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!