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Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

nascompares.com

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Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#101

Post by folkrav »

userbinator wrote: post #32

This architectural shift eliminates the user’s ability to expand memory capacity as self-hosting demands grow, effectively putting a permanent ceiling on running memory-heavy Docker containers, ZFS pools, or virtual machines. That's not a NAS anymore, that's a full server. I think of a NAS as "low-power computer with lots of storage attached", so not being able to upgrade the RAM on one isn't all that surprising.

I run some light services on my NAS cause well, in the end, the distinction in naming is arbitrary at best, it’s a computer, and I use it for computer things. In an ideal world where I can afford separate purpose-built machines for everything, I’ll have a storage-only NAS, but it’s a computer I have that also happens to have many hard drive bays. Being able to service my own machines shouldn’t be all that surprising either.

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#102

Post by fragmede »

inigyou wrote: post #100
iamshs wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I have CPU power at my disposal, why should I waste it? I love the fact that my NAS can serve my other needs too.

Do you run services on your home router, your cellphone, and your microwave just because they have CPUs?

My microwave, unfortunately, is closed source. However my home router runs a web server, and my cellphone runs a service called Airdrop, when I turn it on.

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#103

Post by inigyou »

Galanwe wrote: post #44
zeafoamrun wrote: post #4

I built my own NAS, just Ubuntu+ZFS using an old PC I had and it works great. Don't know why people are so crazy about buying prebuilt NASes.

Its the maintenance and details that kill your NAS. You will probably rely on it for 10 years at least, so building your NAS means committing to maintaining it in the long term, you have to be sure this is something you will uphold. Also while setting up your NAS initially is definitely doable, there are a trillion little things to get right and make sure won't bite you later on (scrubble, etc). All these things comp…

That means the one you buy probably also doesn't get those things right.

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#104

Post by inigyou »

Almondsetat wrote: post #8

I don't share the author's view of the OSs becoming copycats of eachother and not that specialized. Truth to be told, a NAS is the perfect place to have your home server. You can have both your applications and data on the same device and avoid having to build a lab just to have nextcloud or some other utility self hosted. However, to achieve this, the OS must become more similar to a normal linux distro, for better…

If it's a home server, it's not a NAS. A NAS is defined as a storage box. I also do not run Immich on the ARM controller of my hard drive.

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#106

Post by jasode »

inigyou wrote: post #99
close04 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For business it should be all storage. But for home use the best is all-in-one. A home user doesn’t benefit from specialization of equipment, just brings them more headaches managing more stuff. One device that has storage and can also run Plex, Immich, HA in a single package makes the lives much easier for those who have to take care of the IT in the house especially of they’re not “IT people”.

That isn't a NAS, then. It's a home server.

>That isn't a NAS, then. It's a home server.

It's just 2 different usages of "NAS" for different contexts.

In a business/enterprise environment, "NAS" is a more constrained definition of a single-purpose rack that only does storage duties.

However, in a home environment, "NAS" is a fuzzier definition to also include running "apps" like Home Assistant, Plex/Jellyfish media, or webcam video analysis. Either in containers or vms. Both the vendors Synology/QNAP/UGREEN and the consumers use "NAS" in this looser definition. If you go out on Google search or Amazon to search for a "home server" to buy, you will get "NAS appliances" as the results. This happens because a NAS in a home usage has plenty of idle CPU leftover to run extra apps that's not strictly just storage. Buying a 2nd computer to run apps just to satisfy the NAS to remain as a "pure" NAS is a waste of money.

Similar situation to "routers". Business/enterprise routers are single purpose. But home routers from the ISP are fuzzier definitions. They also include a DHCP service, a firewall, and a Wi-Fi access point. Maybe the home versions are not "true pure routers" in the official OSI 7-layer sense. Ok, but home users still call them "routers".

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#107

Post by [deleted] »

userbinator wrote: post #32

This architectural shift eliminates the user’s ability to expand memory capacity as self-hosting demands grow, effectively putting a permanent ceiling on running memory-heavy Docker containers, ZFS pools, or virtual machines. That's not a NAS anymore, that's a full server. I think of a NAS as "low-power computer with lots of storage attached", so not being able to upgrade the RAM on one isn't all that surprising.

[deleted]

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#108

Post by jrm4 »

I can easily accept that arguments like "an Iphone is just a computer" are often overly reductionist.

But people justifying much of this segmentation?

Come ON, any NAS is just a server. What are people DOING here?

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#109

Post by utopiah »

jrm4 wrote: post #108

I can easily accept that arguments like "an Iphone is just a computer" are often overly reductionist. But people justifying much of this segmentation? Come ON, any NAS is just a server. What are people DOING here?

Unfortunately an iPhone is less than a computer due to all the restrictions from Apple.

Re: Ten Ways NAS Is Getting Enshitified

#110

Post by inigyou »

jasode wrote: post #106
inigyou wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That isn't a NAS, then. It's a home server.

>That isn't a NAS, then. It's a home server. It's just 2 different usages of "NAS" for different contexts. In a business/enterprise environment, "NAS" is a more constrained definition of a single-purpose rack that only does storage duties. However, in a home environment , "NAS" is a fuzzier definition to also include running "apps" like Home Assistant, Plex/Jellyfish media, or webcam video analysis. Either in contain…

I suppose it's like how nobody ever calls each other on a "phone" any more but we still call them "phones".
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