Ahmed Hammad Blog

Today, I did something simple but useful—I checked all the apps on my phone and uninstalled the ones I haven’t used in a long time. Some apps seemed like I might need them later, so instead of keeping them, I wrote down their names in a note and deleted them. Why Is This Helpful? What…

Breaking Free from the Map Monopoly: My Journey to Open-Source Navigation I was using Google Maps for a long time, but I didn’t like the idea of sharing my location and other personal data with a big company. I wanted to change that. I started using Yandex Maps, which is a good alternative. It works…

I recently decided to delete my ChatGPT account. Why? Because I refuse to contribute to training proprietary AI models that only make BigTech more powerful. OpenAI’s data retention policy claims they’ll delete your data in 30 days—except when they decide to keep it “where required or permitted by law.” Given the track record of tech…

“Discover how your ‘free’ digital services come at the cost of your privacy – and what you can do about it” Description In this eye-opening 2-hour session, we’ll expose the hidden costs of our digital convenience and explore practical solutions for reclaiming your privacy. Did you know that Google earns $265 billion annually from advertising…

Creating presentations doesn’t have to mean wrestling with clunky, proprietary software. By treating presentation development like source code, I discovered a streamlined, flexible workflow using Markdown (MD) files, Visual Studio Code, and MARP to generate sleek HTML slides—all while maintaining full control over styling with custom CSS. Why Markdown? Markdown’s simplicity allows for fast content structuring with headings, lists, and code blocks. By…

In today’s digital world, cloud storage and synchronization services are essential for managing files, calendars, and contacts across multiple devices. While public cloud services like Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox are popular, using a private cloud such as Nextcloud offers significant advantages in terms of privacy, security, and control. Key Advantages of a Private Cloud…

For years, I struggled with clunky cloud services and complex sync tools until I discovered Syncthing—a blazing-fast, open-source file synchronization solution that works directly between devices with no central server required. After using it to sync files between my Android phone and Windows PC, I’m convinced this is the future of personal data synchronization. What…

I recently made the switch from Bitbucket to GitLab, and I wanted to share my experience.1. Open Source: GitLab is fully open source2. User-Friendly Surprise: Moving my code repositories felt like a breeze. GitLab’s interface is not just pretty; it’s genuinely user-friendly. The import functionality was actually fully automated. It could not be easier.DIY Freedom:…

Although VSCode is open source, Microsoft while building the binary executable adds proprietary code that collect information about the users even if they opted not to. The community created VsCodium as a fully open source alternative without these Microsoft propitiatory code. It has exactly the same features and uses same extensions. I am using it…

Because we got used to major service providers such as Google, or Microsoft, we think of these services, email/Contacts/Calendar as one integrated service, but once you move away from them, you will find things a little bit more difficult. The point is to find a service that provides you mobile and desktop access to them…

Simply I reverted back to use my Flash drive as a backup mechanism. I removed Google Drive application and stopped using Google Docs. I already has Office, so no real need to use the cloud. Later on, I went to the Drive website and removed all my documents and also all documents that was shared…

Recently I became more aware of security issues and worry about how free google services are not really free. They are collecting my info and sell it to advertisers. Almost all websites and mobile apps that has ads, those ads are served by Google. Although you may hate these too much ads, that web site…

I am developing a personal finance application on mobile and web. Data should be synced two ways between the mobile app and the web application. The data schema is: Currency table with currency name and conversion rate Account table with name and a foreign key to its currency Transactions table with an amount, withdraw account related, deposit account related,…

Jhipster is a web application scaffold that generates backend and frontend code for CRUD applications. You describe entities in JDL format among other options and Jhipster generates backend server and frontend UI for you. Here are some of the advantages: Fast application code scaffold. In a short time, an application is generated.  Many options exist on…

Giving advice is not very effective most of the time. Sharing real experiences and trouble and how it is handled is more effective. The best is whoever learns from others mistakes. So I am sharing here a story where I and my team introduced a bug and it was leaked to the production environment. I…

In the last post, I wrote about the problems that happen because of the lack of technical codebase management. First, you can not do anything without knowing your status right now as well as where you are heading. Putting your goals in mind, then you are fully equipped to do the right things and monitor…