Multizone | All our technotes

Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) is an interim release maintained for 9 months until July 2026 and isn't suitable for long term support. But for my purposes its just fine.

TL:DR – Ubuntu 25.10 has a LOT of new features including Enhanced GNOME Remote Desktop!

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Last Updated: 29 July 2026

Read more: Upgrading to Ubuntu 25.10 from 25.04

Setting up GNOME Remote Desktop for headless multi-user RDP access on Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) is trickier than it should be. This guide documents a working approach using only the software shipped with Ubuntu Desktop — no extra packages required — and uses openssl to generate TLS certificates. It covers common errors and how to resolve them, and reflects what actually works in 2026.

TL:DR – Getting this right on Ubuntu 25.04 was a frustrating experience. After several hours of digging, headless multi-user RDP on 25.10 finally works reliably, and the approach below is the result of that effort.

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Last Updated: 29 July 2026

Read more: Working headless RDP with GNOME Remote Desktop on Ubuntu 25.10

To enable Gitea Actions (GitHub Actions–compatible workflows) you’ll need the act_runner utility, which connects your Gitea instance to its built-in CI system. This is straighforward but making it work in the background on macOS is not.

TL:DR – The

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Last Updated: 29 July 2026

Read more: Enabling Gitea actions with act_runner on macOS via Homebrew

Gitea is a lightweight, self-hosted Git service that’s perfect for personal projects or small teams. Setting it up with HTTPS using a Let’s Encrypt certificate on a local macOS machine can be tricky, especially with Homebrew installations. This guide walks you through a working setup, including running Gitea in the background and handling ACME challenges.

TL:DR – By using a custom LaunchAgent, you can run Gitea in the background with automatic Let’s Encrypt HTTPS, reliable background execution independent of Homebrew’s plist management, optional exposure on standard port 443 via pf redirects and automatic renewal of certificates with minimal fuss. This setup provides a secure, self-hosted Git service suitable for local networks or small teams.

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Last Updated: 29 July 2026

Read more: Running Gitea with Let’s Encrypt on macOS via Homebrew

How to Add MySQL or MariaDB to Homebrew Apache + PHP (macOS)

This guide shows how to install and configure MySQL or MariaDB with your Homebrew Apache and PHP setup on macOS. It covers installation, starting the service, and basic connection tests.

Prerequisites

• macOS with Homebrew installed 
• Homebrew httpd and PHP already working 
• Terminal access with admin privileges

Steps

1. Install MySQL or MariaDB:
   You can choose one:

   brew install mysql
   # or
   brew install mariadb

2. Start the database service:
   Use Homebrew services to keep it running in the background:

   brew services start mysql
   # or
   brew services start mariadb

3. Secure the installation:
   Run the included script to set a root password and remove insecure defaults:

   mysql_secure_installation

4. Test the database connection:
   Log into the server:

   mysql -u root -p

   Enter your root password to confirm it works.
5. Verify PHP can connect:
   Ensure you have the MySQL extension for PHP (usually included in Homebrew PHP builds). Create a file dbtest.php in your Apache document root:

   <?php
   $mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "root", "yourpassword");
   if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
     die("Connection failed: " . $mysqli->connect_error);
   }
   echo "Connected successfully to MySQL/MariaDB!";
   ?>

   Visit http://localhost:8080/dbtest.php (or your configured port).

Verification

If configured correctly, you’ll see a success message in your browser. At this point, your Homebrew Apache stack supports PHP and MySQL/MariaDB, ready for Joomla or other PHP applications.

See Running Homebrew Apache with Let's Encrypt SSL on macOS Tahoe and Running Homebrew PHP on Apache on macOS Tahoe.

Homebrew Logo: Vítor Galvão (creator); MikeMcQuaid, Synoli (committers), BSD, via Wikimedia Commons

Details

Last Updated: 29 July 2026

This guide shows how to configure Apache installed via Homebrew on macOS to serve PHP files. It covers prerequisites, configuration changes, and simple tests to confirm PHP is working correctly.

Prerequisites

• macOS with Homebrew installed
• Homebrew httpd service running
• PHP installed via Homebrew (brew install php)
• Basic familiarity editing configuration files

Steps

1. Locate your Apache configuration file:
   The main config is usually at /opt/homebrew/etc/httpd/httpd.conf.
2. Include PHP settings:
   Add the following line near the bottom of httpd.conf:

   # PHP settings
   Include /opt/homebrew/etc/httpd/extra/httpd-php.conf

3. Create or edit httpd-php.conf:
   Add these lines:

   # PHP
   LoadModule php_module /opt/homebrew/lib/httpd/modules/libphp.so
   
   <IfModule php_module>
     <FilesMatch \.php$>
       SetHandler application/x-httpd-php
     </FilesMatch>
   
     <IfModule dir_module>
       DirectoryIndex index.html index.php
     </IfModule>
   </IfModule>

4. Restart Apache:
   Run:

   brew services restart httpd

5. Test PHP:
   In your Apache document root (e.g. /opt/homebrew/var/www), create a file called info.php:

   <?php
   phpinfo();
   ?>

   Then visit http://localhost:8080/info.php (or your configured port).

Verification

If PHP is configured correctly, you’ll see the PHP information page showing version details, loaded modules, and configuration paths.

See Running Homebrew Apache with Let's Encrypt SSL on macOS Tahoe and Running Homebrew MySQL or MariaDB on macOS Tahoe.

Homebrew Logo: Vítor Galvão (creator); MikeMcQuaid, Synoli (committers), BSD, via Wikimedia Commons

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Last Updated: 29 July 2026