The built-in etags command doesn’t recursively traverse directories by default, but generating TAGS files across your entire project is straightforward with the right tools and setup. Using ctags (Recommended) The simplest approach is ctags with the -e flag, which generates Emacs-compatible TAGS files: ctags -e -R . The -R flag enables recursive traversal. This works…
Aggregating multiple RSS feeds into a single source is essential for monitoring diverse content — whether tracking news, blogs, project updates, or monitoring systems. Here are the practical approaches with working examples for 2026. Self-Hosted Feed Readers Miniflux is the modern standard for self-hosted feed aggregation. Written in Go, it’s lightweight, actively maintained, and provides…
DVI (Device Independent) files are the output format from TeX and LaTeX compilers. While modern workflows typically generate PDF directly with pdflatex, you’ll still encounter DVI files in legacy documents, archived projects, and specific publishing pipelines that require intermediate processing. Viewing DVI Files Xdvi Xdvi is the most reliable dedicated DVI viewer and remains the…
When debugging a program or understanding what it actually touches on your filesystem, you need to see which files it opens. Two tools do this well: strace traces system calls in real time, while lsof inspects a running process without the overhead. Using strace to capture file operations The simplest approach is to run strace…
IEEE requires a specific format for web citations, and BibTeX handles this cleanly with the @online entry type. Here’s how to get it right. IEEE Web Citation Format IEEE specifies this pattern for online sources: [#] Initial(s). Surname, “Title [Online]. Available: URL. Accessed: Month Day, Year.” A complete example looks like: [1] J. Jones, “Networks…
When you install a JDK on Linux, you need to configure environment variables so your shell uses the correct Java binary and build tools can locate the installation. If you have multiple Java versions installed, proper configuration becomes essential. Why Set Java Environment Variables Setting JAVA_HOME and PATH ensures: Tools and applications can locate the…
Amazon S3 has a maximum object size of 5TB per object. This limit applies uniformly across all storage classes and regions — there are no exceptions or workarounds. Understanding the 5TB Ceiling The 5TB limit is a hard constraint at the API level. You cannot upload, copy, or restore an object larger than this. While…
The replication factor determines how many copies of each data block HDFS maintains across your cluster. The default is 3, which provides adequate fault tolerance for most deployments by surviving both node and rack failures simultaneously. Setting Cluster-Wide Default Replication To set the default replication factor for all new files, add the dfs.replication property to…
When using two-column layouts, the last page often ends with uneven column heights—one column noticeably longer than the other. This looks sloppy in formal documents. Two main packages solve this: balance and flushend. Using the balance package The balance package gives you explicit control over where balancing happens. Add to your preamble: \usepackage{balance} Then insert…
MPlayer is effectively unmaintained. If you’re starting fresh, use mpv — the actively maintained fork with better codec support, hardware acceleration, and improved filter performance. That said, if you’re working with existing MPlayer setups, you can still improve playback quality through filters. When to Use Filters vs. When to Switch Before spending time tuning MPlayer,…
MPlayer is largely obsolete, but if you’re maintaining legacy systems, you’ll need to know how to position windows. For new work, use mpv (MPlayer’s maintained fork) instead. Centering with MPlayer Add this to ~/.mplayer/config: geometry=50%:50% This centers the window by setting both X and Y to 50% of screen dimensions. Override at runtime: mplayer -geometry…
When you need to reach a server through one or more intermediate hosts, you can establish a direct connection without manually chaining SSH sessions. This is essential for accessing internal servers that aren’t directly reachable from your workstation. The scenario laptop —-> proxy —-> server You want to connect to server.example.com through proxy.example.com as if…
SSH is fast enough for most tasks, but when you’re transferring large files, running multiple commands, or managing hundreds of servers, every millisecond counts. Here’s how to squeeze real performance gains from SSH and SCP on Linux. Choose the Right Cipher Cipher selection has the biggest impact on throughput. Modern CPUs have AES-NI hardware acceleration,…
To toggle between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese input modes in ibus-libpinyin, press Ctrl+Shift+F. This shortcut has been the standard method since ibus-pinyin 1.3.7 and works across modern versions. Common ibus-libpinyin Shortcuts Beyond script conversion, these shortcuts handle daily input tasks: Shortcut Function Ctrl+Shift+F Toggle Simplified/Traditional Chinese Ctrl+. Toggle full-width/half-width punctuation Ctrl+, Toggle English/Chinese punctuation…
YARN (Yet Another Resource Negotiator) fundamentally restructured Hadoop 2.0 by decoupling resource management from application logic. If you’re transitioning from Hadoop 1.x or building systems on top of YARN, understanding its architecture is essential for effective cluster administration and application development. Essential Reading The foundational paper Start with “Apache Hadoop YARN: Yet Another Resource Negotiator”…
Hadoop uses three primary configuration files to define YARN, HDFS, and MapReduce behavior: HDFS: hdfs-site.xml YARN: yarn-site.xml MapReduce: mapred-site.xml These files live in $HADOOP_HOME/etc/hadoop/ and override the built-in defaults when present. Finding Official Default Values Apache publishes default configuration documentation for each release. For current versions: Hadoop 3.4.x (Latest) HDFS defaults: https://hadoop.apache.org/docs/r3.4.0/hadoop-project-dist/hadoop-hdfs/hdfs-default.xml YARN defaults: https://hadoop.apache.org/docs/r3.4.0/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/yarn-default.xml…
Converting LaTeX to HTML while preserving figures is essential when publishing technical documentation online. The right tool depends on your document complexity and output requirements. tex4ht (htlatex) tex4ht is the most reliable option for LaTeX documents with figures, math, and complex formatting. It’s part of the TeX Live distribution and available on all major platforms….
Remapping modifier keys on Linux makes sense if you’re an Emacs power user, prefer ergonomic hand positioning, or simply don’t use the Win key. The standard approach moves frequently-used modifiers closer to your thumbs by trading the underutilized Super/Win key for additional Ctrl or Alt access. A typical remapped layout looks like: |Ctrl|Alt|Ctrl| Space Bar…
Custom headers and footers in Apache directory listings let you add branding, instructions, or navigation without modifying the core file listing. This is useful for public file archives, download directories, or any indexed directory you want to customize. Basic Setup with .htaccess Add these directives to .htaccess in the directory where you want custom listings:…
The Windows (Super) key can be remapped to function as an additional Ctrl key, useful if you work across multiple systems or prefer the extra modifier. The approach varies significantly by display server and desktop environment. GNOME (Wayland and X11) GNOME 3.38 and later have built-in remapping through Settings: Open Settings → Keyboard → Special…