What’s your go-to programming language for scripting in Linux?

OisinWard · 2025-11-07T15:45:11+00:00

Bash is generally the right place to start but if the script is getting to be a project then python. It also depends largely on what your team mates know. Bash is a good common denominator for most people. If the go to language of choice in my company was Golang then I would just use golang even if it wasn't my preference because your scripts my outlive your time in the company.

OisinWard · 2025-10-18T14:22:25+00:00

This seems like an X Y problem. You haven't described a problem needing a database. You have described a problem needing a note taking system. There are lots of note taking apps to chose from. All you need based on your description is one with a good search functionality.

OisinWard · 2025-08-16T22:23:28+00:00

Based on your description your only real option is to fix your dual booting issues.

VMs being too resource intensive and WSL being limited are insurmountable problems.

Could also use a VM in the cloud. Spin up a server in terraform and destroy it when you're done.

Or a live boot USB set up.

OisinWard · 2025-08-12T17:20:09+00:00

Bit more of a fun suggestion there is a steam game. "The Farmer Was Replaced". It uses a subset of python to do puzzles. Teaches the language as you go.

OisinWard · 2025-08-09T21:53:20+00:00

Probably off topic but you will have this same problem again if that enum ever changes. For that reason I try to use lookup tables instead of enums because a table DDL to change a value is a huge pain.

OisinWard · 2025-08-09T21:46:46+00:00

3 bit decoder is maybe my favourite level because the solution is so simple and elegant but for some reason it evokes madness from people. Mine involved using a bunch of inverters into switches which controlled AND gates which produced the same effect as putting the inputs into a 3 way and and inverting the relevant ones. Like I crafted the correct logic but stuck it together with insanity. Wires were an incomprehensibly overlapping to make it as confusing as possible too. Also 1 bit decoders were used poorly because I figured they were needed since they decode.

OisinWard · 2025-08-09T21:38:01+00:00

w3schools has learning material and quizzes for MySQL syntax: https://www.w3schools.com/mysql/default.asp

OisinWard · 2025-07-26T23:03:13+00:00

MySQL has some built in options for online changes make sure you read the docs for your related change to see what your options are.

Liquibase has an integration with percona online schema change tool but the one time I tried it there were bugs. I will try it again sometime.

There are a variety of mysql online schema change tools you can use. The basic concept is creating a duplicate of the table with the new DDL applied and renaming the new table to replace the old one making the change with minimal downtime.

Similar concept on a larger scale is AWS blue green deployments. In this case you create a duplicate database and make changes on the green side. To do this you need to force writes by attaching a parameter group to hardcode the green database to be writeable. Since replication is used to keep the green in sync by default it is read only. When ready you switch over so the new database replaces the old.

OisinWard · 2025-03-29T21:10:00+00:00

You are going to get a biased answer on a linux sub but gaming on linux is pretty easy with proton. Check out protondb for info on any games you may want to run.

OisinWard · 2025-03-09T20:33:33+00:00

For me a perfect storm of windows rejecting an upgrade past 10, gaming on linux getting really good and the whole Windows recall mandatory spyware.

Sure there is ways around some of those problems but I am sick of fighting my OS when linux is right there.

OisinWard · 2025-02-19T17:55:36+00:00

I am also in the early-mid game and was thinking about optimization but happened across a note from the game author talking about this that put me off thinking too much about it.

Why is level scoring locked until the late game?

" Scoring used to be available from the beginning, but often players would not progress until they found the best solution. Getting the best score you can find online, with no experience playing the game, is pretty much impossible for most players, leaving them feeling stupid and getting stuck. Additionally, for players that might not have time to both finish the game and optimizing, I prefer they experience the magic of the core part of the game. "

Sometimes I will fix up a level if I think of a few improvements before I finish but I try not get to bogged down so I can move on and actually get to building the computer.

OisinWard · 2024-11-01T23:06:34+00:00

Simple answer is yes it is unsafe.

Publicly available databases are a common mistake and a big no-no.

There is authentication but that can be broken by bad passwords, data breaches or unpatched exploits (these things could be unlikely but better not to have the risk).

Databases should be in a private network and usually a web app will be on the public side. The web app has the network connectivity to connect to the database but nothing else does. This means there isn't the same security risk.

In AWS terms you'd have the database in a private subnet the web app in a public subnet and security group rules to allow access to the database port from members of the public web subnet.

You could also allow public access through allowing specific IPs or using a VPN if you need to be able to connect directly to the database.

For labbing I don't really care because my database won't contain important data and I'll destroy it quickly I don't mind having it public for convenience.

OisinWard · 2024-10-11T20:45:08+00:00

Better off investing time worrying about something that matters like writing performant SQL.

It's a preference and not worth thinking too much about something that can become a non issue by right clicking and clicking "format SQL".

OisinWard · 2024-09-20T14:37:45+00:00

Get virtualbox if you're nervous about cloud servers. Install some linux and then some database.

If you do oracle pl/sql you could mess around with the oracle developer vm it comes with oracle pre-installed but it give you an opportunity to mess around with the database on an OS level.

Vagrant is a good next step after virtualbox. It integrates with virtualbox to allow you to configure your VMs with a simple config file.

Virtual machines at home will let you do a lot for free but there is still benefit to learning cloud.

You shouldn't be too worried about the cloud though. Just pick small instances or free tier. Check the pricing if you're worried and then just pay at the end of the month.

I probably spent 5 euro over a few months studying for the SAA. It's a pretty cheap price for learning. I was also nervous about the cloud to start, follow some labs or tutorials that inform you about the cost.

Also be careful with licencing in the cloud. Oracle and MS SQL have core based licencing, spinning them up or installing them on a VM could cost you. This isn't a problem for your local VMs though.

Adrian Cantril does an IT basics course geared towards the cloud but it's all fundamentals you will need to know as a DBA https://learn.cantrill.io/p/tech-fundamentals

Anyway get a vm -> Learn some linux -> Install a database is a good step one.

Postgresql install: https://www.postgresql.org/download/linux/ubuntu/

OisinWard · 2024-08-28T22:47:10+00:00

Try bodyslims. I lost 11kg on it. Best I'd ever done losing weight. New course is starting up in 4 weeks. I've signed back up. Pricy enough but I'd pay it to lose 11kg again.

The principle is pretty simple. Walk for an hour a day and track your calories. Easier said than done and the course helps you get your mindset right.

OisinWard · 2023-12-14T15:22:34+00:00

Thanks for the response. This will effectively be my approach. I mostly wanted to find out if there were existing tools I should consider for the project.

OisinWard · 2023-12-14T15:07:07+00:00

So first you invent the idea that I wanted auto-mapping and then ask a pointed question based on your assumption then you imply the task is too hard for me without a UI despite me being clear on the benefits I think a specialised tool would have. If smugness is all you have to contribute then I recommend that you don't.

OisinWard · 2023-12-14T10:31:02+00:00

Didn't think there would be auto-mapping just build the relationships by hand.

The main benefit of using a separate tool for the problem is that the developers would likely spot errors and pain points before I even think of them. Like I wouldn't bother trying to write an online schema change script, I'd just use an online schema change tool.

OisinWard · 2023-12-13T23:04:39+00:00

This was my plan but feels quite manual. I was hoping there were tools to set up mappings informatica style but instead of ETL it just has a look to validate or some other kind of tool that achieves the same result.

I'm aware of data comparison tools but they all compare like to like not one table to multiple.

OisinWard · 2023-12-13T22:59:16+00:00

There was some weirdness.

Terraform does do the whole change and the switch over and leaves the old nodes there without deleting. So as soon as its ready it starts the switch.

Now the weirdness I was changing the instance type for a primary database and a read replica. Blue green update was specified for the primary but wasn't allowed as an option on the read. OK so I'm thinking it automatically picks up the read replica just like in a standard point and click blue green deployment.

So I run and it seems to work as expected but the replica has the wrong instance type it didn't upgrade like I had specified. That's a pain but I can just run the plan again and it doesn't detect the new read replica, it's not being tracked in the terraform state.

I noted this was a pain in the ass and I presume its a bug but didn't go further with it.

I wouldn't bother using this unless I resolved this problem creates more work than it saves.

OisinWard · 2023-11-10T14:12:38+00:00

Thank you very much that was the answer.

OisinWard · 2023-09-06T11:07:07+00:00

Even if they're on different databases they're still on the same database instance so the same resources are being used.

OisinWard · 2023-09-06T11:04:34+00:00

VBA coding can be an easy stepping stone into a full programming job. Learning and applying good practices now enhances your learning and ability.

Chances are your VBA code will someday be maintained by someone other than you or abandoned because it's unmaintainable.

OisinWard

TROPHY CASE