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I have encountered an unexpected Ansible failure today that turned out to be not a bug. Ansible apt module had failed to auto install the required python3-apt package - only on Debian Testing. Same playbook worked fine with Debian Stable. TASK [install some apt packages] ********************************************* [WARNING]: Updating cache and auto-installing missing … -
Pegatron Cape 7 nettop (thin client)
Below are hardware details of an outdated compact computer that had since become available for low price on second-hand market. I bought mine for $15 (in March 2020). This post is inspired by ParkyTowers Thin Client Database - many thanks to David Parkinson for gathering and sharing all that knowledge! Pegatron … -
Running Libvirt (KVM) in Cirrus CI
Up until the middle of 2019 it was very unusual to even expect that any CI service would allow nested virtualization. Those who required such functionality had to maintain their own CI runners on their own infrastructure. Things changed when Google Cloud introduced nested KVM support. Cirrus CI was probably … -
Cirrus CI integration for GitLab projects
Cirrus CI is a relatively new hosted CI service that offers several unique features. It's probably the only CI provider to offer full virtualization (KVM) or FreeBSD runners for free. Currently their business model is centered around GitHub Marketplace and only the projects hosted at GitHub are supported. Fortunately Cirrus … -
Cygwin CI journey
Setting up Cygwin CI environment for testing one of my projects took more than fifty trial-and-error attempts - that's why I think it will be useful to leave some written notes on the issues I've encountered. Here is the end result - GitHub CI running some Makefile tests in Cygwin. Cygwin gotchas … -
Don't blindly trust Docker for the selfhosted stuff
It is my strong belief that you shouldn't go crazy with all-things-docker when deploying selfhosted services at home. Online forums, especially r/selfhosted, seem to foster an opinion that providing a Dockerfile or better yet a docker-compose.yml or even prebuilt public images on Docker Hub is an acceptable way … -
Manage Python virtual environment from your Makefile
I often use Makefiles not just as a build tool but as a handy way to execute sequences of commands. The commands I've found myself executing again and again lately are the ones to manage Python virtual environments: Create new venv Update pip to the latest version that enables all … -
Cygheap base mismatch in Git for Windows
This error has haunted me for several months: 4 [main] head (6660) C:\...\usr\bin\head.exe:r *** fatal error - cygheap base mismatch detected - 0x612C7410/0xAF7410. This problem is probably due to using incompatible versions of the cygwin DLL. Search for cygwin1.dll using the Windows Start->Find/Search facility … -
On dotfiles management
This will be yet another description of dotfiles management by some random person on the Internet. I will try to explain what my setup is like and why it is that way. If you're not yet using version control software for your configuration files I strongly encourage you to start … -
Installing One by Wacom in Debian Stretch
I believe there are many people who run Debian Stable as their main desktop OS. This article is a short how-to on enabling newer hardware in Debian Stable without switching to another version or distribution. NOTE: This article was written in 2018, new Debian Stable (Buster) has been released since …