In my never ending quest into being decentralized I looked at self hosting again.
Yunohost
If you didnt know Yunohost is best described as a Linux distro based on Debian that you can install on pretty much any old or new computer and it becomes your personal server. It has a literal crap ton of apps you can then install and use. Everything from email to Jitsi, matrix, media servers, rss reader, file syncs, etc. Depending on how good the hardware is you put it on is your limitation to what you can run. It will run on pretty much anything from a RaspberyPI, an old laptop, old desktop or a VPS somewhere in the cloud.
Two years ago I reccommended this distro to everybody I talked to. I was in love with it. I became a huge evangelical for it. It even prompted me to start The Self Hosted Podcast. Dont go looking for that cause that feed is now Loud & Proud. I really did not want to stop using it. But I had to due to the desktop that I had it on literally went up in smoke. Then the day job's work schedule went berserk and I never got back aroung to setting up a new one.
I did try to put it on an old Acer Chromebook C300. It installed but was unusable due to the chromebook was wifi only and I couldnt get it to connect to finish the installation. I should learn to read the docs a little closer, lol. So needless to say I have been eyeing this for a loooooong time now.
They added new apps
They have added a gemini server as well as a gemini web proxy server. Grav Flat File CMS, Synapse (backend for Matrix) Element, a couple of Matrix bridges for discord and lastly the one I've been looking at for months Castopd.
What is Castopd?
Castopod is an open source, self hosted podcast media host. It creates an RSS feed that is compliant with PodcastIndex namespaces standards, facilitates the storage of your media files and even gives you a built in website for your podccast. Essentially facilittating you tro have full control over every aspect of your podcast.
Dont jump to conclusions here. I'm still planning on using Aureal. I love Aureal and everyting they are doing. But at the core of being decentralized and a big part of Web 3.0 is soverignty. Self repsonsiblirty and self reliance. So my plan was to regain control of my RSS feed from Anchor.fm with a 301 redirect to my Castopod feed. Then submit the Castopod feed to Aureal for distribution to you the audience.
Fast forward to yesterday
I was fed up, frustrated and quite honestly down right hostile with pretty much everybody. I'm at a point where I have been sitting on my hands so long waiting that I had to do something, anything.
So I wiped out my home server and hit install on the Yunohost installer.
It failed.
Download again, check the hash, it passes. Reburn the usb and insert into the pc. Install
Failed.
Regain composure. Drink coffee, relax and think. Install Debain net install and use directions to install Yunohost as if its on a VPS in the cloud.
It WORKS! I AM A GOD! No, just lucky. Lol.
The rest of the evening
I spent the rest of the evening setting up DNS, sub domains and LetsEncrypt Certificates. By that time I'm ready for some sleep.
This morning I'm installing apps and finding out that my certs are not working in FIreFox but they are fine in Brave. But either way they are working. I have my UnkleBonehead website back on regular http insead of IPFS. I also have a blog that I will be using Grav Flat File CMS for and even have my own webmail. Which you can now reach me at unklebonehead@unklebonehead.xyz
I even installed Owncast which is a live streaming app for your site. You can stream directly to it with OBS Studio and even has a chat box withi it = MIND BLOWN! I also have my own RSS feed agregator in the cloud that I can access and read from anywhere like Feedly without being tracked by anybody I dont want to track me.
Its the ultimate in being decentralized. Almost.
Castopod is driving me nuts.
I have tried every thing I have found in the docs to fix it. I did get it to create a new podcast called Decentracast but it wont let me add new episodes to it. It wouldnt let me import the feed from Anchor and I am getting frustrated to no end. I could file a bug with the dev. But its the same bug that was filed back in May and has since been marked as closed. So if the bug is fixed back in May why is a new user getting the exact same bug in a brand new fresh install? Was it not fixed? If it was fixed why is it here again? If it wasnt fixed but a workaround was impletemted for the previous user who found the bug. Why wasnt it markded as being a workaround and the bug kept open?
I know I should report it to the dev. But with my frustration level and my current temperment I would snap and use some very innapropriate language on some one who really doesnt deserve it.
So for now I guess I sit and wait for Aureal to get their RSS and hosting up and running. But it still means that I have to rely and trust in a third party to keep my content and RSS feed safe.
Im not a happy camper today.