Migrating to AlmaLinux
Given recent reminders about the shorter lifespan of CentOS Stream releases, I decided to rethink what I run on my server. The two main options for those who want the full life cycle of RHEL without actually running RHEL are AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. For reasons I don't fully understand, I get a better vibe from AlmaLinux. You'll want to do your own research to see what works best for you.
I still like the idea of CentOS Stream, but I also like the idea of leaving this server on the same OS for ~6 more years. Instead of trying to do an unsupported upgrade to Stream 9, let's migrate to AlmaLinux!
Tags: how-to, server-info
Using mod_md to manage Let's Encrypt certificates
I've been using certbot to manage my Let's Encrypt
certificates since I first started using them. Today, I switched to
using mod_md to simplify the whole process and remove one
dependency from my setup.
Tags: how-to, server-info
Adding a simple dark blog theme using CSS
I've started using dark themes on some of the devices I use, including my phone, and I was struck by my blog's default black-on-white theme when viewed at night. I like the ligher theme as a default, but I wanted to accommodate folks (including myself) who prefer a less bright look.
Since I've gotten used to some sites automatically adjusting based on the device's theme settings, I figured I'd see if it would be easy enough to do the same for my blog. Here's my bare minimum attempt at implementing it using only Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
Migrating to CentOS Stream
A short one to talk about moving my server to CentOS Stream. This is precipitated by the recent announcement that the traditional CentOS Linux releases that followed official RHEL releases will be going away by the end of next year as they focus on CentOS Stream that precedes RHEL releases.
Tags: how-to, server-info
Adventures in CD ripping
It all started several years ago when I read Thomas Vander Stichele's The Art of the Rip and learned about the new morituri project. Up to that point, I'd been ripping my CDs straight to Ogg Vorbis using Grip. I would usually enter track information manually to suit my preferences, and I used a fairly low bitrate for playback on a little digital audio player running Rockbox.
The idea of ripping my CDs to FLAC and having thorough metadata brought in from MusicBrainz (which was also new to me at the time) was a revelation. Add on top of that the promise of a rip that was "guaranteed" to be accurate not only by doing local checks but also by comparing it to an online database (AccurateRip), and I was ready to rerip my modest CD collection.
Tags: cd-ripping, cyanrip, how-to
No Ident response
This is a quick one, but I want to be somewhat active with posting to this blog and I figure it makes sense to document little things like this when they come up. Maybe someone will find this helpful.
Tags: freenode, how-to, server-info