Hello 👋

This summer, I created a new tool: github.com/iximiuz/shellgym. It is a daemon with a built-in web interface that can run on a Linux machine and observe actions you perform in the terminal - with the only goal of helping you practice in a realistic yet controlled environment.

Sounds familiar?

Yes, ShellGym is basically the iximiuz Labs content & task verification engine extracted into a standalone daemon and open-sourced.

You can use ShellGym on any server, VM, or even a personal laptop that runs a modern Linux distro. But the tool alone may not be enough for efficient practice - two other important components are the learning paths you take and spaced repetition.

This is where iximiuz Labs comes back into play. I spent the past few weeks integrating the ShellGym tool into the learning platform and preparing the first batch of learning materials, and I'm happy to present Shell Gyms 🚀

What's the difference?

• ShellGym (or shellgym) is the name of the open-source tool
• Shell Gym (with a space) is the new type of content on iximiuz Labs

Yes, I've always been great at naming things 🙈

The new content format combines a Linux playground, a learning path, and a preconfigured ShellGym daemon serving it. Here is what it looks like on the site:

Shell Gyms also come with built-in progress tracking and a spaced repetition schedule. Once you start a gym, it becomes part of your Daily Practice, and you will be reminded to repeat it the next day, in three days, in a week, in two weeks, and in a month. This is how the command-line muscle memory is formed - there are no shortcuts.

At the moment, the following Linux 101 gyms are available:

• ​Meet the Linux Shell​
• ​Get Unstuck in the Shell​
• ​Navigate the Filesystem​
• ​List Files and Use Patterns​
• ​Create Files and Directories​

And there is already one community-authored gym - by Kaloyan Preslavski:

• ​Kubernetes Gym: Pods​

Each gym is bite-sized and takes only 10-20 minutes to complete. This is done on purpose - unlike Challenges, which may require longer thinking and exploration, gyms train mechanical skills, and each rep is intentionally small and can usually be done by simply following the instructions on the screen. This is the only realistic way to squeeze a gym or two into the daily routine.

My goal now is to prepare 20-ish more Linux 101 gyms and organize them into the very first Linux hands-on roadmap on iximiuz Labs. In the meantime, keep an eye on the catalog: https://labs.iximiuz.com/shell-gyms.

Personal Dashboard Overhaul

In related news, I reorganized the Learning Materials section of the Personal Dashboard to make it easier to track in-progress, completed, and bookmarked materials.

Previously, materials were grouped by content type (Tutorials, Challenges, Courses, etc.), and each subsection had an inner filter by status. Without cross-cutting search, finding all in-progress or bookmarked materials required a lot of clicking. But no more! Hope you find this redesign as handy as I do 😇

The End of Fair Pricing

And a bit of sad news, too. The Fair Pricing pilot I started back in August didn't lead to the desired outcome. The platform's revenue stayed far from the break-even point in August, and this month's projected revenue doesn't seem substantially higher. This is a pity given how well the Fair Pricing announcement was accepted.

Here is what I'm going to try next in an attempt to reach profitability sustainability:

• The Monthly and Annual plans are returning to their original undiscounted price on the 1st of October: $20 and $120, respectively.
• The Lifetime plan is going up on the 1st of October, both to reflect the increased value and to cover the constantly growing server costs. The new price will be $360.
• I'll phase out the Lifetime plan by the end of the year, and a new 2-3 year plan will replace it. Yes, I'm going to try it again - hopefully more successfully this time 🙈

The above are base prices, and regional prices will have the corresponding PPP-based adjustment. I really want to keep at least this part unchanged.

The Fair Pricing pilot will remain active for the next two weeks, so if you wanted to become a lifetime member of the iximiuz Labs club, you know where to go next: https://labs.iximiuz.com/pricing. Everyone's support is much appreciated!

Happy hacking

Ivan