Gemini Links 15/01/2025: Abandoning Windows for GNU/Linux, SIS Progress Update
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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Technology and Free Software
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vi learnin' part DCXL
Whilst wandering about the vi(1) codebase—that is, my mutated version which is a fork of the OpenBSD base vi—for reasons best not to ask—the O_PATH feature was discovered, which complicates opening of neither-fully-qualified-nor-relative filenames.
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Introduction to GrapheneOS
GrapheneOS (written GOS from now on) is an Android based operating system that focuses security. It is only compatible with Google Pixel devices for multiple reasons: availability of hardware security components, long term support (series 8 and 9 are supported at least 7 years after release) and the hardware has a good quality / price ratio.
The goal of GOS is to provide users a lot more control about what their smartphone is doing. A main profile is used by default (the owner profile), but users are encouraged to do all their activities in a separate profile (or multiples profiles). This may remind you about Qubes OS workflow, although it does not translate entirely here. Profiles can not communicate between each others, encryption is done per profile, and some permissions can be assigned per profile (installing apps, running applications in background when a profile is not used, using the SIM...). This is really effective for privacy or security reasons (or both), you can have a different VPN per profile if you want, or use a different Google Play login, different applications sets, whatever! The best feature here in my opinion is the ability to completely stop a profile so you are sure it does not run anything in the background once you exit it.
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settled in
I haven't missed a thing since leaving Windows. Maybe I don't use tools or software that depend on things in that environment, but I have everything I need in Linux. Sounds like I got out at a good time too [...]
I haven't even seen my desktop in a while because I load the terminal on startup and load GUI applications with the keyboard.
I feel more engaged with the software I use too. There is intention in everything I've installed.
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SIS Progress Update: One Year Later
SIS is my server "suite" software that allows you to set up different smallnet servers from within a gemini admin interface. It is called Smallnet Information Services, and it was inspired by IIS. After a year and a couple of months of work, I feel it is about a couple weeks out from a beta release, which I am excited about.
I have finally mostly finished a major refactor update for SIS that will better manage certificates, hosts, and setting up servers, so the next thing I can start working on is finishing up SCGI support again, lol.
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Programming
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The problem with modern software: Unnecessary complexity and bad practices
We live in a time when software should be more accessible, powerful and simple than ever before. Yet we find ourselves surrounded by bloated applications, oversized libraries, and tools that, instead of simplifying the lives of users and developers, add layers of unnecessary complexity. How did we get here?
The feature obsession
One of the main culprits is the features obsession. Every update must introduce "something new", often at the expense of efficiency or system stability. Applications like modern text editors or web browsers have become huge conglomerates of features that few users really need, sacrificing speed and lightness. Adding a plugin or library has become the default approach for every new requirement, even when it could be implemented natively in a leaner way.
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Working with an SRE Interview
I have been interviewed by Florian Buetow on `cracking-ai-engineering.com` about what it's like working with a Site Reliability Engineer from the point of view of a Software Engineer, Data Scientist, and AI Engineer.
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.