From Dmxrob@VERT/HDCBBS to All on Sunday, August 30, 2026 09:09:04
With all our discussion recently about BBS systems, modern interfaces, the growing anger against big tech, etc. I wanted to tell a bit about what I've been doing over the past 3 months.
Like many people, I do not trust big tech anymore. However, I realized that so much of what I use was integrated into it. I had long ago abandoned my "home lab" setup, lured by the promise of the cloud and how easy everything was in the cloud.
But now I wanted out. I wanted my data to be my data. I wanted to decide what features I needed, and when I needed them. Most importantly, I did not want AI scraping and training off my data by stealing it.
What I discovered was, much to my surprise, how easy de-big teching my life was. Which did surprise me.
First, I bought a sub-$100 SFF HP i5 with 32GB of RAM and a 750GB SSD off Facebook marketplace. I then installed Linux on it and slapped Docker on it.
From there - I discovered the world of self-hosting. Papra for my documentation management; gist for sharing/storing notes/recipes/you name it; a self-hosted bookmark app; self-hosted blog. All happily running in individual Docker containers on my little sub $100 PC.
I should note as I did this I was careful to always follow best security practices. Absolute minimum exposed to public web, and I had an edge router I've had for years - so it's own dedicated physical network for connection.
Pretty soon, I tackled data storage - the biggest task - I discovered how easy it was to setup my own file storage, redundant with secure backups. I can even access it securely from my mobile device or anywhere else with a few clicks.
And here's the kicker -- this stuff was not hard to do. Thanks to Docker and a myriad of sites out there that walk you through configuration and setup, it was a breeze for most of it!
Now, 3 months later -- I am saving $60/month on subscription fees I have cancelled out of my life. I have disconnected from "big tech" in a meaningful way and feel I have control over my data now. Most importantly, I feel I am learning again by maintaining my own. I am not longer upset because some cloud service changed their interface one day -- I control when the interface changes, and if it changes at all.
In short, I did my tiny part to give big tech and the tech bros the boot from my life as much as possible. It feels good, and I feel I am not only saving money, but I have more control over my own data now than I ever had before.
-dmxrob
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■ Synchronet ■ Hard Drive Cafe - hdcbbs.com
From MRO@VERT/BBSESINF to Dmxrob on Monday, August 31, 2026 00:29:45
Re: Taking Back by Going Back
By: Dmxrob to All on Sun Aug 30 2026 09:09 am
meaningful way and feel I have control over my data now. Most importantly, I > feel I am learning again by maintaining my own. I am not longer upset
because some cloud service changed their interface one day -- I control when the interface changes, and if it changes at all.
In short, I did my tiny part to give big tech and the tech bros the boot from > my life as much as possible. It feels good, and I feel I am not only saving
money, but I have more control over my own data now than I ever had before. >
Do you have a credit card? Do you or your family members use facebook?
You have no control. They already have you.
