Author: Rahul

PowerShell, Microsoft’s automation platform and scripting language, has become an indispensable tool for IT professionals worldwide. One fundamental concept that every PowerShell enthusiast must grasp is variable assignment. This comprehensive guide will delve deep into mastering variables and their assignments in PowerShell. 1. Introduction to Variables in PowerShell A variable in PowerShell, similar to other programming languages, acts as a container to store data. The stored data can be anything – a string, a number, an array, or even a more complex object. Variables in PowerShell are always prefixed with a $ symbol. Example: $MyVariable = “Hello PowerShell!” In above…

If you have ever attempted to back up a MySQL or MariaDB database using the mysqldump tool, you might have encountered the error: mysqldump: Unknown table ‘column_statistics’ in information_schema What Causes This Error? This error is particularly associated with MariaDB, version 10.2.2 and above. Starting with this version, MariaDB introduced a new table called column_statistics in the information_schema database, which was meant to support some advanced features such as histogram statistics. The mysqldump utility, when used with certain options, tries to access this table. However, if you are using the MySQL client tools (rather than MariaDB’s tools) to take the…

Setting up a Squid Transparent Proxy Server on Ubuntu can be a powerful way to manage network traffic, improve browsing speed, and enforce internet usage policies without requiring configuration on client devices. A transparent proxy intercepts network traffic without requiring manual configuration on client devices, making it easier to manage a network. This guide will walk you through the steps to install and configure Squid as a transparent proxy on Ubuntu and other Debian based systems. Step 1: Update Your System Before starting, it’s essential to update your Ubuntu system to ensure all software packages are up-to-date. Open your terminal…

The __name__ variable is a built-in attribute in Python, automatically initialized and assigned for each Python program. It’s one of those concepts that’s simple on the surface but has powerful implications. In this article, we’ll dive into what __name__ is, how it’s used, and the important role it plays in Python scripting. The Basics In Python, __name__ is a special system-defined variable. Python automatically assigns a string to this variable, depending on how you run your script. The assignment of this string works as follows: If a script is being run directly: When you’re running your script directly from the…

Performance optimization in Python is crucial for writing efficient code, especially when building large-scale applications. While Pylint is primarily known as a tool for checking the conformity of Python code against coding standards, it also provides some useful hints that can potentially optimize performance. In this article, we’ll look at how to utilize Pylint for performance improvements. What is Pylint? Pylint is a source-code, bug and quality checker for the Python programming language. It looks for programming errors, enforces a coding standard, and checks for certain types of code smells. It also offers simple ways to enforce a complete coding…

Python, one of the most widely-used programming languages, is known for its simplicity and readability. However, as is the case with many languages, it possesses unique characteristics that both novices and seasoned programmers should comprehend. One such characteristic is case sensitivity. In this guide, we’ll delve deep into understanding case sensitivity in Python and why it matters. What is Case Sensitivity? Case sensitivity in programming refers to the distinction between uppercase and lowercase characters. In case-sensitive languages like Python, Variable, VARIABLE, and variable would be treated as three distinct identifiers. If you were to mistakenly use a different casing for…

JavaScript objects are versatile data structures that provide a simple and effective way to store data as key-value pairs. The keys are always strings, while the values can be any type of data such as strings, numbers, arrays, other objects, or even functions. This article will walk you through how to use JavaScript objects as a simple key-value store, with practical examples for better understanding. What is a Key-Value Store? A key-value store is a simple database that uses an associative array as the fundamental data model. This structure consists of a collection of key-value pairs in which each key…

Python, with its expansive library of modules and packages, offers a variety of functionalities. To access these functionalities in your code, you’ll often need to incorporate them using the import statement. In this article, we delve into the from…import variant of the import statement, which provides a more direct way to access specific functions, classes, or variables from modules and packages. 1. Basic import Statement Before understanding from…import, let’s quickly recap the basic import statement: import math print(math.sqrt(25)) Here, we import the entire math module and then access its sqrt function using dot notation. 2. The from…import Statement The from…import…

Bash scripting is a powerful tool that developers can leverage to automate tasks on Unix and Linux systems. One common use-case is to source a script in another script, allowing the sharing of variables and functions between them. But at times, it’s crucial to know whether a Bash script has been sourced or executed directly. This knowledge can be instrumental in controlling the flow of the program based on its invocation method. This guide will explore how to identify whether a Bash script is being sourced or executed directly. Understanding Direct Execution and Sourcing of Bash Scripts Before we dive…

If you’ve been using Ubuntu for a while, you’re probably familiar with the term PPA, which stands for Personal Package Archive. PPAs are a great way to install and update software that isn’t available in the official Ubuntu repositories. However, sometimes you might want to remove a PPA, either because it’s no longer needed or because it’s causing issues. In this article, we’ll go through the steps to safely remove or delete a PPA in Ubuntu. What is a PPA? Before diving into the removal process, let’s quickly recap what a PPA is. A PPA is a third-party repository that…