2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Rocky Linux Users
The holiday season is upon us and what a great time for giving. After all, giving is at the very heart of the open source ethos, so why not let those you care about know you understand what it means to be a fan of Rocky Linux or just about any open source project?
No matter if you celebrate Christmas, New Year's Day, or any other holiday around this time of year, you might find yourself in need of a last-minute gift idea for those in your life who lean heavily into the open source spirit. And if the holidays have passed you by, you can also consider these gifts ideas for birthdays or other occasions.
With that said, let's see what kind of open source items might be perfect for your loved ones, friends, or colleagues.
Start with a Rocky Linux tee shirt
Linux fans love wearing their pride on their chests or over their hearts. To that end, you can purchase a Rocky Linux tee shirt, polo, hooded cardigan, fleece, or jacket from the official Rocky Linux swag shop. You can even purchase dog bandanas, pajamas, and a onesie for your Rocky Linux fan in training.
Small form factor PC
If you want to give that open source fan the gift of a computer, consider the Meerkat from System76. Sure, it ships with either Pop_OS or Ubuntu 22.04, but there's no reason why you can't either install Rocky Linux over it (for a handy tiny form factor server) or even dual boot. The Meerkat starts at $649.00 and ships with a base of a Core i3 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB PCIe4 M.2 SSD.
Other options include:
Ultimate Hacking Keyboard
If your open source friend or loved one is a programmer, a writer, or anyone who spends a great deal of time pounding away on a keyboard, the single best piece of hardware you can give them is the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard. Not only can they be used as a single (traditional) unit but they can also be split in two for a far more comfortable positioning for the hands. Yes, the Ultimate Hacking Keyboards are expensive, but they're built like a tank, so they'll last forever. One Linux user that we know pounded away on one for nearly 10 years until it had to be replaced. These keyboards are programmable, offer expansion via modules, and include RBG key lights.
Donations
If you want to really impress your open source friend or loved one, you can always donate to their favorite open source project. You can purchase a subscription to the Mastodon Patreon (for as low as a dollar a month) to help keep such a project moving forward. Before you make your donation, find out what your person enjoys the most and see if that project accepts donations. Remember, the majority of open source developers do not get paid for their work, and many times, those projects struggle to stay afloat because of funding.
Yubikey 5
Most open source fans are fairly wise about security and often make use of hardware security keys. To that end, you could purchase them one of the Yubikey 5 series hardware keys. These keys are not only portable but versatile, secure, durable, and support multiple protocols (FIDO U2F, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP, OATH-HOTP, Smart card (PIV) and OpenPGP).
A laptop
Your open source fan could always use a new laptop! There are plenty of options to choose from, such as one of these:
Steamdeck
You'll probably find your open source fan is a gamer, and every Linux gamer knows Steam. So why not go all out and purchase them a Steamdeck, which allows them to play all of their favorite Steam games on the go? Even better, Steamdeck is powered by none other than Linux.
Stocking Stuffers
If you're looking for smaller gifts to serve as stocking stuffers, you could go with stickers, magnets, posters, phone cases, or even a Linux command line cheat sheet mousepad.
There are all kinds of gifts available to your open source fan. With just a bit of creative searching, you can always come up with something special that helps them know you support what they believe in and love.
