In Unix-like operating systems, dotfile is synonymous with hidden file. Usually used by programs to store configuration variables.

I have multiple machines, which I regularly work on. I keep sync of a set of personalized dotfiles between them – customized settings for programs that I’m using, like many of you. Till now, I was using my private git repository for things like my private scripts, Mutt, Irssi, Ekg2 or Tmux configurations. On the other hand some I keep publicly available for others i.e. on GitHub like Vim configs. And oh boy, there are so many of them! The true is, I customize almost everything that I’m using including simple tools like cp (just to get progress bar or interactivity).

IPng, Internet Protocol next generation (later on named IPv6), was conceived in 1994 with a goal to start deployment by 1996. This is one of the reasons of non-compatibility between IPv4 and IPv6 as the idea was that by the time that we will exhaust IPv4 addresses everybody will be already on IPv6. Right… by know we see that global adoption just reached the mark of 1% last year. Interestingly enough IPng at the beginning was called a protocol version 7 but as it was irrational to skip numbers, especially to odd ones, it was quickly corrected around 26th IETF to version 6. IPv6 was supposed to be the life saver over the well-used and already depleting IPv4, basically by increasing the size from 32 bits to 128 bits. Additionally it introduced as well anycast routing, removed the checksum from the IP layer etc. though we still have version field, 8 bits that identify this IP header as being of version 4 when there is a 4 in there and presumably they would use a 5 to identify this next generation version. Unfortunately, 5 was already given to something else.

I found above message in a kernel log and I was just wondering what is all about. I was amazed how little I knew about it.

A leap second is a second, as measured by an atomic clock, added to or subtracted from UTC to make it agree with astronomical time to within 0.9 second. It compensates for slowing in the Earth’s rotation and is added during the end of June or December. The first leap second was added to atomic clocks in 1972, with the most recent leap second being added on December 31, 2008.

The Unix epoch, defined as 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970, serves as the foundational reference point for timekeeping in nearly all modern computing systems. This date, though seemingly arbitrary, emerged from a confluence of technical constraints, historical decisions, and practical considerations during Unix’s early development.

Historical Context of Unix Time

Early Development of Unix and Timekeeping

Unix, initially developed at Bell Labs in 1969, required a consistent method to track time for file management and process scheduling. Early versions of Unix stored time as a 32-bit integer counting 1/60-second intervals, a design influenced by the hardware clock frequency of the PDP-11 systems. This approach limited the maximum representable time span to approximately 829 days (~2.5 years), necessitating an epoch set in the recent past.

Welcome to the most exciting test page you’ll ever encounter! 🎉

Why is this page here?

Well, everything has humble beginning.

Fun Facts

• Did you know? The first website ever created is still online! You can visit it here.
• Why do I test? Catch those pesky rodens before they ruin the party.