💾 Archived View for zaibatsu.circumlunar.space › ~visiblink › phlog › 20181214 captured on 2024-07-09 at 04:23:17.
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-03)
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Over the past few weeks I have considered what to do with my server. Probably the most intriguing ideas have revolved around communication: either an isolated nntp server (by which I mean disconnected from the main usenet, but potentially connected to other pubnix nntp servers) or an XMPP server. I see that solderpunk is interested in nntp as well, so that's likely to take place with or without my involvement. Still if we could arrange to federate that would be a nice thing. The other thing that I've been considering is to set up an egroupware server to provide syncml services to the few remaining Bold 9900 users out there. A friend on CrackBerry tells me that the funambol plugin still works with a commercial service (Memotoo) for PIM (calendar, contacts, notes and tasks) syncing, so there's no reason I couldn't self-host. But you don't necessarily even need a server. I've been playing around with my 9900 over the last few days and it still syncs PIM with a Win10/Outlook 2016 setup via BlackBerry Desktop over both USB cable and bluetooth. So for a single user with limited needs (i.e., akin to the old PalmOS capabilities), the device is still completely serviceable. That being said, I think I want the server. Syncing from anywhere, without the need for the laptop, would be nice. As I've been considering what to do with the server, it's really become clear to me that the best thing you can do is 'host yourself'. The pubnix projects that we've all been discussing re-create a lot of the existing issues we've fled in the past. You all seem to be great, intriguing, and thoughtful human beings. I suspect you'll be great server administrators. But with the creation of micro-pubnixes, we've still got administrator-moderators, and we've still got issues respecting control, freedom, and user privacy. There's also the issue of responsibility. While some people are willing to graciously provide services, those individuals take on responsibilities (financial and respecting content) and as a result, will have to make decisions about proper usage and user access. So part of me says, don't just host something. Host yourself. I mentioned Eben Moglen's initiative in a previous phlog entry, and that remains my own ideal. I feel like I -- and everyone -- need to take responsibility for our own online presences. Doing so solves the issues of administration and moderation. I know that not everyone is in a position to do this, but if you are, you probably should. It was the whole point of the internet, and we've (largely) lost it. On the other hand, how do we maintain our thriving little community if we do that? We need to have some means of uniting all those self-hosted servers to maintain our connections. That could be a complicated endeavour or a simple one. For example, Tomasino's phlogroll (and those created by others) provides a way of uniting us all. NNTP servers could be set up to sync with one another. I'm curious about what else could be done. I just got a ssh account at circumlunar.space (okay, at zaibatsu.circumlunar.space), but I haven't used it yet, and so I would imagine there are some services that I don't know about and which might be more difficult to connect if they were self-hosted. In the absence of generally-accepted and established means of connecting our servers, it seems that many people maintain a presence on numerous pubnixes and some use those accounts to provide links to their own content on their own servers. It's not the worst solution, but it involves a fair amount of redundancy. Anyways.... I'll keep thinking about it. On another note, the gopher protocol has become the subject of some conversation over at HPC:Factor. I suspect we may gain some more users in the near future. Hi there HPC:Factorites!