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Wandering Thoughts

@chris_siebenmann@robot.villas

Unix, system administration, networking, and the practical details of running infrastructure.

Source: https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/?atom

Homepage: https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/

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Posts
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Posts

  • Forcing a direct kernel reboot is sometimes needed and recommended #Linux #SysAdmin #Tech

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    Oct 7, 2026

  • All practical general use firewalls are porous now for inbound traffic #Security #Networking #Sysadmin

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    Oct 6, 2026

  • My small wish for terminal programs (and other programs) #Sysadmin #Software #CLI

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    Oct 5, 2026

  • One possible future for websites is pervasive gatekeepers #Web #Internet #Gatekeepers

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    Oct 4, 2026

  • Nearly every Unix today has a terminal emulator in its kernel #Unix #SystemAdministration #Tech

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    Oct 3, 2026

  • My eccentric setup is enabled in part by a lot of continuity #SystemAdministration #Infrastructure #Tech

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    Oct 2, 2026

  • More or less all modern electronic devices have a limited lifespan #Tech #Hardware #Reliability

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    Oct 1, 2026

  • Terminfo and terminal 'automatic margins' (and modern shells) #Unix #SysAdmin #Networking

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    Sep 30, 2026

  • An unexpected difference between terminal programs: backward line wrapping #Tech #Unix #SysAdmin

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    Sep 29, 2026

  • Our fileserver generations are a little bit complex #SysAdmin #Infrastructure #Tech

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    Sep 28, 2026

  • Changing your (Unix) terminal appearance on a per-host basis #Unix #SysAdmin #Terminal

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    Sep 27, 2026

  • Giving up on PyPy for my own use (at least for now) #Python #Programming #OpenSource

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    Sep 26, 2026

  • How Emacs does things: flyspell's way of tracking misspelled words #Emacs #Programming #TextEditing

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    Sep 25, 2026

  • Linux programs look at things in <code>/proc</code> more than you'd expect #Linux #SysAdmin #Tech

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    Sep 24, 2026

  • Ubuntu 26.04 has made the Apache systemd service unit fairly restricted #Linux #SystemAdministration #OpenSource

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    Sep 23, 2026

  • At a university, you have to accept that people are going to do stuff #SysAdmin #University #Infrastructure

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    Sep 22, 2026

  • Python settings for Flycheck in GNU Emacs (as of September 2026) #Python #Emacs #Programming

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    Sep 21, 2026

  • I'm eventually going to want a "casual" browser passkey system #Security #WebTech #Passkeys

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    Sep 20, 2026

  • Exim's feature of "tainted" strings is a heuristic #Sysadmin #Exim #Tech

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    Sep 19, 2026

  • Having an Exim test plan for a server saved me #SysAdmin #Networking #DevOps

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    Sep 18, 2026

  • Serious editors are a commitment (at least for me) #Tech #SystemAdministration #Editors

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    Sep 17, 2026

  • Think about your goals and threat models for MFA authentication #Security #Authentication #Tech

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    Sep 16, 2026

  • Some feed readers don't ever react to permanent HTTP redirections #Tech #OpenSource #WebDevOps

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    Sep 15, 2026

  • University MFA authentication has some unusual challenges #Tech #Security #University

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    Sep 14, 2026

  • One possible future for websites is less features #WebDevelopment #Tech #Usability

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    Sep 13, 2026

  • Notes on debugging standard and third-party Emacs code #Emacs #Programming #SoftwareDevelopment

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    Sep 12, 2026

  • The many load averages of Unix(es) in 2026 #Unix #SystemAdministration #Tech

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    Sep 11, 2026

  • Some (mostly historical) issues with the Unix load average #Unix #SysAdmin #Tech

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    Sep 10, 2026

  • Polkit insists on there always being administrative users #Linux #SystemAdmin #Security

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    Sep 9, 2026

  • Always remember to restart daemons and programs after changes #Sysadmin #DevOps #TechTips

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    Sep 8, 2026

  • Thinking about models: authorization versus capabilities #SysAdmin #Security #Tech

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    Sep 7, 2026

  • The prospect for language independent tooling for making code changes #Programming #SoftwareDevelopment #DevOps

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    Sep 6, 2026

  • Our authentication versus authorization problem #SysAdmin #Networking #Security

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    Sep 5, 2026

  • Sorting out a DNF "transaction failed" during my upgrade to Fedora 44 #Linux #SysAdmin #Troubleshooting

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    Sep 4, 2026

  • Status reports and indicators are untrustworthy, UPS battery edition #Tech #SysAdmin #Infrastructure

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    Sep 3, 2026

  • We're no longer using Linux's strict memory overcommit mode #Linux #SystemAdministration #DevOps

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    Sep 2, 2026

  • Getting LSP servers and other tools to work in venvs in GNU Emacs #Python #Emacs #DevOps

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    Sep 1, 2026

  • There's a difference between a technology being ineffective and being uneconomical #Tech #SysAdmin #Infrastructure

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    Aug 31, 2026

  • Our slow move toward boring (server) host names #SysAdmin #Infrastructure #Networking

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    Aug 30, 2026

  • Blocking SSH logins with PAM (at least on Linux) #SystemAdministration #SSH #Linux

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    Aug 29, 2026
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