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Showing posts from April, 2021

Linux (week 13)

 There is a large variety of different Linux distros so I have decided to find and write about 2 of them that iI found the most interesting.  1) Linux From Scratch Linux From Scratch is a type of Linux installation (as well as the name of accompanying book) that gives users instructions on how to build Linux system from source. This is naturally a longer process than installing a pre-compiled Linux distro however it is stated that this way the system is going to be more compact, flexible and secure and user that went through the process will have greater understanding of what happens under the hood. This project has grown quite a bit since the beginning and has spawned a couple other books, that are more focused on different aspects. Hardened Linux From Scratch, for example, focuses on security enhancements, and Automated Linux From Scratch focuses on the aspect of automation. It is a well-documented (obviously) project that is actively developed and has helpful community of users. It

Modern values of hackers (week 12)

 Pekka Himanen has defined seven values of the modern hacking world in his "Hacker Ethic". Let's discuss how practical they are. Passion - this is a really important value. Passion is the core and heart of any activity. However I would say, that this value is not really practical. Plenty of people (and I assume hackers) are passionate about one thing (or project) or another but might never get involved. Freedom - I think this is the true core value of  hackers. Hacking means first and foremost exploring something and not necessarily exploiting. I believe that it is really hard to "hack" anything without freedom because it would just mean that there is no creativity involved, you just abide the rules and might only find some bugs lying on the surface but not the hidden ones. Work ethic - In my opinion this one is also really important and practical. Without diligently working through system or code and dedicating vast amount of your time, none of the goals can be

Censorship, Privacy and the Internet (week 11)

1) Twitch.tv and Corporate censorship Twitch.tv is far far from dying. On the contrary, it is seeing greater viewership than ever before. However, the heart of Twitch seems to be withering away. It started way before becoming Amazon-owned but now it is in full swing. Twitch used to burst with copyrighted music. Creators would play whatever they felt like, and it made streams look lively and organic. In late 2020 Twitch finally started regulating content under DMCA and pretty much forced streamers to delete their videos on demands (or VODs - recorded streams) and clips that contained copyrighted music. For many long-time streamers this meant taking down years' worth of archived video content.  These DMCA issues not only affect streamers but also seem counter-intuitive for musicians. Some Twitch streamers are extremely popular and their content, playlists included, gets millions of views. Ultimately, music played on streams was promoting artists and their songs to a larger audience.