Nitin Nain

Blog

  • Getting Started with WordPress (and Building a Website)

    If you wish to build a website, then WordPress is a great choice to build it with! One of WordPress’s stand-out features is its content management system (CMS): Content can be added and edited very easily on a WP site, and the site’s design and layout can be changed quite easily as well. It also is the most popular web framework on the internet (powering 45% of the world’s web domains), so your WordPress skills will come in handy at several points in your life1. It might even land you a job in web development, design, or content marketing.

    With that said, one of the shortcomings of the WordPress eco-systems is just the overload of Ads thrown at you — trying to sell you website-building services, plugins, and themes — if you search for anything related to “WordPress”. I don’t have to sell you any services, so here are some honest tips on getting started:

    Learning the basics

    These two links are more than enough to get started (don’t get into an endless tutorial hell):

    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37GGkoPNeXE – How to make a WordPress website start to finish (1 hr 20 mins video)
    2. https://www.namecheap.com/wordpress/how-to-install-wordpress/ (5 mins read)

    After you complete these, you would want to launch your website online, i.e. you will install WordPress on a web server2 and hook your domain name to it.

    Hosting your website online (wordpress.org vs wordpress.com)

    WordPress is free and open-source software that you can download from wordpress.org. “wordpress.com” is owned by a private company and provides commercial solutions to host WordPress websites. I find hosting on wordpress.com quite restrictive, and I think you’ll soon grow out of it if you choose it. It’s also costlier, and the company has been getting a bad rap3 for the last few years.

    So, in most cases, it will be better if you learn to use WordPress on a separate web hosting platform (for example Hostinger, a2hosting, BlueHost, WPEngine).

    Building websites on your personal computer

    You can also install WordPress locally on your computer to play around with the settings and build advanced sites. You can build any number of throwaway sites on your local system (say build a photography blog, a portfolio site, a writer’s blog, a travel site etc)! Check this video guide for installing the local XAMPP server – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTNFZRdDotM 

    This website (nitinnain.com) has been running on WordPress for 10+ years now and WordPress has served me pretty well. I have even changed the site design thrice with very little effort. So Good luck with your project. Drop in a comment if you have questions.

    1 If you are not technically inclined, then you can use Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, etc. However, these platforms usually cost upward of $10/month for even the most basic site.

    2 A web server is simply a computer managed by some company where you host your website (They ensure power backup and internet connectivity to the server, so your website is accessible 24×7).

    3 There have been some controversies in recent years around the ownership of WordPress. It’s a complex debate that you don’t need to worry about if you’re new. WordPress isn’t going anywhere.

  • Chip Fabrication in India: Tata Electronics’ $14 Billion Investment

    After years of unsuccessful attempts by various players to establish semiconductor fabrication in India, it seems the tide is finally turning: Tata Electronics Private Limited (est. 2020) has started investments in four manufacturing facilities spread across India. There’s also the China + 1 strategy at play here, where countries are trying to reduce dependence on a single country.

    Let’s begin by putting these figures into perspective. The world’s top semiconductor fabrication company, TSMC, invests about $6 billion annually in semiconductor manufacturing technologies. Establishing a 3nm chip fabrication plant costs approximately $20 billion. Also, the U.S. government introduced the CHIPS and Science Act in August 2022, providing $52 billion in direct funding to support the construction and expansion of chip manufacturing facilities. Of this, $29 billion has already been allocated.

    The largest of these four Tata Electronics factories is a $10.9 billion (INR 91,000 crore) investment to build a semiconductor fabrication facility at Dholera, Gujarat. The project received approval in February 2024, with chip production expected to commence within two years. Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) is the technology and execution support partner. This facility will do 12-inch wafer fabrication, for chips with node sizes of 28nm, 40nm, 55nm, 90nm, and 110nm. These chips can be used for applications ranging from power management ICs, display drivers, microcontrollers, and high-performance computing.

    I started writing this blog because I was excited to hear a new development from Tata Electronics two days back, as they laid the foundation stone for another project, this time in Assam. The planned investment for this facility is USD 3.25 Bn (INR 27,000 Crore). This facility will be focusing on chip packaging in three key areas – Wire Bond, Flip Chip, and Integrated Systems Packaging (ISP).

    Previously, in November 2023 Tata Electronics acquired Wistron’s iPhone assembly facility at Kolar, Karnataka for $125 million (INR 1,000 crore). Wistron started this plant in 2017 and decided to exit because the venture couldn’t become profitable and also due to a large employee strike over salaries (damages from the strike cost Wistron several crore rupees in losses).

    The company also has a plant near Hosur, Tamil Nadu, which they plan to expand with an additional investment of USD 835 Mn (INR 7000).

    Tata Electronics already employs 15,000 people, primarily in their Karnataka and Tamil Nadu facilities. They expect to generate approximately 100,000 jobs in Gujarat, 27,000 in Assam, and 10,000 in Tamil Nadu (this includes direct and indirect employment).

    Of course, such heavy investments were only possible by one of the bigger Indian conglomerates. The Tata Group has its huge revenues and operations in other sectors to back this project up. in 2022-23 the group’s ventures collectively generated $150 billion (INR 12 Lakh Crores) in revenues. They employ over 1 Mn people and the 29 publicly listed Tata companies have a combined market capitalization of $350Bn.

    (P.S. Rounded off the conversions/numbers for readability)

  • Why is Kubernetes also called k8s

    Kubernetes is abbreviated as “K8s” to shorten it’s length. There are 8 characters in “Kubernetes” between the first letter “K” and the last letter “s”.

    There are a few other places in the software industry where you might have noticed this style of abbreviation: I saw it first in “i18n” for “internationalization” (from where it seems to have started). There’s also l10n for “localization”.

    – n7n

  • Air Conditioner (AC) Buying Checklist

    1. If you are buying an Inverter AC, check the warranty on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), the electronic that does climate control.
    2. Look for a chemical coating on the condenser and fins (prevents salt deposit, rust etc.)
    3. If it’s a split AC, vacuum the system to evacuate moisture and air (Connect the pump to the service port on the outdoor unit and get the Copper pipe vacuumed before switching on the AC for the first time). The pump should run for several minutes (I read 30 mins somewhere). Check with the service person before they arrive to bring the vacuum pump.
    4. The installation charge is around Rs 1,500 (The company usually gives 3 Mts Copper pipe and electric wire).
    5. Use a voltage stabilizer with the AC (costs around Rs 2,000)

    P.S. – Inverter ACs are akin to climate control in cars, they automatically switch on/off to maintain a range of temperature. With traditional ACs, you might have to do this manually. IMO, one is not

    P.P.S. – On most online articles I found stuff like, “measure your room size”, “window vs Split AC”, “check energy star rating” etc. I think that is something that most people would have decided already and the above list might be more useful as a final checklist.

  • PostgreSQL or Postgres?

    I usually use “Postgres” when speaking to other developers and PostgreSQL in documents when I can use the capitalised “SQL” for emphasis. Here’s how the PostgreSQL name came up:

    PostgreSQL evolved from the Ingres project at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1982, the leader of the Ingres team, Michael Stonebraker, left Berkeley to make a proprietary version of Ingres. He returned to Berkeley in 1985, and began a post-Ingres project to address the problems with contemporary database systems that had become increasingly clear during the early 1980s. At the time, POSTGRES used an Ingres-influenced POSTQUEL query language interpreter.

    In 1994, POSTQUEL query language interpreter was replaced with one for the SQL query language, creating Postgres95.

    In 1996, the project was renamed to PostgreSQL to reflect its support for SQL. The online presence at the website PostgreSQL.org began on October 22, 1996.

    After a review in 2007, the development team decided to keep the name PostgreSQL and the alias Postgres.

    – from Wikipedia

    Computer History is lovely!

  • Signal App’s awkward copy-paste gesture

    The “Copy message” button in the Signal App on iPhone doesn’t show up when you long press the text (on the pop-up ribbon like other messaging apps).

    The copy icon is placed in the bottom Tab Bar. That seems like an awkward UX error for such a mature app! Or is it just me wondering about this?

    Overriding the given operating system’s native gestures, for basic tasks like copying and pasting, is a really bad idea. If you’re a designer/developer: there are plenty of other ways to add “character” to your apps, but just keep the look, feel, and gestures for regular tasks close to the native OS ways.

    I wish more people embrace Signal in coming days still: https://signal.org/install/

  • India’s New Education Policy (NEP 2020) — Key Points

    (Cross-post from schooldesk.io)

    A New Education Policy (NEP) for India was approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July 2020. The policy is forward-looking, inclusive, the right amount of idealistic, and very much doable. There are big changes to the current system in this policy and these are being received very positively by most people, including the opposition political parties. The previous education policy was adopted in 1986 i.e. 34 years ago and this update was long overdue. Here are the key highlights:

    For Schools

    Curriculum

    • 10+2 has been split into 5+3+3+4, covering ages 3 to 18 (instead of ages 6 to 18 previously). Thus, including the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) between ages 3-6. These changes are to be adopted by 2025.
      • 5 years of Foundational Education (Preparatory Classes and Classes 1, 2) +
      • 3 years of Preparatory Pre-School (Classes 3, 4, 5) + 
      • 3 years of Middle School (Classes 6, 7, 8) + 
      • 4 years of Secondary Education (Classes 9, 10, 11, and 12)
    • There will be preschool (ages 3-6) in Kendriya Vidyalayas and other government schools too.
    • Exams in Classes 3, 5, and 8 are to be administered by an appropriate authority.
    • Emphasis on learning in regional language and multilingualism till Class 8: States & Institutions will choose the languages.
    • Focus on Vocational Education that starts from Class 6. Computer Programming classes start from Class 6. Classroom teachings will shift towards competency-based learning.
    Curricular Structure in NEP2020
    Curricular Structure in NEP2020

    Flexible Syllabus (Electives)

    • There will be no rigid separation between arts, commerce, and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities, and between vocational and academic streams. Students can select subjects of their liking across streams, particularly in Secondary School. All subjects are to be offered at 2 levels of proficiency.
    • Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials. This has been done to make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.

    Boards and Exams

    • Boards like CBSE, ICSE and the state boards will continue to exist, but they will change to accommodate for the new policy. Boards may, over time, also develop viable models of Board Exams, such as annual, semester, or modular exams.
    • De-emphasize “high stakes” Board Exams: Students can take Board Exams on two occasions in one academic year — one main exam, and a second for improvement, if desired. Instead of just two very important Board Exams at Class 10 and 12, exams will be spread over classes 9, 10, 11, and 12. And there will be a lot of importance given to internal assessment. 
    • There’s a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH. This body will be responsible for setting assessment standards for students across India.
    • SAT-like University Entrance Tests (from 2022): Students can appear for entrance exams twice a year. (The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States.)

    Assessment and Report Cards

    • Report Cards will show credits for vocational studies along with marks for regular subjects.
    • The nutrition and health (including mental health) of children will be addressed. This will be done through healthy meals and regular health check-ups. Health cards will be issued to monitor the same.

    Equitable and Inclusive Education

    • Gender-Inclusion Fund will be set up by the Government of India. The fund will be available to States to support and scale effective community-based interventions. Which will address barriers to female and transgender children’s access to education.
    • National Scholarship Portal for SC, ST, OBC, Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Group (SEDG) students to be expanded.
    • The policy aims for 100% enrolment till Class 9 by 2030 and 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education (Universities) by 2035.

    For Higher Education/Colleges

    • University Grants Commission (UGC) will be replaced by a new regulator called the  Higher Education Commission of India (HECI),  which will govern the entire Higher Education except for Medicine and Law.
    • 3 or 4 years multi-disciplinary Bachelor’s program.
    • Mid-term dropouts are to be given credits with the option to complete their degree after a break. There will be multiple entry and exit options for those who wish to leave the course before completion.
    • National Research Foundation (NRF): The overarching goal of the NRF will be to enable a culture of research to permeate through universities. The NRF will be governed independently of the government.
    • Open and distance learning to be expanded.
    • National Education Technology Forum (NETF) to be formed that will promote the use of technology in Education.
    • 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education by 2035.

    Analysis

    This new format is seemingly closer to the American, British, Australian, and other western education systems, which could be a great thing for us in order to go further in a global world. It is a good and forward-looking education policy, with the right amount of idealism that is very achievable.

    Here are three important points to note when viewing this policy: 1) A lot of research has gone into building this flavour of education over the years, in several parts of the world. And Indian governments have been making micro-changes for several years as well. 2) it gives Indian students an intuitive understanding of the way western education systems work, thus making it easier for them to work with other countries.  And 3), it makes moving across universities at a national or international level easier. 

    The government will need to come up with a solid plan on how some of the enrolment and quality goals would be achieved. The goal to spend 6% of GDP on the Education sector is an old one; formulated in 1948 right after independence. However, the Education sector currently gets 1.7% of the GDP. The policy aims for 100% enrolment till Class 9 (Secondary School) by 2030 and a 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education (Universities) by 2035. The current figures are 68% and 26%. These are structural issues that would need more dedicated effort and resources. It’s to be seen how the government will go about in order to achieve these figures. The other points about the restructuring of boards, and regulators, and especially about giving choices of what subjects students wish to study, are a welcome change as well.

    If you’re part of a school administration, I would love to learn with you and assist you in planning and implementing NEP changes for your school.

  • Reading and Writing Excel (xlsx) files with Python

    Jan 2021 Update

    For Writing: use xlsxwriter (don’t use xlwt, it doesn’t support xlsx format.)
    For Reading: use openpyxl (xlrd removed the support for xlsx in Dec 2020 due to security concerns.)

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  • Setting up Django on Windows IIS Server

    This post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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