I am not an Expert #
This site collects my thoughts on various topics, primarily software development and leadership. The posts are primarily for my own benefit, helping me process ideas and deepen my own understanding of the topics..
These are my opinions, not definitive answers, especially regarding people. Many claim to have “the answer” to effective work and leadership, but no one can truly account for your specific environment and situation except for you..
Read and enjoy. Take what you find useful, and adapt or discard what you don’t. The Internet abounds with experts, real and imagined, and I make no such claim. If the content here resonates with you, that’s wonderful, but always think critically.
“There are no facts, only interpretations” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Self hosting #
My decision to self-host my content comes down to control. While platforms like Medium and Substack offer convenience, they require relinquishing ownership of my work. I’m tired, and I assume many others are as well, of the need to register and share personal information just to access content on those sites. I don’t want anyone interested in my content to have to deal with this.
“Nothing comes for free.” – Jamie Zawinski
The trade-off for this control has been time. I had purchase a domain, configure DNS, set up a static site generator, find hosting, and then deploy the site. While my infrastructure costs are essentially zero due to using free services, the cost is in time. .
Another key reason for using a static site generator is simplified maintenance and security. The services I use have dedicated security and operations teams that can handle those aspects far better than I ever could. However, this comes with its own trade-offs. Features like a comment section won’t be available unless I integrate a third-party provider. Databases and web services add complexity I’d rather avoid, so I accept these limitations.
Molly White does an excellent job explaining the effort and resaoning behind self hosting in her Migrating from Substack to self-hosted Ghost: the details newsletter article. Ultimately, I’ve chosen control and flexibility over convenience and reach. Whether this was the right decision remains to be seen, but time will tell.
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
