<p>When you keep the above statements in mind, it gets unhealthily fear-inducing when you read how <ahref="https://www.androidauthority.com/swiftkey-suspends-service-data-leak-706680/">SwiftKey had a cloud syncing glitch which led to users being able to view other users' email addresses.</a> It is also scary how <ahref="https://www.zdnet.com/article/600m-samsung-galaxy-phones-at-security-risk-due-to-pre-installed-keyboard-flaw/">SwiftKey that shipped by default on 600M Samsung Galaxy smartphones had a vulnerability that allowed hackers to setup a proxy server to access sensors and install apps without the user knowing.</a> There was also a keyboard called ai.type that had over 40M users. Out of these, <ahref="https://www.zdnet.com/article/popular-virtual-keyboard-leaks-31-million-user-data/">31M users had their data leaked because the MongoDB database had no password.</a> This included information like <ahref="https://mackeeper.com/blog/data-breach-reports-2017/">phone numbers, full names, device names and models, screen resolution, Android version, IMSI and IMEI numbers, email addresses, country of residence, social media profiles, IP addresses and even locations.</a></p>
<p>What is the solution to this madness? Fortunately, if you are on Android, you have <ahref="../definitions/free-software"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a> options. By using <ahref="../definitions/free-software"style="color:#50fa7b">free software</a> keyboards, you can ensure that none of your keystrokes are stored or sent to a server. This brings us to <ahref="https://anysoftkeyboard.github.io/">AnySoftKeyboard</a>. AnySoftKeyboard is a free, libre and open-source keyboard for Android that has multiple modes, layouts, theme customizations and more. It has all the features you would expect. Gesture typing, keyboard effects, corrections, emojis, you name it. Most importantly, it does not track any of your keystrokes. I have been using it for almost an year. It has been fast and efficient due to the minimalism and has saved me a lot of time. It has many niche features like a terminal layout that has arrows, tabs, pipes and forward slashes for ease of use in Android terminal emulators like <ahref="https://termux.dev/en/">Termux</a>.</p><p>If you are on an iPhone, the best option is ironically Gboard. You can block Gboard's tracking using iOS' tracker blocking. Gboard does not log the text you store and instead uses federated learning to improve its autocorrect. There are no private options for an iPhone so it is better to choose the best out of two evils.</p>
<p>All in all, the keyboard you use should be a factor for everyone. Use a different keyboard and do not use the default one unless you are on <ahref="https://lineageos.org/">LineageOS</a> or <ahref="https://grapheneos.org/">GrapheneOS</a>.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>Try to use services that you own as much as possible, to be completely independent. Make sure to have offline backups.</p>
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<p>Even if the exchange you are trading on is secure, they may store your private keys in plaintext. This happens much more than people think. If this happens, hackers can easily take control of people's wallets and send all the crypto to themselves. If a hack like this happens through Bitcoin, it can at least be tracked. However, many hackers convert their crypto to Monero which cannot be tracked. If this happens, you will never get your money back unless the hacker decides to return the money.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>To sum it up, you should never store your crypto on exchanges because you do not own your own crypto. There is little regulation and your account or the exchange can also be hacked. All of these pose serious risks to your crypto. Just get a wallet like Electrum or Monero and start using it.</p>
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<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>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 <strong>Linux</strong></a> on my computer, which is a <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/linux-distribution"><strong>Linux</strong> 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>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<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>If you are the only person on your <strong>Linux</strong> 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>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>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<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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<pstyle="font-size:110%">Posted on: <strong>4 August 2023</strong></p><pstyle="font-size:110%">Reading time: <strong><strong>1 min</strong><pstyle="font-size:110%"></strong>Category: <astyle="color:#ff79c6"href="../blog/updates/"><strong>Updates</strong></a></p>
<p>This post is just a quick update to announce a hard decision that I have made. I have switched the font on this website from <ahref="https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/mono/">JetBrains Mono</a> to <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courier_(typeface)">Courier New</a>. This change was made because I feel like JetBrains Mono looks more fitting in a terminal because it looks janky on a website. Courier New is a monospace font but still maintains the feeling and look I want from my website.</p>
<p>This change has had an unintended benefit. Previously, my website's homepage weighed around 50KB in size which is spectacular. However, what I did not realize was that around 40KB were being taken up by JetBrains Mono. By switching to a default typeface, my website now weighs a shockingly low 12KB. If you would like to view the full GTMetrix report, <ahref="website-report.pdf">do so here.</a></p>
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<p>Bitwarden is straightforward and intuitive. It is on the internet so it is less secure than password managers that are completely offline like KeePass. However, it is still much more secure than proprietary password managers like LastPass and NordPass. Everything is <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/free-software/">free (libre) and open-source software.</a></p>
<p>All in all, you should stop remembering your passwords. The human brain is not designed for long-term storage. Let computers that are infinitely better than humans in that regard do the hard work for you.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<h2id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>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.</p>
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<p>GitHub is perhaps the only Git platform that has no option to <astyle="color:#50fa7b"href="../definitions/self-host">self-host</a>. You do not know what is running on their servers and cannot know what is happening with your code.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>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.</p>
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<h1>Instagram Deleted!</h1><pstyle="font-size:110%">Posted on: <strong>7 May 2023</strong></p><pstyle="font-size:110%">Reading time: <strong><strong>Less than 1 min</strong><p><pstyle="font-size:110%"></strong>Category: <astyle="color:#ff79c6"href="../blog/updates/"><strong>Updates</strong></a></p>
<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>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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<li>Syncthing is also encrypted, which means that an attacker who wants to attack me using the internet needs to crack both my Syncthing password and KeePass password which would take billions of years.</li>
</ol>
<p>I am probably never going to switch back because this system works extremely well. Syncthing is very fast at staying up-to-date.</p>
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<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>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 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, <strong>Linux</strong> 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>In the end, most things are complicated. We can try simplifying them and that is perfectly fine. However, trying to oversimplify a problem and making it a binary outcome does not work in all cases. There are many factors to take into consideration. Oversimplification leads to no problems being solved. If anything, it creates and solves arbitrary problems that are not important.</p>
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<pstyle="font-size:110%">Posted on: <strong>10 August 2023</strong></p><pstyle="font-size:110%">Reading time: <strong><strong>1 min</strong><pstyle="font-size:110%"></strong>Category: <astyle="color:#ff79c6"href="../blog/updates/"><strong>Updates</strong></a></p>
<p>I forgot the passwords to my PGP keys. <strong>PLEASE DO NOT USE MY OLD PGP KEYS TO SEND ME EMAILS!!!</strong> I did not make a revocation certificate as well which is a bad mistake. I have learned my lesson to say the least. Please use my new <ahref="../about/files/sufyaan.gpg">PGP key over here.</a></p>
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<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>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<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>There is not much left to say. I am much, much happier without social media. I have more time on my hands and I am still getting the information I want from RSS feeds without an algorithm trying to pull me in. Big corporations have much less data about me, I have a lot of time and have produced a lot of work. In terms of academics, my overall percentage in school has increased by over 20%. I find difficult subjects easier and easy subjects a piece of cake.</p>
<p>All in all, if you care about yourself, delete your social media. It is a hellhole that is getting worse by the day.</p>
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<p>One of these changes was definitely moving away from Font Awesome. I did not think much of the icons on my website as they were already too many in size for me to switch every single one to another library. However, <ahref="https://odysee.com/@ericnmurphy:9/web-icons-with-no-external-libraries!:c">after watching this video from Eric Murphy,</a> I thought about it. Then, I still said no because there were way too many icons on my website.</p>
<p>Then, I did a GTMetrix scan of my website and saw that my icons and fonts were taking up 90% of my website's initial load resources. That forced me to take on the challenge to change every single icon to SVGs. It was much easier than expected.</p>
<p>Now, my website is much more leaner than before. I am happy on how this change turned out.</p>
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<p>... including terminal applications. Terminal applications are amazing. They allow me to do so much. However, there are extremely rare cases in which I have no choice but to use a GUI. This is if the GUI application in question requires you to use only their app. There are also some specific use-cases in which GUI apps just make more sense. Video editing, advanced photo manipulation and 3D modelling are great examples.</p>
<h2>To Sum It All Up...</h2>
<p>...terminal applications should be used as much as possible. They are swift. They can be used quickly and also use less resources and space while running on just about anything. They are not as difficult as they look and can be used for uses which GUI apps do not have. They cannot be used all the time because there are rare exceptions in which GUI applications have to be used. However, these are so little that I do not mind keeping GUI apps just for these use cases.
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<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>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<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>Be smart when downloading torrents. Make sure you have enough disk space and verify and scan for viruses.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<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>
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<p>Metal USBs are durable. They are not slower than their plastic counterparts and can flash operating systems just as well. However, the real difference appears in its build quality.</p>
<p>Metal is a superior material to plastic. It lasts much longer and breaks less easily. This is especially important for data transfer and having an emergency drive ready-to-go. If it dies or breaks at an unfortunate time, it can wreak havoc on both you and your sanity. This is why everyone should use metal USBs. They last longer and eventually break even with the price you paid for them.</p>
<p>You should try to buy thinner metal USBs. This is because a thin USB can dissipate heat better than a thick one. Metal is a conductor of heat. Because of this, you should try to buy a USB that is able to reduce the heat's effect.</p>
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<p>These are all of the tools I use. They may change in the future, but there is a low chance of that happening since I have gotten used to all of these amazing tools.</p>
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<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>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<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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TitanE
11 months ago