mxuribe's recent activity
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Comment on What follows GitHub? in ~tech
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Comment on The family computer in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentPAM usb login via floppy disks? - That's truly awesome! And, yeah fully agreed, that for a family computer for those scenarios where the different users want their own space, customizations, etc.,...PAM usb login via floppy disks? - That's truly awesome!
And, yeah fully agreed, that for a family computer for those scenarios where the different users want their own space, customizations, etc., 100% that linux is the perfect kind of OS!
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Comment on The family computer in ~tech
mxuribe LinkThis post was wonderful and full a neat nostalgia! And that line near the end (about installing a linux distro) made me chuckle quite loudly! :-) Its really cool to see that linux has become/is...This post was wonderful and full a neat nostalgia!
...did what any sensible person would: I installed a Linux distribution...
And that line near the end (about installing a linux distro) made me chuckle quite loudly! :-)
Its really cool to see that linux has become/is becoming more of the solution for both replacing machines after Win10 dies/goes out of support...but also - and i would say more importantly - sustaining older machines far beyond their expected lifecycle! Beyond the cost savings to a family, its really nice from a green/environmental aspect. (Yes, yes, i know that some older devices are not as power efficient...but if this approach avoids/delays dumping stuff into landfills...then i think its worth it!) -
Comment on What follows GitHub? in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentHi @Banazir would you kindly clarify what the difference(s) might be here? I genuinely did not these were different things...and really wish to learn. I have not done professional dev work in...I fall into the category of people who don't need a git forge, just a git host.
Hi @Banazir would you kindly clarify what the difference(s) might be here? I genuinely did not these were different things...and really wish to learn.
I have not done professional dev work in about 19 years, but do the odd little script for myself. So, yeah i have a github account with tiny repos...and it only exists for convenience...But would prefer to use something else (for philosophical reasons)...but alternatives often felt a bit much - again, just for little old me and my tiny scripts.
So...if there's some info you could share about git forge vs git host (or even directions that i could research myself), please share; and thanks! :-) -
Comment on A friendly introduction to SVG in ~comp
mxuribe LinkWow, this is really amazing! Not only because SVGs are cooler than i guess i gave them credit for...but, the way the author writes is really quite effective from an instructional perspective!...Wow, this is really amazing! Not only because SVGs are cooler than i guess i gave them credit for...but, the way the author writes is really quite effective from an instructional perspective! Really quite brilliant, and so easy to follow! My days of web design are behind, but wow, these kinds of tutorials would have really helped back in the day!
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Comment on NGINX introduces native support for ACME protocol for obtaining TLS certificates (Preview release) in ~comp
mxuribe LinkI don't want to say "too little, too late"....because i consider myself a fan of nginx, and very much welcome this change...but, then again, i have started using Caddy (as others have noted as...I don't want to say "too little, too late"....because i consider myself a fan of nginx, and very much welcome this change...but, then again, i have started using Caddy (as others have noted as well)...and, i'm really loving Caddy!
I have about a dozen or so domains and assorted websites that live under nginx (and have for many years now), and similar to what @kari noted, i also do alot of copy/pasting of configs to ease management, etc....but that ever so small amount of friction of managing certs via nginx and certbot was the original thing that had me test out Caddy. Using Caddy is still early days for me, so while i love that certs have pretty much almost become a "solved" thing that i don't have to think too much about...now, the challenge i have is simply the learning curve of Caddy.
I think the documentation for Caddy is well-written, but not detailed enough for my liking...Though i take full responsibility that maybe i overthink things too much sometimes...but i sure wish there were more examples of Caddy config details.
Even still, with this new change for nginx...i now have to weigh for my personal websites, while nginx is reputed to be more performant than Caddy...i think (for my traffic volume needs), Caddy might start to win out, and i might start replacing nginx with Caddy. Now, if any of my sites begins to draw tons more traffic, that is when i will review nginx again.
So, again, its great news to hear that nginx is doing this! And, i honestly don't mean to be a poopie head, but, i think i'm already on my way towards standardizing on Caddy - convenience seems to win over performance here! ;-)
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Comment on The future is NOT self-hosted in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentI love the concept behind Solid! But, I think open protocols is an important dependency here...so as to allow for not only eventual interoperability, but also for parallel development of different...I love the concept behind Solid! But, I think open protocols is an important dependency here...so as to allow for not only eventual interoperability, but also for parallel development of different solutions...which of course only addresses the technical aspects. But, yeah, open protocols is a good start...and then the implementation of solutions and approaches like Solid work great because they empower the user with maximum control.
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Comment on The future is NOT self-hosted in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentI agree that the "how" is tough in this topic. And, in fact, i would have suggested the "local library" model has worked (to a degree) historically for non-digital stuff...where a community pays...So any public investment is going to be a uphill battle to get done.
I agree that the "how" is tough in this topic. And, in fact, i would have suggested the "local library" model has worked (to a degree) historically for non-digital stuff...where a community pays taxes into the municipality, and the town uses some tax revenue (combined with other funds like from state/provincial/federal, etc.) to fund conventional library programs (e.g. book borrowing, etc.) for the benefit of local citizens. If i were to oversimplify things, that makes me think that such a model might work for self-hosting and other digital benefits...but nowadays, it feels like local libraries are under immense pressure to even survive, let alone thrive and add on digital services. So, yeah, not sure if this model would work everywhere - well, maybe some areas more than others. Either way, tough to figure out how to do it on wider scale for the benefit of people.
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Comment on I have been using a neo-dumbphone for a week, here are my thoughts in ~tech
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Comment on Dutch public broadcaster NOS have made teletext accessible through SSH in ~tech
mxuribe LinkThis is so awesome in a few ways! The nostalgia of old tech like teletext still being available...just because it is possible to do! The coolness factor of enabling this legacy tech through very...This is so awesome in a few ways!
- The nostalgia of old tech like teletext still being available...just because it is possible to do!
- The coolness factor of enabling this legacy tech through very "hacker" mechanism!
- I get to practice my Dutch...and they say one way to learn a language is to read the news :-)
- News via terminal (via terminal rss reader, this Dutch teletext via ssh, etc.) can be quite efficient (read: time saver)!
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Comment on I have been using a neo-dumbphone for a week, here are my thoughts in ~tech
mxuribe LinkWow, this phone is fascinating to me! When i first heard of the Lite phone, i thought it was cool, but its constraints were too much for me...I'm on a sort of digital minimalism journey, and would...Wow, this phone is fascinating to me!
When i first heard of the Lite phone, i thought it was cool, but its constraints were too much for me...I'm on a sort of digital minimalism journey, and would like to have a more basic mobile phone that is still solid...But now this Minimal phone seems much more like a middle ground. Very interesting!
The only thing i worry about is the screen being slow...i say that never really having ever had a kindle or any other eInk device. So, i guess i'd have to play around with it in real life to determine if it woulkd be an issue or not.
Also, i'm not a die hard fan of physical keyboards anymore. I used to love them back in the day, and very much hated when phone manufacturerers moved away from. (My partner is a superfan of physical keyboards...and would likely hop on this phone right away because of it having this keybaord!) but, if all other things being fine with this phone (like the screen ending up not being an issue), then the presence of a physical keyboard is certainly not a deal breaker.
As far as the cost, it actually does not seem outrageous to me. Yeah, i agree with comments that costs should be lesser if there are less things included....but i also can not argue with the premise that maybe paying a tiny bit more for "better suited/better fitting" device might be justified? So, am torn for what a phone like this should cost. In any case, if i had to choose between say some other neo-dumb phone vs Lite phone vs Minimal phone, there would be no contest for me to gladly pay for Minimal phone!I guess i'm going to have to do a little more research on this phone!
EDIT: And, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this phone!!! :-)
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Comment on What is your personal online "tech stack"? How do you like it? in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentGood point about Cloudflare! I do use Cloudflare as name servers and front-end CDN (and i guess also front-end security and tls/ssl certs.). So, basically, whether i register a domain via...Good point about Cloudflare!
I do use Cloudflare as name servers and front-end CDN (and i guess also front-end security and tls/ssl certs.). So, basically, whether i register a domain via namecheap or porkbun, unless there is rare reason, i typically opt to have Cloudflare manage name servers and all underlying DNS records for my domain names. I've been using Cloudflare for years, and (knock on wood) have never had an issue (and have been on their free tier this whole time).As far as using cloudflare as a domain name registrar, I do recall some time ago when they first announced this. I have NO reason to believe that they will do a bad job or become baddies, considering how good they have behaved for other services that i use from them. I guess maybe a small part of it might be wanting a tiny bit of separation of concerns possibly? I suppose its not fair of me to have this fear, since i do consolidate things elsehwere, but something about it hasn't compelled me to race to migrate all my domains to cloudflare...again, maybe its unfair of me to think that since i have no evidence to fear them i guess.
Separately, i have been curious to use some of Cloudflare's other offerings like Workers, durable storage, etc...because the more that Microsoft, AWs, Google have as far as competition in such services, i think the better! But just have not had the chance yet to play with these cloudflare services.
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Comment on Tech keeps stealing my life, and I want tips on how to make it stop doing that in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentYeah, i had heard that there are different BSDs fr different sort of purposes, like Ghost BSd if yuou want an already-baked/done desktop experience, NetBSD for X, FreeBSD for Y, etc, etc. I guess...Yeah, i had heard that there are different BSDs fr different sort of purposes, like Ghost BSd if yuou want an already-baked/done desktop experience, NetBSD for X, FreeBSD for Y, etc, etc. I guess when i dive in, i'll see which makes most sense for my minimalistic approach. :-) Thanks!
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Comment on What is your personal online "tech stack"? How do you like it? in ~tech
mxuribe LinkFor context, i'm a technologist by day, well, a former dev and sysadmin that for the last few decade or so am a pointy-headed boss of technologists. :-) But, by nights/weekends, for many years, i...For context, i'm a technologist by day, well, a former dev and sysadmin that for the last few decade or so am a pointy-headed boss of technologists. :-)
But, by nights/weekends, for many years, i play with all manner of self-hosted stuff - both on my LAN and on VPS providers, budget hosters, etc.File storage & synchronization
I have a MS Onedrive paid plan for the family from the days when my family were simply meh satisfied with windows...which is very soon going to be decommissioned. ;-)
But, generally, I have run Nextcloud (and before that owncloud) for years on either homelab servers or VPS providers. Unfortunately, during a recent move, my home nextcloud machine got its hardrive busted...so instead of rebuilding nextcloud, I lazily opted for the 30-second setup of Syncthing...(what can i say, moving between residences creates too many life ToDos such that i have lacked bandwidth to re-setup my nextcloud properly)...So, i have been using Syncthing for months now, and have been content. Although in parallel, i wanted to see how things would work out if i paid someone else to manage the infrastructure for my nextcloud - a managed netxcloud service...and for couple of months have been testing Hetzner's paid nextcloud offering....and so far, its been quite nice. My biggest fear was that since i live in the U.S., but the servers that host nextcloud are based in Europe, the lag and latency might be annoying...but so far any latency issues are either very minor or not a problem...so far. I like to test things for quite a while...but the likely conclusion is either i will go back to self-hosting nextcloud instance, or maybe pivot to this Hetzner paid nextcloud plan for good.
Email
Decades ago, i tried self-hosting email, and it is still possible, and at least infra stuff is easier than it has ever been! But, consistent delivery is too much of a pain (thanks to the nefarious big providers like google, Microsoft, etc.) So, i just have a paid Zoho mail plan for myself and my family.
While i have not heard about Zoho (the company) being lumped in with the Googles or Microsofts of the world as it pertains to baddie behavior...nor have i heard of any evil privacy invasion being done by Zoho...i'm under no illusions, and if they ever become baddies, I'd likely switch to another paid provider like posteo, or mailbox.org, or Fastmail, etc...knowing that my costs might likely double if i move away from Zoho, i think email is so essential, that it is worth paying even double. I'm taking advantage of Zoho's extreme low pricing, but i know in my heart that prices that more expensive paid providers like fastmail provide are probably more fair, and still quite reaonsalbe in the grand scheme of things. But, hey, while i can save a penny, I'll do it. ;-)
Media streaming
The family and i still use a few of the typical streaming services...but am slowly building up my movie and music library...So, have been using Jellyfin (successfully!) pointed at a server on my home LAN which nicely streams music and my movies. Since the server is only used by me and small family, its been really great! I used to point a public domain name to the jellyfin instance, but after i recently moved my current ISP sucks, so have been testing tailscale, and its been pretty great. As long as any client/device has the tailscale app, its pretty easy to reach the jellyfin server. Jellyfin is still in what i would consider early life, and maybe a little bloated in tiny areas, but actually not bad at all for the value that my family and i derive from it.
Password management
My family and i have been using a shared keepass db/file...though we sync it via desktops. I have used keepass via mobile years ago only for myself...but have not shared it with family via mobile. When i shared it for myself among my devices, mobile was less than stable. So, now that my family and i want to share it across mobile devices, we are not filled with faith that keepass is the right direction. So, i have started a test to see if Bitwarden can replace password for the family - across desktops and mobile devices. For now, am testing only using the free service...but if it works out and we end up pivoting to bitwarden, i might go up to the paid plan, which doesn't seem that expensive considering what they offer. But, much like my paid nextcloud test, we'll see.
Backup
For backups, i rsync stuff to a local, central server on my LAN, and then rsync that stuff to one of those USB external harddrives...in addition, i also rsync, well, rclone, stuff to OneDrive. The Onedrive destination is merely to have stuff offsite. However, as noted above, when i decommission the onedrive paid plan, i will need to seek out an alternative destination that is located elsewhere from my home/home LAN.
I have been interested in playing a little with ZFS (for its supposed legendary stability, replication features, etc.)...and if things work out, then i might consider a paid backup provider like rsync.net. More testing to be done here.
If i don't go the route of rsync.net, i might head towards Hetzner's storage box...Both for low cost and ease of implementation (they support common connection protocols like sftp, rsync, webDav, etc.)...Of course, this assumes my other parallel tests of Hetzner prove successful.
VPS
For many years i have used Digital Ocean to host a myriad of different small scale VPS instances. I really can't complain about digital ocean, other than a very minor complaint of their pricing. So, several months ago, i established a small VPS instance on Hetzner to see how their infra. performs. (Because Hetzner pricing is so much better than digital Ocean.) So far, there was one unexplained outage/hiccup, but otherwise Hetzner VPS hosting has been pretty solid! I usually use VPS servers mainly for 2 things, my blog (or basic, single web page as web presence); and tech experiments (such as small scripts, or testing/hosting of full blown apps and software suites, like netxcloud, etc.). I think all of my websites or scripts/apps can easily be moved to many or any alternative VPS providers...so really, i seek out stability and low cost in a provider, and am not stuck on any brand or marketing. The fact that i have been on digital ocean for as long as i have been is mere inertia (even though they have been pretty solid), and not any brand loyalty.
Webhosting & Domains
Web hosting is handled on the VPS servers that i reference above. (I stopped using budget web host providers decades ago, and never used github for web hosting, etc.)
As far as domains, i have used NameCheap for over a little over decade now...and i have never had a problem. I have tried to cut down on the number of domains, since i used to get click happy buying too many domain names (for app/service experiements, etc.)...though i try to keep things nowadays under 2 dozen or so domains...and am trying to trim down even further.
Although, i have not had any issues with Namecheap, their pricing has gone up over the years - and in some areas not so trivially. I think their pricing is still in the "reasonable" range, but its close too getting a bit high - at least for some top-level domains....but here too, i have conducted some testing...By, registering a few new domains via Porkbun. While porkbun's UI seems simplistic, i actually like it. Also, their pricing is far more compelling than Namecheap. Again, i'm only testing porkbun, so we'll see how things work out. I think i was referred to porkbun both via some podcatss that i listened too, as well as, unsolicited positive comments from other tech folks on forums, etc.
Post-script
Does it seem like i'm in the middle of testing a several things at the same time? Well, yes, i am running multiple tests in parallel...because when i test a thing (either for pivoting to different tech or changing paid providers)....i test thoroughly and to an exhaustive extent. By both people who love me as well as professional colleagues, I've been referred to as anal retentive obsessive person when it comes to testing, especially tech...but, then those same folks who tease me never are disappointed by my recommendations. ;-)
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Comment on Tech keeps stealing my life, and I want tips on how to make it stop doing that in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentYeah, Cal Newport is an author that i am becoming a fan of! While i have not yet read his books, the historical blog posts are quite inspirational on their own. (But a couple of his boos are on my...Yeah, Cal Newport is an author that i am becoming a fan of! While i have not yet read his books, the historical blog posts are quite inspirational on their own. (But a couple of his boos are on my "to read" book list.) And, yeah, someone mentioned to me whether i'd consider one of the BSDs - because of my heading more towards tech minimalism. So, might give BSD land a bit of a whirl. :-) And, great to hear that you're on your simplification journey!
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Comment on Tech keeps stealing my life, and I want tips on how to make it stop doing that in ~tech
mxuribe LinkHey @Eric_the_Cerise , first of all, please know that you are not alone! I've dealt with aspects like this for my entire life. And, i'm also a technologist, so the exposure for this kind of thing...- Exemplary
Hey @Eric_the_Cerise , first of all, please know that you are not alone! I've dealt with aspects like this for my entire life. And, i'm also a technologist, so the exposure for this kind of thing (like what you described) is not isolated to the home environment, but also places like my dayjob.
Now, about a year or so ago, i re-saw the Judd Apatow movie "This is 40"...and there's a scene near the end of the movie where Paul Rudd's character laments to the punk rock older man (Graham something)....that the latest record from said older punk rocker was not selling well at all. To the surprize of Paul Rudd's character, Graham replies about not worrying about album sales because his expectations are nowadays quite low! I think his line in response to Paul Rudd's character is something like: "Oh, you expected the record to sell!?! They never sell nowadays..." And, then he goes to advise that one should keep their nut (i guess expenses, costs, etc.) as low as possible. Something like that. Well, after watching that scene and pondering a bit, a sort of digital minimalism struck me.
I started reviewing and thinking on my home lab setup, my laptop, what tech and tools etc. that i use.....well, all manner of areas of my daily, home tech life. And, one of the things i started doing more of was: simplifying things as much as possible - especially my tools. For example, for decades i would capture notes, journal entries, whatever within word processor docs (think: Word docs or FLOSS equivalents). So i started using more basic text files. I use markdown files many times....but now about half the time, i don't even need markdown, and simply use bare text in a literal text file. But, not only that! I use a simple text editor instead of a more comprehensive LibreOffice (or whatever office suite software). Not only that! I also started using more TUI apps, that is text UI apps within the terminal! Coincidentally over this last year as i have adopted simpler tools, on some of my linux/FLOSS podcasts there seem to be more interest in TUI tools too! (I'm sure its my bias in noticing these things more nowadayys that i am using them more, i guess.)
Anyway, what i am suggesting is consider if you need more simplicity in your tech life in general. Yes, sometimes you do need a spreadsheet, and sometimes you do need some features from an office suite software...but, if not, then stick to simpler tools and simpler approaches. By the way, please don't take my suggestion here to imply that "just doing this" is easy...its not! At least, for me its not, so maybe it might not be easy for you either! But, when it works for me - and hey, my journey is still in its infancy - it really works great! So, yeah, think how you can simplify things - both in ways of working/approaches as well as your toolset...and maybe it can help, as it has been helping me. Good luck, and happy to listen to you more! (BTW, I hope you don't mind that i started following your fediverse account...so, on this or any other topic, I would be happy to continue engage with you in discussion, but only if you wish.) Take care!!!
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Comment on Dropbox Passwords being discontinued in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentAppreciate your feedback! I already self-host a few other services, so to add vaultwarden would be a straight-forward thing (not technically tough, but I'd prefer not to due to lack of bandwidth,...Appreciate your feedback! I already self-host a few other services, so to add vaultwarden would be a straight-forward thing (not technically tough, but I'd prefer not to due to lack of bandwidth, etc.). And, yeah, my biggest fear is the perceived "touchy" nature of trying to keep Keepass DB file in sync across a couple of users...hence, now reviewing a few comments on this thread, i'm seriously leaning towards a paid bitwarden plan. (Of course like in other areas of my life, if i become dismayed by such paid plans, as you noted, i always do have the option to host things myself ;-) Anyway, thanks again!
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Comment on Dropbox Passwords being discontinued in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentI appreciate your feedback! And, yeah, i'm leaning towards a paid bitwarden plan...because while it might seem that asking my family to keep closing the keepass DB is not a big deal...i think its...I appreciate your feedback! And, yeah, i'm leaning towards a paid bitwarden plan...because while it might seem that asking my family to keep closing the keepass DB is not a big deal...i think its just enough friction. Thanks again!
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Comment on Dropbox Passwords being discontinued in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentThis is perfect timing having read this and related comments.... I have been using keepass for years (happily) - both on desktop and syncing the Db file around! However, now my partner and our kid...This is perfect timing having read this and related comments....
I have been using keepass for years (happily) - both on desktop and syncing the Db file around! However, now my partner and our kid might begin to use it/share it too - since we're trying to centralize and better organize our family logins. But, my fear is that while i am diligent in closing the DB, i am fearful of my family not being as diligent, and fear what happens with conflicts and such....I've started testing bitwarden's mobile app...and while the UI is ok, it actually runs kind sluggish. I mean, its not terrible or anything, but does leave some to be desired. It would of course immediatley meet the need, and my understanding is that its designed for synching, and sharing...but, am i being too overfearful about keepass unnecessarily about the possiblity of conflicts? I don't know anyione else in my sphere who uses keepass...an d i do hear other folks happily use bitwarden....so any other feedback to share - at least on sharing a keepass DB with more than 1 person? Thanks! -
Comment on I deleted my second brain in ~tech
mxuribe Link ParentI'm glad to hear a discord server works for your flow! After i posted my previous comment, i looked back at my private chat room...and realized that i have been using FAR less than i remember. I...I'm glad to hear a discord server works for your flow! After i posted my previous comment, i looked back at my private chat room...and realized that i have been using FAR less than i remember. I mean, i still use it only for a very temporary dumping area of links (to be moved elsewhere)...but noticed that lately (I'd say over the last 10 months to 1 year), i guess i have been using mobile app text editor FAR more than chat. (I use Markor, but of course any other mobile text editor would do more than fine.) I suppose the minor advantage of my text files is that i drop them in an area that i sync between mobile and laptop...so while still not as organized as i would like to be, at least they all live under a single folder and are very easy to search. Of course, that accommodates dumping of temporary data, since still using my mobile ToDo app. ;-) I love that we live in a time where we have access to such an array of myriad tools to help us manage stuff.
This really helped; thanks!
I also looked at the (software) forge entry on wikipedia...But prefer your explanation :-) Thanks so much again!!!