<p>I have a new browser setup on my desktop to increase my privacy and convenience. It is divided into two profiles that perform differently based on what I need to do in the moment.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-question-circle"aria-hidden="true"></i>What is it?</h2>
<p>I use Librewolf as my browser. It is a fork of Firefox that is enhanced for privacy without heavily impacting user experience. I divided it into two profiles:</p>
<ol>
<li>Accounts (instances in which I need to login)</li>
<li>Browsing (general website browsing)</li>
</ol>
<p>Let me walk through how each profile is setup.</p>
<p>Firstly, let me talk about common settings between both profiles.</p>
<h3>Common In Both</h3>
<p>On both profiles, I have my settings to optimize my privacy. On Firefox-based browsers, it is very easy to use these settings because most of them have little impact on convenience. I use Brave Search as my search engine and will switch to my own SearX instance when I get a good server. In terms of extensions, I have the 'uBlock Origin' extension installed setup to block JavaScript and remote fonts by default. I have the default lists along with all the others unchecked by default apart from language lists. I block every single domain from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other websites which are known for tracking. If a website breaks, I whitelist that website in particular.</p>
<p>As mentioned in the title, I have deleted my Discord account. This was obviously not without a reason. There are two reasons due to which I deleted my Discord account:</p>
<ul>
<li>Privacy</li>
<li>Lack of Use</li>
</ul>
<p>The most prominent reason is privacy but lack of use compelled me to actually take the plunge and delete my Discord account.</p>
<p>Discord is a hellhole for your privacy. Avoid it at all costs. In this section, I will show you the various things that Discord tracks.</p>
<h3>DISCORD'S HISTORY</h3>
@ -92,9 +91,9 @@
</ol>
<h3>ALL IN ALL...</h3>
<p>... this is not all that Discord does. If we know that Discord does all of this, there is obviously more that they are doing that we do not know. You should always assume closed-source pieces of software are tracking you and sending your information to a third-party.</p>
<p>I was not using Discord anymore so I deleted it. The reason is that my previous account got banned for botting when I did not do anything. I made a new account, chatted with three or four of my friends. Afterwards, the CounterHawks Discord server got banned. Due to this, I realized there is no use for my account and that there is no reason for me to support Discord.</p>
<p>I do not use Discord anymore and probably never will. Previously, it was difficult to delete my Discord account but Discord themselves have done all the hard work for me.</p>
<p>With regards to technology, the average person would rather buy a new computer when their WiFi stops working instead of taking it to a repair shop or fixing it themselves. They would rather buy a new smartphone when their screen cracks than repair it. They would also rather buy a device because of its looks and arbitrary specifications than one specific to their use case and their interests. They focus on the marketing of a company and become 'fanboys' of a specific company, buying nothing but their products, stating that the company in question makes the best products in the world. Self-servicing and repairability are not even factors in their decision to buy a device.
</p>
@ -28,7 +27,7 @@
<p>Instead of buying ThinkPads that <em>function</em> amazingly, people go for looks that <em>impress</em> amazingly. A computer is a device designed to perform computation. If you are shelling out a lot of money, you should have a device that performs fast and can be repaired by you.</p>
<p>What I have realized is that you should 'do it yourself' as much as possible. This is why my computer is custom-built. Had I bought a <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/pre-built-computers/">pre-built computer,</a> I would have never known what was inside my computer. This is tedious on smartphones since they are becoming more and more locked down. <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/linux-phones">Linux phones</a> are alternatives but they are not great as of 2023. I hope they become mainstream soon because I want to buy one.</p>
<p>Doing it yourself also helps in terms of software. I used to flash custom ROMs on my old phone and used <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/lineageos">LineageOS</a> extensively. Now, I use <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/arch-linux">Arch Linux</a> on my computer, which is a <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/linux-distribution">Linux distribution</a> that is basically barebones. It has only the packages required to boot up. Everything else is done by you. The advantage of an <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/operating-system">operating system</a> like this is that you know what runs on your system and there is minimal resource usage. If there is an issue, you can easily find out which program it is from and fix it immediately after gaining knowledge.</p>
<p>You should try to 'do it yourself'. Take control of your hardware and software and know what you are running. It will not only be cheaper, but it will make it easier to fix issues and learn about computing and technology in the long run.</p>
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<p>Sudo. It is often used by Linux users to perform commands with root privileges instead of being in a root shell all the time. However, <ahref="https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-22809">there has recently been a vulnerability in sudo due to which people are switching to doas.</a></p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-question-circle"aria-hidden="true"></i>What is Doas?</h2>
<p>OpenDoas or Doas is a portable version of the doas utility that is used on OpenBSD. OpenDoas can be installed on Unix-like system which includes Linux. It is designed to be more minimal and has less configuration options than sudo. If you are on a personal computer, then I highly recommend you switch to doas because it has a much smaller codebase which leaves less room for error.</p>
<p>However, if you are part of a professional environment with many individuals needing to use sudo, I recommend staying with sudo because it offers more configuration options to be used for groups and users.</p>
<p>You have to configure doas as it is not included in most distributions by default but do not fret! One of its plus points is that its configuration is much better than sudo's.</p>
<p>To begin, edit the /etc/doas.conf file as root.</p>
<p>If you are the only user on your system and do not plan to allow other users to use your system, this line will suffice.</p>
<p><code>permit persist username as root</code></p>
<p>Many distributions have a group (wheel, sudoers) that are allowed to run sudo commands. If you would like to allow that group to send commands as root, type this:</p>
<p>If you are the only person on your Linux machine, you should switch to doas. It is much more lightweight and is similar to sudo. It has a smaller codebase which, in my opinion, prevents exploits from popping up as often as sudo.</p>
<p>However, if you are in a professional environment, you should stick with sudo.</p>
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<p>In this article, I will show you how to encrypt emails. You can encrypt emails on almost any device. In this article, however, I will be focusing on Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo. I will also be focusing on making ProtonMail encrypt emails with Gmail.</p>
<p>Firstly, let us dispell a few myths. The first myth is a big one.</p>
<h3>Gmail's Confidential mode does not encrypt your emails</h3>
<p>Yes, you heard that right. Gmail's confidential mode does not encrypt your emails. Whenever I speak about email encryption, I hear something along the lines of:</p>
@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
<h3>ProtonMail does not encrypt emails sent to non-ProtonMail users</h3>
<p>This is also a huge myth. ProtonMail encrypts emails sent to other ProtonMail users. However, they do not encrypt emails sent to or received from non-ProtonMail users. It collects less data about you and it stores your emails with encryption on their servers but the email itself is not encrypted on the other person's end.</p>
<p>Encryption for non-ProtonMail users works on a user-to-user basis. You have to have the encryption keys of the other person if they are a non-ProtonMail user and they also have to encrypt their emails manually. We will learn how to do this in this guide.</p>
<p>Encrypting your emails online is a simple process.</p>
<h3>Step 1: Get the Mailvelope extension</h3>
<p><ahref="https://mailvelope.com/">Mailvelope is a free, libre and open-source browser extension</a> which allows you to not only encrypt emails using public keys but also has a keyserver which has a list of other people who use Mailvelope. Emails sent to other people using Mailvelope will automatically be encrypted.</p>
@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
<h3>Step 4: Send encrypted emails!</h3>
<p>Whenever you go to compose an email, there will be a button like the image below. Just click on it and there will be a popup to compose your encrypted email. Just fill in the info and send your email!</p>
<divstyle="text-align:center"><imgsrc="mailvelope-2.webp"alt="Mailvelope Icon to send encrypted emails"></div>
<p>Firstly, I would like to give a disclaimer. There is no way to use PGP encryption on iOS. Most encryption that is used on iOS is either paid or unavailable. On Android, you cannot encrypt emails using the native applications for Gmail, Outlook or Yahoo. Even if there is such a feature, you should not use their official clients due to their invasive tracking. To encrypt emails, we will use an email app called K-9 Mail. I believe that everyone should use K-9 Mail even if they are not encrypting their emails. It is a fantastic app.</p>
<p>K-9 Mail is a free and open-source email app that has a lot of features. I believe that no one should be writing emails on their phones but it is a great app to have just to make sure there is nothing urgent in your inbox.</p>
<h3>Step 1: Get the app</h3>
@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
<h3>Step 5: Setup K-9 Mail</h3>
<p>Go back to K-9 Mail, go to settings, go to your account that you added, go to end-to-end encryption and enable it. Select your key. Turn on autocrypt mutual mode. That is it! You should see a lock icon whenever you are sending an email to someone if you have their PGP public key. If you need to import more keys, just go to the OpenKeychain app and import them.</p>
<divstyle="text-align:center"><imgsrc="k9-encryption.webp"alt="Composing an encrypted email in K-9 Mail"></div>
<p>You can now send these keys to anyone to import into their PGP keychain. They will then be able to encrypt emails when sending them to your ProtonMail address!</p>
<p>That is it! You have setup encryption on your emails. This is a great step as email itself is very unsecure, so this will boost your privacy and security by a lot. Sharing passwords through email has never been safe but encryption allows you to do it with a good range of security.</p>
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<p>This post is to inform you that the grace period for the deletion of my public Instagram account has been completed. My Instagram account has been deleted... forever. I highly recommend you do it too. Read <astyle="color:#bd93f9"href="../sm">this post</a> for more information.</p>
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<p>I have tried finding open-source and <ahref="../definitions/free-software/"style="color:#50fa7b">free</a> Islamic apps for a long time and it is tiring to do so. Most of the apps are Quran and prayer time apps which are perfect but we do not have apps for other parts of Islam like hadeeths, duas and even Qibla locating. If I do run across an app, its last update is always more than five years ago which is not ideal. There are two Islamic apps that I use on a daily basis that I absolutely love and will never switch from:</p>
<ul>
@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
<p>Al-Azan is another app which also follows the <ahref="../definitions/unix-philosophy/"style="color:#50fa7b">UNIX philosophy</a> and is hosted under the <ahref="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.en.html">AGPL license</a> also making it <ahref="../definitions/free-software/"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a>. It does one thing well - displaying and informing of prayer times. You can adjust the prayer times based on location, offset and even calculation methods.</p>
<p>However, there is not a single <ahref="../definitions/free-software/"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a> or even open-source <ahref="https://ahadith.co.uk/fortressofthemuslim.php"">Hisnul Muslim</a> application that I have noticed. Most <ahref="https://ahadith.co.uk/fortressofthemuslim.php"">Hisnul Muslim</a> apps I have used have the exact same duas since it is based off the 'Fortress of the Muslim' book. Just having a page with all duas with a simple search option and the translation in popular languages is all thats required to get the open-source savvy Muslim community to start using <ahref="../definitions/free-software/"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a> for their duas.</p>
<p>Anyone can take the lead. In fact, this may be the first thing I try when I start developing applications.</p>
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<p>I have decided to switch from a self-hosted Vaultwarden (Bitwarden) instance to using KeePass along with Syncthing to sync it to all my devices. There are numerous reasons why I decided to make this change.</p>
<p>The offline nature of KeePass makes it so that it is nearly impossible to crack. Connecting things to the internet makes it trivial for a script kiddie thousands of kilometers away from you to attempt to crack your passwords. A password manager is a place where all of your passwords are stored. Due to this very reason, I decided to upgrade my security by moving to a reputed piece of software.</p>
<p>The encryption algorithm used for your password database is AES-256, commonly known as 256-bit encryption. It is a form of encryption that is so difficult to crack that the only way you can actually hope to obtain someone's password is by phishing them or using external methods. For more information, please <ahref="https://invidious.tiekoetter.com/watch?v=S9JGmA5_unY">watch this video by 3Blue1Brown.</a> It is extremely interesting.</p>
<p>In fact, KeePass is so secure that even the passwords that are stored in your memory while you are viewing your database is encrypted. That way, even a <ahref='../definitions/management-engine'style='color:#50fa7b'>management engine</a> attack will not work. If you want to try viewing the cleared memory sectors to find remnants of your passwords, good luck. The passwords which are stored in your memory are first overwritten to the point of unrecoverability before being cleared.</p>
<p>You can even setup a keyfile (a file you need to use to login), a <ahref='../definitions/security-key/'style='color:#50fa7b'>security key</a>, or both.</p>
<p>KeePass is open-source under the GPLv2 license, which is the best open-source license for people's freedom. That makes it <ahref='../definitions/free-software/'style='color:#50fa7b'>free software</a>.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-user"aria-hidden="true"></i>The Encryption Never Stops</h2>
<p>Along with KeePass, I use Syncthing to sync my database. Syncthing also uses cryptographic encryption. This makes it so that anyone who wants to brute-force my database needs access to both my Syncthing password and my KeePass password.</p>
<p>I use KeePass along with Syncthing for three reasons.</p>
<ol>
<li>KeePass is extremely secure. It has industry-standard protection methods and algorithms and its offline nature makes it practically uncrackable.</li>
<p>In technology, you should keep it simple as much as possible. The KISS philosophy and the <ahref="../definitions/unix-philosophy/"style="color:#50fa7b">UNIX philosophy</a> especially must be followed if you want quality software. Most pieces of famous software nowadays do not follow this guideline and it is costing millions of people dearly.</p>
<p>Minimal software can be extensible as per the <ahref="../definitions/unix-philosophy/"style="color:#50fa7b">UNIX philosophy</a>. Instead of creating a massive program that tries to do everything, minimalist programs create modules for certain functions. This makes troubleshooting a piece of cake as the initial confusion of finding out what exactly causes the error is practically eliminated. For example, if you are making a login page and the authentication does not work, you know that you should look in the authentication module. However, if you make it all in a single program, it is difficult to root out whether an issue is due to an incorrect variable type or a redundant function.</p>
<p>All of this helps developers to avoid complications. No team wants another error or speed complaint in the middle of another issue. All of the advantages listed thus far help developers have peace of mind.</p>
<p>Finally, minimal pieces of software can be liberated and made into <ahref="../definitions/free-software/"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a> to contribute to the world. Once the initial stages of bug-fixing and optimization is over, it is just a matter of letting the world find ways to make the program better. An inefficiency that no one would spot otherwise can be ironed out by a top-tier programmer who worked in a plethora of huge companies with decades of experience. It also helps budding developers learn about development.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-code"aria-hidden="true"></i>Closing The Program</h2>
<p>To sum it up, everyone should use and develop minimal software if possible. This is because minimal software is easier to maintain, debug and optimize due to its smaller codebase. It also runs fast on all devices and avoids complications during development time. Minimal software can also be liberated into <ahref="../definitions/free-software/"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a> which will allow talented developers to review the program and contribute to the world.</p>
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<p>Oversimplification kills. It is as simple as that. Most of the time, there are simple solutions to a problem that work well which are not used because individuals feel like they need to be more simple.</p>
<p>If you want to get more technical, think about the over-engineering of website builders. Instead of having a simple piece of software that generates static sites and blog posts based on <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href=../definitions/markdown>markdown</a> files, we have ultra-bloated website builders that provide a simple way to make a website at the cost of extremely slow websites and unneeded JavaScript. We also have oversimplified user interfaces in Windows and MacOS. These <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href=../definitions/operating-system>operating system</a> have made bad and oversimplified interfaces a norm, which makes good interfaces such as ones you can customize on Linux seem too complicated or confusing even though it would be easier for someone with no experience in computing to get started with most desktop environments available.</p>
<p>If you want to get more technical, think about the over-engineering of website builders. Instead of having a simple piece of software that generates static sites and blog posts based on <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href=../definitions/markdown>markdown</a> files, we have ultra-bloated website builders that provide a simple way to make a website at the cost of extremely slow websites and unneeded JavaScript. We also have oversimplified user interfaces in Windows and MacOS. These <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href=../definitions/operating-system>operating systems</a> have made bad and oversimplified interfaces a norm, which makes good interfaces such as ones you can customize on Linux seem too complicated or confusing even though it would be easier for someone with no experience in computing to get started with most desktop environments available.</p>
<p>As <ahref="https://lukesmith.xyz/articles/obvious-technical-solutions/">Luke Smith mentions in his post,</a> we never thought about using wheels on suitcases until the 1990s even though children in the Incan empire did have toys with wheels. This is one of the examples where trying to oversimplify something by making an all-in-one or a good solution delays progress.</p>
<p>Oversimplification shifts focus away from the main problem. For example, with website builders, the problem shifted away from being able to make websites fast and easily to give the user information in a swift manner to just making your website pretty. With Windows and MacOS, the focus shifted away from making user interfaces that actually make sense for everyone to use to making user interfaces that are familiar.</p>
<p>On the other end of the same spectrum, overcomplication also has a similar result. A technical example of this is software management. Windows and MacOS (at least how most people use MacOS) have complicated software management which results in difficult updates, confusing software usage and an overall increase in storage usage throughout the years. However, Linux has package managers. One command is all that is required to install a package and remove it. You can clear cache, download an older version, update both your system and applications at the same time and even view all installed packages.</p>
<p>Almost everything I write is in plaintext or is as close to plaintext as possible. For example, I prepare plans to work on a project, future articles or brand case studies in plaintext before further processing.</p>
<p>The first step of everything I do is plaintext. I store my notes in <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">markdown</a> format. However, the first step is always to write everything in plaintext to get whatever I need to write out of my head. Formatting such as headings and underlines come after the aforementioned initial step.</p>
<p>So, why do I do this? Why am I so boring when it comes to writing down text?</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-globe"aria-hidden="true"></i>Forget The Internet</h2>
<p>By writing in plaintext, you drop the fear of losing your files in case you do not have the internet. If you use a notes app that fetches your notes from the internet, then it will be tedious to access your notes when you really need them.</p>
<p>Another unspoken advantage of having offline plaintext files is that you can turn off your internet to avoid all distractions and simply write your heart's desires out.</p>
<p>If you save your notes in a proprietary notes app or use an application like Microsoft Word to write your notes, then you are at the mercy of the creator of the specific file format you are using. If you do not have access to the program in question at any moment, you will not be able to open your notes at all.</p>
<p>Plaintext files are universal. You can open them on any device anywhere in the world. This makes them extremely powerful as you can use them on the slowest of devices without any issues.</p>
<p>If you write text in plaintext files, it is trivial to write without any distractions. This is similar to the operating structure of HTML or LaTeX. You focus on one thing at a time. If you need to do something else with the file, you can use another program to do it instead of having everything in one big file.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-repeat"aria-hidden="true"></i>Automate Your Life</h2>
<p>You can use scripts to automatically search for content in plaintext files and perform actions on them. This can, for example, be used to automatically look for categories in a plaintext file and convert them into <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">markdown</a> files.</p>
<p>All in all, I use plaintext files because I can access them whenever and wherever I want on any device. It allows me to future-proof my writing and it also allows me to be more productive.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p><em>“Ah, yes. Graphical-user interface (GUI) apps. They are so comfortable and easy to use. You just click some buttons and get your computer to do what you want.”</em></p>
<p>That was what I thought before I learned how spectacular terminal applications are. <strong>I do not use a calendar or email GUI app. I use its terminal equivalent.</strong> Specifically, I use Calcurse for my calendar/todo, neomutt for my email, sxiv for my image viewing, mpv for my video playing and even Joplin (CLI) for my notes. I am still actively looking for more apps like terminal file managers (lf, ranger, mc) and terminal versions of GUI apps I use (Bitwarden?). What compelled me to switch?</p>
<h2><iclass="fa fa-keyboard-o"aria-hidden="true"></i>The Right Tool For The Right Job</h2>
<p>If you use any online account, you should use 2FA keys. It does not matter if it is your Google account that has all of your personal information or if it is some random account you use once in a while. You should at least have 2FA enabled in an authenticator app or preferably a 2FA key. Do not use SMS.</p>
<p>Why buy a 2FA key when you can use 2FA codes or SMS for free? Let us start with SMS.</p>
<p>SMS is inherently insecure. It is not encrypted, and your SIM card is always susceptible to SIM swap attacks. A SIM swap attack is a type of identity theft where a cybercriminal pretends to be you and asks for your number to be switched to a SIM card in their possession. They do this by claiming that their phone was lost or stolen. Most employees working for mobile networks speak with hundreds of people a day. They cannot differentiate people's voices. Even with a small amount of voice modulation, almost anyone can trick them into thinking it's you.
</p>
<p>After gaining possession of your SIM card, the cybercriminal goes to your online accounts and tries to reset your passwords. If they already have your passwords, they may try to login using your phone number and the 2FA code received through SMS. This may seem rare, and it may also seem like it does not work on most people. However, in 2019, <ahref="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/technology/sim-swap-jack-dorsey-hack.html">Jack Dorsey's (the former CEO of Twitter) account got hacked using this exact method.</a>
<p>As commonly said by many privacy and security professionals, you are only as secure as your weakest link. Make sure your weakest link is not SMS.
<p>An authenticator app is much better than SMS-based 2FA. This is because authenticator apps usually follow the TOTP or HOTP standard, which is very secure. It basically uses a secret key along with the current time to create a unique code that changes every thirty seconds.</p>
<p>One thing that you should absolutely not do is use Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy or anything as such. This is because the clients are close-sourced, which means that the code is not public. This means that they could be doing anything with your 2FA secret keys. Authy syncs your codes which is convenient but it does not allow you to export your keys, just like other properietary authentication apps. This is unethical as you should have complete control over what is required to access your own accounts. If your Authy account gets disabled, you will no longer be able to log in to most accounts. A much better alternative is:</p>
<p>You should also be taking frequent <strong>encrypted backups</strong> of not only your 2FA codes, but all data that is important to you. Read <astyle="color:#bd93f9"href="../backups/">this post</a> to learn how to take encrypted backups properly. Remember, you should keep your backups as far away from other people's hands as possible. If they have your secret keys, they have your 2FA codes.</p>
<p>Security keys are the best form of two-factor authentication. They are physical keys which need to be plugged in to your computer or smartphone in order to be used. They use NFC, USB-C, USB-A and also the Lightning port. This 2FA method makes it so that it does not matter which person gets your credentials because they need access to your key physically in order to login. One drawback of this method is that, if you lose your key, you cannot login to your accounts. This is why people buy 2 or 3 as a backup. It should be noted that, although other methods can be used alongside <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/security-key">security keys</a>, it is not recommended as it is still possible to just use the other insecure methods for a cybercriminal and bypass your <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/security-key">security key</a>.</p>
<p>I recommend <ahref="https://www.yubico.com/">Yubico</a> and <ahref="https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nkfi2-nitrokey-fido2-55">NitroKey</a><astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/security-key">security keys</a>.</p>
<p>If there is one thing you take away from this post, it is to make 2FA your baseline security protocol. Use 2FA for <strong>every account that has it.</strong> Do not use SMS, use authenticator apps. If possible, spend money on three <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/security-key">security keys</a>.</p>
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<p>I believe that everyone should download most of the files they use through torrents as much as possible. This is because of its philosophy to share and contribute. It has numerous advantages as well.</p>
<p>First, let's clear a few myths about torrenting.</p>
<h3>"Torrenting is illegal!"</h3>
<p>No. Torrenting is not illegal. This is the most common myth about torrenting that scares people off. Torrents are a way to share files of all types and this also includes illegal files and copyrighted material. If you get caught torrenting files that are copyrighted, then the owner of the file has the right to take action. However, you torrenting a Linux ISO or a file that is in the public domain and free for anyone to use is not illegal. In fact, it is recommended to prevent censorship.</p>
<h3>"Torrenting is only used to pirate material!"</h3>
<p>While there is some truth in it, <strong>it is not used only to pirate material.</strong> Torrenting is an amazing way to share files with numerous advantages.</p>
<p>Torrenting has numerous advantages, mainly:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>RELIABILITY: </strong>Files are not hosted on a single source. If a file is popular and being seeded by many people, it is practically impossible to shut down its torrent.</li>
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<p>Torrenting is also a tool used to combat censorship. If there are any files that a government does not want its citizens to view, torrenting allows individuals from outside the country to share it with citizens of the government in question.</p>
<p>You can contribute heavily by torrenting. After you finish downloading (leeching) a file, you begin a process known as seeding. Seeding is a process in which you start sharing the file you have with other people. This is helpful for many people as, without seeding, there would be no torrents. The whole philosophy of torrents is to be a good person and share the files you have with other people.</p>
<p>Originality is also a factor in torrenting. With torrenting, you can be sure that a file is the same file that you should be downloading and that there is no modification or tampering with the file.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-laptop"aria-hidden="true"></i>Things To Remember</h2>
<p>Do not pirate illegal content. ISPs will block your service after a few strikes if they take it seriously. Do not be a leecher. A leecher is someone that downloads a file from a torrent but does not seed it. If most people are leechers, then the torrented file is unlikely to thrive as leechers take and do not give back. Let your ratio reach to at least 1.05:1 to give back how much you take and also to allow for failed downloads to be compensated for.</p>
<p>Be smart when downloading torrents. Make sure you have enough disk space and verify and scan for viruses.</p>
<p>Torrents should be used whenever possible. They are reliable, fast, prevent censorship, allow people to contribute easily, are flexible and cannot be manipulated easily. Just keep in mind to give back to the community by seeding and do not download illegal media.</p>
<p><ahref="mailto:sufyaan@counterhawks.com?subject=Why%20You%20Should%20Torrent">>>> Reply To Me</a></p>
<p>You should only buy metal USBs because they last longer. Metal USBs should be used for everything that a USB is used for. First, let me clarify what USBs are supposed to be used for:</p>
<p>I have recently been using <ahref="https://github.com/vimwiki/vimwiki">VimWiki</a> to take all of my notes instead of Joplin, and it has been working really well. It has its own <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">Markdown (.md)</a> format, but I use regular <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">Markdown (.md)</a> with it. I use Syncthing to sync all my notes to all of my devices. There is barely any delay, so there are never any conflict issues.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-question-circle"aria-hidden="true"></i>What Is VimWiki?</h2>
<h2><svg class="heading2"xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"viewBox="0 0 15 15"><pathfill="currentColor"d="M7 1H1v3h1v10h3.74L14 3.675V1H8v3h1.432L6 8.119V4h1V1Z"/></svg>What Is VimWiki?</h2>
<p>VimWiki is a plugin for Vim or Neovim that allows you to create a personal wiki. On this wiki, you can add anything you want. It is essentially <ahref="https://obsidian.md/">Obsidian</a> but more minimal and scriptable.</p>
<p>Since it runs in Vim or Neovim, it is extremely fast, lightweight and has barely any bloat. It runs blazingly fast even on old devices. The capability is also extremely high, since you can edit files at light speed when you learn Vim or Neovim properly.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-user-secret"aria-hidden="true"></i>How Is It Useful?</h2>
<p>Using VimWiki, it is trivial to organise notes, ideas, diaries, to-do lists or even future plans. It supports tables, links and much more. There is even an option to export your <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">Markdown (.md)</a> files to HTML, which allows you to create webpages quickly.</p>
<p>VimWiki is so versatile that I wrote this post completely in VimWiki. View the raw <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/markdown/">Markdown (.md)</a> file <ahref="vimwiki.md">here</a></p>
<p>It allows you to do everything regular <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">Markdown (.md)</a> can do and more. For example, you can have checklists with progress on them, like this;</p>
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<p><strong>[O]--> 66% - 99% complete</strong></p>
<p><strong>[X]--> 100% complete</strong></p>
<p>You can even have pre-formatted text. This makes it useful to add and explain code.</p>
<h2><i class="fa fa-mobile"aria-hidden="true"></i>How Do You Use It?</h2>
<h2><svg class="heading2"xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"viewBox="0 0 24 24"><pathfill="currentColor"d="M4 19q-.825 0-1.413-.588T2 17V7q0-.825.588-1.413T4 5h16q.825 0 1.413.588T22 7v10q0 .825-.588 1.413T20 19H4Zm4-3h8v-2H8v2Zm-3-3h2v-2H5v2Zm3 0h2v-2H8v2Zm3 0h2v-2h-2v2Zm3 0h2v-2h-2v2Zm3 0h2v-2h-2v2ZM5 10h2V8H5v2Zm3 0h2V8H8v2Zm3 0h2V8h-2v2Zm3 0h2V8h-2v2Zm3 0h2V8h-2v2Z"/></svg>How Do You Use It?</h2>
<p>On my computers, I use Neovim to use VimWiki. When it comes to my phone, I use the <ahref="https://github.com/gsantner/markor">Markor</a> app, which is a <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">Markdown (.md)</a> viewer. It is not the best experience on mobile, but I am willing to give that up for an amazing experience on my computers, since I use and note down things on my computer more.</p>
<p>The reason I am using VimWiki now is mainly to stay in line with me preferring plaintext to proprietary note apps or formats. As I mentioned in my last post, I try to use as much plaintext as possible to prevent distractions and have easy access to my notes wherever and whenever I want to.</p>
<p>To conclude, I switched to VimWiki because I find it faster and easier to use Neovim directly on my computer. I love using <ahref="../definitions/markdown"style="color:#50fa7b">Markdown (.md)</a>, so I feel at home when using VimWiki. It is also because I prefer to use plaintext as much as possible.</p>
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TitanElectrons
1 year ago