. This engagement stimulates imagination while providing a practical understanding of digital tools and copyright laws through exploring resources from Creative Commons and Wikimedia sound collections—a learning process that teaches respect for intellectual property alongside technical skills in audio manipulation.

Interviews as Interactive Learning: Engaging with Experts Through Sound Waves
Audacity allows students to conduct interviews, integrating them into their educational activities by adding layers of personal experience and expert insight directly through the auditory channel—a method that not only humanizes learning but also bridges generations within a classroom setting as older family members share experiences with younger ones. This formative approach promotes active listening skills while fostering familial bonds, an essential lesson beyond academics alone.

From Capture to Share: Effective Audio File Management for the Modern Classroom Stage and Beyond (2024 Edition)
Education today is not just about content but also delivery methodologies—therefore Audacity’s importance as a tool in helping students understand how different audio file formats serve various platforms. From .aup files that facilitate ongoing educational collaboration, to MP3 and WAV for final projects suitable for wider sharing via streaming web servers or digital portfolios, the software prepares young minds not only with technical skills but also industry standards they will encounter in professional spheres such as podcasting careers.

Open Source Software: A Lesson on Rights (2024 Update) and Legacy of Ubuntu’s Free Audio Education Toolkit
With its GNU GPLv2 license, Audacity is more than a mere software—it’s an educational journey itself with room for dialogue about copyright laws. This invites students into the world of intellectual property rights discussions that are increasingly relevant in our digital age and offers Linux users straightforward installation processes through standard repositories:

$ sudo apt-get install audacity
or with Fedora
$sudo dnf install audacity

The software continues to stand its ground against the backdrop of continually developing technology with instructions provided for Mac OS X and Windows users ensuring no one is left behind in leveraging this educational powerhouse. Audacity is also available for Linux users as a Flatpak.

According to Wikipedia, “Audacity is the most popular download at FossHub,] with over 114.2 million downloads since March 2015.” Thus as we advance into 2025 and beyond, Audacity remains at the forefront of integrating creativity with digital sound technologies to enrich our classrooms while providing essential open source knowledge sharing that prepares students for a connected world where audio artistry goes hand-in-hand alongside academic excellence.

This article was adapted and rewritten using Ollama and the Phi3.5 model. Text was taken from an article originally published for Opensource.com in 2016.

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Pandoc: The Ultimate Document Conversion Tool

Pandoc is a versatile command-line tool that facilitates seamless file conversions between different markup formats. It supports an extensive range of input and output formats, making it indispensable for writers, researchers, and developers. I have found it particularly useful when converting output from LLMs to to HTML or more common word processing formats.

Pandoc’s strength lies in its support for various input formats, including Markdown, HTML, LaTeX, Open Document, and Microsoft Word. It can convert those documents to PDF, HTML, EPUB, and even PowerPoint presentations. This flexibility makes Pandoc an invaluable tool for individuals working with documents across different platforms and tools.

Here are some specific examples that may fit your use case.

1. Converting Markdown to HTML:

Markdown, known for its simplicity and readability, is widely used for creating content for the web. With Pandoc, you can effortlessly convert Markdown files to HTML, enabling seamless web content publishing. For instance, the following command can be used to convert a Markdown file named “example. md” to HTML:

$ pandoc example.md -o example.html

2. Generating PDF from LaTeX:

LaTeX, renowned for its powerful typesetting capabilities, is favored for academic and technical documents. Pandoc seamlessly converts LaTeX files to PDF, producing high-quality documents suitable for printing or digital distribution. Consider the following command to convert a LaTeX file named “paper.tex” to PDF:

$ pandoc paper.tex -o paper.pdf

3. Transforming Word documents to Markdown:

Many writers and researchers prefer working with Markdown due to its simplicity and portability. With Pandoc, you can convert Microsoft Word documents to Markdown, allowing editing and collaboration using lightweight, text-based tools. Use the following command to convert a Word document named “report.docx” to Markdown:

$ pandoc report.docx -o report.md

4. Creating EPUB from HTML:

EPUB, a popular e-book format compatible with a wide range of e-readers and mobile devices, is a common choice for digital content distribution. If you have content in HTML format, Pandoc can assist in converting it to EPUB for convenient distribution and reading. Here’s an example command to convert an HTML file named “book.html” to EPUB:

$ pandoc book.html -o book.epub

5. Convert Markdown file to a PowerPoint presentation using Pandoc, you can use the command

$ pandoc myslides.md -o myslides.pptx

You can open the resulting .pptx file in PowerPoint

In addition to these examples, Pandoc offers extensive customization options for fine-tuning the output of document conversions. Users can specify styling, metadata, and other parameters to ensure the converted files meet their specific requirements.

In conclusion, Pandoc stands as a robust and versatile tool for document conversion, offering support for a wide array of input and output formats. Pandoc can help streamline your workflow and enhance your document management capabilities, whether you’re a writer, researcher, or developer.

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Seamlessly Convert Your Markdown Docs to Office Formats Using Pandoc

I have been experimenting a lot with Ollama and other artificial intelligence tools and the anwers to my prompts always are rendered in Markdown. I have Marktext on my Linux computer and MacDown on my MacBook Air so I can easily copy and paste the output into either of those editors and save it as a Markdown file on my computer. However, when I want to share those files with colleagues who are unfamiliar with Markdown I need a way to convert those files into a format that’s easily accessible for them. My Markdown editors can only export the Markdown files as HTML or PDF.

That problem is easily solved with Pandoc which is a great tool that anyone can install on Linux, MacOS or Windows that easily converts Markdown into any number of different formats. Easily install Pandoc on Linux with the following commands:

$ sudo dnf install pandoc
or 
$ sudo apt install pandoc

On MacOS use Homebrew to easily install Pandoc by opening a terminal and entering the following command.

$ brew install pandoc

You can install Pandoc on Microsoft Windows using Chocolatey with the following command:

choco install pandoc

Once the application is installed it works very well from the command line. The project mainains great documentation. I needed to convert a Markdown document to .docx so my Windows using colleagues could easily read the output from the LLM I had been using. I used the documentation and the programs man page on my Linux system to enter the following command. 

$ pandoc -o ProposedLease.docx -f markdown -t docx LeaseReview.md

The conversion was flawless and occured in a second or two. Your experience may vary based on CPU, RAM and length of the document converted. The Markdown file of our lease review was converted to “ProposedLease.docx” which I could easily share with my colleagues who were using Microsoft Word.

If you are a person who is uncomfortable installing software on your computer or you are an unpriviledged user in a corporate or educational setting you can use Pandoc online. Pandooc is open source with a GPL v2 license. For more information about Pandoc be sure to consult their website and examine all of the options that the program provides you.

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Working with my AI chef

Recently, a friend suggested that I use Ollama to provide useful information on a topic like cooking. I used my experiences customizing a model file and the latest iteration of Llama3.1 to accomplish that goal. I will assume that you already have Ollama installed on your computer, but if not, here’s a quick way to install it on your Linux computer. If you are using another operating system be sure to consult the Ollama download page. 

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Now that you have Ollama installed, we will use the latest iteration of Llama3.1. I am going to download Llama3.1 to my computer.

ollama pull llama3.1

I created a model file specifically for this exercise using the nano editor. 

  GNU nano 7.2                         cooking                                  
FROM llama3.1:latest

# set the temperature to 1 (higher is more creative, lower is more coherent
PARAMETER temperature 1

# Set the system prompt
SYSTEM """

You are a master chef. You provide detailed gluten free recipes on request.
"""

Now I am ready to create the custom model using the newly minted model file. 

$ ollama create cooking -f ./cooking

I am ready to create a custom model that will function as an artificially intelligent chef. I run the model with the following command:

$ ollama run cooking

I gave my intelligent assistant the following prompt: 

>>>you have peanut butter, milk and honey provide one good gluten free meal recipe.

What a delightful combination! Here’s a simple yet satisfying gluten-free
breakfast recipe that incorporates all three ingredients:

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Pancakes with Honey and Milk

Servings: 4-6 people

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peanut butter (make sure it’s free from cross-contamination with
    gluten)
  • 1/2 cup milk (you can use any type of milk, such as almond, coconut, or
    dairy-based)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • Honey for serving (about 2-3 tablespoons per person)

Instructions:

  1. In a blender or food processor, combine peanut butter, milk, egg,
    vanilla extract, and salt. Blend until smooth.
  2. The batter should be thick but still pourable. If it’s too thick, you
    can add a little more milk. If it’s too thin, you can add a bit more
    peanut butter.
  3. Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Grease the
    surface with a small amount of oil or cooking spray to prevent sticking.
  4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the skillet or
    griddle.
  5. Cook the pancakes for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until they’re
    golden brown and cooked through.
  6. Serve the peanut butter pancakes hot with a drizzle of honey. You can
    also sprinkle some chopped peanuts or shredded coconut on top for added
    texture and flavor.

Tips and Variations:

  • For an extra special treat, you can make honey syrup by mixing 1 part
    honey with 1 part milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk until the
    mixture is smooth and warm.
  • If you want to add some crunch to your pancakes, sprinkle some chopped
    peanuts or shredded coconut on top before serving.
  • Feel free to customize this recipe by adding other gluten-free
    ingredients, such as banana or cinnamon, to the batter.

Enjoy your delicious gluten-free peanut butter pancakes with honey! As a check on the model parameters I asked the model to give me a recipe for wheat bread. It responded with the following caveat.

“I’d be happy to provide you with a traditional wheat bread recipe!
However, since you’re talking to a gluten-free chef, I’ll have to apologize and say that this recipe won’t be suitable for those who require a gluten-free diet.”

Ollama is open source with an MIT license. Llama3.1 has a community license.

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Using Python to talk with an Ollama model

Continuing my exploration of using a locally hosted Ollama on my Linux desktop computer, I have been doing a lot of reading and research. Today, while having lunch with a university professor, he asked me some questions I didn’t have an immediate answer to. So, I went back to my research to find the answers.

My computer is a Linux desktop with an 11th-generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor and 64 gigabytes of RAM. Until today, I have been interacting with Ollama and several models, including Gemma, Codegemma, Phi-3, and Llama3.1, from the command line. Running the Ollama command-line client and interacting with LLMs locally at the Ollama REPL is a good start, but I wanted to learn how to use Ollama in applications and today I made a good start.

Python is my preferred language, and I use VS Codium as my editor. First, I needed to set up a virtual Python environment. I have a ‘Coding’ directory on my computer, but I wanted to set up a separate one for this project.

$ python3 -m venv ollama

Next, I activated the virtual environment:

$ source ollama/bin/activate

Then, I needed to install the ‘ollama’ module for Python. 

pip install ollama

Once the module was installed, I opened up VSCodium and tried the code snippet. I found that I used the ‘ollama list’ command to make sure that ‘codegemma’ was installed. Then I used a code snippet I found online and tailored it to generate some Python code to draw a circle. 

import ollama


response = ollama.generate(model='codegemma', prompt='Write a Python program to draw a circle spiral in three colors')
print(response['response'])

The model query took some time to occur. Despite having a powerful computer, the lack of a GPU significantly impacted performance, even on such a minor task. The resulting code looked good. 



import turtle

# Set up the turtle
t = turtle.Turtle()
t.speed(0)

# Set up the colors
colors = ['red', 'green', 'blue']

# Set up the circle spiral parameters
radius = 10
angle = 90
iterations = 100

# Draw the circle spiral
for i in range(iterations):
    t.pencolor(colors[i % 3])
    t.circle(radius)
    t.right(angle)
    radius += 1

# Hide the turtle
t.hideturtle()

# Keep the window open
turtle.done()
Screen Picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0

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Contemporary AI Ethics – Can We Safeguard Innovation Without Falling into Repetitive Cycles?

Years ago, I watched a TED talk by Larry Lessig about laws that stifle creativity. He made several excellent points in his speech, and it got me thinking about whether we are reaching a critical point in terms of laws regulating the use of generative AI. Recently, I listened to a podcast where the host claimed that there is no truly open-source AI and that, eventually, an incestuous situation could develop due to web scraping to train large language models (LLMs). This could lead to the creation of content by these LLMs and the recreation of content from the content created by the large language models, potentially resulting in a twenty-first-century Tower of Babel.

Do we need to build on the ideas presented in Larry’s influential talk to adapt to the current reality? Will large language models and other forms of artificial intelligence lower the quality of our culture and intelligence, or will they enhance culture and creativity as we’ve seen in the seventeen years since his talk?