Deep Dive Articles

The Best Way to Learn a New Programming Language from Scratch - How I Approach and Learn Any Programming Language Efficiently

Preface: The following article is based on my experiences and opinions on learning programming languages. I have been learning about computers in-depth and find learning languages with specific purposes useful. For example, Python was for beginning, C is for memory management and Rust is for learning to write memory-safe code in my case. This time, I started learning Golang which is known for its simple syntax and powerful performance, and widely known for its awesome concurrency.

Why More is Not Always Good in Terms of Software - Words on Cross Platform Utilities, Bash-ism, and POSIX Compliance.

Preface: This article is about my views on software compliance and cross-platform support, and reflects my opinions and experience with the subject. Your experience and opinions may vary, which I respect. What I am Specifically Talking About? I am going to talk about the issues caused by non-compliant software and why more features are not always good, especially in the case of the upgrade of tools on a single platform.

Why I Shifted From Arch Linux to Debian Linux?

Preface: The following article is based on my personal experience with Arch Linux and Debian Linux. While I appreciate both distributions for their unique strengths and different use cases, the information provided reflects my own opinions and experiences. Your experiences may vary. What was I going for Initially? Bit of my Story as a Beginner Linux User When I started using Linux, I was going through security stuff and learning computer security when I was in my High School.

Tmux is the Ultimate Choice for Power Users - An Awesome Terminal Multiplexer for Managing Persistent Sessions

What is Tmux? Tmux is a Terminal Multiplexer Application for Linux and MacOS for managing terminal sessions and Windows. It is to be mentioned that Tmux is not a terminal emulator, instead, it’s a terminal application, a binary that allows you to stay productive over your terminal. It doesn’t matter which terminal emulator you are using (although I recommend the Suckless Terminal). The functionality of managing Windows and the session doesn’t happen on the desktop GUI side but on the terminal session, you are working with.

The Concept of RSS Feed - A Reliable Way for Publishers and Subscribers Model

Preface: I have been looking for simple solutions in nearly everything related to computing. A lot of software designed these days is not designed per your requirements but as per companies’ profit. Hence, most of these solutions end up sucking your time and energy and need to be replaced by more optimised solutions that would boost your productivity in the right way. RSS Feed is something that I found after searching for solutions related to subscribing to websites or creators without sucking much resources and design that is reliable to the user itself.

Breaking RSA Encryption on Hardware Devices with Side Channel Power Analysis — Leaking the Private Key by Exploiting Square-Multiply Algorithm

Preface: This article is about leaking the private key from hardware devices that implement RSA encryption which is part of hardware hacking. The author is not responsible for any damage caused by the given information. It is recommended to be careful while performing these attacks as they can damage the hardware or even destroy it. All the information provided here is for educational purposes. There are no such prerequisites for understanding the theory, although knowledge about modular arithmetic, basics of encryption mathematics, basic electronics, etc.

Serious Reconnaissance with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles — Mapping Out Devices in an Area with Drones

Introduction: The following content is for educational purposes and for hackers living in basements knowing enough ethics. The author is not responsible for any damage caused by the knowledge provided here and does not support anything like that. It’s essential to check out the rules in the area of reconnaissance about the tactics provided here and the use of materials (unless and until there is any apocalypse and a solid recon is required).

The Fundamentals of Hardware Hacking — Breaking and Reverse Engineering Smart IoT Devices

Disclaimer — This is an introductory article about Hardware Hacking and Security of IoT Devices. None of the mentioned information or techniques are intended for any illegal purposes and the author is not responsible for any damage. It’s advisable to experiment on devices that you own or have explicit permission to do so. Rest of all, hardware hacking is fun! The Beauty of Electronic Devices In the ever-growing world of smart devices and the connectivity of things to the internet, life has become more convenient than ever.

Setting Up a Remote Git Server — A Simple and Concise Step-by-Step Guide to Host a Private Git Server

Preface: This is a concise and simple guide to hosting a remote git server. I have been researching this topic for a while and came up with the idea of writing an article with a step-by-step guide for hosting a private git server. Covering all the aspects of git is not possible in a single article, so it’s assumed that the reader has prior knowledge of git and version control.

The Nature of Linux Kernel Development — Difference Between Rules of Kernel Level and User-Space Application Level

Preface: This article is intended to explain a clear distinction between the core principles of Linux Kernel Development and User-Application Level Development. The provided information is based on my research on Kernel Development through various sources and I have tried to make it as accurate as possible. Efforts have been made to explain it as simply and concisely as possible. Introduction to the Nature of Linux Kernel Linux Kernel is the abstraction layer between the Operating System and the Hardware in the system.

Linux Process Scheduling — The Reason your Linux System Processes so Efficiently (Kernel Perspective)

Preface: I was going through the book “Linux Kernel Development” by Robert Love, one of the best books I have referred to for low-level stuff and understanding the workings of Linux. I study this book with intensity, simplify the concepts and write it down here so that the readers can get a straightforward description and all they need to know about the topic. Covering the whole Linux Process Scheduling is not possible and is not the goal of this article.

Linux Processes — A Kernel’s Perspective Explained with Clarity and Simplicity

Preface: I have been going through the book “Linux Kernel Development” by Robert Love which I highly recommend for understanding the Linux Kernel in depth. I decided to write this article to explain “Linux Processes” simply and concisely. The topic itself is broad and is not explained into the deepest of it, but essential for Linux Administrators, Developers and even Linux users to appreciate the beauty of the Kernel they make use of every day.

NGINX for Deploying Next.js Application on AWS EC2 with AWS ELB — Control and Stability of Deployments

I was looking for an article like this a few days ago, which I didn’t find at that time, so I did the deployment on my own and came up with this article to prevent other developers from saving those efforts and focusing on development. I am not explaining every single step and have provided links for references. I prefer manual deployment of applications over automated (and even serverless) methods. Although they are convenient and require less effort by the developers, they are bound to the providers and offer less control over the underlying system.

Configuring and Building the Linux Kernel — Absolute Guide to Compiling Your Kernel

Linux Kernel is an Open-Source Software and the user is free to modify and customise it as per the requirements. The modification of the Kernel requires a deep understanding of the working of the Kernel, although patches are available to make the Kernel optimised for specific hardware. Linux Kernel Source Code has various options to configure the drivers, modules, preferences on hardware options, etc. This part can be studied by the user and is pretty much easy to work with.

The Elegance of the Linux Kernel — A Concise History of Unix and the Creation of the Linux Kernel

Introduction and Context I was going through the book “Linux Kernel Development” by Robert Love, an absolute guide to getting started with Linux Kernel Development and a highly recommended book for understanding the core of the Linux Kernel. Linux Kernel has been one of the most important software ever written and is even considered one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by a single person. The idea of the Linux Kernel was initiated by Linus Torvalds, a student from the University of Helsinki and is maintained by him to date (while writing this article).

Linux Shell Scripting — A Suckless and Concise Guide to the Command-line of Linux

Prior Statements: This is a concise guide on the Linux Shell Scripting while consolidating all the facts about the Linux Shell for quick developer’s reference while using Linux. I am referencing the Bash (Bourne-Again Shell) which is the default shell for Linux-based systems. I will also be providing references and external links to dive into depth and not fill the article with too much explanation about a single topic which is not universally required by all the readers.

Suckless Utilities for Arch Linux — The Most Minimal Way Run a Computer

Suckless utilities have been my favourite at this time and kind of essentials for my use of the computer. I have been using Arch Linux for a fair amount of time now and I started using it with XFCE for few weeks. I would appreciate the XFCE desktop environment for it’s smoothness and light-weight nature with works really fine when newly shifting on Arch Linux. But then I learnt the suckless ecosystem and eventually shifted to it as my full-time environment.

Installing Pacman in Arch Linux — When You Blow it Up

Let me suckless and divide the article into two parts: My story how I blew up Pacman Package Manager How to reinstall the Pacman Package Manager If you only care about the second part, skip the first one. The Scenario — Blow it Up I was trying to install the pacman game from the Internet to get it running on my Arch Linux Terminal (I use Suckless Terminal BTW). When I got it installed and played it, it was super awesome.

Boot Process of Computers — A Learner’s Perspective Of Exploring the Depth of Computers

Prior Clarifications: Here, I will be providing a philosophical explanation about the bootloaders and understanding them in a simple and as minimal way as possible. This is not supposed to be a manual for bootloader or provide any advice for experimenting over your live system. It’s my journey to understand computers (one of the most complex creations of mankind) and I will be stating my thoughts. Take it with a pinch of salt.

Networking Fundamentals for Linux Administrators — A Suckless and Concise Explanation

Statistics are clear on the fact that 96.3% (while writing this article) of the servers use Linux as their Operating System which is no doubt what every other Linux user on this Earth expects. I believe that the Linux Administrator has to take the shot about the configuration of Networking in Linux Based Server. Some of the underlying concepts remain the same for any other distros but it is mainly intended for Linux.

Operating Systems and Low-Level Access to the Hardware — Why should you learn it?

Today, I completed the whole read of the book “Linux Kernel in a Nutshell” by Greg Kroah-Hartman and I highly recommend that you go through it if you want to understand how to build your custom configuration of Linux Kernel and all you need to know about all the nuts and bolts. It’s always great to have such handbooks around the desk. This blog is about why it’s so awesome to look into the operating system you are using with your hardware and why have a grasp on the Low-Level aspects of a computer.

Arch Linux Custom Builds — Freedom of the Operating System

While writing this blog, I was reading the book “Linux Kernel in a Nutshell” by Greg Kroab-Hartman and as far as the pages of the book are concerned, it seems to be a two-day read (this is a handbook so reading it once and having around the desk is super useful). By the way, the author has the book left open for download http://www.kroah.com/lkn/ so check that out if you want to follow up.

Bypassing the Linux Login to access the files (with Physical Access), even the root!

Imagine being away from the computer for a couple of minutes and getting to know that the system has been compromised and a backdoor has been installed into the system. “The system was locked?” doesn’t matter, without the bios security implementation (which most probably would not be implemented), all the files can be recovered without any login made to the Login Screen. This goes with the story of me trying to get my Wi-Fi troubleshooting in Arch Linux where I was trying to upgrade the Kernel of my System to get the Wi-Fi working properly (as mentioned in the previous blog.

Why I Shifted From Arch Linux to Debian Linux?

Planted May 28, 2024

Preface: The following article is based on my personal experience with Arch Linux and Debian Linux. While I appreciate both distributions for their unique strengths and different use cases, the information provided reflects my own opinions and experiences. Your experiences may vary.

What was I going for Initially?

Bit of my Story as a Beginner Linux User

When I started using Linux, I was going through security stuff and learning computer security when I was in my High School. At that time, I used to work with Kali Linux and that’s what I understood about Linux. I used to spent a lot of time on the terminal working with networking stuff, writing tools with Python, using pre-build tools to understand security, etc. and it was awesome. I was using the GNOME environment on Kali and eventually I shifted to XFCE (I prefer this for beginners). And to be honest, I knew nothing about desktop environments or I was no particularly interested in making my desktop look cooler than the default layout.

When I went to university, I started using MacOS, which is Unix-Based and gave a similar feeling of using Linux, since the shell I was using with was Bash (now I use ZSH). And for a year, I used MacOS as my main machine, until I got back to my custom built PC.

My First Arch Linux Build

When I got back my PC, I made it my main workspace where I started using Arch Linux. Trust me, I knew nothing about Arch Linux! I was blank when I first saw Arch Linux and how Minimal it was. I first went with Xfce as my desktop environment and started exploring Suckless Utilities (which I still use till this day).

I went on to understand tiling window managers and installed DWM (Dynamic Window Manager) since it was written in C and was super Minimal for my use. At that time, I learnt about editing the source code of the applications I use and customisation of these tools for my specific use and building them.

arch

This was my first Arch Linux Build (it’s NeoVim on Suckless Terminal and DWM as window manager)

My Experience as Arch User

I was using Arch (BTW) as my main machine. This was the time when I learnt about using shell scripts to automate my workflow. I started learning tools and bind them with shell scripts to make my workspace as automated as possible. When I was a MacOS user, VsCode was my default text editor (and say my IDE), but when I shifted to Arch, I started to use NeoVim (I use NeoVim on my Macbook too now, I have no other text editor installed). And let me be very honest as an Arch User, it breaks a lot. Many times, the Wi-Fi drivers used to crash and I would spend like multiple hours troubleshooting them to get by internet back. But I believe that this can be taken in two way, one is to consider it as waste of time, and another is the opportunity to learn how Wi-Fi drivers are configured to work. And I took it as the second way. I enjoyed the troubleshooting phase and always made out a solution. It use to feel sometimes that the problem is not gonna solve and after multiple hours or even days, somehow it used to get solved, making me 1% better at Linux after the use.

Arch Linux is a wild ride and it’s awesome. Somedays, I used to get so immersed in configuring it that I eventually use to forget my work and projects, while learning about ways to make it more functional and beautiful. I don’t regret it.

For curious readers, I used to use DWM, ST, DMENU, SLOCK as Suckless Utilities, Tmux as my Terminal Multiplexer, NeoVim with ChadVim configuration (I don’t much recommend it now, but totally for beginners and those who absolutely like it). Yes, I use systemd since it works and X11 as my display manager (maybe someday I will shift to wayland).

What Made Me Shift for Debian?

Yes, it a nice story to read and for me, an incredible experience. But then, I had to shift to Debian.

Debian is Linux Distro, which is widely used in personal computers and servers due to it’s stability and wide range of support. Distros like Ubuntu and Kali are based on Debian Linux. Debian is also minimal, especially when you install the raw version without any GUI and configure it yourself. It’s not as minimal as Arch Linux, but does the job well.

The word “stability” is the most important term which made me Distro Hop to Debian. As per my story suggest, I used to spend a lot of time fixing Arch and leaving my work aside, which was okay for me at that time, but when I started working on more important projects, it became tedious to manage my system.

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My current Debian Linux Workspace (DWM). Yes, it’s looks similar to the Arch ones, and it should since they are of same configuration, just build on their own system

This is due to the updates that Arch Linux gets. Packages that are installed on Arch are the latest and may not be always stable. Also, the newer versions are not necessarly compactible with other packages, causing it to break and take down the system (or in some cases, cause a functionality to break).

On the other hand, Debian gets major upgrades in two years while packages getting installed when they are finally stable. This makes Debian crash lot less often than what happens with Arch, making it an ideal Linux Distro for main machines with stable development environment.

I Still Love Arch Linux!

I do love Arch Linux and sometimes consider installing it on my other partition just for learning about it in depth or even as my main work machine. The fact that I ditro hopped is due to it’s unstable nature and temporary need of stability (or maybe I am just getting comfortable with it).

One thing that I can confess about my current Debian use is, I am learning less as compared to what I use to do in case of Arch. Surely I am productive on Debian working on my projects, but I miss the spontanity of getting issues to resolve and getting better everyday while learning how to fix problems in Linux. I think a day will come when I will permentantly shift to Arch Linux as my main distro and also be as productive as I am while using Debian.

When Should You Consider Jumping from One Another?

If you are reading from the beginning, you might have figured out the answer.

When you have a lot of free time in your hand to learn about Linux, or you are new to the Linux world and need a challenges on your way to learn about it, or you need to stand out among the crowd and flex upon you Linux skills, Arch is ideal for use.

When you need a stable distro and a productive workspace, and you know what’s happening beneath the OS, and you really understand the working of stuff which you now want to be stable and not break while you do your work, go for Debian Linux.

It’s pretty evident of my answer to this question if you know my journey of using Linux on my main machine. But which ever distribution you use, keep learning and working on cool stuff. At that time, both feel good in their own way.