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If you get your family on something like Diaspora (or other self-hosted social network platform of choice), though, Grandma doesn't need to check Facebook. All

If you get your family on something like Diaspora (or other self-hosted social network platform of choice), though, Grandma doesn't need to check Facebook. All the photos and discussions she wants to see are on your Diaspora server.

api 8y ago
Who maintains this server in a family with no IT people? Who fixes it when it's down? Who maintains it when you are busy? What happens when its attacked and you're too busy to respond?
- indigochill 8y ago
  I made the assumption that anyone reading this would be or know at least one IT person. To the other questions, nobody will beat Facebook at convenience and availability. Any self-hosted solution loses out of the gate if those are the criteria. But if you see using Facebook as making a deal with the devil, maybe you're willing to put up with some downtime and inconvenience to avoid the alternative. Giving up some convenience is pretty much the tradeoff for any security-conscious decision. TOR will always be slower than a direct connection, but you get anonymity (as long as you use it smartly).
- pdkl95 8y ago
  > Who maintains this server Ideally any hosing provider selected from a robust market of hosting services competing on cost/bandwidth, cost/server-{storage,cpu}, uptime/support guarantees, and any other actual recurring or per-use costs. Any software running on the server (a database, HTTP service, etc) should be a separate concern. Maybe you roll your own. Maybe a small fee to license a software package that includes updates/fixes. Most people ideally should be able to a community maintained package. The point is that someone needs to be able to select a hosting service like they select other common services (e.g. utilities, cable TV), plug in the URL of any other services they want to use (or select a suggested option), and be free to change their mind at any time. If data storage and software is packaged in an interoperable plug-in style, it would be easy to, for example, move your comment database to another provider by retaining their services and notifying your main hosting service of the change. Of course, this will never happen in our current environment of businesses that prioritize trapping people into walled gardens and view interoperability as a threat to their surveillance-based revenue.

api 8y ago

Who maintains this server in a family with no IT people? Who fixes it when it's down? Who maintains it when you are busy? What happens when its attacked and you're too busy to respond?

indigochill 8y ago
I made the assumption that anyone reading this would be or know at least one IT person. To the other questions, nobody will beat Facebook at convenience and availability. Any self-hosted solution loses out of the gate if those are the criteria. But if you see using Facebook as making a deal with the devil, maybe you're willing to put up with some downtime and inconvenience to avoid the alternative. Giving up some convenience is pretty much the tradeoff for any security-conscious decision. TOR will always be slower than a direct connection, but you get anonymity (as long as you use it smartly).
pdkl95 8y ago
> Who maintains this server Ideally any hosing provider selected from a robust market of hosting services competing on cost/bandwidth, cost/server-{storage,cpu}, uptime/support guarantees, and any other actual recurring or per-use costs. Any software running on the server (a database, HTTP service, etc) should be a separate concern. Maybe you roll your own. Maybe a small fee to license a software package that includes updates/fixes. Most people ideally should be able to a community maintained package. The point is that someone needs to be able to select a hosting service like they select other common services (e.g. utilities, cable TV), plug in the URL of any other services they want to use (or select a suggested option), and be free to change their mind at any time. If data storage and software is packaged in an interoperable plug-in style, it would be easy to, for example, move your comment database to another provider by retaining their services and notifying your main hosting service of the change. Of course, this will never happen in our current environment of businesses that prioritize trapping people into walled gardens and view interoperability as a threat to their surveillance-based revenue.