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3<title>bandali's personal site</title>
4<subtitle>notes and blog posts by bandali</subtitle>
5<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom</id>
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10<link href="https://bndl.org/notes.atom" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" />
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12<link href="https://bndl.org" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
13<link href="https://bndl.org/bandali.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
14<updated>2021-03-22T13:14:02+00:00</updated>
15
16<entry xml:base="https://bndl.org">
17<author><name>bandali</name></author>
18<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom:libreplanet-2021</id>
19<published>2021-03-20T09:00:00-04:00</published>
20<updated>2021-03-21T01:15:00-04:00</updated>
21<link href="https://bndl.org/libreplanet-2021.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
22<link href="https://bndl.org/liberplanet-2021.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
23<title>LibrePlanet 2021: Jami and how it empowers users</title>
24<content type="html"><![CDATA[
25<p>I am giving my very first
26<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/">LibrePlanet</a> talk today on
27March 20th. I will be talking about
28<a href="https://jami.net">Jami</a>, the GNU package for universal
29communication that respects the freedoms and privacy of its users.
30I'll be giving an introduction to Jami and its architecture, sharing
31important and exciting development news from the Jami team about
32<a href="https://jami.net/together-the-new-version-of-jami-and-a-new-step-forward/">rendezvous
33points</a>, <a href="https://jami.biz/jams-user-guide">JAMS</a>,
34the <a href="https://jami.net/plugins-sdk">plugin SDK</a>,
35<a href="https://jami.net/swarm-introducing-a-new-generation-of-group-conversations">Swarm
36chats</a>, and more; and how these features each help empower users to
37communicate with their loved ones without sacrificing their privacy or
38freedom.</p>
39
40<p>Here is the abstract for my talk, also available on the
41<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/speakers/#4285">LibrePlanet
422021's speakers</a> page:
43
44<blockquote>
45<p>Jami is free software for universal communication that respects the
46freedoms and privacy of its users. Jami is an official GNU package
47with a main goal of providing a framework for virtual communications,
48along with a series of end-user applications for audio/video calling
49and conferencing, text messaging, and file transfer.</p>
50
51<p>With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has
52become the norm for many workers around the world. More and more
53people are using videoconferencing tools to work or communicate with
54their loved ones. The emergence of these tools has been followed by
55many questions and scandals concerning the privacy and freedom of
56users.</p>
57
58<p>This talk gives an introduction to Jami, a free/libre, truly
59distributed, and peer-to-peer solution, and explains why and how it
60differs from all other existing solutions and how it empowers
61users.</p>
62</blockquote>
63
64<p>I have been an attendee of LibrePlanet for some years, and am very
65excited to be giving my first ever talk at LibrePlanet 2021 this year!
66You can watch my talk and other speakers' talks live this weekend,
67from the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/live/">LibrePlanet 2021
68- Live</a> page. Attendance is gratis (no cost), and you can register
69at <a href="https://u.fsf.org/lp21-sp">https://u.fsf.org/lp21-sp</a>.</p>
70
71<p>Presentation slides:
72<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021.pdf">pdf</a>
73(<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021-with-notes.pdf">with notes</a>) |
74<a href="https://bndl.org/bandali.bib">bib</a><br />
75
76<span class="tex">L<sup>a</sup>T<sub>e</sub>X</span> sources:
77<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021.tar.gz">tar.gz</a> |
78<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021.zip">zip</a></p>
79
80<p>I hope to see you around this year's all-online LibrePlanet
81conference this weekend!</p>
82
83<p class="box">LibrePlanet is a conference about software freedom,
84happening March 20 through 21, 2021. The event is hosted by the Free
85Software Foundation (FSF), and brings together software developers,
86law and policy experts, activists, students, and computer users to
87learn skills, celebrate free software accomplishments, and face
88upcoming challenges. Newcomers are always welcome, and LibrePlanet
892021 will feature programming for all ages and experience levels.</p>
90]]></content>
91</entry>
92
93<entry xml:base="https://bndl.org">
94<author><name>bandali</name></author>
95<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom:fsf-internship-beyond</id>
96<published>2020-12-18T15:31:00-04:00</published>
97<updated>2020-12-18T15:31:00-04:00</updated>
98<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/fsf-internship-beyond.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
99<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/fsf-internship-beyond.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
100<link href="https://bndl.org/fsf-internship-beyond.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
101<link href="https://bndl.org/fsf-internship-beyond.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
102<title>My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</title>
103<content type="html"><![CDATA[
104<p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
105sysadmin blog:<br />
106<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond">My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</a></p>
107
108<p>Hello! I'm
109<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Amin Bandali</a>,
110and this is my second blog post on the FSF sysadmin blog, concluding
111my internship with the FSF tech team this year.</p>
112
113<p>Throughout my internship with the tech team, I have worked mainly
114on sysadmin tasks related to setting up and/or managing FSF's
115GNU/Linux servers. Perhaps most significantly, I set up an instance
116of the <a href="https://sourcehut.org">Sourcehut</a> forge software to
117help
118<a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/FSF_2020_forge_evaluation">evaluate</a>
119it as a candidate for the upcoming
120<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">FSF forge project</a>.
121I documented the installation and setup process of Sourcehut's various
122components in the form of a literate GNU Emacs Org-mode file, where
123source blocks are interspersed with comments and prose explaining
124them. One can then progressively evaluate and execute the source
125blocks, and optionally have their results stored back in the Org file
126itself to help with documentation/demonstration.</p>
127
128<p>I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the
129server running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a
130volunteer after the end of my internship. This will hopefully be
131beneficial to the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters
132who do webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing
133and using gnu.org's pages. Notably, changes included upgrading the
134server to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
135improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages. Additionally,
136there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
137tech team in the near future.</p>
138
139<p>During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety
140of new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and
141tools. This included building and installing a complex piece of
142software like Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the
143way, using Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well
144as learning more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF
145and GNU's array of mail servers.</p>
146
147<p>In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
148that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
149myself. I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
150as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
151balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
152However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
153that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
154studies on a two-month deadline. I told the tech team about the
155issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
156without affecting my internship. I am beyond thankful to the tech
157team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
158flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
159thesis and wrapping up my master's studies. I managed to successfully
160wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
161afterwards.</p>
162
163<p>However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship
164is no exception. I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF
165tech team -- Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael -- for welcoming me to
166the team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my many questions,
167and helping me learn more. It has been an honour and a wonderful
168experience for me all around working with you all and seeing the
169energy and passion with which you take on the work and
170responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
171developer. While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
172also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
173my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
174to get to know and appreciate the important work you do.</p>
175
176<p>This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
177the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
178happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
179learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
180transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
181Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
182of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
183freedoms and privacy of its users.</p>
184
185<p>I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
186opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
187away so many valuable lessons and great memories.</p>
188
189<p class="box">Interested in interning for the Free Software
190Foundation? The application period for spring 2021 internships is
191currently open. Please see
192<a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships</a>
193for more details and information on how to apply!</p>
194]]></content>
195</entry>
196
197<entry xml:base="https://bndl.org">
198<author><name>bandali</name></author>
199<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom:fsf-internship-intro</id>
200<published>2020-05-29T14:38:00-04:00</published>
201<updated>2020-05-29T14:38:00-04:00</updated>
202<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/fsf-internship-intro.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
203<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/fsf-internship-intro.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
204<link href="https://bndl.org/fsf-internship-intro.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
205<link href="https://bndl.org/fsf-internship-intro.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
206<title>Internship with the FSF tech team</title>
207<content type="html"><![CDATA[
208<p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
209sysadmin blog:<br />
210<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Introducing
211Amin Bandali, intern with the FSF tech team</a></p>
212
213<p>Hi there, I'm Amin Bandali, often just <code>bandali</code> on the
214interwebs. I wear a few different hats around GNU as a maintainer,
215webmaster, and Savannah hacker, and I'm very excited to be extending
216that to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) as an intern with the FSF
217tech team for spring 2020.</p>
218
219<p>Growing up around parents with backgrounds in computer engineering
220and programming, it did not take long for me to find an interest in
221tinkering and playing with computers as a kid, and I first came into
222contact with GNU/Linux in my teenage years. My first introduction to
223the world of free software came a few years later, when a friend
224kindly pointed out to me that what I had vaguely known and referred to
225as "open source" software is more properly referred to as free
226software, and helped me see
227<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">why
228"open source" misses the point of free software</a>. After learning
229about and absorbing the ideas and ideals of free software, I have
230since become a free software activist. As a computer scientist who
231enjoys studying and hacking on various programs and sometimes writing
232my own, I have made a point of releasing all I can under strong
233copyleft licenses, particularly the
234<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl.html">GNU AGPL</a>
235license.</p>
236
237<p>My involvement with the <a href="https://www.gnu.org">GNU
238Project</a> started in 2016, first as a volunteer webmaster, and later
239as one of the maintainers of
240<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/">GNUzilla and
241IceCat</a> late last year. Also around the same time, I led a group
242of volunteers in organizing and holding
243<a href="https://emacsconf.org/2019">EmacsConf 2019</a> as a
244completely online conference, using only free software tools, much
245like the excellent
246<a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2020">LibrePlanet
2472020</a>. I love <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU
248Emacs</a>, and use it more than any other program. GNU Emacs helps me
249do a wide variety of tasks such as programming, reading and composing
250emails, and chatting via IRC.</p>
251
252<p>More closely related to my internship with the FSF tech team, I
253have been familiarizing myself with various pieces of the
254<a href="https://savannah.gnu.org">GNU Savannah</a> infrastructure
255with help from veteran Savannah hacker Bob Proulx, gradually learning
256and picking up tasks helping with the administration and maintenance
257of Savannah. I am also a member of the Systems Committee of my
258university's computer science club, overseeing and maintaining a large
259fleet of GNU/Linux servers for our club members.</p>
260
261<p>For my internship with the Free Software Foundation, I will be
262working with the FSF tech team on a number of tasks, including helping
263with
264the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">free
265software forge</a> project, as well as various improvements for
266gnu.org. I look forward to learning many new things and picking up
267valuable skills through my internship with the FSF's exceptional tech
268team, who do <em>so much</em> for the GNU project and the wider free
269software community.</p>
270]]></content>
271</entry>
272
273<entry xml:base="https://bndl.org">
274<author><name>bandali</name></author>
275<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom:computing</id>
276<published>2019-09-14T12:00:00Z</published>
277<updated>2021-02-28T12:00:00Z</updated>
278<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/computing.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
279<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/bandali-computing.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
280<link href="https://bndl.org/computing.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
281<link href="https://bndl.org/bandali-computing.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
282<title>How I do my Computing</title>
283<content type="html"><![CDATA[
284<p class="box">inspired by the computing page of
285<a href="https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html">rms</a></p>
286
287<h2>Computers</h2>
288<p>My <a href="https://libreboot.org">librebooted</a> ThinkPad X200
289computer is the machine I use the most and where I do most of my
290computing. I also have the privilege of having access to a fleet of
291servers through our school's
292<a href="https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca">Computer Science Club</a> that I
293use for some more computationally intensive tasks every now and again,
294and also for hosting this very website.</p>
295
296<h2>GNU/Linux distribution</h2>
297<p>I used a wide variety of distros over the years; but I have since
298found <a href="https://trisquel.info">Trisquel</a> to be my favourite
299and it's put my "distro-hopping" days behind me. Sometimes I pair it
300up with <a href="https://guix.gnu.org">GNU Guix</a>. For the kernel,
301I usually use
302<a href="https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/">GNU
303Linux-libre</a> from jxself's
304<a href="https://jxself.org/linux-libre/">APT repository</a>.</p>
305
306<h2>Actual computing</h2>
307<p>I spend most of my time in
308<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU Emacs</a>.</p>
309<p>TODO: elaborate</p>
310
311<h2 id="colophon">Maintaining this site</h2>
312<p>The pages of this site are (manually) written in plain HTML using
313GNU Emacs. You can run <code class="box">git clone
314https://bndl.org</code> in a terminal to get the git repository
315containing all the pages of the site and the history of changes to
316them.</p>
317]]></content>
318</entry>
319
320</feed>