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6<title>bandali's personal site</title>
7<description>notes and blog posts by bandali</description>
8<link>https://bndl.org</link>
9<language>en</language>
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11<pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2021 03:49:09 +0000</pubDate>
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21
22<item>
23<title>LibrePlanet 2021: Jami and how it empowers users &#8212; bandali</title>
24<link>https://bndl.org/2021/03/20/libreplanet-2021.html</link>
25<atom:link href="https://bndl.org/2021/03/20/libreplanet-2021.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
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28<pubDate>Sat, 20 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
29<atom:updated>2021-03-21T00:00:00+00:00</atom:updated>
30<content:encoded><![CDATA[
31<p>I am giving my very first
32<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/">LibrePlanet</a> talk today on
33March 20th. I will be talking about
34<a href="https://jami.net">Jami</a>, the GNU package for universal
35communication that respects the freedoms and privacy of its users.
36I'll be giving an introduction to Jami and its architecture, sharing
37important and exciting development news from the Jami team about
38<a href="https://jami.net/together-the-new-version-of-jami-and-a-new-step-forward/">rendezvous
39points</a>, <a href="https://jami.biz/jams-user-guide">JAMS</a>,
40the <a href="https://jami.net/plugins-sdk">plugin SDK</a>,
41<a href="https://jami.net/swarm-introducing-a-new-generation-of-group-conversations">Swarm
42chats</a>, and more; and how these features each help empower users to
43communicate with their loved ones without sacrificing their privacy or
44freedom.</p>
45
46<p>Here is the abstract for my talk, also available on the
47<a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/speakers/#4285">LibrePlanet
482021's speakers</a> page:</p>
49
50<blockquote>
51<p>Jami is free software for universal communication that respects the
52freedoms and privacy of its users. Jami is an official GNU package
53with a main goal of providing a framework for virtual communications,
54along with a series of end-user applications for audio/video calling
55and conferencing, text messaging, and file transfer.</p>
56
57<p>With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has
58become the norm for many workers around the world. More and more
59people are using videoconferencing tools to work or communicate with
60their loved ones. The emergence of these tools has been followed by
61many questions and scandals concerning the privacy and freedom of
62users.</p>
63
64<p>This talk gives an introduction to Jami, a free/libre, truly
65distributed, and peer-to-peer solution, and explains why and how it
66differs from all other existing solutions and how it empowers
67users.</p>
68</blockquote>
69
70<p>I have been an attendee of LibrePlanet for some years, and am very
71excited to be giving my first ever talk at LibrePlanet 2021 this year!
72You can watch my talk and other speakers' talks live this weekend,
73from the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/live/">LibrePlanet 2021
74- Live</a> page. Attendance is gratis (no cost), and you can register
75at <a href="https://u.fsf.org/lp21-sp">https://u.fsf.org/lp21-sp</a>.</p>
76
77<p>Presentation slides:
78<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021.pdf">pdf</a>
79(<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021-with-notes.pdf">with notes</a>) |
80<a href="https://bndl.org/bandali.bib">bib</a><br />
81
82<span class="tex">L<sup>a</sup>T<sub>e</sub>X</span> sources:
83<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021.tar.gz">tar.gz</a> |
84<a href="https://p.bndl.org/bandali-jami-libreplanet-2021.zip">zip</a></p>
85
86<p>I hope to see you around this year's all-online LibrePlanet
87conference this weekend!</p>
88
89<p class="box">LibrePlanet is a conference about software freedom,
90happening March 20 through 21, 2021. The event is hosted by the Free
91Software Foundation (FSF), and brings together software developers,
92law and policy experts, activists, students, and computer users to
93learn skills, celebrate free software accomplishments, and face
94upcoming challenges. Newcomers are always welcome, and LibrePlanet
952021 will feature programming for all ages and experience levels.</p>
96]]></content:encoded></item>
97
98<item>
99<title>My internship with the FSF tech team and beyond &#8212; bandali</title>
100<link>https://bndl.org/2020/12/18/fsf-internship-beyond.html</link>
101<atom:link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/2020/12/18/fsf-internship-beyond.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
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106<pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
107<content:encoded><![CDATA[
108<p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
109sysadmin blog:<br />
110<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond">My
111internship with the FSF tech team and beyond</a></p>
112
113<p>Hello! I'm
114<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Amin
115Bandali</a>, and this is my second blog post on the FSF sysadmin blog,
116concluding my internship with the FSF tech team this year.</p>
117
118<p>Throughout my internship with the tech team, I have worked mainly
119on sysadmin tasks related to setting up and/or managing FSF's
120GNU/Linux servers. Perhaps most significantly, I set up an instance
121of the <a href="https://sourcehut.org">Sourcehut</a> forge software to
122help
123<a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/FSF_2020_forge_evaluation">evaluate</a>
124it as a candidate for the upcoming
125<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">FSF
126forge project</a>. I documented the installation and setup process of
127Sourcehut's various components in the form of a literate GNU Emacs
128Org-mode file, where source blocks are interspersed with comments and
129prose explaining them. One can then progressively evaluate and
130execute the source blocks, and optionally have their results stored
131back in the Org file itself to help with
132documentation/demonstration.</p>
133
134<p>I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the
135server running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a
136volunteer after the end of my internship. This will hopefully be
137beneficial to the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters
138who do webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing
139and using gnu.org's pages. Notably, changes included upgrading the
140server to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
141improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages. Additionally,
142there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
143tech team in the near future.</p>
144
145<p>During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety
146of new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and
147tools. This included building and installing a complex piece of
148software like Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the
149way, using Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well
150as learning more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF
151and GNU's array of mail servers.</p>
152
153<p>In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
154that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
155myself. I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
156as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
157balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
158However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
159that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
160studies on a two-month deadline. I told the tech team about the
161issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
162without affecting my internship. I am beyond thankful to the tech
163team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
164flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
165thesis and wrapping up my master's studies. I managed to successfully
166wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
167afterwards.</p>
168
169<p>However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship
170is no exception. I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF
171tech team &mdash; Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael &mdash; for
172welcoming me to the team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my
173many questions, and helping me learn more. It has been an honour and
174a wonderful experience for me all around working with you all and
175seeing the energy and passion with which you take on the work and
176responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
177developer. While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
178also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
179my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
180to get to know and appreciate the important work you do.</p>
181
182<p>This internship has come to an end, but I will carry with me all of
183the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
184happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
185learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
186transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
187Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
188of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
189freedoms and privacy of its users.</p>
190
191<p>I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
192opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
193away so many valuable lessons and great memories.</p>
194
195<p class="box">Interested in interning for the Free Software
196Foundation? The application period for spring 2021 internships is
197currently open. Please see
198<a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships</a>
199for more details and information on how to apply!</p>
200]]></content:encoded></item>
201
202<item>
203<title>Internship with the FSF tech team &#8212; bandali</title>
204<link>https://bndl.org/2020/05/29/fsf-internship-intro.html</link>
205<atom:link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/2020/05/29/fsf-internship-intro.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
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210<pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
211<content:encoded><![CDATA[
212<p class="box">Originally published on the Free Software Foundation's
213sysadmin blog:<br />
214<a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Introducing
215Amin Bandali, intern with the FSF tech team</a></p>
216
217<p>Hi there, I'm Amin Bandali, often just <code>bandali</code> on the
218interwebs. I wear a few different hats around GNU as a maintainer,
219webmaster, and Savannah hacker, and I'm very excited to be extending
220that to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) as an intern with the FSF
221tech team for spring 2020.</p>
222
223<p>Growing up around parents with backgrounds in computer engineering
224and programming, it did not take long for me to find an interest in
225tinkering and playing with computers as a kid, and I first came into
226contact with GNU/Linux in my teenage years. My first introduction to
227the world of free software came a few years later, when a friend
228kindly pointed out to me that what I had vaguely known and referred to
229as "open source" software is more properly referred to as free
230software, and helped me see
231<a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">why
232"open source" misses the point of free software</a>. After learning
233about and absorbing the ideas and ideals of free software, I have
234since become a free software activist. As a computer scientist who
235enjoys studying and hacking on various programs and sometimes writing
236my own, I have made a point of releasing all I can under strong
237copyleft licenses, particularly the
238<a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl.html">GNU AGPL</a>
239license.</p>
240
241<p>My involvement with the <a href="https://www.gnu.org">GNU
242Project</a> started in 2016, first as a volunteer webmaster, and later
243as one of the maintainers of
244<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/">GNUzilla and
245IceCat</a> late last year. Also around the same time, I led a group
246of volunteers in organizing and holding
247<a href="https://emacsconf.org/2019">EmacsConf 2019</a> as a
248completely online conference, using only free software tools, much
249like the excellent
250<a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2020">LibrePlanet
2512020</a>. I love <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU
252Emacs</a>, and use it more than any other program. GNU Emacs helps me
253do a wide variety of tasks such as programming, reading and composing
254emails, and chatting via IRC.</p>
255
256<p>More closely related to my internship with the FSF tech team, I
257have been familiarizing myself with various pieces of the
258<a href="https://savannah.gnu.org">GNU Savannah</a> infrastructure
259with help from veteran Savannah hacker Bob Proulx, gradually learning
260and picking up tasks helping with the administration and maintenance
261of Savannah. I am also a member of the Systems Committee of my
262university's computer science club, overseeing and maintaining a large
263fleet of GNU/Linux servers for our club members.</p>
264
265<p>For my internship with the Free Software Foundation, I will be
266working with the FSF tech team on a number of tasks, including helping
267with
268the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">free
269software forge</a> project, as well as various improvements for
270gnu.org. I look forward to learning many new things and picking up
271valuable skills through my internship with the FSF's exceptional tech
272team, who do <em>so much</em> for the GNU project and the wider free
273software community.</p>
274]]></content:encoded></item>
275
276<item>
277<title>How I do my computing &#8212; bandali</title>
278<link>https://bndl.org/computing.html</link>
279<atom:link hreflang="fa" href="https://bndl.org/fa/bandali-computing.fa.txt" rel="alternate" type="text/plain" />
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284<pubDate>Sat, 14 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
285<atom:updated>2021-02-28T00:00:00+00:00</atom:updated>
286<content:encoded><![CDATA[
287<p class="box">inspired by the computing page of
288<a href="https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html">rms</a></p>
289
290<h2>Computers</h2>
291<p>My <a href="https://libreboot.org">librebooted</a> ThinkPad X200
292computer is the machine I use the most and where I do most of my
293computing. I also have the privilege of having access to a fleet of
294servers through our school's
295<a href="https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca">Computer Science Club</a> that I
296use for some more computationally intensive tasks every now and
297again.</p>
298
299<h2>GNU/Linux distribution</h2>
300<p>I used a wide variety of distros over the years; but I have since
301found <a href="https://trisquel.info">Trisquel</a> to be my favourite
302and it's put my "distro-hopping" days behind me. Sometimes I pair it
303up with <a href="https://guix.gnu.org">GNU Guix</a>. For the kernel,
304I usually use
305<a href="https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/">GNU
306Linux-libre</a> from jxself's
307<a href="https://jxself.org/linux-libre/">APT repository</a>.</p>
308
309<h2>Actual computing</h2>
310<p>I spend most of my time in
311<a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU Emacs</a>.</p>
312<p>TODO: elaborate</p>
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