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[~bandali/bndl.org] / notes.rss
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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>
10 <lastBuildDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2021 03:49:09 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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
33 March 20th. I will be talking about
34 <a href="https://jami.net">Jami</a>, the GNU package for universal
35 communication that respects the freedoms and privacy of its users.
36 I'll be giving an introduction to Jami and its architecture, sharing
37 important 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
39 points</a>, <a href="https://jami.biz/jams-user-guide">JAMS</a>,
40 the <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
42 chats</a>, and more; and how these features each help empower users to
43 communicate with their loved ones without sacrificing their privacy or
44 freedom.</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
48 2021's speakers</a> page:</p>
49
50 <blockquote>
51 <p>Jami is free software for universal communication that respects the
52 freedoms and privacy of its users. Jami is an official GNU package
53 with a main goal of providing a framework for virtual communications,
54 along with a series of end-user applications for audio/video calling
55 and conferencing, text messaging, and file transfer.</p>
56
57 <p>With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has
58 become the norm for many workers around the world. More and more
59 people are using videoconferencing tools to work or communicate with
60 their loved ones. The emergence of these tools has been followed by
61 many questions and scandals concerning the privacy and freedom of
62 users.</p>
63
64 <p>This talk gives an introduction to Jami, a free/libre, truly
65 distributed, and peer-to-peer solution, and explains why and how it
66 differs from all other existing solutions and how it empowers
67 users.</p>
68 </blockquote>
69
70 <p>I have been an attendee of LibrePlanet for some years, and am very
71 excited to be giving my first ever talk at LibrePlanet 2021 this year!
72 You can watch my talk and other speakers' talks live this weekend,
73 from the <a href="https://libreplanet.org/2021/live/">LibrePlanet 2021
74 - Live</a> page. Attendance is gratis (no cost), and you can register
75 at <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
87 conference this weekend!</p>
88
89 <p class="box">LibrePlanet is a conference about software freedom,
90 happening March 20 through 21, 2021. The event is hosted by the Free
91 Software Foundation (FSF), and brings together software developers,
92 law and policy experts, activists, students, and computer users to
93 learn skills, celebrate free software accomplishments, and face
94 upcoming challenges. Newcomers are always welcome, and LibrePlanet
95 2021 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>
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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
109 sysadmin blog:<br />
110 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/my-internship-with-the-fsf-tech-team-and-beyond">My
111 internship 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
115 Bandali</a>, and this is my second blog post on the FSF sysadmin blog,
116 concluding my internship with the FSF tech team this year.</p>
117
118 <p>Throughout my internship with the tech team, I have worked mainly
119 on sysadmin tasks related to setting up and/or managing FSF's
120 GNU/Linux servers. Perhaps most significantly, I set up an instance
121 of the <a href="https://sourcehut.org">Sourcehut</a> forge software to
122 help
123 <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/FSF_2020_forge_evaluation">evaluate</a>
124 it 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
126 forge project</a>. I documented the installation and setup process of
127 Sourcehut's various components in the form of a literate GNU Emacs
128 Org-mode file, where source blocks are interspersed with comments and
129 prose explaining them. One can then progressively evaluate and
130 execute the source blocks, and optionally have their results stored
131 back in the Org file itself to help with
132 documentation/demonstration.</p>
133
134 <p>I have also been slowly working on various improvements for the
135 server running www.gnu.org, and will continue doing work on it as a
136 volunteer after the end of my internship. This will hopefully be
137 beneficial to the FSF sysadmins running the server, the GNU webmasters
138 who do webmastering work on gnu.org, and the general public browsing
139 and using gnu.org's pages. Notably, changes included upgrading the
140 server to the latest release of Trisquel GNU/Linux, and revamping and
141 improving the search mechanism for gnu.org's pages. Additionally,
142 there are several other projects that I would like to tackle with the
143 tech team in the near future.</p>
144
145 <p>During my internship with the FSF tech team, I picked up a variety
146 of new skills and learned more about a diverse set of topics and
147 tools. This included building and installing a complex piece of
148 software like Sourcehut and debugging issues encountered along the
149 way, using Ansible for managing and deploying infrastructure, as well
150 as learning more about the Exim mail transfer agent used to run FSF
151 and GNU's array of mail servers.</p>
152
153 <p>In conclusion to my internship and the year 2020, it's safe to say
154 that this year has been an eventful year for many people, including
155 myself. I started my internship with the tech team back in May, and
156 as a graduate student at the time, I was expecting a reasonable and
157 balanced workload for my work on my thesis over the coming months.
158 However, early on (less than two weeks) into my internship I learned
159 that due to a number of reasons, I needed to complete my master's
160 studies on a two-month deadline. I told the tech team about the
161 issue, asking whether I could take a hiatus to complete my studies
162 without affecting my internship. I am beyond thankful to the tech
163 team and the FSF as whole for being accommodating, and for their
164 flexibility in allowing me to take a leave to focus on writing my
165 thesis and wrapping up my master's studies. I managed to successfully
166 wrap up my studies in that short timeline, and focus on my internship
167 afterwards.</p>
168
169 <p>However, all good things must come to an end, and this internship
170 is no exception. I am incredibly grateful to the members of the FSF
171 tech team &mdash; Ian, Andrew, Ruben, and Michael &mdash; for
172 welcoming me to the team as an intern and mentoring me, answering my
173 many questions, and helping me learn more. It has been an honour and
174 a wonderful experience for me all around working with you all and
175 seeing the energy and passion with which you take on the work and
176 responsibilities that come with being an FSF sysadmin and Web
177 developer. While most of my interactions were with the tech team, I
178 also got to interact with FSF staffers from several other teams during
179 my internship, and I'm thankful for our conversations and the chance
180 to 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
183 the good memories and the lessons I learned along the way, and will
184 happily to continue working with you as a volunteer. The things I
185 learned have been invaluable and greatly helpful to me, as I
186 transitioned into my new full-time job at Savoir-faire Linux as a Free
187 Software Consultant, where I get to work on various parts and aspects
188 of Jami, a GNU package for universal communication which respects the
189 freedoms and privacy of its users.</p>
190
191 <p>I would like to thank the FSF for providing me this excellent
192 opportunity to work alongside the tech team as an intern, and take
193 away so many valuable lessons and great memories.</p>
194
195 <p class="box">Interested in interning for the Free Software
196 Foundation? The application period for spring 2021 internships is
197 currently open. Please see
198 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships">https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships</a>
199 for 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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209 <guid isPermaLink="false">tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.rss:fsf-internship-intro</guid>
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
213 sysadmin blog:<br />
214 <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/introducing-bandali-intern-with-the-fsf-tech-team">Introducing
215 Amin 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
218 interwebs. I wear a few different hats around GNU as a maintainer,
219 webmaster, and Savannah hacker, and I'm very excited to be extending
220 that to the Free Software Foundation (FSF) as an intern with the FSF
221 tech team for spring 2020.</p>
222
223 <p>Growing up around parents with backgrounds in computer engineering
224 and programming, it did not take long for me to find an interest in
225 tinkering and playing with computers as a kid, and I first came into
226 contact with GNU/Linux in my teenage years. My first introduction to
227 the world of free software came a few years later, when a friend
228 kindly pointed out to me that what I had vaguely known and referred to
229 as "open source" software is more properly referred to as free
230 software, 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
233 about and absorbing the ideas and ideals of free software, I have
234 since become a free software activist. As a computer scientist who
235 enjoys studying and hacking on various programs and sometimes writing
236 my own, I have made a point of releasing all I can under strong
237 copyleft licenses, particularly the
238 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl.html">GNU AGPL</a>
239 license.</p>
240
241 <p>My involvement with the <a href="https://www.gnu.org">GNU
242 Project</a> started in 2016, first as a volunteer webmaster, and later
243 as one of the maintainers of
244 <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/">GNUzilla and
245 IceCat</a> late last year. Also around the same time, I led a group
246 of volunteers in organizing and holding
247 <a href="https://emacsconf.org/2019">EmacsConf 2019</a> as a
248 completely online conference, using only free software tools, much
249 like the excellent
250 <a href="https://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet:Conference/2020">LibrePlanet
251 2020</a>. I love <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/">GNU
252 Emacs</a>, and use it more than any other program. GNU Emacs helps me
253 do a wide variety of tasks such as programming, reading and composing
254 emails, and chatting via IRC.</p>
255
256 <p>More closely related to my internship with the FSF tech team, I
257 have been familiarizing myself with various pieces of the
258 <a href="https://savannah.gnu.org">GNU Savannah</a> infrastructure
259 with help from veteran Savannah hacker Bob Proulx, gradually learning
260 and picking up tasks helping with the administration and maintenance
261 of Savannah. I am also a member of the Systems Committee of my
262 university's computer science club, overseeing and maintaining a large
263 fleet of GNU/Linux servers for our club members.</p>
264
265 <p>For my internship with the Free Software Foundation, I will be
266 working with the FSF tech team on a number of tasks, including helping
267 with
268 the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/coming-soon-a-new-site-for-fully-free-collaboration">free
269 software forge</a> project, as well as various improvements for
270 gnu.org. I look forward to learning many new things and picking up
271 valuable skills through my internship with the FSF's exceptional tech
272 team, who do <em>so much</em> for the GNU project and the wider free
273 software 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>
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283 <guid isPermaLink="false">tag:bndl.org,2020:notes.rss:computing</guid>
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
292 computer is the machine I use the most and where I do most of my
293 computing. I also have the privilege of having access to a fleet of
294 servers through our school's
295 <a href="https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca">Computer Science Club</a> that I
296 use for some more computationally intensive tasks every now and
297 again.</p>
298
299 <h2>GNU/Linux distribution</h2>
300 <p>I used a wide variety of distros over the years; but I have since
301 found <a href="https://trisquel.info">Trisquel</a> to be my favourite
302 and it's put my "distro-hopping" days behind me. Sometimes I pair it
303 up with <a href="https://guix.gnu.org">GNU Guix</a>. For the kernel,
304 I usually use
305 <a href="https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/">GNU
306 Linux-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>
313 ]]></content:encoded></item>
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