Reinurb

Self-hosting & Open Source

4 min read

A collection of notes and articles about running your own services and infrastructure, and the open source tools that make it possible.

I have been running Linux since 1996 when I first bought a boxed version of S.u.S.E. Linux 4.2 in a local bookstore. Just before that time I did not have a computer that was able to run even Windows 95, so I was mainly coming from MS DOS 6.22.
But I had some experiences with Windows 3.1 and 3.11 and Windows 95 just came out. This was the time I bought a blazing fast PC from the money I earned that summer.
My daily driver then became Windows 95, but often I switched to S.u.S.E and other linux variants. But there was no possibility to daily drive back then.
It must have been around 2001 or 2002 when I started my first company, selling hardware and online backup services and that’s the time my love for Linux started to blossom.
Since then all my servers and non Workstations stuff is on Linux. Without an exception.

After some years of mixed Windows and also a lot of Mac in my daily driving life, it must have been around 2010 that I ditch Windows and Mac completely in favor of Linux on the desktop. My year of the Linux desktop. Nowadays, I still run it for all my work. At my day job I am enforced to use Windows, but that doesn’t bring anything good to me and my work. Eventually we will also move to Linux there. It just takes some time. Trump is helping.
On my servers I mostly run Debian Linux and on my desktop and laptop it is still OpenSUSE most of the time. Off course, I distro hop once in while but I always return to the quality of OpenSUSE.

I can manage todo all my work on Linux. From doing a spreadsheet to gaming and from software development to doing my taxes.
Windows and Mac just feel like a pain to me. It’s just non-intuitive and without any freedom.

Open Source is a great thing that happened to us all. But I’m not a purist. I like and use some software and services that are not open at all.
For example:

  • YouTube
  • Netflix
  • Games on Valve Steam
  • Jetbrains commercially licensed and payed products

But for everything I can do myself, I use Open Source software and host it myself since ages. I’m really hard on myself regarding that principle. Convenience should not be a factor in the decision.
This because convenience is the same element that made the IT world create one of the biggest issues we are now facing with for example the US and Trump.
When Trump goes even more crazy than he already is, I might lose Youtube, Netflix and Steam. I will survive.
I also don’t use Spotify, I just buy all the music on vinyl. It’s better for the artists (not for my wallet) and also a nice hobby.

Will you survive, when Trump disables your ability to use Microsoft 365 and your OneDrive?

  • How far can I push self-hosting before convenience wins?
  • What’s the right balance between self-hosted and managed services? Should there be a balance?
  • How do I keep the stack secure without being a full-time sysadmin?

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