When it comes to self-hosting (and my own slice of "digital sovereignty"), I'm often drawn to try the #Nextcloud app for the specific need first.

However, quite often, these are not the best of breed for the given task - and it's not balanced by integration benefits between the apps either.

That's actually quite sad, and I think NC is losing a *lot* of potential by not curating and guiding the app ecosystem better.

Airbus and allies are pushing for a sovereign tech fund. Europe's future should be built by Europe! #TechIndependence #Innovation
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/airbus-others-call-sovereign-infrastructure-fund-buy-european-2025-03-17

Earlier, a friend of a client came by who wanted to chat. He introduced himself as someone deeply involved in open-source and self-hosting, and we hit it off right away. He’s been using Linux on his PC for years and is comfortable with Debian. He agrees that self-hosting is the only way to keep the web decentralized. He then shared how he transitioned his website from dynamic to static using an SSG, and he’s thrilled with the result.

He walked me through his workflow: he edits the site, uploads it to some cloud (not sure which one), and clears the Cloudflare cache - he uses it to "save on outgoing traffic costs" from his provider. Alternatively, he mentioned he could host it on GitHub.

I explained to him that, in my opinion, this isn’t real decentralization or self-hosting, and I outlined the reasons why. He’d never thought about it this way and hadn’t explored the option of getting a “normal” VPS. He’s now decided to go for a cheap VPS, install nginx (which he knows how to use), and cut out the middlemen. He’s a smart and eager person, so I’m really glad we had this conversation.

Unfortunately, too many people today are convinced that hosting is only possible with the big players.

Finally managed to get enough stuff backed up and removed from #googleone to cancel subscription.

Still some loose ends to tie up with shared files, but it feels better to not give #google money anymore.