Articles (occasional rants) and tutorials about open source, BSD and GNU/Linux system administration, and programming - the pragmatic way.

• Upgrading to FreeBSD 14 - how to fix a broken BIOS bootcode
  Published on 2023-11-22 | Modified on 2023-11-27
• Are Passkeys really the beginning of the end of passwords? I certainly hope not!
  Published on 2023-11-09
• The proper design process in web development
  Published on 2023-11-04 | Modified on 2023-11-09
• The main differences between OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD and DragonFly BSD
  Published on 2023-10-30
• We have used too many levels of abstractions and now the future looks bleak
  Published on 2023-10-21 | Modified on 2023-11-06
• Bethesda's Starfield is a disgrace to game development and a slap in the face to gamers
  Published on 2023-09-12 | Modified on 2023-10-19
• Tips on how to structure your home directory
  Published on 2023-09-04 | Modified on 2023-09-07
• One of the most basic requirements for success is also one of the most difficult to get right
  Published on 2023-05-25
• Two simple ways to version control your MariaDB schema changes
  Published on 2023-01-21 | Modified on 2023-01-22
• When you use open source software you are not entitled to anything!
  Published on 2022-11-10
• The heavy responsibility of the package maintainer
  Published on 2022-11-05
• Is criticizing tech on political grounds valid?
  Published on 2022-11-02
• Will the ranting on this website ever stop?
  Published on 2022-10-31
• My choice of operating system
  Published on 2022-10-26 | Modified on 2023-10-25
• Understanding Unix filesystem timestamps
  Published on 2022-10-25
• Void Linux root on an encrypted ZFS mirror with syslinux MBR and ZFSBootMenu
  Published on 2022-10-23 | Modified on 2022-10-25
• How to replace a failed hard drive in a GELI encrypted ZFS root mirror installation on FreeBSD
  Published on 2022-10-18
• Drive failure and IO errors? ZFS to the rescue!
  Published on 2022-09-29
• Poor mans mind mapping tool with just the terminal
  Published on 2022-09-15 | Modified on 2022-09-15
• Why you should avoid the news media and what to do instead
  Published on 2022-08-24
• Do you feel overwhelmed trying to stay up to date with the latest tech news?
  Published on 2022-08-24 | Modified on 2023-10-21
• "Zero trust" is being hijacked by the big corporate hype machine
  Published on 2022-08-12
• No, you cannot trust third party code without reading it first
  Published on 2022-08-11 | Modified on 2022-11-03
• The flaws of distro hopping and asking other people about their OS of choice
  Published on 2022-04-11 | Modified on 2022-11-05
• Don't use Reddit for Linux or BSD related questions
  Published on 2022-04-08 | Modified on 2022-04-08
• Linux distributions long term support might not be what you think it is
  Published on 2022-04-01
• The delusions of Debian
  Published on 2022-03-30 | Modified on 2023-10-24
• How security is handled by package maintainers
  Published on 2022-03-29 | Modified on 2023-10-24
• Questions about which operating system is more secure or the fastest make no sense
  Published on 2022-03-18
• Advice to business owners and managers, don't use the modern way of web development
  Published on 2022-01-13 | Modified on 2023-10-19
• Is the madness ever going to end?
  Published on 2022-01-11 | Modified on 2022-01-23
• My 70 year old mother has been using Linux on the desktop for the past 21 years
  Published on 2022-01-07 | Modified on 2023-10-25
• No, your website is not a web app even if you call it so
  Published on 2021-12-29
• So-called modern web developers are the culprits
  Published on 2021-12-17 | Modified on 2023-10-27
• Using a framework can make you stupid!
  Published on 2021-11-13
• How to write software that will keep working for decades without problems
  Published on 2021-11-08
• There is no such thing as privacy on the Internet
  Published on 2021-09-08 | Modified on 2023-10-29
• Use the right tool for the job
  Published on 2021-09-05 | Modified on 2021-09-07
• A simple Git workflow - using main as the development branch
  Published on 2021-09-02
• Having a solid backup strategy and why you should not rely on fancy tools for backup
  Published on 2021-07-27 | Modified on 2023-10-24
• How to do encrypted incremental backups and snapshots with GNU Tar and GnuPG
  Published on 2021-07-24 | Modified on 2021-07-29
• Using GitHub Copilot will turn you into a bad programmer
  Published on 2021-07-21 | Modified on 2021-07-23
• How to stay sane in today's world of tech
  Published on 2021-07-07 | Modified on 2023-10-24
• Stop submitting to social conformity and use your brain instead
  Published on 2021-04-28 | Modified on 2023-10-27
• Are you a TLS master?
  Published on 2021-04-21 | Modified on 2021-04-21
• SQLite the only database you will ever need in most cases
  Published on 2021-04-14 | Modified on 2023-02-16
• Don't be afraid to code it yourself
  Published on 2021-04-02
• Straight forward problem solving mentality
  Published on 2021-04-01
• Stop being frantic about code testing
  Published on 2021-03-31 | Modified on 2021-04-01
• How do I know if I really need object-oriented programming?
  Published on 2021-03-30
• Procedural programming in PHP
  Published on 2021-03-30 | Modified on 2023-11-03
• How to test procedural functions with PHPUnit
  Published on 2021-03-30 | Modified on 2021-03-31
• No more object-oriented programming with PHP
  Published on 2021-03-27
• JavaScript malware infested nightmare
  Published on 2021-03-01 | Modified on 2021-03-02
• Code has to be simplified until it becomes absolutely correct
  Published on 2021-02-16
• This is how you keep your dignity and not sell your soul
  Published on 2021-02-11
• Are you trusting open source blindly? Then you're in for a world of hurt!
  Published on 2021-02-10 | Modified on 2023-10-19
• Real full disk encryption using GRUB on Artix Linux for BIOS and UEFI
  Published on 2021-02-10 | Modified on 2022-07-18
• Some of the problems with the GPL
  Published on 2021-02-02 | Modified on 2023-10-28
• The terminal, the console and the shell - what are they?
  Published on 2021-01-13 | Modified on 2023-10-29
• The Social Dilemma
  Published on 2020-11-08 | Modified on 2023-10-28
• OpenBSD Router Guide
  Published on 2020-11-05
• Important open source projects should not use GitHub
  Published on 2020-10-23 | Modified on 2022-09-01
• Choose your browser carefully
  Published on 2020-10-20 | Modified on 2023-10-19
• Come full circle - back to HTML
  Published on 2020-10-18 | Modified on 2023-10-20
• Technical reasons to choose FreeBSD over GNU/Linux
  Published on 2020-04-11 | Modified on 2023-10-27
• Vim - I hate to love you
  Published on 2020-04-07 | Modified on 2023-10-29
• Turning suckless into suckmore
  Published on 2020-03-23 | Modified on 2020-03-25
• How you can manage the i3 window manager on multiple computers
  Published on 2020-03-21
• Migrating ZFS from Linux to FreeBSD
  Published on 2020-02-11
• Some of the great GNU/Linux distributions
  Published on 2020-02-09 | Modified on 2022-11-01
• Choosing between OpenBSD and FreeBSD
  Published on 2020-02-07 | Modified on 2023-10-20
• How to setup FreeBSD with a riced desktop - part 3 - i3
  Published on 2020-01-24 | Modified on 2022-04-14
• How to setup FreeBSD with a riced desktop - part 2 - Xfce
  Published on 2020-01-23 | Modified on 2022-04-14
• How to setup FreeBSD with a riced desktop - part 1 - Basic setup
  Published on 2020-01-22 | Modified on 2022-04-14
• Why you should migrate everything from Linux to BSD - part 2
  Published on 2020-01-21 | Modified on 2023-10-30
• FreeBSD is an amazing operating system
  Published on 2020-01-20 | Modified on 2023-10-23
• Why you should migrate everything from Linux to BSD
  Published on 2020-01-18 | Modified on 2023-10-30
• Job interviews in tech gone haywire
  Published on 2019-12-25 | Modified on 2020-04-13
• When the modern approach is nothing but hype
  Published on 2019-11-07 | Modified on 2019-12-22
• My favorite note-taking method
  Published on 2019-11-03
• Go (Golang) - understanding the object oriented features with structs, methods, and interfaces
  Published on 2019-11-02 | Modified on 2023-11-03
• Go (Golang) - Errors and panics
  Published on 2019-07-16 | Modified on 2019-07-17
• Go (Golang) - Logging that matters
  Published on 2019-07-14
• Stop pushing JavaScript!
  Published on 2019-07-02 | Modified on 2019-09-19
• When abstractions, design patterns, and design principles lead to spaghetti code
  Published on 2019-05-26
• Battle testing ZFS, Btrfs and mdadm+dm-integrity
  Published on 2019-05-05 | Modified on 2020-01-23
• Installing Arch Linux with ZFS on a USB stick
  Published on 2019-03-28 | Modified on 2022-10-23
• Remuxing ISO, DVD, or Bluray using cat and ffmpeg on Linux
  Published on 2018-12-05
• Reviving Cubox with Arch Linux ARM
  Published on 2018-11-11
• The real motivation behind systemd
  Published on 2018-05-01 | Modified on 2023-10-28
• Void Linux - a great and unique Linux distribution
  Published on 2018-03-30 | Modified on 2023-10-30
• Real full disk encryption using GRUB on Void Linux for BIOS
  Published on 2018-03-30 | Modified on 2022-07-18
• Package management in OpenBSD
  Published on 2018-03-29 | Modified on 2021-01-15
• OpenBSD is fantastic
  Published on 2018-03-13 | Modified on 2023-10-26
• Arch Linux mail server tutorial - part 3 - Get DNS right, it's important!
  Published on 2017-12-29 | Modified on 2021-07-20
• Arch Linux mail server tutorial - part 2 - OpenSMTPD, Dovecot, DKIMproxy, and Let's Encrypt
  Published on 2017-12-28 | Modified on 2021-08-11
• Arch Linux mail server tutorial - part 1 - What is email?
  Published on 2017-12-27 | Modified on 2021-07-19
• Stay away from Cloudflare
  Published on 2017-12-20
• Make the current commit the initial commit in a Git repository
  Published on 2017-12-10 | Modified on 2018-11-12
• The typical discussions about BSD vs Linux
  Published on 2017-10-15
• Real full disk encryption using GRUB on Debian GNU/Linux for BIOS
  Published on 2017-06-23 | Modified on 2021-08-30
• Real full disk encryption using GRUB on Arch Linux for BIOS and UEFI
  Published on 2017-05-30 | Modified on 2022-07-18
• How to split your DNS requests when using a VPN
  Published on 2016-11-14 | Modified on 2019-04-02
• Programming languages and programming paradigms
  Published on 2016-01-02 | Modified on 2021-01-26
• Bummer PHP
  Published on 2015-12-20 | Modified on 2023-10-19
• Composer and Packagist - a bad implementation!
  Published on 2015-12-10 | Modified on 2016-08-07
• To framework or not to framework?
  Published on 2015-11-10
• No your API isn't REST, but don't worry, it really shouldn't be!
  Published on 2015-11-01 | Modified on 2023-10-25
• Design Patterns Can Be Very Evil
  Published on 2015-03-15
• Procedural Programming vs Object-Oriented Programming
  Published on 2015-02-28 | Modified on 2023-10-26
• Web application with a single entry point
  Published on 2015-01-01
• Keeping your home in Git, the right way
  Published on 2014-12-17 | Modified on 2021-04-08
• Trying out Arch Linux again
  Published on 2013-10-16
• PSR-0 is not a solution it is a bypass!
  Published on 2013-04-23
• Most PHP Frameworks are not for programmers
  Published on 2013-04-17
• When template engines for PHP get in the way
  Published on 2013-03-26
• Be careful when using docking stations
  Published on 2013-02-04
• An alternative way to play YouTube videos without using Flash
  Published on 2012-12-15 | Modified on 2016-07-26
• How to Create a New and Empty Branch in Git
  Published on 2012-01-18
• How to set your hostname and domain name correctly
  Published on 2012-01-18
• GnuPG Tutorial
  Published on 2012-01-18 | Modified on 2018-09-27
• Enforce strong passwords in Debian
  Published on 2011-03-17
• Unloading of modules at boot time in Debian
  Published on 2011-02-12
• Benchmark 4 - Notes About Caching and Benchmarking
  Published on 2010-12-17
• Benchmark 3 - The Alternative PHP Cache (APC)
  Published on 2010-12-16
• Benchmark 2 - MySQL Cache
  Published on 2010-12-15
• Benchmark 1 - Dynamic pages vs. static pages vs. Memcached
  Published on 2010-12-14
• Social networking is a poor substitute to real human interaction
  Published on 2010-11-18 | Modified on 2023-10-27
• The Book "Pro PHP Refactoring"
  Published on 2010-11-05
• Code comments are good right? Well, not if there are too many!
  Published on 2010-10-21
• Code Navigation, Design Patterns, and Too Many Functions
  Published on 2010-10-12
• Git bare vs. non-bare repositories
  Published on 2010-10-09
• What does GRUB see?
  Published on 2010-09-07
• Windows XP nv4_disp infinite loop problem
  Published on 2010-01-19
• For Debian - what package does that file belong to?
  Published on 2010-01-12
• umount - device is busy
  Published on 2010-01-12
• Simple CHM to PDF conversion on Linux and BSD
  Published on 2010-01-07 | Modified on 2023-09-03
• Resume SFTP transfer with rsync
  Published on 2009-12-15
• Passwords from the attackers point of view
  Published on 2009-10-21 | Modified on 2023-10-26
• Localized version in the console? No thanks!
  Published on 2009-10-20
• How to convert a man page into PS, PDF or DVI
  Published on 2009-10-15
• Mercurial branching, main and stable, a possible workflow
  Published on 2009-10-14
• PHP include path problems
  Published on 2009-09-15
• Why I do not like derived Linux distributions
  Published on 2009-08-13
• Mount an OpenBSD slice from Linux
  Published on 2009-08-04
• Finding and removing duplicate files with fdupes
  Published on 2009-08-01
• Mozilla Firefox Keywords Shortcuts
  Published on 2009-08-01
• Encrypting and decrypting files using GnuPG, OpenSSL or Mcrypt
  Published on 2009-04-01 | Modified on 2016-07-26
• CD or DVD Boot problems on MAC
  Published on 2009-03-15
• Cache your DNS requests using Bind
  Published on 2009-03-15
• Remove -- MARK -- from the message log
  Published on 2009-03-15
• Keeping the system time precise using NTP
  Published on 2009-03-15 | Modified on 2016-07-26
• Resume SFTP transfer with PuTTY
  Published on 2009-03-14
• PHP Security
  Published on 2008-11-28 | Modified on 2015-04-05
• Trying out Arch Linux
  Published on 2008-11-04 | Modified on 2009-08-17
• Ubuntu as in Debian?
  Published on 2008-11-03
• Using EncFS to encrypt some of your files
  Published on 2008-11-02 | Modified on 2016-05-23
• Choosing a new backup solution, Duplicity, rdiff-backup or Rsnapshot
  Published on 2008-10-30 | Modified on 2012-02-10
• Speed down your CPU
  Published on 2008-08-12
• Pointers in C
  Published on 2007-12-26
• Programming in C, Cpp, and Ada
  Published on 2007-12-25
• Choosing a good book on programming
  Published on 2007-12-14 | Modified on 2016-04-02
• Revision control
  Published on 2007-11-17 | Modified on 2010-10-10
• Wrong default encoding on the Apache webserver
  Published on 2007-08-22
• Who is listening on my ports
  Published on 2007-01-13 | Modified on 2020-01-25
• diff and patch
  Published on 2006-05-22