Self-hosting means taking on system administration duties. For some software that's remarkably easy. Most software makes it painful.
The duties include things like vetting software for suitability, installing it, making sure it runs, making the hosted system safe and secure for its users and the rest of the Internet, applying security fixes, upgrading to new versions, making sure backups exist and can be restored, helping users, dealing with spammers, dealing with hostile scrapers, ...
From my "Geek dates" calendar:
On this day in 1988 Dade "Zero Cool" was sentenced to not use computers or touch-tone telephones until he was 18 years old. He'd crashed 1507 computer systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_(film)#Plot
#Hackers #HackersMovie #OTD #OnThisDay
I expect the current LLM craze to fade away over the next three years. Some useful tools and services and approaches may survive, just like from previous "AI" fads, if they're useful enough.
We will have lost years of junior software developers who were never given a fair chance to start a career, as well as truly huge amounts of garbage that will take decades to remove.
There will also be many unnecessary data centers, and, most importantly, many people who were hurt helping train models.
#Introduction
I've programmed computers since 1984 (https://liw.fi/40/). I was part of #Linux from the beginning. I was a #Debian developer for about 20 years (1996-2018). I care about #SoftwareFreedom and #CivilLiberties. I think about #backups. My main hobby is #OpenSource development. I have too many personal projects (https://app.radicle.xyz/nodes/radicle.liw.fi/). I work on #Radicle (https://radicle.xyz/).
My other hobby is classic European men's style. I like to wear a #suit. Preferably with a vest.
Be kind. Love your neighbor. Protect those who need it. Try to make the world better for those who are least powerful. Tolerate differences, but not intolerance, injustice, hatred, or violence.
I'm not religious and I don't have a strong personal philosophy, but the things in the previous paragraph I can get behind.
It's been a while so it's time to boost this again: I first started writing computer programs in April, 1984, which is 40 years ago. I've written an essay on what I've learned along the way: https://liw.fi/40/#index2h1
"Interesting and significant software is beyond the capacity of any one person to build alone in a reasonable time frame. This means that the fundamental, crucial, core skills in building software are communication and collaboration."
#SelfPromotion #programming #essay
poem
In memory of a programmer. v0.3.
In a corner of the cemetery,
on grass, beneath an old tree,
lies a tombstone, fallen,
covered by moss and leaf,
a name, two dates, five words,
a summary of a life of grief:
"how hard can it be?"
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Lars Wirzenius