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The average internet user doesn't know how to run a home server, safely expose services, or configure a domain name. Even Home Assistant has a fairly high barri

The average internet user doesn't know how to run a home server, safely expose services, or configure a domain name. Even Home Assistant has a fairly high barrier to entry in that you need somewhere to run it, and even then a good chunk of their users rely on Nabu Casa to do the networking bits because they can't manage it themselves. This just ain't gonna work for social networking, unless you want that social network to consist only of the small minority of internet users that know how the internet works - and then we could just hang out here on HN.

stevenicr 3y ago
I think this is a spectrum rather than either or.. for example, my mom is 70 and runs two vps servers, a dozen domain names just fine.. OF course there is a huge difference from a blank box and a cpanel/shared hosting type deal where the hosting co applies all the patches for you. Back in the day average internet users were finding how to hunt for and add custom css to make myspace pages do glitter effects.. just because facebook ruined that and make social harder to bog down doesn't mean average people couldn't figure out a few basic things with help from internet, friends, or a hosting company that does patches and backups for you as a service. I've long thought it would be a popular business to run such a service, but for different reasons that are not often considered I guess. +1 for home assistant though.. I bought some bulbs that said we automate with Google Home.. got home, couldn't get them to work, realized there is another app or ecosystem that includes maybe this thing.. put them back in the box and now that is in another box.. Just DDG's home assistant and realized it is not Google Home assistant.. Dig some digging last month on the new 'works everything thing' - found some bulbs that are 'matter enabled' - got friend to get some.. Two weeks later I start seeing articles about why Matter has failed.

stevenicr 3y ago

I think this is a spectrum rather than either or.. for example, my mom is 70 and runs two vps servers, a dozen domain names just fine.. OF course there is a huge difference from a blank box and a cpanel/shared hosting type deal where the hosting co applies all the patches for you. Back in the day average internet users were finding how to hunt for and add custom css to make myspace pages do glitter effects.. just because facebook ruined that and make social harder to bog down doesn't mean average people couldn't figure out a few basic things with help from internet, friends, or a hosting company that does patches and backups for you as a service. I've long thought it would be a popular business to run such a service, but for different reasons that are not often considered I guess. +1 for home assistant though.. I bought some bulbs that said we automate with Google Home.. got home, couldn't get them to work, realized there is another app or ecosystem that includes maybe this thing.. put them back in the box and now that is in another box.. Just DDG's home assistant and realized it is not Google Home assistant.. Dig some digging last month on the new 'works everything thing' - found some bulbs that are 'matter enabled' - got friend to get some.. Two weeks later I start seeing articles about why Matter has failed.