iDiallo

I write code for Humans & text for Robots

Ibrahim Diallo

Are you Human?

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I use Zip Bombs to Protect my Server

I use Zip Bombs to Protect my Server

The majority of the traffic on the web is from bots. For the most part, these bots are used to discover new content. These are RSS Feed readers, search engines crawling your content, or nowadays AI bots crawling content to power LLMs. But then there are the malicious bots. These are from spammers, content scrapers or hackers. At my old employer, a bot discovered a wordpress vulnerability and inserted a malicious script into our server. It then turned the machine into a botnet used for DDOS. One of my first websites was yanked off of Google search entirely due to bots generating spam. At some point, I had to find a way to protect myself from these bots. That's when I started using zip bombs.

Part 8: Deployment Planning & Infrastructure Setup

Part 8: Deployment Planning & Infrastructure Setup

When I was younger and deploying my first projects, my go-to method was the trusty scp command. I’d SSH into the server, copy over the files, and pray everything worked. Sometimes, I’d even use FTP to upload only the modified files. It felt quick and efficient... until it wasn’t.

The Internet Never Forgets, But the New Generation Won’t Remember

The Internet Never Forgets, But the New Generation Won’t Remember

I used to agonize over every word I published here, operating under the belief that the internet never forgets. Yet years later, countless links embedded in my old posts now lead to abandoned domains, their content vanished without a trace, not even archived in the Wayback Machine. The irony is stark: the same medium I feared for its permanence has proven so fragile.

Your Computer Is Where Your Files Are

Your Computer Is Where Your Files Are

Every time I buy a new computer, it ends up under my bed collecting dust within a week. It’s not that I dislike the device, it’s that I can’t work with a machine that doesn’t hold all my files. My workflow revolves around creating, downloading, and sharing text documents, code repositories, family photos, personal videos, and everything in between. The device I use feels like an extension of myself because that’s where my digital life resides.

Part 7: Quality Assurance & Testing

Part 7: Quality Assurance & Testing

How do you know your application works? Can you prove it? Does it work when: The user has a slow internet connection? They log in on two different devices at the same time? 100 people try to upload videos at once?

Why Companies Don’t Fix Bugs

Why Companies Don’t Fix Bugs

A few years ago, a lone programmer named t0st did something extraordinary: he fixed an 8-year-old bug in GTA Online that had been driving players crazy. The bug? Painfully long load times, sometimes up to 20 minutes. While the single-player mode loaded in seconds. His solution was elegant: a 13-line code tweak that cut load times by 70%. Rockstar Games, the studio behind GTA, rewarded him with a $10,000 bounty and patched the game. Problem solved, right?

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The Machine Fired Me

The Machine Fired Me

It was 7am when my phone rang. Instead of an alarm, it was my recruiter disturbing me from a pleasant dream. It was too early for a phone call or to be caught off guard, so I did not answer. I went to take a shower and get ready for the day. On my way to work, I listened to the voice mail she had left.

Download a file from the command line in Windows

Download a file from the command line in Windows

As a Linux user, I can't help but spend most of my time on the command line. Not that the GUI is not efficient, but there are things that are simply faster to do with the keyboard.

I charged $18,000 for a Static HTML Page

I charged $18,000 for a Static HTML Page

Not too long ago, I made a living working as a contractor where I would hop from project to project. Some were short term where I would work for a week and quickly deliver my service. Others lasted a couple months where I would make enough money to take some time off. I preferred the short ones because they allowed me to charge a much higher rate for a quick job. Not only I felt like my own boss, but I also felt like I didn't have to work too hard to make a decent living. My highest rates were still reasonable, and I always delivered high quality service. That was until I landed a gig with a large company.

Just Fired

a book by Ibrahim Diallo

After the explosive reception of my story, The Machine Fired Me, I set out to write a book to tell the before and after.

I started as a minimum wage laborer in Los Angeles and I set out to reach the top of the echelon in Silicon Valley. Every time I made a step forward, I was greeted with the harsh changing reality of the modern work space.

Getting fired is no longer reserved to those who mess up. Instead, it's a popular company strategy to decrease expenses and increase productivity.

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JavaScript Collection

Learn tips and tricks that will turn you into an Awesome® Javascript Dev.

JavaScript Tips and tricks

Tip of the day

Ajax without jQuery

It took me a long time to implement jQuery into my everyday workflow but now I am so used to it that I rely on it entirely for some tasks. The more I use, the m…

Are you new to JavaScript?

JavaScript can be a little bit challenging at first. There are a few things that once mastered will make your journey smoother. These are the little things that I want to explain to you here. I make the frustrating things as friendly as possible so you don't have to stress over it.

Photography

Every little corner has a story. Sometimes a camera tells the story and a picture is worth a thousand words.

There are professional photographers and then there is me who happens to have a camera on my phone. Here's to what came out.