@bert_hubert@fosstodon.org

bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · May 08, 2025

Replying to @HalvarFlake@mastodon.social

@HalvarFlake@mastodon.social would be nice if they knew even. Means they could reproduce.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Mar 18, 2025

Massive result in Dutch parliament just now. They passed 10 separate motions to enhance digital resilience, run more of our own servers & reduce dependency on US cloud technology.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-parliament-calls-end-reliance-us-software-2025-03-18/

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 18, 2025

Replying to @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org

Similarly, if your copy of the strptime() manpage left you with any hope on what it would do for you wrt timezones, I can highly recommend https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/functions/strptime.html "%z: The effect of this offset, if any, on the tm structure pointed to by tm is unspecified." %Z meanwhile is -somewhat- specified, but likely does not do what you'd think.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 18, 2025

Replying to @revk@toot.me.uk

@revk@toot.me.uk I am typing in a painful blog post that hopefully contains at least one thing about posix/unix time that you did not know :-)

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 18, 2025

Replying to @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org

I have finally found an up to date standard that covers mktime(), https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/functions/mktime.html - and in it we learn that on error mktime returns the valid timestamp -1 (which happened in 1969 UTC). To detect if this was an actual error, callers must set tm.tm_wday to -1, and check if after a call it is still -1. In that case, an error happened.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 17, 2025

Replying to @ColmDonoghue@mastodon.ie

@ColmDonoghue@mastodon.ie Indeed, I just heard about it. At least we didn't have the internet back then ;-)

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 17, 2025

Replying to @derickr@phpc.social

@derickr@phpc.social wow well that is quite a teachable moment in computer history!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 17, 2025

Replying to @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org

"In Dublin's official timezone data, for example, tm_isdst is zero in their summer and one in their winter, the opposite of the norm, but not on RHEL, which "normalizes" the data. If you lived in Dublin and used Fedora, and made an invalid assumption about tm_isdst values, you would not be on time for tea." - from https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/brief-history-mktime

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 17, 2025

Replying to @luis_in_brief@social.coop

@luis_in_brief@social.coop "meeting time TBD" :-)

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 17, 2025

Replying to @derickr@phpc.social

@derickr@phpc.social strength, brother! Writing up some of the pain as a blog post.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 17, 2025

After studying the strptime timezone %Z situation for a bit, I have concluded that both time and computers were a mistake.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @taaldader@mastodon.social

@taaldader@mastodon.social no, it is a sign I don't really understand my blogging software :-)

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @artemesia@techhub.social

@artemesia@techhub.social ok will add it. Thanks for investing the time!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @xs4me2@mastodon.social

@xs4me2@mastodon.social done!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org

Over 40 suggestions have come in for the 'Totemic Books for Many Fields' page, thank you so much!! The page has now been much expanded, and also has a section on books that didn't quite make it, and some further guidance on just what kind of stone cold classics (or books that should be) I am looking for: https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/totemic-books-for-many-fields/#some-more-on-what-books-should-be-on-this-page

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @martijnstaal@mastodon.nl

@martijnstaal@mastodon.nl @eloy@hsnl.social sometimes there just isn't an iconic book for a field (yet). It happens.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @pivot@infosec.exchange

@pivot@infosec.exchange on physics, other people do seem to think these books are iconic in their (sub) fields. Thanks for the two suggestions, put them on the list to evaluate!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @artemesia@techhub.social

@artemesia@techhub.social I read it, it did not really work for me and I don't know who'd benefit from it today, since the state of the art has likely advanced somewhat.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @hydropsyche@ecoevo.social

@hydropsyche@ecoevo.social Added Darwin at the end. I looked into Mendel's work, but it wasn't very influential at the time and the results he published also appear to be questionable. In hindsight it was a very important book though, but I'm not sure if people are getting any wisdom from it now.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @mattlehrer@definitely.social

@mattlehrer@definitely.social I suspect no one will be reading that book 10 years from now, which is also some kind of criterion.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @kentenmakto@mastodon.ie

@kentenmakto@mastodon.ie @eloy@hsnl.social this is not the only book on the list that has unfortunate aspects.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @number9@infosec.exchange

@number9@infosec.exchange I've added it, but perhaps not where you might expect it (at the very end)

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @eloy@hsnl.social

@eloy@hsnl.social added this one too!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @eloy@hsnl.social

@eloy@hsnl.social in there now, thanks!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @yuhasz01@mastodon.social

@yuhasz01@mastodon.social is on it now! Thanks!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @mattlehrer@definitely.social

@mattlehrer@definitely.social pondering - I personally did not like 'the lean startup' since it has nothing on innovation or actually inventing anything new. I read the Carnegie book and it might indeed belong on the list, "Charles Manson used what he learned from the book in prison to manipulate others into killing on his behalf." is quite the recommendation :-) Pondering the rest too, thanks!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @ronaldw@mastodon.social

@ronaldw@mastodon.social pondered that, since when I read it it was a very meaningful book for me. But I don't know if it still fulfills that role. It is a book of popular science making a point that has been made well enough by now.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

Replying to @xs4me2@mastodon.social

@xs4me2@mastodon.social ooooh!! adding!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Dec 01, 2024

I've started a page listing for many fields (#physics, computing, #biology, history...) the most Totemic Books. The ones that are central to the field, the books you wished you had learned about earlier. The works no one in a field can do without. Please send me your suggestions so we can share the love more broadly! https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/totemic-books-for-many-fields/

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Sep 03, 2024

Replying to @caal@mastodon.social

@caal probeer de nieuwe eerstejaars nog eens :-) Maar goed werk!

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Apr 12, 2024

May you one day theorize something and 48 years later be photographed with the 27 kilometer large country-spanning machine that confirmed you were right. Awesome photo of Peter Higgs courtesy of the @CMSexperiment@sciencemastodon.com at CERN.

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bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert_hubert@fosstodon.org · Jan 01, 2023

Replying to @Di4na@hachyderm.io

@Di4na Very good, thank you! I wrote a weaker story on people's expectations of open source developers, but it does add some context: https://bert-hubert.blogspot.com/2015/07/developing-open-source-dont-listen-to.html

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