← Feed

Posts

• View post

  Today has been a busy day, and not just work-wise. Some random thoughts: - FreeBSD jails and ZFS have saved a client once again. Because things happen, and when they do, it's good to be prepared. - Mixing different PHP versions on a Debian or Ubuntu host is never easy, especially in the long run. It works, but sooner or later something will go wrong. Better to isolate them in containers, and when I do that, I prefer FreeBSD and jails. - OpenBSD keeps evolving on its own terms. And that'...

• View post

  Something new is coming to the BSD Cafe. We're getting there...and it will be...nice 😉 #StayTuned

• View post

  Problem solved #Pizza #Food

• View post

  For some reason, a few of my clients’ e-commerce sites break after updating PHP. I can’t share any more details at the moment, as they’re still working on it. On a completely unrelated note, two customers of my clients insisted on having a call, both involving the cybersecurity department of the massive corporate group they belong to. Wasted time… but ok. One thanked us for responding so quickly. The other asked why their server hadn’t already been secured. I explained that I had already appl...

• View post

  This #ThankYouTuesday, I want to send a huge, public Thank You to @h3artbl33d@exquisite.social ! Like so many truly wonderful human beings, @h3artbl33d@exquisite.social does incredible things for the Fediverse, the BSD ecosystem, internet security, and... the entire world. Exquisite is a shining example of security, thoughtful moderation, and genuine commitment. Exactly what a Fediverse community should be. The world is a much, much better place thanks to people like them. And we should be pr...

• View post

  Not as straightforward as on FreeBSD, but you can make your own read only NetBSD device quite easily. I've been doing it for years, and it works perfectly. Make your own Read-Only Device with NetBSD https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/09/10/make-your-own-readonly-device-with-netbsd/ #NetBSD #RunBSD

• View post

  Then on Saturday night at 20, your favourite provider hits you up with an email: 'Ok, syspatch-ed the physical server and rebooted, all good. I'm here if you need anything'. They're truly inimitable. Thanks, @OpenBSDAms@mastodon.bsd.cafe ! #RunBSD #IT #SysAdmin #VPS

• View post

  This week has been quite a whirlwind. It's been incredibly rewarding and gave me an incomparable buzz, but I've had a lot on my plate, I'm falling behind on other things, and there were a few rather impactful setbacks. Still, it's been a good week. I must admit, though, I'm feeling a bit wiped today. The photo I posted earlier makes that pretty clear. The night before last, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling quite unsettled; last night, it was nightmares (one invo...

• View post

  Barista, Saturday (and a little tired) edition

• View post

  Ok, looks like this is the week of funny experiences. Customer: "I had an AI check our server and it says the SSH port is open and that's not very secure." Me: "Yes, you asked us to open it so you could access the server via SFTP (actually, you wanted FTP, but we discussed it a bit and found this compromise). Don't worry, it's only accessible from your IP and you land in a dedicated FreeBSD jail. From there, you can only access the 'exchange' directory on you...

• View post

  Nothing new, but I'm disappointed. Many years ago, Linux represented the alternative. The question was: "Why don't you just use Windows? It's easier." And the answer was, almost always: "To be free." The "bazaar" spirit of Linux and its distributions made us feel free. Personally, I've always thought that the "cathedral" approach of the BSDs produces more reliable and maintainable results. But that feeling of freedom was fantastic. There...

• View post

  RE: https://social.vivaldi.net/@lproven/117434563465392610 Which basically means: Let's continue to be ourselves. Go, #NetBSD !

• View post

  I'm considering a presentation for EuroBSDCon 2027. The title could be: "How to vibe code an OpenBSD Bluetooth Driver". @h3artbl33d@exquisite.social - I think you second this, don't you? 😆

• View post

  RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@stefano/117434669212294370 Ok, from now on, until I'll be able to disclose this, I'll refer to this as Project Tiramisu #ProjectTiramisu

• View post

  RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@stefano/117432418639506719 This afternoon's meeting went well. Probably even better than I could have hoped for. It's just a first step, but an encouraging one.

• View post

  Today is going to be a very important day. I have a meeting that means a great deal to me, and its outcome will shape something very close to my heart. It will mean a lot of work for me, but hopefully just as much satisfaction. Things are looking very promising so far. Fingers crossed! 🤞 #Life #DoThingsYouLove

• View post

  That awkward phase when it's too early to get ready, but too late to start doing anything demanding (or anything that could go wrong). Too early to get dressed, too late not to start thinking about how to organise everything. Leaving early enough to find the place, but not so early that you end up waiting around forever. Life is all about finding the middle ground.

• View post

  I got a call from someone I don't know. "Hi. We have a FreeBSD server. It's been working perfectly for years, but it hasn't been updated since then. We asked AI to update it, but now it won't boot anymore. It didn't even make a backup before starting. The AI keeps trying things, everything is down, and we've already spent over €500 in tokens. Can you help us?" "Sure. €500, plus the time it'll take me to try to fix it. Assuming it can still be fixed an...

• View post

  Tortellini! #Food

• View post

  Make your own Read-Only Device with NetBSD https://it-notes.dragas.net/2024/09/10/make-your-own-readonly-device-with-netbsd/ #ITNotes #NetBSD #RunBSD #Repost

• View post

  You can buy vassals, but not respect. You can buy mercenaries, but not loyalty. The money you hold in your hands will, sooner or later, be worth nothing. #Life #Reflections

• View post

  This morning, I had a heated argument with my wife. We were on completely opposite sides. So far apart, in fact, that our positions seemed utterly irreconcilable. I started to worry about where this argument might lead. It was serious. Really serious. Deeply concerning. We just couldn't find any common ground, which rarely happens to us. In the end, she won. As usual. So, between my proposal of lasagna and hers of fish, she won. I'm trying to cope. #MarriageCrisis #IrreconcilableDi...

• View post

  Blast from the past. Or, more precisely, from an old drawer. #RetroComputing #IT

• View post

  I know, sounds strange, but: Microsoft SQL Server can be installed on Linux. Some people told me it's a bad idea as it works quite badly. Is it true? Did any of you try it? What's your experience with it? #SQL #IT #SysAdmin

• View post

  "I need the full DevOps workflow to publish the site." "It's a static site. Here are the SFTP credentials to upload the files you have, which were generated by the client's SSG." "You don't understand. I need to upload the site; I need the DevOps procedure." "No, you don't understand. It's generated by BSSG; all you have to do is upload the output via SFTP into the FreeBSD jail and the deploy is automatic." Silence. "But how d...

• View post

  One of the reasons I often order pizza when I eat out is that, in Italy, pizza is considered an art form. Every "pizzaiolo" has their own dough recipe, their own yeast, their own technique. No two pizzas made by the same pizzaiolo will ever be exactly alike, yet they will still carry a recognisable signature. Two different "pizzaioli" may make two pizzas that look similar, yet are profoundly different. It is the beauty of imperfection, of unpredictability, of something th...

• View post

  I want to publicly thank @dch@bsd.network The FreeBSD port of littleFedi was already ready at release time, and it’s really well done. One of the peculiarities of littleFedi is that it was developed and tested first on the BSDs, then on illumos, and only later on Linux. The first public instance, my own @stefano@rpi0w.stefanomarinelli.it account, runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero W with NetBSD. I don’t think many social platforms have started out on NetBSD in recent years. #ThankYou #RunBSD #Ne...

• View post

  RE: https://littleone.littlefedi.social/@littlefedi_official/01a0f644-8ed6-7a7d-ade6-46f4c0a74f41 littleFedi is out! #littleFedi #Fediverse

• View post

  Minutes since the last "your network isn’t secure because it doesn’t use XYZ" email: 0 Where XYZ is, as usual, some procedure copied from a compliance handbook that would actually make the current setup less secure. #IT #SysAdmin

• View post

  You go shopping and… #Linux