From 1b185e2a13e3c883e66ec56d8cc2181d76573bbe Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: TitanElectrons Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2023 01:52:40 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Migrating from Font Awesome to SVGs for remaining posts... bloat-free! --- backups/index.html | 22 ++++---- fp/index.html | 18 +++--- github/index.html | 17 +++--- kpst/index.html | 3 +- minimal-design/index.html | 46 +++++++-------- pwd/index.html | 17 +++--- sm/index.html | 67 +++++++++++++++------- terminal/index.html | 27 +++++---- uses/index.html | 114 ++++++++++++++++++-------------------- 9 files changed, 175 insertions(+), 156 deletions(-) diff --git a/backups/index.html b/backups/index.html index 92a9e1a..d63e195 100644 --- a/backups/index.html +++ b/backups/index.html @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ (POST) Taking Proper Backups - + @@ -15,15 +15,15 @@ ______| |_____| | | | | | | | \_| -

sf.cu > Blog > Taking Proper Backups

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Taking Proper Backups

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27 July 2023

5 min

Technology

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sf.cu > Blog > Taking Proper Backups

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Taking Proper Backups

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27 July 2023

5 min

Technology

Taking backups is crucial in every single context. There is simply no situation where the lack of backups was beneficial. Such situations are always detrimental to people. Backups are also important for businesses, especially ones which are responsible for the lives of people, like hospitals.

Taking backups prevents data loss due to software or hardware errors. Even accidents have a minimal impact if you have a backup. It allows businesses to keep growing instead of being worried about recovering crucial client data. For public services like hospitals, being hit with ransomware is an extremely difficult moment. If the ransom is not paid immediately, it can result in loss of human lives. This is why you either have backups or lose money.

Losing precious memories hurts. Backups prevent this gut-wrenching scenario from ever occurring. With many spectacular backup solutions being free or cheap, there is absolutely no reason to take backups. If you work with new computers and devices regularly, then taking backups makes it easy to migrate and install multiple instances on new devices. This is especially easy with Linux systems due to the simple dotfile method. It also provides version control. If you have old versions of documents and files, it is easy to refer to previous examples for future work.

If there is one thing that people love about backups, it is the peace of mind you get knowing that you have an extremely low chance of losing your important data.

It does not matter if you are a normal person or a massive business; you should spend time and money to back up your data properly.

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3-2-1 Backup Rule

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3-2-1 Backup Rule

The 3-2-1 backup rule is a rule that many people recommend following to remember to take proper backups. Here is the meaning of each of the numbers:

  1. Three Copies: The "3" in the rule means that you should at least three copies of your data. This includes your original data, so you should have at least your original data along with two other copies. The advantage of having these many copies is that it is the perfect balance of simplicity and redundancy.
    2. @@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
  2. One Off-site Copy: The "1" in the rule means that you should have at least one off-site copy. Off-site in this case means somewhere other than your main home or regular backup methods. This can be an encrypted external hard drive that you leave at your relative's house, for example.

It is important to note that these rules are not a plan for everyone, and are instead meant as a base for your backup plans. The least important data that you own should at least be backed up using the base 3-2-1 backup plan.

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Using Invasive Services (Drive, OneDrive, iCloud)

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Using Invasive Services (Drive, OneDrive, iCloud)

When it comes to using Big Tech's invasive services, you have to be extremely careful since they do not respect your privacy at all. At the bare minimum, you should be encrypting the files you upload if they are even of a little importance to you.

A popular program for file and drive encryption is VeraCrypt. To learn how to use it in detail, watch this video. The overall process goes like this:

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  1. Upload it wherever you want

This makes it difficult to easily access your files from your phone or another device, but it is totally worth it for your privacy.

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Using Paid Services (Backblaze, Mega)

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Using Paid Services (Backblaze, Mega)

Services like Mega allow you to pay for more storage, just like Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox. There are privacy concerns with the latter three, however. ProtonDrive is also a good option, but it has had some controversy due to the privacy concerns of ProtonMail. However, I am comfortable recommending it.

BackBlaze is a backup program that is under the MIT licence. It works really well for most of their customers, so I am comfortable recommending it.

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Using Owned Services (servers, syncing)

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Using Owned Services (servers, syncing)

When you are using services you own, you have to make sure that you verify the integrity of your files. File corruption can happen on every platform, but it is much better to verify your files on your server since there may be issues with your setup that causes file corruption.

It is also important to keep a separate drive or storage medium on your services if possible. If anything happens to your main system, it becomes really easy to just wipe the system and install a new one, knowing that your data is safe.

You can also use sync services like Syncthing for small files that you need synced within all of your devices. I use it to sync my password manager and personal notes. It is encrypted and open-source software and works extremely fast. It is so fast that by the time I save a file and open my phone, the file is already updated. This prevents conflicts.

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Taking Offline Backups

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Taking Offline Backups

If you are taking offline backups, you should be careful with encrypting your data if you need it. You should first assess whether you need encryption or not. If you live in an area with a lot of robberies, encrypt it, as a robber who is smart enough may steal your drive.

Make sure to get an external hard drive or SSD from a reputable company like Western Digital or Samsung.

By buying a product from a reputable company, you get a reliable product that lasts a long time.

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Maintaining Backups

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Maintaining Backups

While it is important to back up your data, it is also important to maintain your backups. At the end of every month, check your backups to see if your files are still intact. If a specific backup medium keeps showing corruption in files, move it to another drive immediately, since they can fail at any time.

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

While it is important to take backups, it is also important to make sure you are taking them properly. Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule. If you are using invasive services, encrypt all of your files before uploading them using a trusted piece of software like VeraCrypt.

Try to use services that you own as much as possible, to be completely independent. Make sure to have offline backups.

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diff --git a/fp/index.html b/fp/index.html index bdc08f7..5fcbfb0 100644 --- a/fp/index.html +++ b/fp/index.html @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ (POST) Writing With Fountain Pens - + @@ -15,10 +15,10 @@ ______| |_____| | | | | | | | \_| -

sf.cu > Blog > Writing With Fountain Pens

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Writing With Fountain Pens

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30 July 2023

2 min

Other

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Table Of Contents

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sf.cu > Blog > Writing With Fountain Pens

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Writing With Fountain Pens

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30 July 2023

2 min

Other

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Table Of Contents

  1. Why?
    2. @@ -28,15 +28,15 @@

I have heard great things about writing with fountain pens and decided to try one. I have recently purchased the Jinhao X750 and I have to say that I am not going back.

Jinhao X750
Jinhao X750
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Why?

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Why?

Buying a fountain pen elevated my writing experience. It is more about keeping in touch with an old lost art, that is writing. As an extreme technology user myself, using digital versions of literally everything, it is refreshing to write using a good tool and love writing again.

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What Ink Did You Use?

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What Ink Did You Use?

I used the Pelikan 4001 in black, and it is going great so far. I might use this pen for all my writing as it makes it a treat.

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How Did It Feel?

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How Did It Feel?

The first time I wrote with my pen, it felt like I had unlocked a new door in writing. It felt like I was writing something that would impact the world in some way, even though I was just writing my name. Every time I write using it, it feels like I am doing something extraordinary, rather than just doing it for the sake of it.

The art of customising what goes in your pen also really piqued my curiosity. The fact that I can choose what ink and converter I want to use makes me relieved, even though I most likely will never change my converter. I can use glow-in-the-dark ink, green ink, purple ink and much more in the same pen and can switch it at almost any time.

I would say that fountain pens are expensive up-front, but cheaper in the long run. You do not have to keep spending money like you would with ball-point pens or roller-balls.

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

I love my new fountain pen. It has reignited my love for writing. I will use it for all my writing because of the writing experience.

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Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/github/index.html b/github/index.html index 33f1422..f69aac4 100644 --- a/github/index.html +++ b/github/index.html @@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ (POST) Don't Use GitHub - @@ -18,28 +17,28 @@ ______| |_____| | | | | | | | \_| -

sf.cu > Blog > Don't Use GitHub

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sf.cu > Blog > Don't Use GitHub

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Don't Use GitHub

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Don't Use GitHub

27 May 2023

3 min

Software

If you are a developer, programmer or a coder who works with open-source software, you must have clicked this post in shock. First off, I would like to state that I am not telling everyone to stop making open-source software. What I am trying to say is that GitHub is one of the worst Git platforms to host your projects. We will cover why in this post.

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Freedom!

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Freedom!

Simply put, GitHub uses non-free software and non-free JavaScript on their website. It is shockingly ironic that the biggest open-source platform for anyone to use is itself a proprietary piece of software. It is also centralised, for-profit and politically active, which are all completely against free, libre and open-source software. These factors make it similar to SourceForge, which was abandoned by most of its users because of this very reason.

If everyone stops using GitHub and moves to better alternatives like Codeberg, GitLab or even a self-hosted Git instance, then GitHub will fall. Many people may be seething at me suggesting GitLab, but the truth is that GitLab is still open-source and uses free JavaScript instead of non-free JavaScript on their website. It is certainly not the best option, but it is miles ahead of GitHub.

Codeberg is entirely free software and it is a great option for most people. It works in a similar way to GitHub so it is trivial for individuals to migrate. SourceHut is also amazing. It is just as good as GitHub and much better for your rights. Self-hosting a Forgejo or Gitea instance is one of the best options as it offers complete independence. Git is the underlying technology which anyone can use. Therefore, everyone should be independent in using it.

This is the reason I have a website. Everyone should have a website as it gives you independence on the web.

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Embrace, Extend, Extinguish

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Embrace, Extend, Extinguish

Microsoft's strategy against open-source has always been to embrace, extend and extinguish. They have tried to do it before with Linux when it was being popularized among developers. Now, they are using Copilot to do so, which is an AI tool that can autocomplete code for you. The main issue with it is that they trained it all on open-source code without giving any credit to the original developers. GitHub's Copilot is now being used to help code for-profit and close-source programs.

Essentially, this results in open-source programs being used to grow close-source programs.

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Copyleft? What's that?

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Copyleft? What's that?

Microsoft and GitHub's multiple CEOs have kept on speaking negatively about copyleft. This includes GitHub's founder and former CEO. Their OSCON keynote was meant for attacking copyleft and the GPL, trying to discourage the use of free software. Instead, they suggest the MIT license using which many megacorporations exploit people's code without any credit.

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Microsoft Owns It

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Microsoft Owns It

There are many people who suggest using alternatives to products offered by big corporations and they are mostly right. Big corporations are able to give you free products because they profit off of your data. They are not trying to be kind.

For example, look at Google. They offer a search engine, documents storage, free email, cloud storage, a video site with billions of videos, a meeting platform and much more. They are not doing this to help people. They are doing this to harvest your data and sell it to the highest bidder.

Microsoft? Windows, Xbox and GitHub are not tools offered out of their sympathy towards you. All of it is for their own profit, whether it be collecting your data in Windows or preventing distribution of truly free software on GitHub.

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"Don't Do It Yourself!"

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"Don't Do It Yourself!"

GitHub is perhaps the only Git platform that has no option to self-host. You do not know what is running on their servers and cannot know what is happening with your code.

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

Please don't use GitHub. Just use alternatives or self-host it. GitHub does have a lot of projects but if you use it, it brings them closer towards extinguishing open-source.

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Previous Post - Next Post

diff --git a/kpst/index.html b/kpst/index.html index bf6c7c8..d4b6241 100644 --- a/kpst/index.html +++ b/kpst/index.html @@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ (POST) KeePass + Syncthing - + + diff --git a/minimal-design/index.html b/minimal-design/index.html index 96b2bd5..39744b9 100644 --- a/minimal-design/index.html +++ b/minimal-design/index.html @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ (POST) Minimal Design - + @@ -15,45 +15,45 @@ ______| |_____| | | | | | | | \_| -

sf.cu > Blog > Minimal Design

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Minimal Design

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28 July 2023

5 min

Design

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Table Of Contents

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sf.cu > Blog > Minimal Design

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Minimal Design

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28 July 2023

5 min

Design

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Table Of Contents

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  1. Introduction
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  2. Focusing On The Requirements
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  3. Timelessness
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  4. Elegance
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  5. Consistency
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  6. Breathing Space
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  7. Harmony
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  8. Maintainence
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  9. Conclusion
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  10. Introduction
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  11. Focusing On The Requirements
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  12. Timelessness
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  13. Elegance
    14. +
  14. Consistency
    15. +
  15. Breathing Space
    16. +
  16. Harmony
    17. +
  17. Maintainence
    18. +
  18. Conclusion
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Introduction

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Introduction

People often ask me why I choose minimal design for brands. This is because it has numerous practical advantages that provide ease and consistency in a brand.

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Focusing On The Requirements

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Focusing On The Requirements

One of the main aspects of minimal design is that it focuses on only the required elements of a specific brand. As a result, design becomes distractionless. This is especially easy nowadays since almost no one cares about the meaning behind a logo except in rare cases.

Another advantage of this type of design is that it focuses on the core message, or in this case, brand type. Too much designing can confuse viewers on whether a brand is a playful brand or a luxury brand, for example.

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Timelessness

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Timelessness

Minimal design, especially in the realm of branding, makes a brand feel timeless. You could take almost any minimal design from 200 years ago and use it for your brand today if there were no limits on copying. On the other hand, a sophisticated design from even 50 years ago will look dated most of the time.

This works because the elements that cause a brand to look dated are reduced to an absolute minimum. With minimal design, you have as little correlation with time as possible in your brands.

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Elegance

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Elegance

Minimal design when performed properly can make any brand look elegant. This is due to their simple nature. Look at most luxury brands, and you will notice that their designs are all simple.

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Consistency

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Consistency

Minimal designs are also consistent. This makes it easy to make a strong and impactful brand that reminds viewers of you. This can also be achieved through other types of design, but it is more powerful on average with minimal design.

Such types of consistency also provide versatility. You can place your brand design in any context, screen size, device and media type while also maintaining a strong brand presence.

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Breathing Space

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Breathing Space

Many designs nowadays are complicated and provide barely any breathing space for your eyes. With minimal designs, however, you can rest easy. Your eyes will not be overwhelmed by minimal design as much as complicated designs.

This is useful on informational posts or flyers. It allows your users to process information clearly without any clutter.

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Harmony

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Harmony

Minimal designs often make use of negative space or whitespace to make a design look appealing. This can look spectacular if executed correctly. Below is an example:

A Spade Logo using whitespace properly
A Spade Logo
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Maintainence

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Maintainence

Minimal brand designs can be easily maintained and modified. This makes them versatile in terms of rebranding.

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

Minimal designs are preferred because:

  1. They focus on the requirements
    2. diff --git a/pwd/index.html b/pwd/index.html index 1df3025..ea2e7ca 100644 --- a/pwd/index.html +++ b/pwd/index.html @@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ (POST) Password Systems - @@ -19,14 +18,14 @@
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    sf.cu > Blog > Password Systems

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    Password Systems

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    sf.cu > Blog > Password Systems

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    Password Systems

    2 May 2023

    4 min

    Software && Guides

    If you find it difficult to maintain strong passwords, then this guide is the only article you need to refer to. In this article, I will talk about an amazing trick to remember and manage all of your passwords.

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    Introduction

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    Introduction

    It goes without saying that passwords are incredibly important. It is undeniably important to make sure your passwords are: