Tagged with #linux

Tried 1Password for SSH keys and Git management (keys in 1Password, authentication via agent + desktop prompt before access, and 1Password must be running) and not a fan of more red tape around the SSH keys. Non-interactive processes just fail to use the key first-time round, so I ended up having to commonly do operations twice. Easy restore from a BackInTime backup. #security #linux

I've updated my one stop system update script to remove unused Flatpaks. #linux #projects

RAM Usage Nerdery

I've been wondering how much RAM I used on my 32GB Ubuntu derivative workstation, mainly used for web development using docker containers and light vm experimentation. Yes when I spotcheck with htop I have enough RAM free, but do I actually need 32GB, when I'm in the market for a new device or an upgrade?

It turns out, yes I do ideally.

The setup

On startup I've been running this script to save the memory stats into a csv file:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
while true
  do free  | grep Mem | tr --squeeze-repeats ' ' ',' | tee --append ~/memory.csv
  sleep 10
done

Today (after 15 days) I pulled the stats into a database and browsed it:

sqlite-utils insert /tmp/mem.db memory-stats memory.csv --csv
datasette /tmp/mem.db

Sorting by the available column shows that the lowest value I get is 11.9GB available to be freed.

The available column is the sum of the Free column plus the portions of the Buffers and Cache columns (or the Buff/cache column) that can be relinquished immediately. The Available column is an estimate, not an exact figure. https://www.howtogeek.com/456943/how-to-use-the-free-command-on-linux/#the-available-column

I think it's a reasonable measure. This system does not have zram memory compression enabled, that would help probably.

It has 4GB swap, I did not measure it's usage.

Hopefully this review helps for people who want to measure their own usage.

‎ #linux

Map Eject to Multitasking View

So I use ElementaryOS and in version 7 you are no longer able to map just the Eject key. I like to map this to the Multitasking View (something like the macOS Expose).

The solution is to use the DConf Editor application and search for show-desktop. ElementaryOS repurposes the show desktop to the multitasking view. Simply set the value to ['Eject']

Alternatively you can set the left-super key (windows/command) to the Multitasking View. This seems better supported.

‎ #elementaryos #linux