is there an alternative to freedombox? looking to buy a portable vpn server which starts as soon as you connect to the router...
FreedomBox
61–65 of 65 posts
Re: FreedomBox
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think you understood the parent's core point. The "masses" aren't going to find or buy an old server and install Debian and FreedomBox on it, and then set it up to run headless in a corner of their house. That's not in the area of technical expertise of most people. They might , however, buy a pre-built, pre-installed appliance that just needs to be plugged in and have a web browser pointed at it to get start…
Philosophically speaking, the more and more that products are sold with one purpose on a closed platform, the more and more of these products that are going to end up in the junk yards when they can't be extended or repurposed beyond what the manufacturer wanted (or ever thought) possible. > They might, however, buy a pre-built, pre-installed appliance that just needs to be plugged in and have a web browser pointed a…
> Philosophically speaking, the more and more that products are sold with one purpose on a closed platform, the more and more of these products that are going to end up in the junk yards when they can't be extended or repurposed beyond what the manufacturer wanted (or ever thought) possible.
This doesn't have to be the case, though. There's nothing stopping FreedomBox from selling a pre-made hardware solution that just has the software loaded on it that anyone can load onto a vanilla server of their choosing. (And it seems they actually do this, though it's not obvious from their website.)
Re: FreedomBox
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dead on. And the comment you referenced is one of my favorite all-time HN comments… "For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem." This is a perfect example of when tech-minded people get blinded to how complicated some things are for the masses.
"For a Linux user" No, if you're capable of doing all that, you're a Linux sysadmin, not a user. Too many tech folk blur those lines, but there's a huge difference (and yes, I know the dropbox comment has been beaten to death over the years - I just never got my 2 cents in before!)
I am a Linux user and I am struggling to set up a home network between 3 computers. Okay, I am a part time Linux user, I have to use Windows for work. Havings said that I do work in IT so am definitely not an end user. My Samba installation somehow didn't work, VNC also didn't work and eventually I just used SSH. One of these days I am going to have to sit down with my router manual and set static IP address for machine as I use as the "server". I solve enough problems at work and I just don't feel like learning Samba to set up my home network. If I feel like this I can imagine how the "normal" user feels.
Re: FreedomBox
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not supposed to be a mounted butterfly, it's some sort of overlaid graphic of the idea of a computer box with butterfly wings.
I think the intended reference is http://emilydamstra.com/news/please-enough-dead-butterflies/ (because of the wing positioning).
THANK YOU, that was enlightening.
But speaking of peeves: that article of plain-text with static images doesn't render without JavaScript damnit.
Re: FreedomBox
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a home box that I access with x2go. I can browse the internet, download stuff, or do whatever I want without touching the office network. I can disconnect a session and reconnect from a different pc. I also have my server configured to route out via a vpn.
Looking for a way to do better remote access to Linux boxes - Microsoft's RDP completely nails it on Windows, I used to quite like NX, but don't hear much about it these days, how do you find x2go, particularly from a server configuration perspective?
X2go is super easy to use, pretty much install and go. You need a client, I've used the linux and windows client. Both work well. I think you can make their python client work without windows admin rights, but it's been awhile since I tried that.
I browse websites with it, and unless it's very image heavy, it's as smooth as a local browser. If you have large images, scrolling can get choppy. Same with videos, they can be choppy.