Category Archives: Linux

Apps and Utilities, Linux, PowerShell, Windows

Windows Terminal is a new application for command-line tool users

Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of its new command line tool application Windows Terminal.  This application for PowerShell and WSL users is currently available for download at GitHub and is also available the Microsoft Store.

More information about Windows Terminal can be found at at the Terminal FAQ page.

Update: Windows 11 allows you to select Terminal as your default command-line interface.

Databases, Linux, SQL Server

SQL Server 2019 Community Technology Preview 2.0 released

Microsoft announced the release of SQL Server 2019 Community Technology Preview (CTP) 2.0 on September 24th 2018 at its Ignite event.   SQL Server 2019 runs on Windows, Linux, and containers and has Apache Spark and Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) to help create big data analytics.

Azure, Databases, Linux, SQL Server, Windows

Azure Data Studio is the new name for SQL Operations Studio

Microsoft announced the September 2018 release of Azure Data Studio, formerly known as SQL Operations Studio (preview version).  Azure Data Studio is a new open source desktop environment for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Data Warehouse data that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Apps and Utilities, Linux

7-Zip – a free file archiver that uses many compressed file formats

7-Zip is a free open source software that can be used to compress or uncompress files in many commonly used file formats. The default compressed file format is 7z but other common formats such as ZIP, TAR, etc. can be used.   7-Zip download files are currently available for Windows and Linux.  This FAQ lists more information on how to use 7-Zip.

Apps and Utilities, Azure, Databases, Linux, PowerShell, SQL Server

SQL Server and Azure SQL Database Tools and Utilities

Microsoft has made available many free downloadable apps for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and/or Azure Synapse Analytics (formerly Azure SQL Data Warehouse), including:

A list of most of these SQL tools and utilities can be found at the SQL tools overview and command prompt utilities pages.

Android, Apple, Apps and Utilities, Entertainment Media, iOS, iPhone, Linux, Smartphones, Windows

Kodi – a free open source media player for multiple platforms

Kodi is a free open source media player and entertainment center for multiple platforms, including Android, Linux, MacOS X, iOS, Windows, and Xbox One.   It is also available as a downloadable app from Google Play and Microsoft Store.

Kodi was originally known as Xbox Media Center (XBMC) and developed by the XBMC Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium.   It plays audio, video, and image files, and third-party plugins are available to add additional features.  The Kodi Wiki page lists more details about configurations and options for this app.

Azure, Cloud, Databases, Google, Linux, Oracle, PowerShell, Programming Languages, SQL Server, Visual Studio

Visual Studio Extensions Marketplace

Extensions for the Microsoft Visual Studio suite of products can be found at marketplace.visualstudio.com.  Extensions add support for languages not included in Visual Studio, aid in IDE development, or perform a specific task.

Some current popular extensions are:

Extensions can be free, preview, or paid.  Paid extensions are often charged per user per month.  Preview extensions are eventually converted to paid extensions. Extensions are either written by Microsoft, third party vendors, or individual developers.

More information can be found at code.visualstudio.com/docs/extensions/overview.