The Cloud is cool, actually.
Cloud is cool, actually.
"The Cloud is cool, actually." on https://aligot-death.space, available at https://aligot-death.space/txt/cloud-en
I used to hate "the cloud".
Like many of my IT (FOSS) friends, I would get angry everytime someone mentioned a "cloud app" meant to replace our big clients and our local data. I used to teach computerz to the kids and the elderly, so "there is no cloud, only someone else's computer" was definitely part of my lingo.
I was kind of proud of it: my data is either on this device, or on this one. I would synchronize stuff like passwords, but that's it.
In my head, "cloud" kind of meant giving up control to private interests, like GAFAMs. What if they close my account? What if I get hacked? What if they start billing?
No thanks. I'd rather store my data where I need it, and copy it if needed. Like my ancestors did, when things were right.
Then, my approach to IT changed. Drastically.
I am more and more away from the comfort of my home and my desktop. At best, I have my laptop and it's 256GB of storage, as a result of a conflict between my need to move without a fucking brick and my limited budget.
As it happened, I was still working on rebuilding my personal infrastructure. It used to be limited to a Raspberry Pi for testing, and a VPS for my website. But now, I have a NAS, as well as a refurbished Intel NUC. My Nextcloud became a sync haven. More and more data was synchronized automatically. What a comfort.
Except, my laptop was still limited to simple tasks. Video rendering, batch processing, 3D and of course videos, were out of the question. I was experimenting connecting remotely to my desktop while I was under COVID lockdown at a friends' house, and realized most constraints were of my own doing.
I spent the lockdown playing on my desktop via Steam Play, from my laptop.
Even better, I quickly discovered that there was an android app to connect to it.
Not only can I play remotely, but it runs on linux (debian, more precisely)
Also, I discovered than remote desktop was not a windows-only thing.
(Or rather, that linux remote desktop didn't sucked as much as I thought)
A few Wake on LAN scripts later (so it doesn't run 24/7), and my infrastructure started to take shape on its own: endless possibilities.
These days, I regularly connect to that computer remotely for heavy tasks, much like a homebrew Gaming Cloud. My Intel NUC bears my web infrastructure, and I'm still working on a backup process.
Not matter where I am, I have to access to the best of my devices. I can access any file.
The fear of losing data is a thing of the past.
The cloud is awesome.
And a homemade cloud? The best.