My First Experience with Go
I have wanted to learn and use Go for a long time. I got a chance at work to start using it to solve some problems. It has been a great experience so far.
Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan
On July 25, 2018, Pakistan held elections. This was the second successive democratic transfer of power ever, since the country was born in 1947. Pakistanis rejected the corrupt status quo parties and their leaders. Pakistanis chose to give a chance to a popular leader who is considered a new comer even after struggling for 22 years in politics. Pakistanis chose Imran Khan to be their next Prime Minister.
The Harms of Pakistan's Cricket Isolation
International cricket in Pakistan was deeply affected by global events and regional unrest. In fact, cricket in Pakistan has been isolated for more than a decade now. Pakistan's "home ground" has been places like UAE for a long time. There have been cricketers who never played international cricket at home. The harm caused by this isolation goes deeper than most of us realize.
Programming Languages Don't Die
We agree, we subscribe to the philosophy "languages never die". There are new languages added to the mix so things become more complex. It's part of the problem we're trying to solve and help dev #gofaster
This quote is from ActiveState on Twitter. It got me thinking especially because I am -- seemingly forever -- grappling with the idea of which programming language will help my career in the future.
Resumes and Interviews
I have been interviewing a lot of candidates for DevOps roles recently. I also interviewed as a candidate for a DevOps role with my upcoming employer. These experiences have taught me many new lessons as well as revived some forgotten ones.
Python is the New bash
bash (or at least Bourne shell sh) is ubiquitous in the Linux and BSD world. Replacing it with Python will not be easy, painless, or quick. But the plethora of base tools written in Python for Linux distributions testifies to the mindshare Python has gained. I don't expect the likes of FreeBSD, for example, to bring Python into base anytime soon. But we as users can certainly replace our code written in shell with Python.
Tinkering with Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite
I have been tinkering with my home network for a while now. Over time I have settled on some requirements:
- Low power usage
- Almost zero noise
- Three or more gigabit (or higher) network interfaces
- Support for multiple operating systems (OS)
- Optional but highly desired: supported by FreeBSD, OpenBSD, or NetBSD
Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite (ERL for short) is a small and lightweight device that fits all these requirements.
How I "Adopted" Seagull
I don't work with Seagull anymore. I don't know how to develop in C++. I have absolutely no interest in maintaining this open source project. Yet when you Google seagull linux or seagull protocol my GitHub repo for the project shows up on the first page. How did I end up in this situation?
Role of Judiciary in Pakistan
Judiciary in Pakistan has seldom -- if ever -- appeared to be independent and empowered. All major national events involving the Supreme Court have ended with egg on the faces of justices. From the hanging of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to the widespread fraud in 2013 elections, judges have opted to placate the most powerful figures in national politics. Justice makes way for political gain. Is this about to change when the new Chief Justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court takes oath on December 31, 2016?
Unix Shell Programming: Lessons Learned
I have been writing tiny shell scripts for many years now. It was always with the help of DuckDuckGo searches and places like StackOverflow. I never grasped the history, features, syntax, etc. of shells. This all changed when I got serious about learning Unix shell programming.