When Life Gives You Lemons…

Image by John Harper

Make Lemonade?  What About When You Can’t?

Sometimes, life gives you lemons.  Dried up lemons that you’re not going to be able to make lemonade with.  You are then left with some old, dried up rinds that are brown and withered that look like tiny catchers mits.

Life did this to me in September.

I was laid off.  This is something that never happened to me before.  I worked for a financial institution supporting production software running on Linux.  It was a GREAT job and one that I did for 4+ years.  I was able to work with RHEL and SUSE Linux servers on the daily.

This is the first time in my life that I haven’t had a job.  The last time I didn’t work was 1998.  These past 6 weeks have been not much fun at all and I’m dangerously close to running the distance of my severance package in the next 3 weeks.

On top of those nasty old lemons…I have yet to find a job.  I’ve had plenty of attention for my resume but it seems people are looking for specific titles that didn’t exist 5 years ago when I was looking for work.  The IT industry changes so quickly.  So the traction I got 5 years ago is gone.  Instead, it’s like I’m using bald tires on black ice….it’s just spinning around.

I rewrite my resume weekly now.  Update it with recruiters.  Update it on websites.  Apply to new jobs.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

It’s especially scary when The New York Times is reporting that there is a lot of job hunting going on right now, but no job, despite low unemployment.  Hopefully, all things will sort themselves out in the next few weeks.

What’s Next for Here?

This post is just a quick update on why there have been crickets here for the past few weeks.  I still have a review of OpenMediaVault prepared…all the nifty screenshots are taken.  But I haven’t written it yet.  Job hunting is taking all of my time currently.  I’ll probably need to take a break from the grind of job hunting so I should get that out sometime in the next few weeks.  Wish me luck on the job hunting front!

JARVYS, Set It and Forget It Linux Backups

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a cloud based file backup system that put Linux FIRST?  One that made it so we didn’t have to use FUSE?  One that didn’t put out a Windows client first and the Linux client was an afterthought?  One that you could get installed and configured quickly and easily which would allow you to ‘set it and forget it’?  Me too!

Until a few weeks ago…I wasn’t sure something like that existed.  Then I was approached by the founders of JARVYS, a backup software solution that does just that.  I had a chance to interview Cade Proulx and Matt Connor of JARVYS to understand a bit more about how it works, where it is headed, and why its perfect for those of us who develop on Linux.  I’d like to disclose that JARVYS is a sponsor of this blog.

Q:  Tell us a little bit about yourselves?

A:  Matt has been using and developing with Linux for around 15 years and I’m (Cade) a gamer at heart (MOD creation, Rig building, etc).  We met at Chapman University and began to take our start-up ideas into reality with SSD Nodes, JARVYS and Xerq.io.  We’re active in the venture capital and start-up scene; not only for ourselves, but also helping others to get started.

Q: Where did the idea of JARVYS come from?

A: We have a company named SSD Nodes that provides on-demand datacenter services, specializing in reliable, high performance cloud computing. We provide a massive dynamic platform that allows you to quickly innovate and deploy your applications on a global scale.  With that being said, our customers had a need to do small file level backups with a way to easily restore.

Q:  So is JARVYS only for people who need datacenter level services?

A:  Not at all.  The idea for JARVYS is to provide a quick (you can get installed and backing up in 60 seconds) and easy way for end users to get started with backups.  We wanted to provide a very low barrier for entry on these types of backups and restores…to make it so that people can get to working with what matters to them instead of worrying about backups.  JARVYS will work on servers or desktops…it doesn’t matter.  What matters is that JARVYS gets out of the way and lets you do your work while it continues to back your important stuff up.

Q:  When was JARVYS founded?

A:  We’ve been using the idea and backup solution with most of our customers at SSD Nodes for a long time…but JARVYS as a company and product only came to be in August or September of this year.  It was at that time we really made the code modular and cleaned it up enough to make it presentable.  We’re still in beta right now as we’re introducing some great features like zero-knowledge encryption.

Q:  How did you come up with the name “JARVYS”?

A:  JARVYS is a very popular name in the French language and we thought of JARVYS as a butler of sorts.  It seemed fitting that our software just took care of the backups for you…much in the way a butler would if you had one.

Q:  How many people work on JARVYS at the moment?

A:  We currently have 7 employees and growing.

Q: So what programming language do you use for JARVYS?

A:  Golang mostly.

Q:  Is there an API for end users to build on or a plugin system?

A:  Not yet, but in the future we plan on having a very robust API and plugin framework.  We really want people to build things on top of JARVYS.

Q:  What are your ultimate goals for JARVYS?

A:  We want JARVYS  to make dataloss a thing of the past.  We’ve seen so many customers mess up backups and lose data. There are so many holes with data preservation. There are so many moving parts to a backup such as  the restore, notifications for success and loss.  And of course, a backup system isn’t complete until you’re able to restore your data.  It is our hope that JARVYS takes the difficulty out of the backup for Linux users.

Q:  Let’s say I’m a customer and I install and get started today.  What happens to my data/backup?  Is it encrypted?  

A:  The JARVYS client uses an encrypted SSH tunnel to transmit your data to our servers here.  We’re still in beta right now but ultimately we’re looking at an encrypted storage place for everyone’s data.  We want this to be YOUR data…we want to make it so that you hold the keys to the kingdom and not even JARVYS can see your files or decrypt them.  We’re not there yet but we are currently developing and testing this ‘zero knowledge’ storage system right now.

Q:  Do you have a free plan?  If so, will it always be free?

A:  Yes, we have a free plan.  We feel that with developers and the  Linux community that there should always be a free plan.  It’s important that we contribute and give back because we’re standing on the shoulders of giants.  It just makes sense that if we take, we should give.  So we’ll always have a free plan that can get you started with hassle free backups within 60 seconds.

Q:  What would you say if someone asked “Isn’t this just another Dropbox?”

A:  We’d say that it really isn’t like Dropbox at all.  For example, with Dropbox restores aren’t going to be seamless with a single command like they are with JARVYS.  Dropbox also has a daemon that runs and it uses FUSE on Linux.  JARVYS is cron enabled and only runs when the backup happens.  It’s designed to have a very small footprint.  Restores with JARVYS take less than a few seconds while restoring files with Dropbox will take quite a bit longer.

Q:  How do I keep up to date with JARVYS releases and news?

A:  You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.  You can also keep up with JARVYS on our Blog.

Q:  Where can I check out JARVYS?

A:  You can get started using the free plan we mentioned above.  As we said, it’s free and will always be free.  Alternatively, we’re offering a special for Yet Another Linux Blog readers:  20% off, any tier plan for the lifetime of the plan.  It’s a great deal!  To take advantage, simply use the code “linux-blog” at checkout.  Head over to our pricing page to get started.  We hope JARVYS takes the hassle out of your backups and thanks for checking us out!

I am a Linux User

There are some things you just are.

Painters are painters because they paint.  Writers are writers because they write.  Whatever you identify with being (writer, painter, et. al) you are that because of what you DO…what you produce.  I am Linux user because of what I produce with Linux…what I do with it.  I don’t simply use it…I create with it.  I make it do what I want.

People give me a screwdriver and I pry things open with it…I don’t just use it on screws.  If I wanted to just use a flathead screwdriver for screws I’d be using a Mac.  If I wanted attachments for my screwdriver to become a different tool, I’d use Windows.  Instead, I rewrite what my screwdriver is used for by using Linux.

I’m a thinker because of Linux.  I have to be.  I have to think outside of the box…the standard way of thinking.  I find solutions to tech problems more quickly than people around me because of Linux.  I don’t think just of linear solutions.  I’m not just one dimensional…Linux makes me multidimensional.  When a problem arises, I meet it head on instead of waiting for others to fix it.

Linux makes me all of these things.  Without it, I still am a thinker…but Linux makes me a multidimensional, deep thinker.  Without it, I still use tools like a screwdriver but I don’t use them in as many ways.  Without it, I can still solve problems…but I don’t solve them as fast or as creatively.  There are some things you just are.

Linux helps me to be who I am.  Linux just is.

It was almost 10 years ago that I started recording my thoughts, tips and tricks on this blog.  I blog less frequently today then I did back then thanks to more professional responsibility with my work…but just the same, Linux still plays a major part in my every day life.  This website is hosted on a Linux server that I built from the ground up.  I use Linux for my Network Attached Storage at home that contains all of my movies, music and pictures.  My phone runs Linux.  I stay in touch with my friends and family because Linux is so versatile.

This blog has been through 4 major hosting changes and 3 changes of content management systems.  It’s gone through DDOS attacks, smear campaigns and even bumped heads with Groklaw before they shut their doors.  Through all of that, the one constant that remained is that Linux is.  For those of us that use it…Linux is what we use to shape our lives.  I’m glad to be a Linux user and a blogger of all things Linux.  Despite my infrequency of posting, I try to provide original content instead of just recycled news/how-to’s.  I don’t plan on changing this goal in the future…and I plan on being here for as many years as I can.

I want to personally thank each and every one of you who subscribe to my RSS feed and have my content delivered to you there…and those that subscribe to the blog via email.  Thanks to all of you who read the content I produce.  I appreciate your patronage and your support.  I began this journey with many of you over 10 years ago…here’s to the future path we’ll be travelling.  No telling where Linux will take us!

 

Would You Like a Native Client for Google Drive?

If you’re like me, you think that the more native applications that are available to Linux users, the better.  In the case of Google Drive, there isn’t a native synchronization enabled client for Linux.  This is especially sad if you think about how Google got to where it is today…building its entire search infrastructure on the backs of customized Debian servers.  Not to mention that Android…which is powered by Linux…has a native client available in the Google Play store.

Why would we want a native client for Google Drive when we can just use unofficial software to do it or mount it like a command line commando would?  The answer is simple…uniformity and solidarity.  The experience that is already present for Windows and Mac users should be present in Linux as well…instead, Linux continues to be the ‘red headed stepchild’ of the desktop experience.

There are some people who feel this same way and they have started an online petition asking Google to release a native Drive client for Linux.  You can sign the petition here if you’d like to.  As of the writing of this post, there were 15,648 signatures…let’s see if we can push above 20k shall we?  I think online petitions are sometimes silly but Google might not.  Hopefully, we’ll get that native client and uniform experience for Linux desktops everywhere.

Lightweight Command Line Downloading with Aria2

Sometimes you just want a quick and easy way of downloading  large files.  If you’re like me, you want this with as little of a memory footprint as possible.  Aria2 gives me this ability.  When downloading a torrent for a recent Linux release, I was able to do this with only 5MB of memory being used.  No other download programs can give me this.

What’s nice about aria2 is that you can download the same file from multiple sources (mirrors) and cut your download times with each source.  You can also open multiple pipes to the same download which shortens the time as well.  Let’s take a quick look at what aria2 can do for your downloads.

Downloading with Aria2

For this test I used KDE4 iso’s from OpenSuse.  First, I established a baseline using wget:

wget http://www.gtlib.gatech.edu/pub/opensuse/distribution/12.3-RC2/iso/openSUSE-12.3-KDE-Live-Build0094-x86_64.iso

This took 15 minutes 47 seconds to complete.  The file size is 941MB.  My Internet connection at home has a max download of 10MB and upload of 1MB.

Using aria2, the same file took 10 minutes 32 seconds to complete.  Here is the command I used for this:

aria2c -x2 http://www.gtlib.gatech.edu/pub/opensuse/distribution/12.3-RC2/iso/openSUSE-12.3-KDE-Live-Build0094-x86_64.iso

The -x2 in the above command pipelines the download of the ISO into 2 separate threads.  This speeds things up considerably.  Be wary of using too many threads though because many websites out there will throttle you down in speed should you open more than 3-4 threads.

Aria2 supports more protocols than you can shake a stick at including magnet links, bittorrent, metalink and even ftp.  There are many command line flags and options you can use and you can even call aria2 using JSON-RPC and XML-RPC through the web.  All together, aria2 is scalable, flexible and lightweight…there isn’t much it cannot do.  If you’re looking for a lightweight download utility, aria2 has you covered.

Sony Violates the LGPL3 and Steals KDE Icon

Looks like Sony has gone from prosecuting pirates to becoming one.  Only days after the PS4 announcement too.

Over at the KDE Blog, Jonathan Riddell explains that Sony is using a KDE icon in violation of the LGPL3 license under which it is released:

“Nowhere on their website terms of use does it list the LGPL 3 licence it may be copied under (It does say “Any unauthorised use or copying of site content, or use of site content which breaches these Terms (or their spirit) may violate trade mark, copyright and other proprietary rights, and have civil and criminal consequences” although it also says “You must seek and obtain the written consent the operator of this site before creating any link to this site” so I don’t give that page any legal credit.)”

The page in question is a ‘Choose your Vaio‘ webpage on the Sony UK site.

What does one do in cases like this?  It seems that legal action would be a waste of time and money…hopefully, Sony takes note of this and corrects the issue.  They’ve been heavily invested in Linux and Open Source for many years now with their platforms and I’d like to think they’d have learned from their rootkit debacle that you should act quickly to fix things before they blow up on the internet.

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