RadioTux

Key takeaways

RadioTux belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect RadioTux to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RadioTux from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RadioTux is a German internet radio show. The topics are mostly around free and open source software, free operating systems like *BSD and Linux, as well as on sociopolitical issues. It was founded in 2001 and remains active as of 2025. There have been made more than 500 shows and many interviews with people like Mark Shuttleworth, Miguel de Icaza, Hans Reiser, Jon “Maddog” Hall, Richard Stallman and so on. Since 2005 there are also several podcasts available one is the interview feed in English.

History RadioTux began as an audio-on-demand project for Linux and open-source topics. During its early years, the show offered downloadable episodes in MP3, RealAudio and Ogg/Vorbis formats and gradually expanded into terrestrial FM radio broadcasting. Between 2002 and 2005, RadioTux programmes were also aired via German community and free radio stations such as Juniradio (Berlin), Radio R.O.M., Radio Kanalratte and Radio Corax (Halle). Later, broadcasts were carried by the Berlin station reboot.fm as part of its independent cultural programming.

In its early years, a new episode was released every two weeks. Later, the production schedule shifted to a monthly format. Several volunteers are involved in this process; they include reports, essays, interviews and free music. Depending on the material these shows take 30 to 60 minutes. Users interested in the information only can download a stripped down version without music. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, RadioTux expanded into live event coverage at German open-source conferences including the Chemnitzer Linux-Tage, LinuxTag and CeBIT. In 2010, the project served as a media partner and moderator for an open-source programme at CeBIT in cooperation with LPI Central Europe, Univention and Linuxhotel. Binärgewitter (literally "binary thunderstorm") is a technology podcast that originated as a spin-off of the RadioTux Talk format around 2011. The show focuses on topics such as web development, open-source culture, digital privacy, and technology policy, often from a developer’s perspective. Since the 2020s, RadioTux has continued its presence at national and international open-source conferences. Many current interviews are recorded directly from industry and community events such as the KubeCon series, the Chemnitzer Linux-Tage, and the Free and Open Source Software Conference (FrOSCon), reflecting the project's ongoing focus on contemporary open-source and cloud-native technologies.

Podcasts When RadioTux started, podcasts were not yet known, so it can be considered being one of the first podcasts which came up and which is still existing. Single articles and interviews are made available as podcast. So current news are instantly available. Due to categorisation users can subscribe to the newsfeeds of topics they are interested to and load them directly to MP3 player. This compatibility with current mobile playback devices is the reason why the podcast uses the MP3 format.

Live RadioTux often participates at Linux and similar events and reports live. Live broadcasts as comprehensive programming have been transmitted from LinuxTag, the Linux World Conference & Expo and the Chemnitzer Linux-Tage. On live events RadioTux is being supported by the free radio station Kanal Ratte which provides studio equipment, streaming servers and airtime. Several shows are presented by Kanal Ratte staff and transmitted live into their programme which is available via FM, cable and livestream. At the Linux World Conference & Expo 2006 in Cologne RadioTux for the first time has been media partner of an event. Since November 2006 the weekly show RadioTux@HoRadS is presented at the Hochschulradio Stuttgart on FM and livestream. The common topics on Linux and free software were discussed there with studio guests, articles from the RadioTux archive (podcasts, interviews) provide appropriate background information.

Topics and content RadioTux focuses on developments within the Linux and open-source ecosystem, free-software community news and interviews with notable figures such as Mark Shuttleworth, Richard Stallman and Klaus Knopper. According to Focus on Linux, it is regarded as the oldest German-language Linux podcast.

Recognition and impact RadioTux has been cited as a long-standing media presence in the German-speaking FOSS ecosystem. Its archives comprise hundreds of episodes, many of which are still publicly accessible.

See also List of technology podcasts Podcast Internet radio Free software movement Linux community

References

External links Official website Deprecated link archived 2006-04-02 at archive.today: podcast episodes

Illustrations

RadioTux logo

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RadioTux

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RadioTux claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RadioTux before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RadioTux ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RadioTux

In research: RadioTux appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses RadioTux in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: RadioTux is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Audio podcasts, German podcasts, Internet radio in Germany, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RadioTux outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study RadioTux in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RadioTux means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain RadioTux out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RadioTux in simple terms?

RadioTux is a German internet radio show. The topics are mostly around free and open source software, free operating systems like *BSD and Linux, as well as on sociopolitical issues.

Why does RadioTux matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RadioTux?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RadioTux.