My personal list of good Linux & FOSS YouTube channels.
Before we begin, here are two concise introduction images for Linux YouTubers. If you recognize everyone in these images, congratulations, there is no going back for you XD
Because I used rolling-release distributions for a while, Ivon’s impression of Linux is that it is changing at every moment, from the low-level kernel to user-space software, and even LTS systems are no exception. Unless what you are dealing with is a RHEL release with 10 years of support that sits still after installation, Linux things are constantly changing, and the iteration speed may be even faster than major Windows version updates. The point of saying this is that many people cling to the logic of the Windows XP era and believe that the way computers are used should be fixed. But that way of thinking obviously clashes with the vitality of the open source community.
Therefore, I do not really like learning Linux operations from YouTube, because it becomes outdated very easily. Tutorials on personal blogs online also have a high probability of becoming outdated, depending on the author’s willingness to maintain them. Personally, I include official documentation reference URLs so readers can feed themselves. So the most trustworthy sources are the software’s official documentation and Wiki.
So, apart from Linux tutorial videos, the Linux content I watch on YouTube is topic discussion.
Are there channels that are not overly technical, where everything is programming and data structures, but also not overly entertainment-oriented, like “ten iPhone features you cannot miss!”?
This kind of YouTuber is relatively rare in Taiwan. If you mean someone who specializes in Linux, there is basically not even half of one. So the people discussed here are all European and American YouTubers. Their videos are about Linux and FOSS topics 90% of the time. Not a single Taiwanese 3C YouTuber really suits my taste. I only watch them occasionally when I need to see a computer review, but their style is not strong enough to make me want to subscribe. I guess the reason is that the “Linux and Free Software” topics I want to watch are too niche. I really wish Taiwan had 3C YouTubers who talk about Linux and FOSS topics. Maybe we can see whether Bird Brother is willing to change careers in the future XD Instead, the space is full of mass-market influencers like Shaanxi Daren. There are not many whose videos have real substance without falling into traffic hype. Huan and Jing are very professional, but too hardware-oriented, while A-Zhe focuses on hyping phones. Even in China, there do not seem to be many uploaders in this area. Based on my past experience playing around on Bilibili, they do exist if you insist on finding them. Because China has so many people, even niche topics can get a certain number of views. But their subscriber counts have a hard time comparing with large uploaders, so naturally it is hard for them to be recommended by the algorithm.
Even channels like Geek Bay and Lingdu Kongjian do not go deep enough. They all seem to treat Linux as a “special case” rather than a daily driver. For example, their impression of Ubuntu is just that it is a system for reviving old computers. In practice, most of their videos are still mainstream Windows content, with some product promotion thrown in. Or they only use Linux occasionally when filming some “geek operations.” For the sake of traffic and catchy titles, they definitely would not write Linux and the specific technologies behind it into the video title. For example, “Waydroid: Run Android Apps at Full Speed on a PC” is definitely more attractive than “Waydroid: Run Android Apps on Linux.” In short, Linux cannot bring them much traffic, so they have to work on the title or script arrangement to make it look a bit more appealing.
Back to the point. The YouTubers I watch more often are the following, setting aside their personal conduct for the moment:
- Andrea Borman: An older lady, but she has studied Debian and the spirit of free software deeply, and speaks in a clear and organized way. Her Linux desktop style is very retro; she looks like the kind of person who would join the FSF.
- Asahi Lina / 朝日リナ: A VTuber streamer, with fewer standalone videos. She mainly participates in Asahi Linux development and shares some low-level principles of Mac computers.
- Brodie Robertson: Likes discussing FOSS-related topics and introduces all kinds of gossip happening in the Linux community, from Wayland to Rust controversies. It feels a bit like watching the talk-show version of LWN news. He often wears floral shirts when filming videos, and his Australian accent and big beard leave a strong impression. He also runs a talk show called Tech Over Tea.
- DistroTube: Explains Linux usage tips, as well as privacy issues.
- Luke Smith: Rants all day about social issues around surveillance capitalism, teaches you how to protect online privacy, and is practically the living embodiment of a 4chan /g/ user. He is extremely sharp-tongued and often uses strong-style memes as video thumbnails. Occasionally he shares the configuration process for his Artix Linux desktop. His videos are unedited and often consist of him filming himself walking around in the wilderness, talking to the camera, claiming he is a boomer, and being less interested in new technologies like Systemd. His views may lean somewhat toward the American right, and he sometimes makes videos roasting DEI works.
- Mental Outlaw: A more mainstream Luke Smith. The topics are very similar, but without as much toxic motivational soup.
- Nicco Loves Linux: A channel run by a KDE developer that discusses many technical topics of concern to the FOSS development world.
- Michael Horn: Shares beginner-friendly Linux distribution installation tutorials and also discusses issues in the FOSS world.
- RoboNuggie: Practical FreeBSD tutorials.
- TechHut: Sometimes shares ways to play with servers and embedded devices.
- Terry A Davis: Honorable mention. If the author of TempleOS were still alive, I would probably subscribe to his channel.
- The OpenBSD guy: Specializes in sharing information about OpenBSD systems.
- The Linux Cast: Topic discussions, plus sharing privacy issues.
- The Linux Experiment: Hardware unboxings, distro-hopping, and topic discussions. He likes using clickbait titles, saying things like best Linux tablet ever! The sponsored-content smell is strong and not commendable, but considering that he often unboxes a bunch of odd-brand Linux computers, sometimes there is a feeling of finding treasure, so I will not blame him too much.
- Unixchad: A Simplified Chinese channel that likes sharing suckless software and Unix philosophy. Just look at the thumbnails and you know he is a man of culture.
- Veronica Explains: A woman who explains techniques for operating Linux and likes sharing Debian-related information.
- Virbox: Besides talking about programming topics, he also makes many meme videos.
They each have their own characteristics. If you do not know what to listen to, putting Brodie Robertson and Luke Smith’s rants on in the background while doing things is honestly weirdly interesting.
