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by: Geoff Graham Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:24:29 +0000 Adam’s such a mad scientist with CSS. He’s been putting together a series of “notebooks” that make it easy for him to demo code. He’s got one for gradient text, one for a comparison slider, another for accordions, and the list goes on. One of his latest is a notebook of scroll-driven animations. They’re all impressive as heck, as you’d expect from Adam. But it’s the simplicity of the first few examples that I love most. Here I am recreating two of the effects in a CodePen, which you’ll want to view in the latest version of Chrome for support. CodePen Embed Fallback This is a perfect example of how a scroll-driven animation is simply a normal CSS animation, just tied to scrolling instead of the document’s default timeline, which starts on render. We’re talking about the same set of keyframes: @keyframes slide-in-from-left { from { transform: translateX(-100%); } } All we have to do to trigger scrolling is call the animation and assign it to the timeline: li { animation: var(--animation) linear both; animation-timeline: view(); } Notice how there’s no duration set on the animation. There’s no need to since we’re dealing with a scroll-based timeline instead of the document’s timeline. We’re using the view() function instead of the scroll() function, which acts sort of like JavsScript’s Intersection Observer where scrolling is based on where the element comes into view and intersects the scrollable area. It’s easy to drop your jaw and ooo and ahh all over Adam’s demos, especially as they get more advanced. But just remember that we’re still working with plain ol’ CSS animations. The difference is the timeline they’re on. Scroll Driven Animations Notebook originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

by: Neeraj Mishra Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:47:00 +0000 We humans may be a little cunning and mischievous (nervous laugh!) but we surely are focused on various things. And when we are focused on something, we give it full priority to we matter it completely. Right? One of such things on which we are fully focused is learning. Our brain is a powerhouse which is always ready to take in information. And this capability of the brain makes us capable to learning whole new things each and every second. Human brain is always eager to learn anything new which seems right! And the discovery of technology has bright with it a lot of mysteries and unsolved puzzles which, to be honest, can take millions of years to be revealed completely. So, it will not be wrong to say that we have a lot to learn. And with technology came various technical gadgets, our of which the must important are computers and laptops. In simple words, we can describe a computer as a combination of thousands of transistors. Now, we know communication is a big thing. We humans communicate with each other a lot. And we can communicate with our machine friends as well! Yeah, it is done by a technique called coding. Coding is basically a language through which we communicate with various machines and give them instructions on their actions. And coding is tough man! So are you facing problems in learning and using the coding language like me? Here is a list of top 5 apps which can make coding easy. Top 5 Best Coding Apps SoloLearn SoloLearn is a great Android app to learn coding from the beginning. Currently it is the Editor’s Choice so on the Play Store! SoloLearn offers a variety of coding lessons starting from beginners to professionals. It offers thousands of coding topics to learn coding, brush up your skills or remain are of the latest trends in the coding market. It deals in almost all types of computer languages starting from Java, Python, C, C++, Kotlin, Ruby, Swift and many more. It had three largest coder base who are always ready to help you in your problems. You can also create lessons of your own area of expertise and become s community influencer on the platform! Download on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sololearn Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sololearn-learn-to-code/id1210079064 Programming Hero Programming Hero is the next best app on which you can rely for learning coding language. It has a lot of positive reviews from users all over the world. What makes Programming Hero different from other coding apps is the way it teaches coding. Through this app, you can learn coding in a fun way through various games! They use fun teen conversations and game-like challenges to make coding fun. Various areas of expertise include HTML, Python, C55, C++, JavaScript etc. You can learn quickly by understanding the coffins and supplying them instantly. Here are some best app developing companies which hire the best coders. So you are getting placed as well! Download on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnprogramming.codecamp Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/programming-hero-coding-fun/id1478201849 Programming Hub Programming Hub is a coding platform which takes learning coding language to a whole new level through its features. A lot of positive reviewers make it one of the best apps delivering coding knowledge. The app expertise in various technical languages such as HTML5, C55, C, C++, Python, Swift etc. And it is one of the chosen apps providing lessons on Artificial Intelligence. There are various bite sized interactive courses which will help you a lot in learning coding. The expert panel and other coders from all around the world are always ready to solve your doubts in minutes. It had one of the largest pre-compiled programs with outputs for learning and practising. And it is also the fastest compiler on Android with compilations to run over 20+ coding languages altogether! Download on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freeit.java Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/programming-hub-learn-to-code/id1049691226 Mimo Do not go on the cute name bro! The Mimo application for coding has been nominated as the best self-improvement app of 2018 by Google Play Store and it has a reason! Mimo make coding fun and interesting with its enigmatic lessons. It deals in the variety of coding languages like Java, JavaScript, C#, C++, Python, Swift and many more. By the help of Mimo, you can learn programming and build websites by spending only 5 minutes per day. Millions of coders from around the world are always active and cab help you solve your doubts at anytime. The bite sized interactive courses help you in learning coding from the beginning and go on to the professional level. Other features include the coding challenges which let you increase your knowledge and experience by competing with the coders and help you in knowing your flaws. Download on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getmimo Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mimo-1-learn-to-code-app/id1133960732 Grasshopper It is an awesome platform which has complete information about coding and programming and can make you a pro in coding within no time. The app has a Simone and intuitive user interface and expertise in languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, C, C#, C++, Kotlin, Swift and many more. It has one of the largest collections of Java tutorials and there are thousands of lessons present on Java which also contain detailed comments for better understanding. Categories have been made for the beginners and professionals. You can build your own programme and publish on the website! Overall it is a great app! Download on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.area120.grasshopper Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grasshopper-learn-to-code/id1354133284 These were a few awesome apps to make coding easy. Comment down below if you know any other good programming app. The post Top 5 Best Coding Apps in 2025 appeared first on The Crazy Programmer.

by: Abhishek Prakash You want to be good at Linux? Start using it. Linux doesn't get easier. You get better at it. The more you use it as your daily driver, the more you explore it and the more you learn. You won't even realize how much you have improved from day zero 💪 💬 Let's see what else you get in this edition New LibreOffice and ONLYOFFICE releases. DeepSeek making its way into a Linux terminal. New EndeavourOS release And other Linux news, tips and, of course, memes! This edition of FOSS Weekly is supported by Internxt. ❇️ Future-Proof Your Cloud Storage With Post-Quantum EncryptionGet 85% off any Internxt lifetime plan—a one-time payment for private, post-quantum encrypted cloud storage. No subscriptions, no recurring fees. ⌛ Offer valid Feb 10 – Feb 25 Claim This Deal P.S. There is a 30-day money back policy. Take advantage of it to try it and see if it fits your need. 📰 Linux and Open Source NewsEndeavourOS Mercury shows up as a modest release. DeepSeek support lands in the latest Warp Terminal release. Proxmox has been made a toplevel platform for Fedora CoreOS. The Open Euro LLM initiative is Europe's bet on achieving transparent AI. LibreOffice 25.2 and ONLYOFFICE Docs 8.3 have arrived with many notable improvements. KDE Plasma 6.3 arrives with some digital artist-focused changes. KDE Plasma 6.3 Release Aims to Be the Ultimate Desktop for Digital Artists KDE Plasma 6.3 has arrived with some pretty exciting changes for digital artists. It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra 🧠 What We’re Thinking AboutAfter the recent Linux kernel drama, a new policy has been introduced for Rust. After Recent Kernel Drama, Rust for Linux Policy Put in Place The recent Linux kernel drama over Rust code has resulted in the creation of a Rust kernel policy. It's FOSS NewsSourav Rudra 🧮 Linux Tips, Tutorials and MoreDual-booted and now Windows is not showing in Grub? You can fix that. Installing Arch Linux with BTRFS and disk encryption is fairly straightforward. If you are not up for that, why not get started with Fedora for your next distrohop? Here are some elementary but necessary tips on using the Linux commands in terminal. 19 Basic But Essential Linux Terminal Tips You Must Know Learn some small, basic but often ignored things about the terminal. With the small tips, you should be able to use the terminal with slightly more efficiency. It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash 👷 Maker's and AI CornerDitch the cloud with these five local AI tools for image creation. Tailscale makes SSHing into your Raspberry Pi simple and secure. SSH into Raspberry Pi from Outside Home Network Using Tailscale Learn how you can use Tailscale to secure connect to your Raspberry Pi from outside your home network. It's FOSSAbhishek Kumar ✨ Apps highlightFeeling the winds change? Time to check out a cool open source weather app. 🌤️ Another day, another IDE with AI features. Flexpilot joins the list. Flexpilot is an Open Source IDE for AI-Assisted Coding Experience 🚀 Flexpilot is almost like VS Code, only a bit better with built-in AI features. Learn why I created it and how you can use it. It's FOSSCommunity 🛍️ Deal You Would Love15 Linux and DevOps books for just $18 plus your purchase supports Code for America organization. Get them on Humble Bundle. Humble Tech Book Bundle: Linux from Beginner to Professional by O’Reilly Learn Linux with ease using this library of coding and programming courses by O’Reilly. Pay what you want & support Code For America. Humble Bundle 📽️ Video I am Creating for YouSubscribe to It's FOSS YouTube Channel 🧩 Quiz TimeIn the most intelligent photo ever taken, do you know all the people? The Most Intelligent Photo for Curious Minds Did you know about the individuals in this photo? We help you here. It's FOSSAnkush Das 💡 Quick Handy TipIn KDE Plasma, you can assign a temporary shortcut to a window so that you can bring it to the foreground when needed. For this, right-click on the title bar of the required window and select More Actions → Set Window Shortcut… Now, enter a shortcut by activating the desired keyboard shortcut combination and press OK. And, that's it. Now you can see that the title of the window is modified to show the new temporary window shortcut. Use the keyboard shortcut combination to bring the window to the foreground. 🤣 Meme of the WeekThe clock's ticking, Windows 10 users! ⏰ 🗓️ Tech TriviaOn February 10, 1996, IBM’s Deep Blue became the first computer to defeat a reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in a single game. Kasparov won the match 4–2. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 FOSSverse CornerHave you heard of the Haiku Project? It is an open source operating system that focuses on personal computing. Join other FOSSers in the discussion over it! Haiku Project looks interesting! So, there’s this other OS, it’s not Linux, nor a *BSD. It’s Haiku. A continuation of BeOS, which was meant as a competitor to Windows, it has quite some interesting features. It boots fast, REALLY fast, and I only tried its live mode in a VM! Yes, it’s rough around the edges (that’s why it hasn’t got a 1.0 yet), but already it looks promising. Its GUI is really responsive and looks and behaves quite different than the Windows or MacOS-esque GUIs, so takes some getting used to. So, what do you… It's FOSS Communityxahodo ❤️ With loveShare it with your Linux-using friends and encourage them to subscribe (hint: it's here). Share the articles in Linux Subreddits and community forums. Follow us on Google News and stay updated in your News feed. Opt for It's FOSS Plus membership and support us 🙏 Enjoy FOSS 😄

By: Edwin Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:52:12 +0000 Java is everywhere in the tech community. Since its launch in 1995, with multiple versions, new features, performance improvements, and security patches, Java has evolved a lot. With these many versions, comes a new problem. Which Java version should you choose? By default, everyone thinks that the latest version is always the best. Unless your organizational policy demands so, the latest version of any software package is not the best option for you. You have to know the advantages and disadvantages of each version, its compatibility with your tech environment, and so many more parameters. To choose the right Java version, you should consider the stability, long-term support (LTS), and compatibility with your distro. In this article, let us explain the most common Java versions, their features, and best practices to select the best Java version for your device. Different Java Versions Explained Java is a stable and matured product. It follows a structured release cycle with each version being released every six months and LTS version being rolled out every three years. Here are the most commonly used Java versions: Java SE 8: Old but Still the Gold Standard This version was launched in 2014, but this is still one of the most widely used Java version. These are some of the reasons why this version is preferred by programmers: This version introduced the Lambda expressions for functional programming Introduced Stream API for handling different collections efficiently Provided enhanced Date and Time API Still provides long-term stability and preferred around the world. Java SE 11: LTS version This version was launched in 2018 and still being used worldwide. Let us see some of the reasons why: Deprecated old APIs Removed the Java EE modules Introduced the var for local variable type inference Enhanced GC (garbage collection) mechanisms Still supported as an LTS release. Hence this is a popular choice for production environments. Java SE 17: Second Latest LTS version (at the time of publishing) This version is the one that: Added pattern matching for switch Provided enhanced performance with sealed classes and encapsulated JDK Supported foreign function and memory API Is recommended for modern applications by Linux community Java SE 21: Latest LTS version This comes feature packed with: Virtual threads for better concurrency Enhanced record patterns and pattern matching Scoped Values API for better memory management Cutting edge features How to Choose the Right Java Version Java 8 is preferred if: If you still have a few legacy applications You need a stable and widely supported Java version Your organization still used older frameworks like 2.X.X series of Spring Boot Use Java 11 if: You require an LTS version with regular updates You want both modern features with existing application compatibility Your projects depend on containerized deployments and microservices Use Java 17 if: You are working on a new project and require an LTS version You want recent security updates You need an LTS version with improved concurrency and memory management Use Java 21 if: You are experimenting with new Java APIs and improvement You want the latest features and enhancements Your project requires advanced concurrency models How to Check the Java Version To check the version of Java installed in your system, run the following command in your terminal window: java -version How to Install and Manage Java Versions Let us take you through some of the common ways to install and manage Java versions. Install Java using SDKMAN This works in Linux and macOS devices. Run the command: curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh" sdk install java 17.0.1-open Install Java using apt This method works in distros like Ubuntu and Debian. Execute the command: sudo apt update sudo apt install openjdk-17-jdk How to Install Java using Yum In devices that have the yum package manager, execute the command: sudo yum install java-17-openjdk-devel How to Switch Java Versions If you use Linux or MacOS devices, execute the command: sudo update-alternatives --config java If you are working on Windows devices, execute: setx JAVA_HOME "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17" Key Takeaways There is no universal right Java version. The best Java version depends on your project requirements, organizational policy, support requirements, and performance expectations. While Java 8 is a safe bet and can be used for legacy applications, Java 21 is perfect for developers experimenting with latest features. Keeping up with the Java’s release notes will help you in choosing and planning your projects well. By understanding the differences between Java versions, you can make informed decisions on which Java version to install or switch to and get the most out of it. We Think You Will Like   The post Java Versions: How to View and Switch Versions appeared first on Unixmen.

By: Edwin Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:52:07 +0000 When you are configuring your SSD in a Linux system, one of the most important deciding factors is selecting the correct partition style. The question boils down to GPT or MBR? Which partition style to choose? This choice is very important because this affects the compatibility, performance, and system stability of your device. In this guide, let us help you make the MBR or GPT decision, advantages of the style, limitations, and the best use cases for each type. Understanding Each Partition Style Let us start with the basics. What is MBR MBR is short for Master Boot Record. This was introduced in 1983. This stores the partition information and the bootloader data in the first sector of the storage device. The key features of MBR include: Supports 3 primary and 1 extended partition (total 4 primary partitions). Works only on SSDs up to 2TB in size. Uses the legacy BIOS based bootloader function. Less resistance against data corruption because the partition information is stored in a single sector. What is GPT GPT stands for GUID Partition Table. It is a comparatively modern partitioning format that is part of the UEFI (unified extensible firmware interface) bootloader standard. Here are some features that set GPT apart: This supports 128 partitions in Windows and even more in Linux devices This partition type can work on SSDs with more than 2TB capacity Uses the UEFI based boot mode but can work with BIOS using the hybrid MBR Stores multiple copies of the partition data across the SSD for better resistance against data corruption Comes with secure boot and better error detection in most cases. Major Differences: GPT or MBR Feature MBR GPT Supported Drive Size 2TB 9.4ZB (zeta bytes) Maximum partitions limit 4 128 Boot mode Legacy BIOS UEFI or BIOS (using GRUB) Data protection Lower Higher (multiple copies of partition table) Compatibility Works on old distros Required for modern distros   What Should You Choose: GPT or MBR for Linux Prefer the MBR style if: Your device is running on old Linux distros that do not support UEFI yet Your SSD capacity is less than 2TB You need legacy BIOS boot support Your system does not require more than 4 primary partitions. Prefer the GPT style if: You are using modern Linux distros like Ubuntu, Debian, Kali Linux, Amazon Linux, or SUSE. Your SSD capacity is higher than 2TB. You want better protection against data corruption, data integrity, and redundancy. You need support for more than 4 partitions. Your distribution uses UEFI boot mode. Step by Step Instructions to Convert MBR to GPT in Linux It is very important to follow these steps in sequence. How to Check the Partition Type in Linux Open the Terminal window. Run the command: sudo fdisk -l Find your SSD and check if it uses MBR (mentioned as dos) or GPT (mentioned as gpt). How to Convert MBR to GPT in Linux Let us show you two methods to convert MBR to GPT in your Linux device. Convert MBR to GPT Using gdisk Install gdisk if you do not have it already. To do that, execute the command: sudo apt install gdisk # For Debian and Ubuntu distros sudo dnf install gdisk # For Fedora sudo pacman -S gdisk # For Arch Linux Next run the command after replacing “SSD” with your Drive identifier. sudo gdisk /dev/sdSSD Next enter “w” to write the changes and convert the disk to GPT. How to Convert MBR to GPT Using Parted Open the Terminal window and run the command: sudo parted /dev/sdX Inside the parted function, execute the command: mklabel gpt Execute “quit” to exit and apply the changes. There will be multiple online tools and guides that will tell you that they are tools to convert MBR to GPT. Proceed at your own risk. If we find any other reliable alternative to convert MBR to GPT, we will update this article with the same. The safest approach is to back up data, format the disk, and then restore the files. Key Takeaways Now let’s come back to the original confusion: MBR or GPT. GPT is the preferred choice nowadays due to is support for large drives, better data redundancy, and compatibility with UEFI based bootloaders. MBR is still useful if you are using legacy BIOS bootloaders and older Linux distributions. We hope we solved your MBR or GPT confusion and helped you take an informed decision. We have listed almost all GPT vs MBR differences in Linux. You can visit this discussion thread if your system runs on Ubuntu. We wish you all the best in ensuring optimal SSD performance and compatibility. We Think You Will Like   The post GPT or MBR: Which is Better for Your Linux Device appeared first on Unixmen.

By: Edwin Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:52:05 +0000 There are plenty of markup languages available. This page is written on HTML, a markup language. One of them is Markdown, a lightweight markup language that lets writers, developers, and website administrators to format text easily. In Markdown, one of the most used formatting features is italics. In Markdown italics is used to emphasize text, one of the reasons why HTML uses “em” in tag to indicate emphasis. It is also used to highlight key points and improve the readability of the overall content. In this article, let us take you through the different ways to use Markdown italics, the best practices, its use cases in documentation, blogs, and programming. How to Use Italics in Markdown In Markdown, you can format text in italics using either of these two methods: Asterisks: * Underscores: _ Using this is very easy. Here is the syntax: Let's put this text in italics: *unixmen is the best* The output will be: Let's put this text in italics: unixmen is the best Let’s try the second option: Now for the second option, the underscore: _unixmen rocks_ The output will be: Now for the second option, the underscore: unixmen rocks While both the methods produce the same output, the preference comes down to your personal preference or project guidelines. Best Practices to Follow While Using Markdown Italics Always Maintain Consistency While asterisk and underscore work in the same way and produce the same result, it is always good to prefer the same option throughout your document. This helps you to maintain the readability and uniformity. Avoid Nested Formatting Issues Markdown allows multiple formatting options like bold and italics. Combining them can sometimes leads to issues. In case you need to combine both the bold and italics formatting, you can use either three asterisks or three underscores. Here are some examples: This text will be in both ***bold and italics*** The output will be: This text will be in both bold and italics. Let us see the other option now. This is another way to combine both formats: ___bold and italics___ The output will render as: This is another way to combine both formats: bold and italics Italics is for Emphasis and Not Decoration As we explained in the introduction itself, italics formatting is for emphasizing a part of the text and it is not for decorative purposes. When you want to emphasize a piece of content like important words, technical jargons, or book titles, you can use italics. Where Will You Need Markdown Italics Here are some common areas where you will need Markdown italics: Technical Documentation In a lot of unix-based products, SaaS applications, and Git based projects, the documentation often uses Markdown for their README files, wiki documentation, and project descriptions. If you are working in any of the related fields, here is how you can use Markdown italics: To learn more, refer to our _Shell Scripting guide_ series. Blogs and Content Writing Markdown is preferred by bloggers and content writers who use platforms like Jekyll, Hugo, and Ghost. This is because the markdown syntax is easier to use than HTML. Italics help in highlighting key points and enhance the readability score. Remember: Italics is not for *decorative* purposes Code and GitHub Repositories Many CI/CD platforms like GitHub, Git, GitLab, and Bitbucket use Markdown for their README files and documentation. The default option is _Yes_ Common Errors and How to Fix Them Now that we know how to use Markdown italics and their applications, let us see some common errors and how to fix them. Unclosed Syntax Always remember to enclose the piece of content with asterisk or underscore. Using just one will throw errors. Here is an example: The author has missed to add the *closing asterisk Combining Asterisks and Underscores While they both perform the same function, using a mix of both is not recommended. Do not mix *asterisk and underscore_ Key Takeaways Markdown italics is a simple but powerful formatting feature. It enhances the text presentation, readability quotient of blogs, documentation, and other coding projects. Follow the best practices listed in this article to avoid the common pitfalls. Use this guide to ensure your Markdown content is well-structured, properly formatted, and aesthetically pleasing. An Interesting Read You Might Be Interested In Open-source Markdown guide How to Install Arch Linux | Unixmen The post Markdown Italics: Instructions, Pitfalls, and Solutions appeared first on Unixmen.

By: Edwin Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:52:02 +0000 When you are setting up an SSD, one of the most important questions that you face is: which is the right partition style for me? There is a decision to make: MBR vs GPT SSD. MBR stands for Master Boot Record while GPT stands for GUID Partition table. This choice is important because the choice you make will determine the compatibility, performance, and future expansion options. In this article, let us explain each partition style’s advantages, limitations, use cases and most importantly the answer to the battle: MBR vs GPT SSD. Understanding the MBR and GPT Partition Styles What is MBR (Master Boot Record)? MBR is the forerunner here. It is the older partitioning scheme introduced in 1983. It stores the partition information and the bootloader in the first sector of the storage device. Salient Features of MBR The MBR style of partition supports 4 primary partitions: 3 primary and 1 extended partition. This works only in drives up to 2TB in capacity. This uses BIOS-based boot made. The chance of corruption is higher because this style of partition is less resilient since partition data is stored in a single location. What is GPT (GUID Partition Table)? GPT is the modern partitioning style, and it is part of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) standard. Salient Features of GPT When compared to the 4 partitions in the MBR, the SSD style supports up to 128 partitions. And this partition limit is enforced only in Windows whereas in Linux, there is no upper limit of partitions. The GPT partition can work on drives larger than 2TB as well. This uses the UEFI based boot mode compared to the legacy BIOS mode used by MBR. This style stores multiple copies of partition data across the disk so the chance of corruption is minimized. This supports some advanced features like secure boot mode and also comes with better partition error detection. MBR vs GPT SSD: Differences Explained Here is a comparison in table format to make your decision making easier. Description MBR GPT Drive size Maximum 2TB Maximum 9.4ZB (Zeta byte) Partition limit 4 primary partitions 128 primary partitions Boot mode BIOS (legacy) UEFI Data redundancy No Yes (multiple copies) Compatibility Works with older versions Requires modern versions   When to Use MBR vs GPT SSD When Should You Use MBR Prefer MBR if: You are using older operating systems that does not support UEFI The SSD capacity is less than 2TB You need legacy BIOS boot support When Should You Use GPT Your choice should be GPT if: Your operating systems are modern like Windows 11 or Ubuntu latest LTS versions Your SSD has capacity more than 2TB You want better redundancy and data protection You need an SSD type that supports more than 4 partitions How can You Convert MBR to GPT SSD Follow these instructions in the same sequence listed here. How to Check Partition Type in Windows Open the Disk Management window. To do this, open the Run terminal and execute “diskmgmt.msc” Right-click your SSD and then select “Properties”. Under the “Volumes” tab, check the “Partition Style” field. The value will be either MBR or GPT. Convert MBR to GPT in Windows Get backups of all your data. Open “Disk Management” window. Right-click the SSD and then click “Delete Volume”. Double check if your backups are reliable since this step deletes all your data”. Right-click the SSD and then select “Convert to GPT Disk”. If you are interested, learn more from Microsoft’s own documentation here. How to Convert MBR to GPT using Command Prompt Be very careful with this method as there are chances of data loss. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Type “diskpart” and press the Enter key. Type “list disk” and press the Enter key to see the list of all available drives. Type “select disk ssdnumber” and press the Enter key (replace “ssdnumber” with the SSD drive’s number). Execute the “clean” command. This deletes all the partitions. Execute the command “convert gpt”. Convert MBR to GPT using MBR2GPT This method involves no threat of data loss, but we tried it only on Microsoft Windows 10 and 11 OS versions only. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Run the command: mbr2gpt /validate /disk:ssdnumber (replace ssdnumber with the SSD Number). Once the validation passes, run the command: mbr2gpt /convert /disk:ssdnumber Key Takeaways For modern SSDs, the obvious winner in the MBR vs GPT SSD battle is the GPT. GPT is the better choice when it comes to improved partition support, data redundancy, compatibility with most UEFI based systems. That being said, we cannot sideline MBR. It is still useful for legacy systems running on BIOS environments and smaller than 2TB SSDs. So, the comparison of MBR vs GPT SSD comes down to your environment and requirements. Here is a summarized version of what we learnt today: MBR is for older systems and BIOS based bootloaders GPT is for modern SSD, large capacity drives, and UEFI bootloaders. We hope we have covered all topics so that you can make an informed decision to optimize SSD performance and compatibility. You Might Also Like Secure Erase your SSD | Unixmen The post MBR vs GPT SSD: Which Partition Style is Better? appeared first on Unixmen.

By: Edwin Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:51:59 +0000 What is JSON Checker? It is a tool (most of the cases), or a script (the backend) used to validate and verify JSON (JavaScript object notation) data. JSON is mostly used to exchange data between APIs, applications, and databases. To know if the JSON file is properly formatted and adheres to the proper syntax, a JSON Checker becomes important. This ensures there are no errors in data processing. In this article, let us learn how to check JSON, validate a JSON file, and debug JSON data using Python and online tools. Let’s get started. What is JSON JSON, a commonly used data format these days, is a lightweight data-interchange format. The reason it is popular among both beginner and veteran programmers is that it is human readable and also easy to parse. JSON contains elements like: Key-value pairs Supports Arrays Objects Strings Numbers Booleans and Number values Example of a Valid JSON Data Here is a properly structured JSON format: { "name": "Unix Man", "age": 29, "email": "hello@unixmen.com", "is_active": true, "skills": ["administration", "Scripting", "PowerBI"] } If you are familiar with other data formats, you will love JSON because of its ease to read. Why Should You Use a JSON Checker? Even if you are a seasoned programmer who has been working with JSON files for years now, a JSON checker can help you with: Validating JSON syntax to ensure the structure is perfect Finding an extra or missing comma, bracket, or quote Highlighting incorrect data type or format issues Pointing the deviation with API requirements How Does a JSON Checker Work? Here is how most of the online JSON Checkers work: Parse the uploaded JSON text. Check for syntax errors like missing or extra comma or brackets. Ensure objects and arrays are properly nested. Validate key-value pair based on expected data type. Suggest bug fixes and error messages. Top Online JSON Checker Tools If you are running short of time and want a JSON checker tool immediately, we recommend these top three online JSON checker tools: Site24x7 JSON Formatter JSONLint online JSON validator JSONSchemaValidator online JSON schema validator JSON Check with Command-Line For programmers working with Linux or Unix environments, use these CLI tools. The jq command-line processor: jq . FileName.json Perl-based JSON pretty printer: cat FileName.json | json_pp Text Editor and IDE Plugins There are a few IDEs that provide built-in JSON validation. Here are some of them: VS Code: This comes with JSON linting and auto-formatting Sublime Text: Supports JSON validation with the help of extensions JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA: Real-time JSON Syntax checking. Debugging Common JSON Errors Here are some of the incorrect JSON formats and their correct versions: Incorrect: { "name": "Alice", "age": 25, } { name: "Bob", "age": 30 } { "data": [1, 2, 3 } The errors are missing or extra commas, incorrect quotation marks, and unmatched brackets. Here is the corrected version: { "name": "Alice", "age": 25 } { "name": "Bob", "age": 30 } { "data": [1, 2, 3] } Key Takeaways A JSON Checker makes sure your JSON data is valid, formatted correctly, and error free. With Python, online free JSON validators, and JSON Schemas, you can efficiently pin-point errors in JSON files and validate them. Using advanced techniques like handling large JSON files and compressing JSON, your JSON Checker strategy will be unbeatable. To Learn More about Files and Their Types     The post JSON Checker: Validate and Debug JSON Files appeared first on Unixmen.

by: Juan Diego Rodríguez Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:15:28 +0000 We’ve been able to get the length of the viewport in CSS since… checks notes… 2013! Surprisingly, that was more than a decade ago. Getting the viewport width is as easy these days as easy as writing 100vw, but what does that translate to, say, in pixels? What about the other properties, like those that take a percentage, an angle, or an integer? Think about changing an element’s opacity, rotating it, or setting an animation progress based on the screen size. We would first need the viewport as an integer — which isn’t currently possible in CSS, right? What I am about to say isn’t a groundbreaking discovery, it was first described amazingly by Jane Ori in 2023. In short, we can use a weird hack (or feature) involving the tan() and atan2() trigonometric functions to typecast a length (such as the viewport) to an integer. This opens many new layout possibilities, but my first experience was while writing an Almanac entry in which I just wanted to make an image’s opacity responsive. Resize the CodePen and the image will get more transparent as the screen size gets smaller, of course with some boundaries, so it doesn’t become invisible: CodePen Embed Fallback This is the simplest we can do, but there is a lot more. Take, for example, this demo I did trying to combine many viewport-related effects. Resize the demo and the page feels alive: objects move, the background changes and the text smoothly wraps in place. CodePen Embed Fallback I think it’s really cool, but I am no designer, so that’s the best my brain could come up with. Still, it may be too much for an introduction to this typecasting hack, so as a middle-ground, I’ll focus only on the title transition to showcase how all of it works: CodePen Embed Fallback Setting things up The idea behind this is to convert 100vw to radians (a way to write angles) using atan2(), and then back to its original value using tan(), with the perk of coming out as an integer. It should be achieved like this: :root { --int-width: tan(atan2(100vw, 1px)); } But! Browsers aren’t too keep on this method, so a lot more wrapping is needed to make it work across all browsers. The following may seem like magic (or nonsense), so I recommend reading Jane’s post to better understand it, but this way it will work in all browsers: @property --100vw { syntax: "<length>"; initial-value: 0px; inherits: false; } :root { --100vw: 100vw; --int-width: calc(10000 * tan(atan2(var(--100vw), 10000px))); } Don’t worry too much about it. What’s important is our precious --int-width variable, which holds the viewport size as an integer! CodePen Embed Fallback Wideness: One number to rule them all Right now we have the viewport as an integer, but that’s just the first step. That integer isn’t super useful by itself. We oughta convert it to something else next since: different properties have different units, and we want each property to go from a start value to an end value. Think about an image’s opacity going from 0 to 1, an object rotating from 0deg to 360deg, or an element’s offset-distance going from 0% to 100%. We want to interpolate between these values as --int-width gets bigger, but right now it’s just an integer that usually ranges between 0 to 1600, which is inflexible and can’t be easily converted to any of the end values. The best solution is to turn --int-width into a number that goes from 0 to 1. So, as the screen gets bigger, we can multiply it by the desired end value. Lacking a better name, I call this “0-to-1” value --wideness. If we have --wideness, all the last examples become possible: /* If `--wideness is 0.5 */ .element { opacity: var(--wideness); /* is 0.5 */ translate: rotate(calc(wideness(400px, 1200px) * 360deg)); /* is 180deg */ offset-distance: calc(var(--wideness) * 100%); /* is 50% */ } So --wideness is a value between 0 to 1 that represents how wide the screen is: 0 represents when the screen is narrow, and 1 represents when it’s wide. But we still have to set what those values mean in the viewport. For example, we may want 0 to be 400px and 1 to be 1200px, our viewport transitions will run between these values. Anything below and above is clamped to 0 and 1, respectively. In CSS, we can write that as follows: :root { /* Both bounds are unitless */ --lower-bound: 400; --upper-bound: 1200; --wideness: calc( (clamp(var(--lower-bound), var(--int-width), var(--upper-bound)) - var(--lower-bound)) / (var(--upper-bound) - var(--lower-bound)) ); } Besides easy conversions, the --wideness variable lets us define the lower and upper limits in which the transition should run. And what’s even better, we can set the transition zone at a middle spot so that the user can see it in its full glory. Otherwise, the screen would need to be 0px so that --wideness reaches 0 and who knows how wide to reach 1. CodePen Embed Fallback We got the --wideness. What’s next? For starters, the title’s markup is divided into spans since there is no CSS-way to select specific words in a sentence: <h1><span>Resize</span> and <span>enjoy!</span></h1> And since we will be doing the line wrapping ourselves, it’s important to unset some defaults: h1 { position: absolute; /* Keeps the text at the center */ white-space: nowrap; /* Disables line wrapping */ } The transition should work without the base styling, but it’s just too plain-looking. They are below if you want to copy them onto your stylesheet: CodePen Embed Fallback And just as a recap, our current hack looks like this: @property --100vw { syntax: "<length>"; initial-value: 0px; inherits: false; } :root { --100vw: 100vw; --int-width: calc(10000 * tan(atan2(var(--100vw), 10000px))); --lower-bound: 400; --upper-bound: 1200; --wideness: calc( (clamp(var(--lower-bound), var(--int-width), var(--upper-bound)) - var(--lower-bound)) / (var(--upper-bound) - var(--lower-bound)) ); } OK, enough with the set-up. It’s time to use our new values and make the viewport transition. We first gotta identify how the title should be rearranged for smaller screens: as you saw in the initial demo, the first span goes up and right, while the second span does the opposite and goes down and left. So, the end position for both spans translates to the following values: h1 { span:nth-child(1) { display: inline-block; /* So transformations work */ position: relative; bottom: 1.2lh; left: 50%; transform: translate(-50%); } span:nth-child(2) { display: inline-block; /* So transformations work */ position: relative; bottom: -1.2lh; left: -50%; transform: translate(50%); } } Before going forward, both formulas are basically the same, but with different signs. We can rewrite them at once bringing one new variable: --direction. It will be either 1 or -1 and define which direction to run the transition: h1 { span { display: inline-block; position: relative; bottom: calc(1.2lh * var(--direction)); left: calc(50% * var(--direction)); transform: translate(calc(-50% * var(--direction))); } span:nth-child(1) { --direction: 1; } span:nth-child(2) { --direction: -1; } } CodePen Embed Fallback The next step would be bringing --wideness into the formula so that the values change as the screen resizes. However, we can’t just multiply everything by --wideness. Why? Let’s see what happens if we do: span { display: inline-block; position: relative; bottom: calc(var(--wideness) * 1.2lh * var(--direction)); left: calc(var(--wideness) * 50% * var(--direction)); transform: translate(calc(var(--wideness) * -50% * var(--direction))); } As you’ll see, everything is backwards! The words wrap when the screen is too wide, and unwrap when the screen is too narrow: CodePen Embed Fallback Unlike our first examples, in which the transition ends as --wideness increases from 0 to 1, we want to complete the transition as --wideness decreases from 1 to 0, i.e. while the screen gets smaller the properties need to reach their end value. This isn’t a big deal, as we can rewrite our formula as a subtraction, in which the subtracting number gets bigger as --wideness increases: span { display: inline-block; position: relative; bottom: calc((1.2lh - var(--wideness) * 1.2lh) * var(--direction)); left: calc((50% - var(--wideness) * 50%) * var(--direction)); transform: translate(calc((-50% - var(--wideness) * -50%) * var(--direction))); } And now everything moves in the right direction while resizing the screen! CodePen Embed Fallback However, you will notice how words move in a straight line and some words overlap while resizing. We can’t allow this since a user with a specific screen size may get stuck at that point in the transition. Viewport transitions are cool, but not at the expense of ruining the experience for certain screen sizes. Instead of moving in a straight line, words should move in a curve such that they pass around the central word. Don’t worry, making a curve here is easier than it looks: just move the spans twice as fast in the x-axis as they do in the y-axis. This can be achieved by multiplying --wideness by 2, although we have to cap it at 1 so it doesn’t overshoot past the final value. span { display: inline-block; position: relative; bottom: calc((1.2lh - var(--wideness) * 1.2lh) * var(--direction)); left: calc((50% - min(var(--wideness) * 2, 1) * 50%) * var(--direction)); transform: translate(calc((-50% - min(var(--wideness) * 2, 1) * -50%) * var(--direction))); } Look at that beautiful curve, just avoiding the central text: CodePen Embed Fallback This is just the beginning! It’s surprising how powerful having the viewport as an integer can be, and what’s even crazier, the last example is one of the most basic transitions you could make with this typecasting hack. Once you do the initial setup, I can imagine a lot more possible transitions, and --widenesss is so useful, it’s like having a new CSS feature right now. I expect to see more about “Viewport Transitions” in the future because they do make websites feel more “alive” than adaptive. Typecasting and Viewport Transitions in CSS With tan(atan2()) originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

by: Abhishek Prakash Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:59:44 +0530 Guess who's rocking Instagram? That's right. It's Linux Handbook ;) If you are an active Instagram user, do follow us as I am posting interesting graphics and video memes. Here are the other highlights of this edition of LHB Linux Digest: Vi vs VimFlexpilot IDESelf hosted time trackerAnd more tools, tips and memes for youThis edition of LHB Linux Digest newsletter is supported by PikaPods.❇️ Self-hosting without hasslePikaPods allows you to quickly deploy your favorite open source software. All future updates are handled automatically by PikaPods while you enjoy using the software. I use it to self host Umami analytics. Oh! You get $5 free credit, so try it out and see if you could rely on PikaPods. PikaPods - Instant Open Source App HostingRun the finest Open Source web apps from $1/month, fully managed, no tracking, no ads, full privacy. Self-hosting was never this convenient.Instant Open Source App Hosting📖 Linux Tips and TutorialsLearn the difference between Vi and Vim. Take full advantage of the man pages in Linux.Complete beginner's guide to understanding different types of virtualization.Small but useful. Learn why BusyBox is being popular.Get more out of your bash history with these tips. 5 Simple Bash History Tricks Every Linux User Should KnowEffectively using bash history will save you plenty of time in the Linux terminal.Linux HandbookAbhishek Prakash       This post is for subscribers only Subscribe now Already have an account? Sign in

by: Community As a developer, you've likely seen many IDEs offering AI capabilities - from standalone editors like Cursor, Void editor, and Zed, to extensions like GitHub Copilot, Continue.dev, and Qodo. If you enjoy tinkering with open source tools and experimenting with different approaches, Flexpilot IDE might be just what you're looking for. 🔍 Why Flexpilot IDE? ✨Here are my reasons for creating and using Flexpilot: Bring your own AI Model 🤖: Most developers already have API keys for various LLM services. Today's LLM providers offer generous free tiers - take Google Gemini or Azure OpenAI for instance. Instead of being locked into a specific subscription, Flexpilot lets you use these existing credentials and experiment with different models as you see fit. Use locally hosted models 🏠: Privacy concerns in AI development are real. With advances in small language models and quantization techniques, running AI locally for simple coding tasks has become increasingly practical. Flexpilot embraces this by supporting locally hosted models, giving you complete control over your code's privacy. GitHub Copilot Extension marketplace 🔌: The GitHub copilot extension marketplace is one of the largest growing Agentic Marketplace as of today. Flexpilot stands alongside VSCode (i.e., with GitHub copilot) as one of only two platforms that can tap into these extensions, opening up a world of specialized AI capabilities. Use it inside a browser instantly 🌐: For those of us who spend time exploring GitHub codebases, the default GitHub interface can feel limiting. While vscode.dev and github.dev offer better browsing experiences, they lack AI capabilities. Flexpilot fills this gap through ide.flexpilot.ai, providing a familiar IDE experience enhanced with AI features right in your browser. Uses native API interfaces ⚡: Most VS Code extensions rely on webviews for their chat interfaces, which can create unnecessary overhead. Flexpilot takes a different approach by using native APIs. Think of it like using a native app versus a web app - the difference might seem subtle at first, but the improved performance and additional capabilities become apparent as you use it. Forked from VS Code 🔱: If you're comfortable with VS Code, you'll feel right at home with Flexpilot. It maintains all the familiar VS Code features while adding seamless AI integration. This means you get the best of both worlds - a trusted development environment with enhanced AI capabilities. Use Flexpilot IDE in web browser 🌐 📋 While the browser version offers a streamlined experience, it operates as a minimal client-only version. Due to browser limitations, it can't access nodejs or native APIs, but it handles code browsing and AI features remarkably well. One of Flexpilot's standout features is its browser accessibility. Similar to vscode.dev or github.dev, but with integrated AI capabilities, you can start using it immediately without installation. Try it by clicking here to browser Flexpilot IDE's source code. To browse any GitHub repository, simply modify the URL with your desired repo details: https://ide.flexpilot.ai/?folder=web-fs://github/<repo-user>/<repo-name>/<branch> For example, to explore the flexpilot-ide repo's main branch, use: https://ide.flexpilot.ai/?folder=web-fs://github/flexpilot-ai/flexpilot-ide/main Use Flexpilot IDE on Linux desktop 🐧 💻It would be better to use Flexpilot on the desktop to use its full functionality. Step 1: Download and installHead over to flexpilot.ai to download the latest Desktop version. You'll find builds for Windows, Mac, and Linux, with options for both x64 and ARM architectures. For Ubuntu users, the installation process is straightforward. Once you download the appropriate .deb package, Open Terminal in your download directory and run: For x64 systems: sudo dpkg -i linux-x64.deb For ARM systems: sudo dpkg -i linux-arm64.deb Then install dependencies: sudo apt-get install -f Now you can launch Flexpilot through your Applications menu or by just typing flexpilot in the terminal. Step 2: Connect to GitHub When you first launch Flexpilot, you'll notice a chat panel on the right side of the screen with a GitHub sign-in option. This connection does more than just authentication - it personalizes your experience with your GitHub profile and automatically configures GitHub Models API access, giving you immediate access to AI features. Step 3: Configure AI Model (Optional during initial setup) ⚡ While GitHub Models API is pre-configured after sign-in, you might want to set up additional AI providers. Access the command palette with Ctrl+Shift+P, type Flexpilot: Configure the Language Model Provider, and customize your model settings according to your needs. Step 4: Start chatting with your codebase using AI 💬Flexpilot offers several ways to interact with AI throughout your development workflow: Panel Chat The panel chat sits conveniently on the right side of your screen. Select your preferred model, add context by referencing files or symbols, and start your AI-assisted coding journey. Inline Chat Need to modify specific code sections? Select the code, press Ctrl+I, and describe your desired changes. The AI will suggest improvements while maintaining context. Terminal Chat Working in the terminal? Press Ctrl+I while in the integrated terminal to get AI-powered command suggestions and explanations. Additional FeaturesFlexpilot's AI integration extends beyond chat interfaces. You'll find AI assistance in code completions, multi-file edits, quick chat, symbol renaming, commit message generation, and more. Check out the official documentation for a complete feature list. Step 5: Configure completions For those who enjoy predictive code completions, configure any OpenAI API compatible completion model providers through the command palette. Select Flexpilot: Configure the Language Model Provider and choose Edit Completions Config. 💡 Consider trying Codestral API by Mistral - they offer a generous free tier for code completions. Sign up at console.mistral.ai/codestral without requiring payment details. Extend AI capabilities with Copilot Extensions 🔌 Flexpilot's extension system represents a significant step toward the future of AI development. Type @ in your chat to see installed agents and discover new ones through the marketplace. For instance, try the MongoDB extension - just start your questions with @mongodb for database-specific assistance. This extension ecosystem embodies the vision of collaborative AI agents working together to solve complex development challenges. ConclusionFlexpilot IDE brings a fresh perspective to AI-assisted development. While it's still evolving, its unique features and open approach make it a valuable tool for developers who want more control over their AI assistance. Looking to contribute? Visit GitHub repository and join the community in shaping the future of AI-native development. Happy coding! 🚀 Author InfoMohankumar Ramachandran is a Gen AI enthusiast, turning caffeine into code. Creator of Flexpilot.ai and open source advocate who believes AI is not just hype - it’s the future.

by: Abhishek Kumar Earlier, I shared how you can use Cloudflare Tunnels to access Raspberry Pi outside your home network. A few readers suggested using Tailscale. And indeed, this is a handy tool if your aim is to ssh into your Raspberry Pi securely from outside your home network. In this article, I'll be covering how you can use Tailscale VPN to remotely connect to your Raspberry Pi without the hassle of complicated network setups. What is Tailscale?Tailscale is a zero-config VPN built on the WireGuard protocol, designed to securely connect devices across different networks as if they were on the same local network. It simplifies private networking by establishing a mesh VPN that routes traffic between your devices, no matter where they are. Tailscale is available for multiple platforms, including Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and embedded devices like the Raspberry Pi, making it a versatile solution for remote access. How Tailscale WorksAt the heart of Tailscale is WireGuard, a fast and modern VPN protocol. Tailscale uses this protocol to create encrypted connections between your devices, while managing all the networking complexities behind the scenes. Its key mechanics include: Mesh Networking: Devices in your Tailscale network (or "tailnet") connect directly to each other where possible, creating a mesh of encrypted connections. End-to-End Encryption: All traffic is encrypted from one device to another, ensuring privacy and security. NAT Traversal: Tailscale automatically handles NAT traversal and firewall configurations, so you don’t need to worry about setting up port forwarding or exposing services. Auto-Routing: Once your devices are connected to the tailnet, Tailscale automatically routes traffic between them as needed. This makes it an excellent option for remotely accessing your Raspberry Pi or any other device, eliminating the hassle of configuring VPNs, firewalls, or DNS settings. Installing Tailscale on Raspberry PiTailscale can be installed easily on any Linux-based system, including the Raspberry Pi. Here’s how to set it up: Update your system: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -yInstall Tailscale: curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh Authenticate and connect to Tailscale: sudo tailscale up This command will generate a URL. Open this URL in your browser to log in with your Tailscale account. Once authenticated, your Raspberry Pi will be connected to your tailnet. Access Your Raspberry Pi: Once your Pi is part of the tailnet, you can access it remotely using its Tailscale IP address. ssh pi@<tailscale-ip> Setting Up Your Tailscale Network (Tailnet)Once you’ve created your Tailscale account, you’ll need to set up your tailnet and connect devices to it. Tailnet Creation: The good news is that Tailscale automatically creates a tailnet for you when you log in. There's no need for manual network setup just install Tailscale on your devices and they’ll join the same tailnet. Tailnet IP Addresses: Every device that joins your tailnet gets its own private, secure IP address. These IP addresses are assigned automatically by Tailscale and can be used to remotely access your devices. Managing Devices: Once a device joins your tailnet, you can view and manage it from the Tailscale web dashboard. From here, you can see the connection status, IP address, and name of each device. You can also remove devices or disable connections if needed. With your tailnet set up, you’re ready to access your Raspberry Pi from anywhere in the world, securely and without any complicated network configurations. PricingTailscale offers a straightforward pricing structure, starting with a Free Tier that supports up to 100 devices and includes all the key features needed for secure remote access—no credit card required. For users needing more, the Personal Pro plan is $5 per user per month, with unlimited devices and 1 subnet router, while the Business Plan at $10 per user per month adds advanced features like ACLs and more subnet routers. The Enterprise Plan offers custom solutions for larger networks. For most personal projects, the Free Tier provides everything you need to get started easily. ConclusionTailscale offers a simple solution for those needing simple, secure remote access to their Raspberry Pi or any other device. By leveraging WireGuard for fast and encrypted connections, and simplifying the complexities of VPN setup, Tailscale allows you to focus more on your projects and less on network configuration. The ease of installation, makes it an excellent choice for beginners, developers, and home automation enthusiasts alike. If you have any suggestions for other apps or services you’d like us to cover, or if you want to share what systems you use for remote access, feel free to comment below! We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

by: Abhishek Prakash Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:14:09 +0530 I have encountered situations where I had executed vi and it still runs Vim instead of the program that I had requested (Vi). That was just one part of the confusion. I have seen people using Vi and Vim interchangeably, even though they are not the same editors. Sure, many of you might know that Vim is an improved version of Vi (that is so obvious as Vim reads for Vi Improved) but there are still many differences and scenarios where you might want to use Vi over Vim. Vi vs Vim: Why the confusion? The confusion between Vi and Vim starts from their shared history and overlapping functionality. Vi, short for Visual Editor, was introduced in 1976 as part of the Unix operating system. It became a standard text editor on Unix systems, renowned for its efficiency and minimalism. Vim, on the other hand, stands for Vi IMproved, and was developed in 1991 as an enhanced version of Vi, offering additional features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, and advanced editing capabilities. Adding to the confusion is a common practice among Linux distributions: many create an alias or symlink that maps vi to Vim by default. This means that when users type vi in a terminal, they are often unknowingly using Vim instead of the original Vi. As a result, many users are unaware of where Vi ends and Vim begins. While both editors share the same core functionality, Vim extends Vi with numerous modern features that make it more versatile for contemporary workflows. For most users, this aliasing works in their favour since Vim’s expanded feature set is generally more useful. However, it has also led to widespread misunderstanding about what distinguishes the two editors. Key differences between Vi and VimNow, let's take a look at the key differences between Vi and Vim: FeatureViVimUndo LevelsSingle undoUnlimited undo and redoSyntax HighlightingNot availableAvailable for multiple programming languagesNavigation in Insert ModeNot supported (requires exiting to command mode)Supported (arrow keys work in insert mode)Plugins and ExtensibilityNot supportedSupports third-party pluginsVisual ModeNot availableAllows block selection and manipulationTabs and WindowsBasic single-file editingSupports tabs and split windowsLearning CurveSimpler due to fewer featuresSteeper due to additional functionality Is anything still better about Vi?While I was not sure if anything was still positive about Vi, when I talked to some sysadmins and power users, I came across some surprising points which prove that Vi is still relevant: Minimalism: Vi’s simplicity makes it extremely lightweight on system resources. This can be advantageous on older hardware or when working in minimalistic environments.Universality: As a default editor on all POSIX-compliant systems, Vi is guaranteed to be available without installation. This makes it a reliable fallback editor when working on constrained systems or during system recovery.Consistency: Vi adheres strictly to its original design philosophy, avoiding potential quirks or bugs introduced by newer features in Vim.Who should choose Vi?You might wonder that based on the points I made, the userbase for Vi will be close to nothing but that is not true. I know multiple users who use Vi over anything modern. Here are groups of people who can benefit from Vi: System administrators on legacy systems: If you work on older Unix systems or environments where only basic tools are available, learning Vi is a dependable choice.Minimalists: Those who value simplicity and prefer minimal resource usage may find Vi sufficient for their needs.Who should choose Vim?For most users, however, Vim is the better choice: Learning the basics: Beginners aiming to understand core text-editing concepts might benefit from starting with Vim as the lack of features in Vi could be even more overwhelming.Developers and programmers: With features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, and advanced navigation tools, Vim is ideal for coding tasks.Power users: Those who require multilevel undo, visual mode for block selection, or split windows for multitasking will find Vim indispensable.Cross-platform users: Vim’s availability across multiple platforms ensures a consistent experience regardless of the operating system.In fact, unless you’re working in an environment where minimalism is critical or resources are highly constrained, you’re almost certainly better off using Vim. Its additional features make it far more versatile while still retaining the efficiency of its predecessor. Start Learning Vim [Tutorial Series]Start learning Vim by following these Vim tips for beginners and advanced users.Linux HandbookAbhishek PrakashVi vs Vim: which one should I use?ConclusionVi and Vim cater to different needs despite their shared lineage. While Vi remains a lightweight, universal editor suitable for basic tasks or constrained environments, Vim extends its capabilities significantly, making it a powerful tool for modern development workflows. The choice ultimately depends on your specific requirements—whether you value simplicity or need advanced functionality. Which one do you use? Let us know in the comments.

By: Janus Atienza Tue, 11 Feb 2025 11:57:51 +0000 Typography isn’t just for designers—it plays a vital role in programming, terminal applications, system interfaces, and documentation readability. Whether you’re customizing your Linux desktop, developing a CLI tool, or enhancing your terminal experience, the right font can make all the difference. While pre-installed system fonts work, they don’t always provide the best readability, customization, or aesthetic appeal for specific workflows. That’s where Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator comes in—an AI-powered tool that allows Linux and Unix users to generate fully customized fonts for coding, UI design, and system customization. Instead of searching for a typeface that fits your workflow, you can create your own, ensuring optimal clarity, efficiency, and personal style. Check more information about it here. https://prnt.sc/-xM4p3ZDo0ts What Is Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator? Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator is an AI-powered web tool designed for fast, easy font creation. Unlike complex font-editing software like FontForge, this tool allows users to quickly generate, refine, and download fonts in TTF format, ready to install on Linux-based systems. Why Linux/Unix Users Will Find It Useful: Developers can create optimized coding fonts for their terminal or IDE. Sysadmins can customize terminal fonts for better visibility in logs and shell scripts. Open-source enthusiasts can design unique typefaces for their Linux desktop themes. Security professionals can craft fonts to improve readability in cybersecurity tools. Technical writers can enhance their documentation with distinct fonts for CLI commands. Since the tool is web-based, it works seamlessly on Linux without requiring additional software installation. Simply use a browser, generate your font, and install it on your system. Why It’s a Game-Changer for Linux Systems Linux users often prefer customization and control, and fonts are no exception. While existing fonts like Hack, Fira Code, and JetBrains Mono work well for coding, a fully customized font gives you an edge in readability and workflow efficiency. Optimized for Coding & Terminal Use A well-designed monospaced font enhances code clarity and reduces eye strain. With Creative Fabrica’s AI-powered glyph adjustments, users can: Ensure clear character distinction between symbols like O (capital O) and 0 (zero). Adjust font weight for better contrast in terminal applications. Customize spacing for more readable shell outputs. Faster Prototyping for UI/UX & System Customization Linux users who design window managers, tiling desktops, or lightweight interfaces can generate fonts that: Blend perfectly with minimalist or high-contrast themes. Offer pixel-perfect legibility in small sizes for taskbars, notifications, and HUDs. Maintain uniform letter proportions for a clean and structured interface. AI-Enhanced Font Consistency Traditional font customization in Linux requires manual tweaking through tools like FontForge—a time-consuming process. With Creative Fabrica’s AI-driven approach, each glyph maintains: Balanced stroke thickness for smooth text rendering. Uniform proportions to match monospaced and proportional layouts. Consistent spacing and kerning, improving legibility in config files, scripts, and logs. The Growing Demand for Custom Fonts Fonts aren’t just for aesthetics—they directly impact productivity. Whether using the command line, writing scripts, or debugging, a well-designed font reduces strain and increases efficiency. Where Custom Fonts Are Essential Terminal & Shell Interfaces – Improve clarity when reading logs or executing commands. Code Editors (Vim, Emacs, VS Code, JetBrains) – Enhance syntax visibility for better programming focus. Linux Window Managers & UI Customization – Create a personalized aesthetic for your i3, Sway, KDE, or GNOME setup. CLI-Based Dashboards & Monitoring Tools – Ensure easy-to-read stats in htop, neofetch, and system monitors. For users who prefer lightweight, bloat-free solutions, Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator is ideal—it requires no additional packages and works entirely in the browser. How the Font Generator Enhances the Experience Creating Readable Coding Fonts for the Terminal Whether writing shell scripts, managing logs, or working in a headless server environment, a clear, well-spaced font improves the overall experience. With the Font Generator, you can: Increase glyph distinction between brackets, pipes, and special characters. Optimize letter spacing for log readability. Reduce eye strain with balanced contrast settings. 2. Designing Custom UI Fonts for Desktop Environments Many Linux users customize their DE with polybar, rofi, dmenu, or conky. Instead of relying on generic system fonts, you can: Generate fonts that match your desktop theme. Create minimalist or bold fonts for notifications and overlays. Optimize spacing for compact UI elements. 3. Enhancing Documentation & Markdown Readability For Linux users writing technical guides, man pages, or documentation, typography matters. The Font Generator lets you create fonts that improve: Code block legibility in Markdown and LaTeX. Command-line formatting in terminal-based text editors. Blog readability for tech-focused content. Why Linux Users Should Choose This Tool Over Pre-Made Fonts Most Linux users spend time tweaking their system to perfection, yet fonts are often overlooked. Instead of settling for pre-made fonts that don’t quite fit your needs, Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator allows you to: Build exactly what you need instead of modifying existing fonts. Avoid licensing issues—you own the fonts you generate. Customize glyphs on the fly to match your UI, terminal, or workflow. For those who value automation, efficiency, and flexibility, an AI-driven font generator is the ultimate typography tool. How to Get Started with Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator Visit the Font Generator using any Linux-compatible browser. Enter your text to preview different styles. Adjust or regenerate glyphs for precise tuning. Preview in real time using different sizes and background colors. Export in TTF format and install it using: sudo mv customfont.ttf /usr/share/fonts/ fc-cache -fv Use your font in the terminal, code editor, or desktop environment. Conclusion For Linux/Unix users who value customization, performance, and efficiency, Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator is an essential tool. Whether you need a custom programming font, an optimized UI typeface, or a unique style for your Linux desktop, AI-driven font generation allows you to create, refine, and install the perfect typeface in just a few clicks. The post Why Every Linux/Unix User Should Try Creative Fabrica’s Font Generator appeared first on Unixmen.

by: Zainab Sutarwala Tue, 11 Feb 2025 10:52:00 +0000 Today computer courses are becoming a new trend in contemporary times. Such kinds of short-term courses are very popular for the 10th & 12th class students since after appearing in the respective Board exams, students can squeeze in the best computer courses to improve their odds of employability. These computer courses are really good for the 10th & 12th students since after their exams they have two to three months until the starting of their next class. Suppose you have completed your 12th with an exciting domain ‘Computers’ or have any interest in this field, then there are a lot of short-term courses that will lead you to an ideal job. Here, we have searched the best Computer courses after the 10th or 12th, continue reading to find the complete list here, and select the right course for you. 10 Best Computer Courses After 12th in India 1. Data Entry Operator Course The most basic and short-term computer courses that students can choose after 12th, is designed to sharpen the student’s computer typing & data entry skills that is a process to enter data in the computerized database or spreadsheet. This particular course is appropriate for students who don’t seek or want advanced knowledge of computers; it will help you to get entry-level data entry or typing jobs in the companies. The duration of the course is generally for 6 months but can vary from one institute to another. 2. Programming Language Course The programming language is known as the base of the IT world. You can do nothing without Programming. You may select any language as per your choice & understanding like C, C ++, PYTHON, JAVA, HACK, JAVASCRIPT, NET, ASP, RUBY, PERL, SQL, PHP, and more. After doing the course, you will get a job as a software developer or Programmer. But, if you learn at an advanced level, then you can create your software or game. Learning the programming language is the best computer course that students must consider after graduation for the Engineering graduates and person who will jam up with the lines of codes and create something really good in the terms of software & web applications. Also Read: BCA vs B.Tech – Which is Better? 3. MS Office Certificate Programme MS Office is a three month to a six-month program where students will be taught about the prominent apps of Microsoft Office such as MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, and MS Access. Students will learn to use the applications on a regular basis. Students after getting the certificate or diploma in the Microsoft Office Certificate Programme will become efficient at the workplace too. Certificate or Diploma holders are well suited for the front-end jobs where the computers are used such as shops, restaurants, hotels, and more. 4. Computer-Aided Design & Drawing or CADD Students with a technical background may opt for the CADD short-term course. This course helps the students to learn about different CAD programs & Softwares such as Fusion360, Infraworks, AutoCAD, and more. The short-term and best computer course, just like CADDD will improve the know-how of an Engineering graduate while ITI degree or diploma holders may easily land on drafting related offers after their course completion. 5. Computer Hardware Maintenance There are some students who are very much interested in hardware than software. Suppose you do not want to go for the above fields, then this is one amazing option. The course of computer hardware maintenance is done after your 12th Computer. This course teaches you about hardware maintenance and other technical details. 6. Animation and VFX The part of designing, Animation, and VFX courses are quickly becoming the most popular computer course that students consider after 12th when looking for the field of specialization. According to the report, the animation industry in India is predicted to grow by 15 to 20% to touch USD 23bn by 2021. Most of the cities in India provide diploma courses in this field of Animation and VFX with a duration of 6 months to 2 years. Thus, if you like to draw and allow your imagination to go wild on paper, then you are well suited for the course. 7. Digital Marketing Students who are looking to make their career in the field than doing the digital marketing course will be the best thing after the 12th. Digital marketing today is the most growing career. There’re over 4 lakh jobs accessible in the Marketing domain. Most business owners need the help of the digital marketing team for promoting their brands and services. The digital marketing industry is predicted to generate over 2 million jobs by an end of 2020. Thus, the future in this industry is quite promising. No matter whether it is a big player or a small start-up, companies want to invest hugely in digital marketing activities. They’re looking for people who will be able to develop & implement the digital marketing campaigns as per their needs. 8. Tally ERP 9 It’s the best computer course to consider after 12th commerce, but not just for the commerce students, but any stream students may join the course. Tally Enterprise Resource Planning or Tally ERP is the software that is used to maintain accounts in the company & ERP 9 is the latest version. It’s the certification and diploma computer course where you may learn financial management, taxation, account management, and more. After the course completion, you may work as the tally operator or assistant where GST and Income tax returns are filed, and as a fresher you need to do some basic works like the purchases & sales entries and more. 9. Mobile App Development Mobile phones or Smartphones today are an indispensable part of everybody’s lives. Right from indulging in online shopping to food ordering and playing games, there’s an app for everything nowadays. It is a trend, which has made mobile app development the fastest growing career paths. The mobile app developer is generally responsible for designing & building impactful mobile applications for organizations that are looking to better the customer engagement practices. These short-term courses after 12th typically have a duration of 6 months, although this might vary from one institute to another. 10. Graphic Designing Joining the Graphic Designing computer course after your 12th will provide you with an amazing platform to display your creative talent. With the onset of computers, the stream of design can be used everywhere & has got multiple applications in different fields. After the completion of this computer course, the student has an option to pursue many career options liked to design that include; Corporate or Agency Graphics designer Graphics designer (Freelance or independent) Brand and Visual Identity manager Graphic designer (with magazines or websites or media or publishing firms) Printing specialist Creative director Wrapping Up So, these are some of the highly preferred computer courses by the students after the 10th and 12th. Hope the list of courses has helped you to know your course selection after the 12th. Make sure you choose the best computer course and most of the institutes are now offering online classes due to the current pandemic. Best of Luck! The post 10 Best Computer Courses After 12th in India 2025 appeared first on The Crazy Programmer.

by: LHB Community Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:57:18 +0530 As an alert Linux sysadmin, you may want to monitor web traffic for specific services. Here's why? Telemetry detection: Some tools with sensitive user data go online when they shouldn't. Good examples are offline wallet or note-taking applications.Application debugging when something goes wrong.High traffic usage: 4G or 5G connections are usually limited, so it's better for the wallet to stay within the limits.The situation becomes complicated on servers due to the popularity of containers, mostly Docker or LXC. How to identify an application's traffic within this waterfall? Httpat from Monastic Academy is a great solution for this purpose. It works without root access, you only need write access to /dev/net/tun to be able to work with TUN virtual device used for traffic interception. Installing HttpatThe application is written in Go and the binary can be easily downloaded from the Github release page using these three commands one by one: wget -c https://github.com/monasticacademy/httptap/releases/latest/download/httptap_linux_$(uname -m).tar.gz tar xf httptap_linux_$(uname -m).tar.gz sudo mv httptap /usr/bin && rm -rf httptap_linux_$(uname -m).tar.gz Install with Go: go install github.com/monasticacademy/httptap@latest Another way is to check your Linux distribution repository for the httptap package. The Repology project is great to see which distributions currently have a Httptap package. On Ubuntu 24.04 and later, the next AppArmor restrictions should be disabled: sudo sysctl -w kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_unconfined=0 sudo sysctl -w kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_userns=0 Practical examples for common use-casesFor a quick start, let's load the website "linuxhandbook.com" using curl: httptap -- curl -s -o /dev/null https://linuxhandbook.com Looks great, it tells us that curl used 141714 bytes for a GET request with code 200, which is OK. We use -s -o /dev/null to prevent any output from the curl to see what Httptap does. ---> GET https://linuxhandbook.com/ <--- 200 https://linuxhandbook.com/ (141714 bytes)Let's try google.com website, which use redirects: httptap -- python -c "import requests; requests.get('https://google.com')" ---> GET https://google.com/ <--- 301 https://google.com/ (220 bytes) decoding gzip content ---> GET https://www.google.com/ <--- 200 https://www.google.com/ (20721 bytes) It works and notifies us about 301 redirects and archived content. Not bad at all. Let's say we have a few instances in the Google Cloud, managed by the cli tool called gcloud. What HTTP endpoints does this command use? Let's take a look: httptap -- gcloud compute instances list ---> POST https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token <--- 200 https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token (997 bytes) ---> GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/maple-public-website/aggregated/instances?alt=json&includeAllScopes=True&maxResults=500&returnPartialSuccess=True <--- 200 https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/maple-public-website/aggregated/instances?alt=json&includeAllScopes=True&maxResults=500&returnPartialSuccess=True (19921 bytes) The answer is compute.googleapis.com. OK, we have Dropbox storage and the rclone tool to manage it from the command line. What API endpoint uses Dropbox? $ httptap -- rclone lsf dropbox: decoding gzip content ---> POST https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder <--- 200 https://api.dropboxapi.com/2/files/list_folder (2119 bytes) The answer is loud and clear again: api.dropboxapi.com. Let's play a bit with DoH - encrypted DNS, DNS-over-HTTPS. We will use Quad9, a famous DNS service which supports DoH via https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query endpoint. $ httptap -- curl -sL --doh-url https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query https://linuxhandbook.com -o /dev/null ---> POST https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query <--- 200 https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query (83 bytes) ---> POST https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query <--- 200 https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query (119 bytes) ---> GET https://linuxhandbook.com/ <--- 200 https://linuxhandbook.com/ (141727 bytes) Now we can see that it makes two POST requests to the Quad9 DoH endpoint, and one GET request to the target - linuxhandbook.com/ to check if it works correctly, all with success. Let's take a look under the hood - print the payloads of the DNS-over-HTTPS requests with --head and --body flags: ./httptap --head --body -- curl -sL --doh-url https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query https://linuxhandbook.com -o /dev/null---> POST https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query > Accept: */* > Content-Type: application/dns-message > Content-Length: 35 linuxhandbookcom <--- 200 https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query (83 bytes) < Content-Type: application/dns-message < Cache-Control: max-age=300 < Content-Length: 83 < Server: h2o/dnsdist < Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:43:37 GMT linuxhandbookcom ,he ,he ,CI� ---> POST https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query > Accept: */* > Content-Type: application/dns-message > Content-Length: 35 linuxhandbookcom <--- 200 https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query (119 bytes) < Server: h2o/dnsdist < Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:43:38 GMT < Content-Type: application/dns-message < Cache-Control: max-age=300 < Content-Length: 119 linuxhandbookcom ,&G CI� ,&G he ,&G he ---> GET https://linuxhandbook.com/ > User-Agent: curl/8.11.1 > Accept: */* <--- 200 https://linuxhandbook.com/ (141742 bytes) < Cache-Control: private, max-age=0, must-revalidate, no-cache, no-store < Pagespeed: off < X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff < X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN < X-Origin-Cache-Control: public, max-age=0 < Report-To: {"endpoints":[{"url":"https:\/\/a.nel.cloudflare.com\/report\/v4?s=bAHIntCPfaGgoUwEwhk5QWPETFvnq5K9Iw60TGIAcnTisEfo%2BjKulz%2FJP7rTPgmyznVSc%2BSwIOKtajz%2BZTg71To4BuapDd%2BKdgyar%2FpIGT76XWH9%2FVNMyliYqgceD7DwuBmiPr3F77zxa7b6ty8J"}],"group":"cf-nel","max_age":604800} < Server: cloudflare < Cf-Ray: 90f4fa286f9970bc-WAW < X-Middleton-Response: 200 < X-Powered-By: Express < Cf-Cache-Status: DYNAMIC < Alt-Svc: h3=":443"; ma=86400 < Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:43:48 GMT < Display: orig_site_sol < Expires: Sat, 08 Feb 2025 15:43:48 GMT < Response: 200 < Set-Cookie: ezoictest=stable; Path=/; Domain=linuxhandbook.com; Expires=Sun, 09 Feb 2025 16:13:48 GMT; HttpOnly < Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload < X-Middleton-Display: orig_site_sol < Server-Timing: cfL4;desc="?proto=TCP&rtt=0&min_rtt=0&rtt_var=0&sent=0&recv=0&lost=0&retrans=0&sent_bytes=0&recv_bytes=0&delivery_rate=0&cwnd=0&unsent_bytes=0&cid=0a7f5fbffa6452d4&ts=351&x=0" < Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 < Vary: Accept-Encoding,User-Agent < X-Ezoic-Cdn: Miss < X-Sol: orig < Nel: {"success_fraction":0,"report_to":"cf-nel","max_age":604800} <!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en" class="group/html min-h-screen has-inline-code-block has-gray-scale-Slate " data-prismjs-copy="Copy" data-prismjs-copy-error="Error" data-prismjs-copy-success="Copied"><head><meta charset="UTF-8"/> ... Fantastic! Httptap just intercepted the HTTP headers thanks to the --head option and the payloads because the --body option was used. HARTo work more comfortably with HTTP requests and responses, Httptap supports HAR format: httptap --dump-har out.har -- curl -Lso /dev/null https://linuxhandbook.com There are many HAR viewer applications, let's open it in Google HAR Analyzer: More useful Httptap options: --no-new-user-namespace - run as root without user namespace.--subnet and --gateway - subnet and gateway of network inteface visible for subprocess.--dump-tcp - dump all TCP packets --http HTTP - list of TCP ports to intercept HTTPS traffic on (default: 80) --https HTTPS - list of TCP ports to intercept HTTP traffic on (default: 443)Httptap runs the process in an isolated network namespace and also mounts an overlay filesystem for /etc/resolv.conf to make sure the correct DNS is used. The Linux namespace is a list of network interfaces and routing rules, and httptap uses it to not affect network traffic on the system. It also injects a Certificate Authority to be able to decrypt HTTPS traffic. Httptap creates a TUN device and runs the subprocess in an environment where all network traffic is routed through this device, just like OpenVPN. Httptap parses the IP packets, including inner TCP and UDP packets, and writes back raw IP packets using a software implementation of the TCP/IP protocol. Advanced - modifying requests and responsesCurrently there are no interface or command line options to do this, but it's possible with simple source code modification. Basic Go programming skills are required, of course. The code that handles HTTP requests is here, and the code that handles responses is a few lines below that. So it's very easy to modify outgoing traffic in the same way as a normal GO HTTP request modification. Real expamples: modify or randomize application telemetry by inserting random data to make it less readable. ConclusionThere are a few related tools that I find interesting and would like to share with you: Wireshark - if you want to know what's going on your network interfaces, the real must-have tool.OpenSnitch - interactive application firewall inspired by Little Snitch for macOS.Douane - personal firewall that protects a user's privacy by allowing a user to control which applications can connect to the internet from their GNU/Linux computer.Adnauseam - "clicking ads, so you don't have to".I hope you enjoy using Httptap as much as I do 😄 ✍️Author Info: Paul is a Linux user since late 00s, FOSS advocate, always exploring new open-source technologies. Passionate about privacy, security, networks and community-driven development. You can find him on Mastodon.

By: Janus Atienza Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:57:27 +0000 Source You probably don’t need anyone to tell you that securing cloud environments can be complex, especially when dealing with diverse architectures that include VMs, containers, serverless functions, and bare metal servers. The challenge becomes even more significant as organizations adopt cloud-native technologies like Docker containers and Kubernetes to build and run applications. Many security tools address various aspects of cloud-native security, but issues can fall through the cracks between siloed solutions. This leaves dangerous gaps that attackers actively exploit. Just ask any of the high-profile companies that have had their Linux containers popped! Cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPP) aim to solve this problem by providing an integrated set of capabilities for securing Linux and cloud environments. CNAPP consolidates visibility, threat detection, compliance assurance, and more into a single management plane. This unified approach dramatically simplifies Linux security in the cloud. With Linux serving as the foundation for over 90% of the public cloud workload, getting Linux security right is mandatory. This post focuses on how a CNAPP helps you enhance and streamline security for your Linux workloads, whether they run directly on VMs or inside containers orchestrated by Kubernetes. Core CNAPP Capabilities for Linux A CNAPP tailored to Linux delivers a set of security superpowers to help you protect dynamic cloud environments. Here are some of the most valuable capabilities: Unified Visibility Obtaining visibility into security issues across distributed Linux environments is difficult when using multiple, disconnected tools. This leaves observational gaps attackers exploit. A CNAPP provides a “central view” for continuously monitoring the security state of your entire Linux footprint – whether those workloads run directly on VMs, inside containers, or within serverless functions. Think of this centralized visibility capability as a giant security camera monitoring nerve center for your Linux world, ingesting and correlating telemetry feeds from diverse hosting platforms, workloads, and ancillary solutions. This unified perspective, presented through integrated dashboards, enables security teams to quickly identify misconfigurations, detect threats, spot vulnerable software, assess compliance risks, and respond to incidents no matter where they originate within the Linux infrastructure. The complete, correlated picture eliminates the need for manually piecing together data from siloed consoles and workflows. Threats that individual tools would miss now become clearly visible to the all-seeing eye of the CNAPP. Automated Misconfiguration Detection Human error is the culprit behind many cloud security incidents. A CNAPP helps catch oversights by automatically surfacing Linux configurations that violate best practices or introduce risk, such as: Overly permissive SSH daemon settings Unprotected kernel parameter exposures Insecure container runtime configurations The system flags these issues for remediation by comparing observed settings against benchmarks like CIS Linux. This prevents attackers from exploiting common Linux footholds. To make this manageable, you’ll want to risk-rank the findings based on severity and fix the risky ones first. An effective CNAPP will provide context and prioritization guidance here. Runtime Threat Protection Even tightly configured Linux systems can come under attack at runtime. A CNAPP adds behavioral monitoring and analytics to spot anomalous activity that signals malware, insider threats, or focused attacker activity across Linux workloads. Capabilities like machine learning-powered anomaly detection, exploit prevention, and event correlation give your Linux servers, containers, and functions a 24/7 security detail monitoring for signs of foul play. Integration with endpoint detection tools like Falco provides additional visibility into Linux process activity and kernel changes. The more telemetry fed into the CNAPP, the earlier threats can be detected. Some CNAPP solutions take an agent-based approach to runtime security, installing software agents onto Linux hosts to monitor events. Others are agentless, analyzing activity purely from exported telemetry. The right method depends on your environment – agents provide richer data but consume host resources. Vulnerability Management CNAPP also serves as a command center for finding and patching vulnerabilities across Linux infrastructure, containers, and code dependencies. Running frequent vulnerability scans against Linux systems coupled with image scanning for container registries helps you continually identify software packages and OS components in need of updates. The CNAPP becomes a single pane of glass for prioritizing vulnerabilities based on exploitability and blast radius, then orchestrating the patching process across Linux machines for risk reduction. This prevents neglected vulnerabilities that are secretly stockpiling risk throughout your Linux fleet. Access Controls & Least Privilege Overly permissive account permissions open severe exposure on Linux systems. CNAPP can dynamically map Linux users to roles and enforce fine-grained access controls aligning with least privilege principles. Maintaining rigidity around which users, services, containers, and functions can access what resources minimizes lateral movement after a breach. Integrating these permissions into the CNAPP provides a unified control point for both on-instance and cloud resource access for organizations using cloud IAM services like AWS IAM or GCP IAM. Creating customized security policies within your CNAPP that are used to your particular Linux environment and compliance requirements provides precision access controls. Linux-Specific CNAPP Use Case: Securing Containerized Applications Let’s move from abstract capabilities to a concrete example: using a CNAPP to secure containerized applications running on Linux. Kubernetes has become the orchestrator of choice for running containerized workloads. Securing the components in this ecosystem remains critically important and highly challenging. A CNAPP helps by providing continuous visibility and security automation across the entire pipeline – from container image creation to runtime protection. Integrating image scanning into CI/CD pipelines ensures every container image that gets built contains no known vulnerabilities or malware before it ever launches into your Kubernetes clusters running on Linux hosts. This prevents compromised images from being deployed onto hosts that are nearly impossible to detect once running among thousands of other containers. At runtime, the CNAPP employs behavioral analytics to baseline regular container activity on Linux hosts and detect attacks attempting to infiltrate containers or abuse Kubernetes APIs for malicious ends. Detecting and automatically blocking anomalous process executions, network communications, mounting sensitive volumes, lateral pod movements, and excessive resource utilization helps thwart external and insider-initiated attacks. You can also define network segmentation policies and apply them across Linux container hosts to limit the lateral blast radius. This contains malicious containers. Final Word Like a giant octopus attempting to strangle your entire Linux environment, the current threat landscape necessitates a unified security approach. CNAPP delivers this through continuous visibility, baked-in compliance, centralized policy controls, and attack disruption across your cloud-native Linux footprint. Assess where Linux shows up across your server, container, and function fleets, along with your current security tooling in these areas. Research CNAPP solutions that can integrate into existing workflows and provide consolidation. Start small by piloting capabilities on a limited Linux environment, like focusing a CNAPP on container vulnerability management or runtime threat detection for a portion of your Kubernetes footprint. Once proven, scale it out from there! The post The Essential Guide to CNAPP on Linux for Cloud Security appeared first on Unixmen.

by: aiparabellum.com Tue, 11 Feb 2025 02:31:43 +0000 https://www.silkchart.com SilkChart is an advanced AI-powered tool designed to revolutionize sales team performance by going beyond conventional call recording. This platform empowers sales managers and individual sellers to significantly improve their sales playbook adoption and overall performance. With features such as personalized feedback, AI-driven coaching, and actionable insights, SilkChart is a one-stop solution tailored specifically for B2B SaaS sales teams. It not only analyzes sales calls but also optimizes team efficiency by providing real-time, data-driven coaching. Features of SilkChart SilkChart offers a comprehensive feature set to help sales teams achieve their goals: Sales Playbook Optimization: Choose from proven playbooks like MEDDIC, Challenger Sales, SPIN, or SPICED, or create custom playbooks. Track adoption and performance across calls and reps. Personalized Scorecards: Get detailed scorecards for each representative, highlighting areas of improvement and providing actionable insights. AI Coaching: The AI Coach offers specific, real-time feedback after every call, enabling reps to improve their performance instantly. Meeting Insights: Identify top-performing reps’ strategies, analyze objection handling, and provide actionable rephrasing suggestions to close deals more effectively. Team Analytics: Automatically surface critical calls and reps, allowing managers to focus on what matters most. Includes keyword analysis, customizable summaries, and instant alerts for risks like churn or competitor mentions. Seamless Integrations: Sync with your calendar, auto-record meetings, and receive insights via email, Slack, or your CRM. Deal Health Analysis: Analyze calls to identify deal risks and evaluate health using leading indicators. SaaS-Specific Benchmarks: Built exclusively for B2B SaaS teams, providing benchmarks and insights tailored to their needs. How It Works SilkChart simplifies sales call analysis and coaching through a seamless and automated process: Quick Setup: Set up the platform in just 5 minutes with no extra input required. Call Processing: Automatically records and processes calls, generating insights without disrupting workflows. AI Analysis: The AI evaluates call performance, measures playbook adherence, and provides tailored feedback. Feedback Delivery: Reps receive immediate feedback after each call, removing the need to wait for one-on-one sessions. Alerts and Summaries: Managers receive real-time alerts on risks and access customizable call summaries for deeper insights. Benefits of SilkChart SilkChart delivers unparalleled advantages for both sales managers and individual sellers: For Sales Managers: Save time by focusing only on key areas that need improvement. Improve team performance with data-driven coaching. Gain instant insights into deal health and potential risks. For Individual Sellers: Receive personalized coaching to address specific improvement areas. Enhance objection-handling skills with actionable feedback. Close more deals by replicating top reps’ successful strategies. For Teams: Improve playbook adoption with clear tracking and benchmarks. Foster collaboration by sharing insights and best practices. Increase productivity by automating routine tasks such as call analysis. Pricing SilkChart offers flexible pricing plans to cater to diverse needs: Free Plan: Includes unlimited call recordings, making it accessible for teams looking to get started with no upfront cost. Custom Plans: Tailored pricing based on team size and requirements, ensuring you pay only for what you need. For detailed pricing information, you can explore their plans and choose the one that best fits your team dynamics. Review SilkChart has garnered trust from top sales teams for its ability to transform how sales calls are analyzed and optimized. Its focus on actionable insights, seamless integrations, and AI-powered coaching makes it a game-changer for B2B SaaS sales teams. Unlike other tools that merely record calls, SilkChart actively drives playbook adoption and helps sales teams close deals faster and more effectively. Users appreciate the platform’s intuitive setup, real-time feedback, and ability to enhance playbook adherence. Sales managers particularly value the automatic alerts and deal health insights, which allow them to act proactively. Meanwhile, individual sellers benefit from the personalized coaching that makes them better at their craft. Conclusion In a competitive sales landscape, SilkChart stands out as an indispensable tool for B2B SaaS sales teams. By going beyond traditional call recording, it helps sales managers and sellers optimize their performance, improve playbook adoption, and close more deals. With its AI-driven features, real-time feedback, and seamless integrations, SilkChart simplifies the sales process while delivering measurable results. Whether you’re a sales manager looking to save time or a seller aiming to sharpen your skills, SilkChart is the ultimate solution to elevate your sales game. Visit Website The post SilkChart appeared first on AI Parabellum.

by: aiparabellum.com Tue, 11 Feb 2025 02:31:43 +0000 https://www.silkchart.com SilkChart is an advanced AI-powered tool designed to revolutionize sales team performance by going beyond conventional call recording. This platform empowers sales managers and individual sellers to significantly improve their sales playbook adoption and overall performance. With features such as personalized feedback, AI-driven coaching, and actionable insights, SilkChart is a one-stop solution tailored specifically for B2B SaaS sales teams. It not only analyzes sales calls but also optimizes team efficiency by providing real-time, data-driven coaching. Features of SilkChart SilkChart offers a comprehensive feature set to help sales teams achieve their goals: Sales Playbook Optimization: Choose from proven playbooks like MEDDIC, Challenger Sales, SPIN, or SPICED, or create custom playbooks. Track adoption and performance across calls and reps. Personalized Scorecards: Get detailed scorecards for each representative, highlighting areas of improvement and providing actionable insights. AI Coaching: The AI Coach offers specific, real-time feedback after every call, enabling reps to improve their performance instantly. Meeting Insights: Identify top-performing reps’ strategies, analyze objection handling, and provide actionable rephrasing suggestions to close deals more effectively. Team Analytics: Automatically surface critical calls and reps, allowing managers to focus on what matters most. Includes keyword analysis, customizable summaries, and instant alerts for risks like churn or competitor mentions. Seamless Integrations: Sync with your calendar, auto-record meetings, and receive insights via email, Slack, or your CRM. Deal Health Analysis: Analyze calls to identify deal risks and evaluate health using leading indicators. SaaS-Specific Benchmarks: Built exclusively for B2B SaaS teams, providing benchmarks and insights tailored to their needs. How It Works SilkChart simplifies sales call analysis and coaching through a seamless and automated process: Quick Setup: Set up the platform in just 5 minutes with no extra input required. Call Processing: Automatically records and processes calls, generating insights without disrupting workflows. AI Analysis: The AI evaluates call performance, measures playbook adherence, and provides tailored feedback. Feedback Delivery: Reps receive immediate feedback after each call, removing the need to wait for one-on-one sessions. Alerts and Summaries: Managers receive real-time alerts on risks and access customizable call summaries for deeper insights. Benefits of SilkChart SilkChart delivers unparalleled advantages for both sales managers and individual sellers: For Sales Managers: Save time by focusing only on key areas that need improvement. Improve team performance with data-driven coaching. Gain instant insights into deal health and potential risks. For Individual Sellers: Receive personalized coaching to address specific improvement areas. Enhance objection-handling skills with actionable feedback. Close more deals by replicating top reps’ successful strategies. For Teams: Improve playbook adoption with clear tracking and benchmarks. Foster collaboration by sharing insights and best practices. Increase productivity by automating routine tasks such as call analysis. Pricing SilkChart offers flexible pricing plans to cater to diverse needs: Free Plan: Includes unlimited call recordings, making it accessible for teams looking to get started with no upfront cost. Custom Plans: Tailored pricing based on team size and requirements, ensuring you pay only for what you need. For detailed pricing information, you can explore their plans and choose the one that best fits your team dynamics. Review SilkChart has garnered trust from top sales teams for its ability to transform how sales calls are analyzed and optimized. Its focus on actionable insights, seamless integrations, and AI-powered coaching makes it a game-changer for B2B SaaS sales teams. Unlike other tools that merely record calls, SilkChart actively drives playbook adoption and helps sales teams close deals faster and more effectively. Users appreciate the platform’s intuitive setup, real-time feedback, and ability to enhance playbook adherence. Sales managers particularly value the automatic alerts and deal health insights, which allow them to act proactively. Meanwhile, individual sellers benefit from the personalized coaching that makes them better at their craft. Conclusion In a competitive sales landscape, SilkChart stands out as an indispensable tool for B2B SaaS sales teams. By going beyond traditional call recording, it helps sales managers and sellers optimize their performance, improve playbook adoption, and close more deals. With its AI-driven features, real-time feedback, and seamless integrations, SilkChart simplifies the sales process while delivering measurable results. Whether you’re a sales manager looking to save time or a seller aiming to sharpen your skills, SilkChart is the ultimate solution to elevate your sales game. Visit Website The post SilkChart appeared first on AI Parabellum.

by: Chris Coyier Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:27:38 +0000 Jake thinks developers should embrace creative coding again, which, ya know, it’s hard to disagree with from my desk at what often feels like creative coding headquarters. Why tho? From Jake’s perspective it’s about exposure. Creative coding can be coding under whatever constraints you feel like applying, not what your job requires, which might just broaden your horizons. And with a twist of irony make you better at that job. If you think of creative coding as whirls, swirls, bleeps, bloops, and monkeys in sunglasses and none of that does anything for you, you might need a horizon widening to get started. I think Dave’s recent journey of poking at his code editor to make this less annoying absolutely qualifies as creative (group) coding. It went as far as turning the five characters “this.” into a glyph in a programming font to reduce the size, since it was so incredibly repetitive in the world of Web Components. How about some other creative ideas that aren’t necessarily making art, but are flexing the creative mind anyway. What if you wanted every “A” character automatically 2✕ the size of every other character wherever it shows up? That would be weird. I can’t think of an amazing use case off the top of my head, but the web is big place and you never know. Terence Eden actually played with this though, not with the “A” character, but “Any Emoji”. It’s a nice little trick, incorporating a custom @font-face font that only matches a subset of characters (the emojis) via a unicode-range property, then uses size-adjust to boost them up. Just include the font in the used stack and it works! I think this qualifies as creative coding as much as anything else does. Adam covered a bit of a classic CSS trick the other day, when when you hover over an element, all the elements fade out except the one you’re on. The usage of @media (hover) is funky looking to me, but it’s a nice touch, ensuring the effect only happens on devices that actually have “normal” hover states as it were. Again that’s the kind of creative coding that leads fairly directly into everyday useful concepts. OK last one. Maybe channel some creative coding into making your RSS feed look cool? Here’s a tool to see what it could look like. It uses the absolutely strange <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="/rss.xsl" ?> line that you plop into the XML and it loads up like a stylesheet, which is totally a thing.

by: Ryan Trimble Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:06:52 +0000 I’m trying to come up with ways to make components more customizable, more efficient, and easier to use and understand, and I want to describe a pattern I’ve been leaning into using CSS Cascade Layers. I enjoy organizing code and find cascade layers a fantastic way to organize code explicitly as the cascade looks at it. The neat part is, that as much as it helps with “top-level” organization, cascade layers can be nested, which allows us to author more precise styles based on the cascade. The only downside here is your imagination, nothing stops us from over-engineering CSS. And to be clear, you may very well consider what I’m about to show you as a form of over-engineering. I think I’ve found a balance though, keeping things simple yet organized, and I’d like to share my findings. The anatomy of a CSS component pattern Let’s explore a pattern for writing components in CSS using a button as an example. Buttons are one of the more popular components found in just about every component library. There’s good reason for that popularity because buttons can be used for a variety of use cases, including: performing actions, like opening a drawer, navigating to different sections of the UI, and holding some form of state, such as focus or hover. And buttons come in several different flavors of markup, like <button>, input[type="button"], and <a class="button">. There are even more ways to make buttons than that, if you can believe it. On top of that, different buttons perform different functions and are often styled accordingly so that a button for one type of action is distinguished from another. Buttons also respond to state changes, such as when they are hovered, active, and focused. If you have ever written CSS with the BEM syntax, we can sort of think along those lines within the context of cascade layers. .button {} .button-primary {} .button-secondary {} .button-warning {} /* etc. */ Okay, now, let’s write some code. Specifically, let’s create a few different types of buttons. We’ll start with a .button class that we can set on any element that we want to be styled as, well, a button! We already know that buttons come in different flavors of markup, so a generic .button class is the most reusable and extensible way to select one or all of them. .button { /* Styles common to all buttons */ } Using a cascade layer This is where we can insert our very first cascade layer! Remember, the reason we want a cascade layer in the first place is that it allows us to set the CSS Cascade’s reading order when evaluating our styles. We can tell CSS to evaluate one layer first, followed by another layer, then another — all according to the order we want. This is an incredible feature that grants us superpower control over which styles “win” when applied by the browser. We’ll call this layer components because, well, buttons are a type of component. What I like about this naming is that it is generic enough to support other components in the future as we decide to expand our design system. It scales with us while maintaining a nice separation of concerns with other styles we write down the road that maybe aren’t specific to components. /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Styles common to all buttons */ } } Nesting cascade layers Here is where things get a little weird. Did you know you can nest cascade layers inside classes? That’s totally a thing. So, check this out, we can introduce a new layer inside the .button class that’s already inside its own layer. Here’s what I mean: /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { /* Styles */ } } } This is how the browser interprets that layer within a layer at the end of the day: @layer components { @layer elements { .button { /* button styles... */ } } } This isn’t a post just on nesting styles, so I’ll just say that your mileage may vary when you do it. Check out Andy Bell’s recent article about using caution with nested styles. Structuring styles So far, we’ve established a .button class inside of a cascade layer that’s designed to hold any type of component in our design system. Inside that .button is another cascade layer, this one for selecting the different types of buttons we might encounter in the markup. We talked earlier about buttons being <button>, <input>, or <a> and this is how we can individually select style each type. We can use the :is() pseudo-selector function as that is akin to saying, “If this .button is an <a> element, then apply these styles.” /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { /* styles common to all buttons */ &:is(a) { /* <a> specific styles */ } &:is(button) { /* <button> specific styles */ } /* etc. */ } } } Defining default button styles I’m going to fill in our code with the common styles that apply to all buttons. These styles sit at the top of the elements layer so that they are applied to any and all buttons, regardless of the markup. Consider them default button styles, so to speak. /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { background-color: darkslateblue; border: 0; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: grid; font-size: 1rem; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding-block: 0.65rem; padding-inline: 1rem; place-content: center; width: fit-content; } } } Defining button state styles What should our default buttons do when they are hovered, clicked, or in focus? These are the different states that the button might take when the user interacts with them, and we need to style those accordingly. I’m going to create a new cascade sub-layer directly under the elements sub-layer called, creatively, states: /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { /* Styles common to all buttons */ } /* Component states layer */ @layer states { /* Styles for specific button states */ } } } Pause and reflect here. What states should we target? What do we want to change for each of these states? Some states may share similar property changes, such as :hover and :focus having the same background color. Luckily, CSS gives us the tools we need to tackle such problems, using the :where() function to group property changes based on the state. Why :where() instead of :is()? :where() comes with zero specificity, meaning it’s a lot easier to override than :is(), which takes the specificity of the element with the highest specificity score in its arguments. Maintaining low specificity is a virtue when it comes to writing scalable, maintainable CSS. /* Component states layer */ @layer states { &:where(:hover, :focus-visible) { /* button hover and focus state styles */ } } But how do we update the button’s styles in a meaningful way? What I mean by that is how do we make sure that the button looks like it’s hovered or in focus? We could just slap a new background color on it, but ideally, the color should be related to the background-color set in the elements layer. So, let’s refactor things a bit. Earlier, I set the .button element’s background-color to darkslateblue. I want to reuse that color, so it behooves us to make that into a CSS variable so we can update it once and have it apply everywhere. Relying on variables is yet another virtue of writing scalable and maintainable CSS. I’ll create a new variable called --button-background-color that is initially set to darkslateblue and then set it on the default button styles: /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { --button-background-color: darkslateblue; background-color: var(--button-background-color); border: 0; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: grid; font-size: 1rem; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding-block: 0.65rem; padding-inline: 1rem; place-content: center; width: fit-content; } Now that we have a color stored in a variable, we can set that same variable on the button’s hovered and focused states in our other layer, using the relatively new color-mix() function to convert darkslateblue to a lighter color when the button is hovered or in focus. Back to our states layer! We’ll first mix the color in a new CSS variable called --state-background-color: /* Component states layer */ @layer states { &:where(:hover, :focus-visible) { /* custom property only used in state */ --state-background-color: color-mix( in srgb, var(--button-background-color), white 10% ); } } We can then apply that color as the background color by updating the background-color property. /* Component states layer */ @layer states { &:where(:hover, :focus-visible) { /* custom property only used in state */ --state-background-color: color-mix( in srgb, var(--button-background-color), white 10% ); /* applying the state background-color */ background-color: var(--state-background-color); } } Defining modified button styles Along with elements and states layers, you may be looking for some sort of variation in your components, such as modifiers. That’s because not all buttons are going to look like your default button. You might want one with a green background color for the user to confirm a decision. Or perhaps you want a red one to indicate danger when clicked. So, we can take our existing default button styles and modify them for those specific use cases If we think about the order of the cascade — always flowing from top to bottom — we don’t want the modified styles to affect the styles in the states layer we just made. So, let’s add a new modifiers layer in between elements and states: /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { /* etc. */ } /* Component modifiers layer */ @layer modifiers { /* new layer! */ } /* Component states layer */ @layer states { /* etc. */ } } Similar to how we handled states, we can now update the --button-background-color variable for each button modifier. We could modify the styles further, of course, but we’re keeping things fairly straightforward to demonstrate how this system works. We’ll create a new class that modifies the background-color of the default button from darkslateblue to darkgreen. Again, we can rely on the :is() selector because we want the added specificity in this case. That way, we override the default button style with the modifier class. We’ll call this class .success (green is a “successful” color) and feed it to :is(): /* Component modifiers layer */ @layer modifiers { &:is(.success) { --button-background-color: darkgreen; } } If we add the .success class to one of our buttons, it becomes darkgreen instead darkslateblue which is exactly what we want. And since we already do some color-mix()-ing in the states layer, we’ll automatically inherit those hover and focus styles, meaning darkgreen is lightened in those states. /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { --button-background-color: darkslateblue; background-color: var(--button-background-color); /* etc. */ /* Component modifiers layer */ @layer modifiers { &:is(.success) { --button-background-color: darkgreen; } } /* Component states layer */ @layer states { &:where(:hover, :focus) { --state-background-color: color-mix( in srgb, var(--button-background-color), white 10% ); background-color: var(--state-background-color); } } } } Putting it all together We can refactor any CSS property we need to modify into a CSS custom property, which gives us a lot of room for customization. /* Components top-level layer */ @layer components { .button { /* Component elements layer */ @layer elements { --button-background-color: darkslateblue; --button-border-width: 1px; --button-border-style: solid; --button-border-color: transparent; --button-border-radius: 0.65rem; --button-text-color: white; --button-padding-inline: 1rem; --button-padding-block: 0.65rem; background-color: var(--button-background-color); border: var(--button-border-width) var(--button-border-style) var(--button-border-color); border-radius: var(--button-border-radius); color: var(--button-text-color); cursor: pointer; display: grid; font-size: 1rem; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0; padding-block: var(--button-padding-block); padding-inline: var(--button-padding-inline); place-content: center; width: fit-content; } /* Component modifiers layer */ @layer modifiers { &:is(.success) { --button-background-color: darkgreen; } &:is(.ghost) { --button-background-color: transparent; --button-text-color: black; --button-border-color: darkslategray; --button-border-width: 3px; } } /* Component states layer */ @layer states { &:where(:hover, :focus) { --state-background-color: color-mix( in srgb, var(--button-background-color), white 10% ); background-color: var(--state-background-color); } } } } CodePen Embed Fallback P.S. Look closer at that demo and check out how I’m adjusting the button’s background using light-dark() — then go read Sara Joy’s “Come to the light-dark() Side” for a thorough rundown of how that works! What do you think? Is this something you would use to organize your styles? I can see how creating a system of cascade layers could be overkill for a small project with few components. But even a little toe-dipping into things like we just did illustrates how much power we have when it comes to managing — and even taming — the CSS Cascade. Buttons are deceptively complex but we saw how few styles it takes to handle everything from the default styles to writing the styles for their states and modified versions. Organizing Design System Component Patterns With CSS Cascade Layers originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

by: Geoff Graham Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:54:00 +0000 From MacRumors: This works for any kind of file, including HTML, CSS, JavaScriprt, or what have you. You can get there with CMD+i or right-click and select “Get info.” Make Any File a Template Using This Hidden macOS Tool originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

by: Geoff Graham Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:54:00 +0000 From MacRumors: This works for any kind of file, including HTML, CSS, JavaScriprt, or what have you. You can get there with CMD+i or right-click and select “Get info.” Make Any File a Template Using This Hidden macOS Tool originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

by: Abhishek Kumar Ever since I realized that AI was shaping the future, I’ve been fascinated by its endless possibilities. I’m someone who enjoys testing large language models (LLMs) on my devices, and the open-source approach to data has always been my preference. Why? Because open-source projects empower us to have control, privacy, and customization, which is essential in today's data-driven world. When I decided to explore AI image generation, it felt like a natural extension of this mindset. Why rely on proprietary models when open-source alternatives offer powerful features and flexibility? Now, I’ll admit - I don’t have the ideal hardware to run these models locally at blazing speeds, but where there’s a will, there’s a way! Sure, CPU inference is painfully slow, but it gets the job done eventually (and hey, patience builds character, right?). During my research, I stumbled upon several fascinating projects. Some are fully ripe and ready to use, while others are still budding and need more time to mature. This article is a combined list of some of the best open-source AI image generators that you can run locally. If I’ve missed any gems, feel free to let me know in the comments! 1. Stable diffusion 1.5 (paired with stable-diffusion webui) Stable Diffusion WebUI | Source: AUTOMATIC1111 Stable Diffusion v1.5 is a powerful latent text-to-image diffusion model designed to generate photo-realistic images from textual prompts. Developed as an evolution of earlier versions, it was fine-tuned on a large-scale dataset, "LAION-Aesthetics v2 5+", to enhance its capabilities. This model is particularly well-suited for artistic, creative, and research purposes, offering impressive results with minimal computational requirements. Key featuresUnlock high-quality text-to-image generation with its latent diffusion process, achieving impressive results with reduced computational overhead. Fine-tuned on a large-scale dataset to improve its ability to generate visually appealing images. Supports multiple platforms and tools, including Diffusers Library for seamless integration into Python workflows, ComfyUI, Automatic1111, SD.Next, and InvokeAI for local usage. Enjoy efficient weight options like EMA-only weights for inference or EMA + non-EMA weights for fine-tuning tasks. Leverage the Pretrained Text Encoder, inspired by Google's Imagen model, to robustly understand text prompts. Generate artwork, design prototypes, and educational visuals with its creative applications, ideal for artistic and research purposes. Stable Diffusion 1.5 2. Invoke AI Source: InvokeAI InvokeAI is a robust, open-source image generation project that takes its inspiration from upon Stable Diffusion, offering users a highly customizable experience for creating unique visuals. Whether you're looking to generate artwork, photorealistic images, or something more abstract, InvokeAI provides a powerful toolkit with an easy-to-use interface. Its flexibility is perfect for those who want more control over the creative process, especially for those working with specific intellectual property or requiring tailored workflows. Key FeaturesCreate highly detailed prompts with options for both positive and negative guidance to guide the generation process. Generate images based on textual descriptions, with numerous customization options for finer control. Use an existing image as a reference to help guide the AI in maintaining specific colors, structures, or themes. Access a unified canvas that enables users to modify images by regenerating certain elements, editing content or colors (inpainting), and extending the image (outpainting). Experiment with different models, each trained to generate specific styles or outputs, providing flexibility to match your creative needs. Utilize advanced customization options like Low-Rank Adaptations (LoRAs) and Textual Inversion Embeddings to focus on specific characters, styles, or concepts. Customize the number of de-noising steps and choose from different schedulers to optimize the generation process for quality and speed. Invoke AI 3. OpenJourney OpenJourney is a powerful, open-source text-to-image AI art generator that allows users to create stunning visuals from text prompts. Launched in November 2022 by PromptHero, it has quickly gained popularity as a free alternative to MidJourney. Built on Stable Diffusion, OpenJourney was trained using thousands of MidJourney images from its v4 update, as well as other AI models like DALL-E 2. OpenJourney excels at generating photorealistic and artistic images, and its open-source nature ensures it remains accessible to a wide audience. Key FeaturesCreate stunning visuals from text prompts with its powerful text-to-image generation capabilities. Enjoy photorealistic and artistic images, perfect for artists, designers, and anyone looking to generate high-quality content. Access a library of curated prompt ideas to inspire your creativity and get started with generating art. Customize the style and content of your generated images by crafting specific prompts that fit your vision. Benefit from OpenJourney's stable diffusion-based architecture and additional training on MidJourney images for enhanced capabilities. Take advantage of its wide accessibility, available for free download on Hugging Face as part of a broader ecosystem of open-source AI models. Openjourney 4. LocalAI (all-rounder) This is an example of telegram-bot created using LocalAI | Source: LocalAI LocalAI is an open-source, free alternative to OpenAI that enables local AI inferencing on consumer-grade hardware. It acts as a drop-in replacement for OpenAI's API specifications, allowing you to run large language models (LLMs), generate images, audio, and more without the need for a GPU. LocalAI API WebUI | Source: LocalAI-frontend Created and maintained by Ettore Di Giacinto, LocalAI provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for running AI models on-premise. Key FeaturesIt offers compatibility with OpenAI API specifications, making integration straightforward for developers. The platform operates on consumer-grade hardware, eliminating the need for a GPU. Supports a wide range of models and platforms, including Llama, Hugging Face, and Ollama, for diverse applications. Enables advanced text generation using models like Llama.cpp and transformers. Allows users to generate images from text prompts for creative projects. Includes audio features such as text-to-audio and audio-to-text with whisper.cpp. Facilitates embedding generation for vector database tasks like semantic search. Offers peer-to-peer inferencing for distributed AI processing across multiple devices. Integrates voice activity detection using Silero-VAD for improved audio task accuracy. Provides an easy-to-use WebUI for managing models without technical expertise. Features a model gallery for browsing and downloading models directly from platforms like Hugging Face. Local AI 5. Foocus (Editor's choice) Source: Fooocus Fooocus caught my attention as one of the most user-friendly and innovative open-source image generators out there. I was especially drawn to its ability to work on modest hardware(like mine, my poor laptop) and can handle diverse styles, having compatibility with various models. It’s like having a Swiss Army knife for image generation! Key featuresFooocus boasts a proprietary inpainting algorithm that delivers superior results for editing and completing images. With the ability to use multiple prompts simultaneously, Fooocus enriches creative possibilities and output diversity, opening up new avenues of artistic expression. Fooocus supports a vast array of SDXL models, accommodating styles from artistic to photorealistic, giving users endless options for experimentation. Users can specify aspect ratios for tailor-made image generation, ensuring that every output meets their unique requirements. Advanced style controls, including contrast, sharpness, and color adjustments, empower users to fine-tune generated images with precision. Fooocus utilizes A1111's reweighting algorithm, enhancing the influence of specific elements within prompts for more targeted results. The platform incorporates InsightFace technology for precise face swapping, ideal for creating personalized avatars or modifications. Optimized for performance across a wide range of hardware configurations, Fooocus ensures accessibility and speed, regardless of the user's setup. Fooocus ConclusionAnd there you have it! From Stable Diffusion to Fooocus, these are some of the open-source projects you can host or deploy locally to create stunning images right on your hardware. While I won't dive into the murky waters of how these models get trained (support your favorite creators, and remember, stealing is bad!), I can tell you this: each project offers unique capabilities and tons of creative potential. I like exploring local AI tools. Take this list of open source AI tools for documents. 5 Local AI Tools to Interact With PDF and Documents Interact with your documents but in private with these local AI tools. It's FOSSAbhishek Kumar Now, before I get lost in a sea of stunning visuals and my laptop's fan decides to take off, I have a tiny request for you. What do you think? Have any hidden gems that I missed? Do you agree with my not-so-secret affection for LocalAI and Fooocus? Dive into the comments section and let me know your thoughts. Who knows? Your suggestion might just be the next project I test out (if my CPU allows it, of course)! Until next time, keep generating and keep dreaming!

by: Chirag Manghnani Sun, 09 Feb 2025 18:46:00 +0000 Are you looking for a list of the best chairs for programming? Here, in this article, we have come up with a list of the 10 best chairs for programming in India since we care for your wellbeing. You almost spend much of the workday sitting in a chair as a programmer, software developer, software engineer, or tester. Programming is a tough job, especially for the back in particular. You spend your whole life at a desk staring at the code and finding the errors, right. So, it is highly essential for your job and wellbeing that you get a very convenient and ergonomic chair. Computer work has transcendent advantages and opportunities but takes much attention. Programmers can create new and innovative projects but also have to work correctly. People are more likely to get distracted if they complain about back pain and have a poor stance. Undoubtedly, you can work anywhere, whether seated or in a standing posture, with a laptop. With work from home rising as a new trend and the need, for now, people have molded themselves to work accordingly. However, these choices don’t necessarily build the best environment for coding and other IT jobs.  Why Do You Need a Good Chair? You can physically sense the effects of operating from a chair if you have programmed for some amount of time. It would help if you never neglected which chair you’re sitting on, as it can contribute to the back, spine, elbows, knees, hips, and even circulation problems. Most programmers and developers work at desks and sometimes suffer from several health problems, such as spinal disorders, maladaptation of the spine, and hernia. These complications commonly result from the long-term sitting on a poor-quality chair. Traditional chairs do generally not embrace certain structural parts of the body, such as the spine, spine, legs, and arms, leading to dolor, stiffness, and muscle pain. Not only can an ergonomic office chair be velvety and cozy but ergonomically built to protect the backrest and arm to prevent health problems. So, it is essential not only for programmers but also for those who work 8-10 hours on a computer to get a good chair for the correct seating and posture.  So, let’s get started! Before moving to the list of chairs directly, let us first understand the factors that one should be looking at before investing in the ideal chair. Also Read: 10 Best Laptops for Programming in India   Factors for Choosing Best Chair for Programming Here are the three most important factors that you should know when buying an ergonomic chair: Material of Chair Always remember, don’t just go with the appearance and design of the chair. The chair may look spectacular, but it may not have the materials to make you feel pleasant and comfortable in the long run. At the time of purchasing a chair, make sure you have sufficient knowledge of the material used to build a chair.  Seat Adjustability The advantage of adjusting the chair is well-known by the people who have suffered back pain and other issues with a traditional chair that lack adjustability. When looking for a good chair, seat height, armrest, backrest, and rotation are some of the few aspects that should be considered.  Chair Structure This is one of the most crucial points every programmer should look at, as the correct structure of the chair leads to the better posture of your spine, eliminating back pain, spine injury, and hip pain, and others. 10 Best Chairs for Programming in India Green Soul Monster Ultimate (S) Green Soul Monster Ultimate (S) is multi-functional, ergonomic, and one of the best chairs for programming. Besides, this chair is also a perfect match for pro gamers with utmost comfort, excellent features, and larger size. It comes in two sizes, ‘S’ suitable for height 5ft.2″ to 5ft.10″ and ‘T’ for 5ft.8″ to 6ft.5″. In addition, the ultimate monster chair comes with premium soft and breathable tissue that provides airflow to keep the air moving on your back to improve the airflow, avoiding heat accumulation. Also, the chair comes with a three years manufacturing warranty.  Features: Metal internal frame material, large frame size, and spandex fabric with PU leather Neck/head pillow, lumbar pillow, and molded type foam made of velour material Any position lock, adjustable backrest angle of 90-180 degrees, and deer mechanism Rocking range of approx 15 degrees, 60mm dual caster wheels, and heavy-duty metal base Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 CELLBELL Ergonomic Chair CELLBELL Gaming Chair is committed to making the best gaming and programming chair for professionals with a wide seating space. The arms of this chair are ergonomically designed and have a height-adjustable Up and Down PU padded armrest. The chair also comes with adjustable functions to adapt to various desk height and sitting positions. It consists of highly durable PU fabric, with height adjustment and a removable headrest. It has a high backrest that provides good balance as well as back and neck support. Features: Reclining backrest from 90 to 155 degrees, 7cm height adjust armrest, and 360-degree swivel Lumbar cushion for comfortable seating position and lumbar massage support Durable casters for smooth rolling and gliding Ergonomic design with adjustable height Up and Down PU padded armrest Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 Green Soul Seoul Mid Back Office Study Chair The Simple Designed Mid mesh chair, Green Soul, allows breathing and back and thighs to be supported when operating for extended hours. The chair is fitted with a high-level height control feature that includes a smooth and long-term hydraulic piston. Additionally, the chair also boasts a rocking mode that allows enhanced relaxation, tilting the chair between 90 to 105 degrees. A tilt-in friction knob under the char makes rocking back smoother. Features: Internal metal frame, head/neck support, lumbar support, and push back mechanism Back upholstery mesh material, nylon base, 50mm dual castor wheels, and four different color options Height adjustment, Torsion Knob, comfortable tilt, and breathable mesh Pneumatic control, 360-degree swivel, lightweight, and thick molded foam seat Amazon Rating: 4.3/5 CELLBELL C104 Medium-Back Mesh Office Chair This chair provides extra comfort to users with an extended seating time through breathable comfort mesh that gives additional support for the lumbar. Its ergonomic backrest design fits the spine curve, reducing the pressure and back pain, enhancing more comfort. Features: Silent casters with 360-degree spin, Breathable mesh back, and streamlined design for the best spine fit Thick padded seat, Pneumatic Hydraulic for seat Height adjustment, and heavy-duty metal base Tilt-back up to 120 degrees, 360 degrees swivel, control handle, and high-density resilient foam Sturdy plastic armrest, lightweight, and budget-friendly Amazon Rating: 4.4/5 INNOWIN Jazz High Back Mesh Office Chair Another best chair for programming and gaming is INNOWIN Jazz high chair, ideal for people having height below 5.8″. The chair is highly comfortable and comes with ergonomic lumbar support and a glass-filled nylon structure with breathable mesh.  The chair offers the height adjustability of the arms that allows users with different heights to find the correct posture for their body. The lumbar support on this chair provides proper back support for prolonged usage, reducing back pain. Features: Innovative any position lock system, in-built adjustable headrest, and 60 mm durable casters with a high load capacity Height-adjustable arms, glass-filled nylon base, high-quality breathable mesh, and class 3 gas lift  45 density molded seat, sturdy BIFMA certified nylon base, and synchro mechanism Amazon Rating: 4.4/5 Green Soul Beast Series Chair Features: Adjustable lumbar pillow, headrest, racing car bucket seat, and neck/head support Adjustable 3D armrest, back support, shoulder and arms support, thighs and knees support Breathable cool fabric and PU leather, molded foam, butterfly mechanism, and rocking pressure adjustor Adjustable back angle between 90 to 180 degrees, 60mm PU wheels, nylon base, and 360-degree swivel Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 Green Soul New York Chair The New York chair has a mesh for respiration and a professional and managerial design that ensures relaxation for a day long. This chair is one the best chairs for programming with a knee tilt to relax at any position between 90 to 105 degrees. Moreover, High Back Green Soul New York Ergonomically built Mesh Office Chair offers the correct stance and supports the body thoroughly. The airy mesh keeps your rear calm and relaxed during the day. Features: Breathable mesh, Height adjustment, 360-degree swivel, and ultra-comfortable cushion Nylon and glass frame material, adjustable headrest and seat height, and any position tilt lock Fully adjustable lumbar support, T-shaped armrests, thick molded foam, and heavy-duty metal base  Amazon Rating: 4.2/5 FURNICOM Office/Study/Revolving Computer Chair This office chair has high-quality soft padding on the back and thick molded foam, and the fabric polishing on this seat also supports the build-up of heat and moisture to keep your entire body calm and relaxed. It is also easier to lift or lower the chair with pneumatic control. The chair features a padded seat as well as the back, which offers long-day sheer comfort. Features: Spine shaped design, breathable fabric upholstery, durable lever, and personalized height adjustment Rocking side tilt, 360-degree swivel, heavy metal base, torsion knob, and handles for comfort Rotational wheels, thick molded foam on seat, and soft molded foam on the back Amazon Rating: 4.2/5 INNOWIN Pony Mid Back Office Chair Features: Any position lock system, glass-filled nylon base, and class 3 gas lift Breathable mesh for a sweat-free backrest, 50 mm durable casters with a high load capacity, and 45 density molded seat Adjustable headrest, height-adjustable arms, lumbar support for up and down movement Minimalist design, Sturdy BIFMA certified nylon base, and synchro mechanism with 122 degrees tilt Amazon Rating: 4.3/5 CELLBELL C103 Medium-Back Mesh Office Chair Features: Silent casters with 360-degree spin, Breathable mesh back, and streamlined design for the best spine fit Thick padded seat, Pneumatic Hydraulic for seat Height adjustment, and heavy-duty metal base Tilt-back up to 120 degrees, 360 degrees swivel, control handle, and high-density resilient foam Sturdy plastic armrest, lightweight, and budget-friendly Amazon Rating: 4.4/5 Conclusion Finding a suitable chair for yourself with all the features is not hard, But what more important is which chair you go with from so many available options. To help you with that, we have curated the list of ten best chairs for programming in India.  Buying a perfect ergonomic chair is highly essential, especially in times when the pandemic is rising, and the new normal work from home is elevated. We highly suggest that no one should be work sitting/lying on a bed, on the couch, or in any position that may affect your health. It will help if you go with an ideal chair to keep your body posture correct, reducing body issues and increasing work efficiency. Please share your valuable comments regarding the list of best chairs for programming. Cheers to healthy work life! The post 10 Best Chairs for Programming in India 2025 appeared first on The Crazy Programmer.