The kernel commit “fs: handle SEEK_HOLE/SEEK_DATA properly in all fs’s that define their own llseek” (06222e4) by Josef Bacik ensures that all filesystems with custom llseek implementations properly handle the SEEK_HOLE and SEEK_DATA whence values introduced in Linux 3.1. Why This Matters When a filesystem implements a custom llseek handler, it bypasses the generic implementation….
PNG images already use DEFLATE compression (a combination of LZ77 and Huffman coding), but you can reduce file sizes further by optimizing the PNG’s internal structure and removing metadata. OptiPNG recompresses the image data without any quality loss by trying different compression strategies and selecting the best result. Install it on Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install…
The Dynamics 365 development tooling landscape has shifted significantly since the early VS 2017 days. While Jason Lattimer’s original D365DeveloperExtensions extension is no longer actively maintained, modern alternatives have emerged that handle web resource deployment more reliably. This guide covers current approaches and best practices for streamlining web resource workflows in Visual Studio. Modern Alternatives…
Zlib is a foundational open-source compression library implementing the DEFLATE algorithm. It powers gzip, PNG, HTTP compression, and countless applications. While Ubuntu’s package repositories provide pre-built binaries, compiling from source lets you use the latest version, customize the installation path, enable specific compile-time features, and maintain multiple versions simultaneously. This guide covers building zlib on…
If you’re running an older CentOS or RHEL system with Vim 7.4, upgrading to Vim 8 or later gives you modern features like async I/O, jobs API, terminal emulator support, and better plugin performance. Here are the practical approaches. Check Your Current Version $ vim –version VIM – Vi IMproved 7.4 (2013 Aug 10, compiled…
EncFS is a FUSE-based encrypted overlay filesystem that was once popular for transparent file encryption. However, its use on Android has become impractical due to Android’s security architecture. Here’s what you need to know in 2026. Why EncFS Doesn’t Work Well on Android Anymore Android’s evolution has made direct EncFS usage difficult: Scoped Storage (enforced…
Go’s os package provides a straightforward function to retrieve the system’s hostname: package main import ( “fmt” “os” ) func main() { hostname, err := os.Hostname() if err != nil { fmt.Println(“Error:”, err) return } fmt.Println(“Hostname:”, hostname) } The os.Hostname() function returns a string containing the hostname and an error value. Always check the error—it…
The free command—along with ps, top, kill, pgrep, and dozens of other system utilities—is maintained as part of the procps-ng project. Source repository The source code is hosted at: https://gitlab.com/procps-ng/procps You can clone it with: git clone https://gitlab.com/procps-ng/procps.git cd procps Most distributions package procps-ng, so you likely already have it installed. You can verify the…
Removing version control or build artifact directories across a large directory tree is a common sysadmin task. SVN directories (.svn), Git metadata (.git), or node modules (node_modules) often need to be purged before deployment or archiving. Using find with xargs The most efficient approach combines find with xargs: find ./ -name “.svn” -type d |…
RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol) streams are still used for live broadcasts and on-demand video delivery, though less commonly than HLS or DASH. If you need to capture an RTMP stream, there are several solid tools available on Linux. Using ffmpeg (recommended) ffmpeg is the modern standard for working with RTMP streams. It’s widely available,…
Memory leak detection is critical for C program reliability. Several tools work at different stages of development—compile time, runtime, and production scenarios. Your choice depends on performance tolerance, integration needs, and how much detail you require. AddressSanitizer (ASan) AddressSanitizer is the first tool to reach for in 2026. It’s compiler-integrated, fast, and catches a broader…
The nl command is purpose-built for adding line numbers to text files: nl text-file By default, nl numbers all non-empty lines and skips blank lines. This behavior is controlled by the body section style, which defaults to t (text only). Common nl options Number all lines including blanks: nl -ba text-file Start numbering at a…
A4-sized PDFs—particularly technical papers and academic documents—render poorly on Kindle devices. The small fonts become nearly unreadable, and Amazon’s “Send to Kindle” feature often destroys formatting in the process. You need a tool designed specifically for this workflow. Why Standard Conversion Fails Amazon’s email-to-Kindle conversion assumes reflowable text content. Technical papers with multi-column layouts, equations,…
Question2Answer’s RSS feed configuration includes a toggle for “Include full text in feeds” but offers no built-in option to display excerpts instead of full content. If you need excerpt functionality, you’ll need to modify the feed generation code. This approach works with Question2Answer 1.5.4+. The method involves creating a custom feed handler that truncates content…
You can run OCaml scripts directly from the command line with a shebang, similar to bash or Python. This requires making the file executable and using the proper interpreter directive. Basic Script Setup Create a file with a .ml extension and add a shebang at the top: #!/usr/bin/env ocaml print_endline “Hello world!”;; Then make it…
OCaml provides robust FFI (Foreign Function Interface) capabilities for calling C code. This is essential when you need to use existing C libraries or write performance-critical sections in C. Using the Unix Module The simplest approach for Unix/Linux system calls is the built-in Unix module, which wraps common POSIX functions without requiring manual FFI binding….
Fedora uses RPM packages managed by DNF, but you’ll occasionally encounter software distributed only as .deb files (Debian format). You have several options: convert the .deb to RPM, extract and repackage it, or use containerization. Here’s what works in practice. Using alien to convert .deb to RPM The simplest approach is alien, a tool designed…
SQL layers abstract traditional relational query interfaces over distributed NoSQL and big data systems, enabling applications to leverage SQL’s familiarity while benefiting from horizontal scalability. Here are the key approaches and systems that have emerged in this space. Distributed SQL on Key-Value Stores Phoenix (Apache Phoenix) provides a SQL interface over HBase. It compiles SQL…
LaTeX is a document preparation system widely used for scientific and technical documents. Most modern workflows use pdflatex or xelatex to compile directly to PDF, avoiding the outdated DVI → PostScript → PDF pipeline. Debian/Ubuntu sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-recommended For a complete installation with all packages: sudo apt-get install texlive-full…
Hibernate Envers is a proven auditing framework that automatically tracks changes to JPA entities without cluttering your domain model with logging code. It stores historical data in separate audit tables and lets you query entity states at any point in time. Why Use Hibernate Envers Envers handles the mechanics of change tracking transparently: Audits all…