Notes ★ Scribbles ★ Blogs
Some of these were previously published on other social channels, links where appropriate are providied in each.
Embracing the GNU
A short blurb on the things I have learnt so far in my journey with GNU | Linux. Professionally, my particular area of experience probably lies more in getting organisations & industry to embrace the benefits of Linux, Open Source and side step any pitfalls.
Leverage "Open"
I came across an intersting initative which leverages the true core benefits of GNU | Linux & lets students explore in ways not normally seen in education. This struck a chord with me, having attempted similar work in the education sector during the early parts of my career. Read about this awesome project & let yourself imagine the possiblities.
Development: Human Centric
Its supposed to be quite simple. A concept we are born with. People work together to get the job done. In a blind race for speed however, a question must be asked, are we mistaking the task for the goal. Maybe we should retain the human aspect of this. Computers are the tools which people use, not the other way around.
Linux | GPL | Open source ?
It is more than just "show me the code". Its a way of life, a culture for those of us who spend so much of our time, lovingly working towards this shared global ideal. The content here, is a distilled down variant of explanations I have attempted over time, to explain all this to the un-initiated.
Notice
Please note, transitioning my GnuPG (PGP) keys. The important details & transition document are here
Advantages
Any good solution, factors in the undocumented. Tricks of the trade, often too vast and too complex to document down properly. How we face these challenges, can only be learnt, by experience. Trying to describe, just what it is I do, is what this site is about.
Dev & Operations
Any Developer will tell you, with passion and a bit of experience under your belt, the art of coding ceases to be a chore, and extends beyond into the realm of poetry. For many of us Operations is second nature & where most of use who date far back, began.
- Wide knowledge
- In the industry long enough to see it evolve
- Keep abreast of moving standards
- Deep understanding of the differences in culture from enterprise to open source
Solutions
Beyond blind development, Quality supportable code requires stresses communication, collaboration and integration between developers and other aspects of IT.
- Factor in how the code will run
- How many rollouts can you do, in 1 week - a 100?
- How much of your process is still manual?
- How well does you entire workflow ( development, testing, production ) tie in together ?
Security, Crypto, Embedded / IOT
This end of the industry requires a meticulous attention to detail. No quick fixes. Rigorous & time tested methods, working in close cooperation with the reputable parties concerned.
- Experience with embedded Linux, small form-factor devices since 1999.
- Maintain ties with most current security models & threats. Design it into your workflow as far as possible.
- Security is a mindset, a habit - ignore this at your own peril.
- Do you have a plan for when it fails ? What steps have you taken to mitigate this ?