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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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13<link href="https://bndl.org" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
14<updated>2021-10-22T03:49:09+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>2021-03-20T00:00:00+00:00</published>
20<updated>2021-03-21T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
21<link href="https://bndl.org/2021/03/20/libreplanet-2021.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
22<link href="https://bndl.org/2021/03/20/libreplanet-2021.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
23<title>LibrePlanet 2021: Jami and how it empowers users &#8212; bandali</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:</p>
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></entry>
91
92<entry xml:base="https://bndl.org">
93<author><name>bandali</name></author>
94<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom:fsf-internship-beyond</id>
95<published>2020-12-18T00:00:00+00:00</published>
96<updated>2020-12-18T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
97<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/2020/12/18/fsf-internship-beyond.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
98<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/2020/12/18/fsf-internship-beyond.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
99<link href="https://bndl.org/2020/12/18/fsf-internship-beyond.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
100<link href="https://bndl.org/2020/12/18/fsf-internship-beyond.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
101<title>My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond &#8212; bandali</title>
102<content type="html"><![CDATA[
103<p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
104sysadmin blog:<br />
105<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond">My
106internship 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
110Bandali</a>, and this is my second blog post on the FSF sysadmin blog,
111concluding my 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
121forge project</a>. I documented the installation and setup process of
122Sourcehut's various components in the form of a literate GNU Emacs
123Org-mode file, where source blocks are interspersed with comments and
124prose explaining them. One can then progressively evaluate and
125execute the source blocks, and optionally have their results stored
126back in the Org file itself to help with
127documentation/demonstration.</p>
128
129<p>I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the
130server running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a
131volunteer after the end of my internship. This will hopefully be
132beneficial to the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters
133who do webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing
134and using gnu.org's pages. Notably, changes included upgrading the
135server to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
136improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages. Additionally,
137there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
138tech team in the near future.</p>
139
140<p>During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety
141of new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and
142tools. This included building and installing a complex piece of
143software like Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the
144way, using Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well
145as learning more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF
146and GNU's array of mail servers.</p>
147
148<p>In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
149that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
150myself. I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
151as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
152balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
153However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
154that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
155studies on a two-month deadline. I told the tech team about the
156issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
157without affecting my internship. I am beyond thankful to the tech
158team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
159flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
160thesis and wrapping up my master's studies. I managed to successfully
161wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
162afterwards.</p>
163
164<p>However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship
165is no exception. I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF
166tech team &mdash; Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael &mdash; for
167welcoming me to the team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my
168many questions, and helping me learn more. It has been an honour and
169a wonderful experience for me all around working with you all and
170seeing the energy and passion with which you take on the work and
171responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
172developer. While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
173also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
174my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
175to get to know and appreciate the important work you do.</p>
176
177<p>This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
178the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
179happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
180learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
181transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
182Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
183of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
184freedoms and privacy of its users.</p>
185
186<p>I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
187opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
188away so many valuable lessons and great memories.</p>
189
190<p class="box">Interested in interning for the Free Software
191Foundation? The application period for spring 2021 internships is
192currently open. Please see
193<a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships</a>
194for more details and information on how to apply!</p>
195]]></content></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>2020-05-29T00:00:00+00:00</published>
201<updated>2020-05-29T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
202<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/2020/05/29/fsf-internship-intro.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
203<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/2020/05/29/fsf-internship-intro.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
204<link href="https://bndl.org/2020/05/29/fsf-internship-intro.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
205<link href="https://bndl.org/2020/05/29/fsf-internship-intro.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
206<title>Internship with the FSF tech team &#8212; bandali</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></entry>
271
272<entry xml:base="https://bndl.org">
273<author><name>bandali</name></author>
274<id>tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.atom:computing</id>
275<published>2019-09-14T00:00:00+00:00</published>
276<updated>2021-02-28T00:00:00+00:00</updated>
277<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/bandali-computing.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
278<link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/computing.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
279<link href="https://bndl.org/bandali-computing.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
280<link href="https://bndl.org/computing.html" rel="alternate" type="text/html" />
281<title>How I do my computing &#8212; bandali</title>
282<content type="html"><![CDATA[
283<p class="box">inspired by the computing page of
284<a href="https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html">rms</a></p>
285
286<h2>Computers</h2>
287<p>My <a href="https://libreboot.org">librebooted</a> ThinkPad X200
288computer is the machine I use the most and where I do most of my
289computing. I also have the privilege of having access to a fleet of
290servers through our school's
291<a href="https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca">Computer Science Club</a> that I
292use for some more computationally intensive tasks every now and
293again.</p>
294
295<h2>GNU/Linux distribution</h2>
296<p>I used a wide variety of distros over the years; but I have since
297found <a href="https://trisquel.info">Trisquel</a> to be my favourite
298and it's put my "distro-hopping" days behind me. Sometimes I pair it
299up with <a href="https://guix.gnu.org">GNU Guix</a>. For the kernel,
300I usually use
301<a href="https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/">GNU
302Linux-libre</a> from jxself's
303<a href="https://jxself.org/linux-libre/">APT repository</a>.</p>
304
305<h2>Actual computing</h2>
306<p>I spend most of my time in
307<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU Emacs</a>.</p>
308<p>TODO: elaborate</p>
309]]></content></entry>
310</feed>