Whatever you think of him (I don't care about him and his videos, haven't watched him since 2012), it is undeniable that he is doing a fantastic thing by introducing his mainstream audience to Linux, sure he shouldn't have chosen Arch as the beginner distro, but anything that makes people look up distros that they like and go away from corporate proprietary cancer is great news.
Well, he shouldn't have chosen Arch as the beginner distro, especially for his non-tech savvy young audience
Honestly? He seems to be doing just fine.
The guy needs an x86 device so he hacks his Steamdeck. He's already more advanced than a number of posers on r/arch who still say "oh IDK how to double boot, I unplug my Windows drive before installing Arch and the I choose with the bios startup option".
Some people seem to not know how to configure grub. the boot manager, to allow you to boot windows or linux when you start your computer. So instead they have 2 disk, one directly boot linux the other one windows. They have to go in the bios settings each time they want to boot on a different OS because they never get a menu which seems to be cumbersome.
OK so when you install Linux on a system that contains a Windows system already, most installers will recognize that and configure your boot loader (e.g., Grub) so that it has a "Windows" item. That's because it's easy to identify the windows EFI partition and to reference it.
This way you tell your bios to boot on the Linux EFI partition, which will launch the bootloader, and you can launch Windows from there.
Arch being Arch, it falls on the user to ensure the proper configuration: after install, one should make sure that (example with grub) package os-prober is installed, the /etc/default/grub config file doesn't contain a line explicitly saying not to look for Windows, then run grub-mkconfig. This is true with archinstall too.
Now one can always decide that what should be done is to remove the windows drive (because they're afraid to mess it up when installing Arch), plug it back after Arch install is complete. Each system has its own disk and no system knows the other one exists.
But the BIOS still sees two bootable partitions and offers to launch either one of them. So these people who are so good at Linux literally boot Windows as they would boot from a thumb drive (smash F12 or whatever key at startup) as opposed to using the solutions that are provided, because they actually require to tinker a little bit. That's from the same people that claim the Arch Wiki is superb (it's got many flaws).
I wanted to mean that he should not have picked Arch of all distros to advertise Linux to his young and mainstream audience, not for his own personal distro, a non-tech savvy Windows/iPhone novice trying to switch to Linux through Arch is a recipe for disaster and frustration.
To be fair, he's on youtube for such a long time already, a lot of his viewer, especially the ones that still watch him since his "retirement" are leaning towards older ones.
I watched part of one vid many years ago, just to see what the hype was all about...it was pretty much him trying a game for the first time, sucking badly, and making noises like a toddler...haven't watched any other until the Linux vid...
Absolutely! Windows, gaming, and macs were killing it for me, but once I switched to Linux, it was reignited.
The sad thing is that I was planning on building a new setup and switching to Linux back in 2009...I was looking at buying a new monitor, and just happened to see a 27" iMac, and it lured me in...lost years to that shit before finally doing what I'd originally planned...
In fairness, some of us have seen what Linus Sebastian can do to a Linux install, while claiming to be technologically proficient. I'm not sure that the Linux community is interested in the least what this guy is doing.
Most of us have little patience with what the average Linux content providers produce, let alone what this guy might produce.
Yes, and there are best practices to handling bugs and installing software, across all OSes, notably updating before installing something new, which he didn't do.
Yes, because Windows insists on updating at will. It has been the recommended practice, at least since Windows 95 (i.e. when Linus Sebastian was a kid), to update your operating system before installing software. That remains the best practice.
The fact that he completely ignored the warnings as to what the consequences would be and that he still pressed on was laughable. Linus's channel is as far removed from tech tips as reality TV is from reality.
No, it doesn't. I've been using Linux for over 20 years and the only time I see something like that is if there's an old image that's been installed and there's an initial update or if migrating across versions in Debian. Most times, I see very little being needed when I want to install.
Don't like how Linux works? Stay on Windows? I haven't been on Windows since Win 98 and will never return or give MS a penny of my money. What's stupid is paying MS for malware and spyware.
That's the difference with Felix, he himself accepts his own shortcomings and by no means is a tech content creator. He often makes self deprecating jokes about not spending too much time tinkering with stuff and getting it to work and that is exactly what makes this content refreshing.
I'm not sure that the Linux community is interested in the least what this guy is doing.
Speak for yourself, It's really fun to see someone who is not well versed with Linux and the whole self-hosting ecosystem go into it and be successful at it while expressing how much fun he is having. It reminds me of the time i first discovered Linux.
That's all great. I generally don't have a lot of interest in someone watching someone muddle through. I'm glad that users try it and carry on with it and use it, but that's not something I want to watch as a YouTube video or sitcom, generally speaking.
And again, self-hosting doesn't impress me. It's not some pioneering venture. Those of us who walked away from dumb terminals in the 1970s and 1980s to do home computing were doing just that.
I see that you are unable to view the potential that video has. Albeit, today not that much but linux and selfhosting gets ignored by many and they see it as being complicated.
The audience that still connects with him and feel to use linux and other privacy tools is a win for linux community in general.
Self-hosting is simply using your own computer for that which it is intended. I do it all the time. I'm doing it right now. I find it hilarious that some people today are thinking they're pioneers for "self-hosting" when those of us who actually have been doing this for decades walked away from dumb terminals for good in the late 1970s and earl 1980s.
There are educational Linux content providers out there. People should make use of them.
I am not whining, I am simply wondering why choose a Steam Deck,
Also commenting on reddit takes 4 minutes which I do between task at my work, I am the office right now, but I can't sit and spend 40 minutes watching some rich dude flex his tech
I feel like it is wasting hardware, the steam deck how deal is being a hand-held console and has high tech involved to make it possible, for a server it makes 0 sense for it to be hand-held.
Why not simply use an old pc or something ? I feel like a lot of people would kill to have such a hand-held device to use in the go, and he is parking it on a wall for it to stay still like a desktop pc
Oh ok, I didn't get that he was still being able to use it as usual,
since a self hosting requires the devices to not leave the home internet of the service would go offline I assumed he wouldn't keep using it when he leaves his house.
Hey I get what he’s saying, he didn’t have to buy any new hardware, he already had the deck sitting there. I’d do the same if I knew where to start.
It was just the only x86-64 device he had on-hand to host the software he wanted to host. Also, since SteamOS just uses Arch anyway, he didn't lose his ability to game on it.
Ah, the J3455, pretty nice CPU you got there.
At some point, I replaced it with the G6900 for more single core performance and another device to play with. Now I got off-site backup with the J3455.
This is not the first <> that recently are advertising their steps into Linux and <> reaction. While I'm happy there's this hype around Linux, finally! I'm wondering who pays them for this , because these guys usually never advertise anything for free.
This isn’t about being first it’s about reach. Go ahead, name another influencer with 110,000,000 YouTube subscribers that switched to Linux loudly and publicly on their channel. All the other biggest ones are on windows.
Companies like Armor coffee and Fendi pay shitloads of money to reach his audience. You can Google this stuff. No, there’s no secret Linux Cabal paying streamers to switch to Linux and use FOSS software.
That’s not the spirit of self-hosting. Use whatever you have is the culture. This kind of snarky sniping gatekeeping about other people’s hardware is not cool.
It's not in the spirit of self-hosting to aim for using the right tools for the job.
Gotcha.
You do you man.
Pssst: And commenting on the tooling is the furthest thing from gatekeeping. I'm not trying to tell anyone anything about what they can and can't do. I'm just saying "bad tooling".
That doesn't make it the right tool for the job. Just because you don't want to buy a screwdriver doesn't mean that pounding your screws in with a hammer is the right thing to do.
The biggest problem with that thought though is that you can fairly cheaply buy an x86 device for this purpose.
It is not "better to buy another device." It is better to not remove the functionality meant for the device in favor of using resources on something in the background.
This woke me up. Now as someone who doesnt have any IT experience. How do i start? I first want to get rid of my onedrive and have everything off the cloud. Then go some steps further. Help
You need a computer that you leave on 24/7. I personally went with an old office PC (a small Dell with i7-9700) and a couple external hard drives. ZFS is tempting but overkill for me. Ubuntu server (if I were starting over I'd go plain debian, but ubuntu server is quite stable so it's fine) hosting VMs, all headless. Nextcloud as a replacement for onedrive.
Many people hate nextcloud, but it works quite well if you spend the time (like, days in my case) configuring it. Check /r/selfhosted for alternatives. I don't like the docker, that and jellyfin I just run bare metal (for easier transcoding for both) but many will disagree.
Then, you need backups. I use 2 hdds on my machine, and leave a laptop with an external drive on it at my parents.
Tailscale for access
Just start reading up and you'll come up with your own solution.
Economically it seems the worst device for a server. You pay a battery, a controller and a display to use it as a host in your garage. If you want to do self hosting and hack, build a custom NAS with the proper hardware matching your budget. I really don't get the point. It's not a big feat, the hardware and software of steam deck are pretty open, looks like a waste more than anything. I understand he has infinite money so it doesn't matter and people are interested only because he is famous.
Maybe I'm missing some context. Why does it need to be x86 and why can't he buy another device more suitable and as hackable?
Even if he can play, since it is a server he can't travel with it anymore without losing the server connection. Also running unrelated services on a game console doesn't help in game performances.
I bet the choice has a lot to do with "content" as well. Dude knows how to get people talking, and choosing a steam deck gets a lot of attention. To his credit though, it's funny and the choice probably seems less weird to someone who doesn't have a bunch of gadgets already laying around the house. Most of us probably do the same, but we have random tech laying around, so our weird solutions just end up being slightly less weird, haha. This is a lot closer to something I would have done in college before I started accumulating tech.
Nextcloud is much more than Syncthing. It's much more like Onedrive + Teams + Google Docs (Nextcloud Office). You have an admin and he can create multiple users who can even chat with each other etc.
You obviously have to install it on a server that can either stand in your garage or you can rent a server on the internet.
Recently I tryed NextCloud, and while the server is really versatile I found it kind of slow and it was not because of internet or the server being a potato. I tryed Immich and while it is for photos and videos only it felt way snappier for both uploading a downloading stuff. Maybe I didn't configure the nextcloud server correctly. I did it according to some tutorial on bare metal Debian Linux. No docker image.
If you haven't watched it yet, you can see it in his original switching to Linux video, it's the animated ASCII art he made that runs when he opens a new terminal.
I wish I knew where to even start with this. I have a spare steam deck I’d love to use. All the metrics/telemetry on the wall like that would bring me so much joy.
Liarus_@reddit
cool! , glad that he's enjoying Linux, can't wait to see his first homelab video 😄
Mast3r_waf1z@reddit
I didn't start watching his content until after he switched, finally some entertaining content...
wq1119@reddit
Whatever you think of him (I don't care about him and his videos, haven't watched him since 2012), it is undeniable that he is doing a fantastic thing by introducing his mainstream audience to Linux, sure he shouldn't have chosen Arch as the beginner distro, but anything that makes people look up distros that they like and go away from corporate proprietary cancer is great news.
dirtyredog@reddit
I was downloading slackware in 97 before I knew what a compiler was...kids can read still right?
wq1119@reddit
Some of them can, but you were downloading Slackware a year before I was born lol.
presentation-chaude@reddit
Honestly? He seems to be doing just fine.
The guy needs an x86 device so he hacks his Steamdeck. He's already more advanced than a number of posers on r/arch who still say "oh IDK how to double boot, I unplug my Windows drive before installing Arch and the I choose with the bios startup option".
-C10H15N-@reddit
Could you clarify on the "I choose on the bios startup option" part? Linux newbie here :)
Sufficient_Bass2007@reddit
Some people seem to not know how to configure grub. the boot manager, to allow you to boot windows or linux when you start your computer. So instead they have 2 disk, one directly boot linux the other one windows. They have to go in the bios settings each time they want to boot on a different OS because they never get a menu which seems to be cumbersome.
presentation-chaude@reddit
OK so when you install Linux on a system that contains a Windows system already, most installers will recognize that and configure your boot loader (e.g., Grub) so that it has a "Windows" item. That's because it's easy to identify the windows EFI partition and to reference it.
This way you tell your bios to boot on the Linux EFI partition, which will launch the bootloader, and you can launch Windows from there.
Arch being Arch, it falls on the user to ensure the proper configuration: after install, one should make sure that (example with grub) package os-prober is installed, the /etc/default/grub config file doesn't contain a line explicitly saying not to look for Windows, then run grub-mkconfig. This is true with archinstall too.
Now one can always decide that what should be done is to remove the windows drive (because they're afraid to mess it up when installing Arch), plug it back after Arch install is complete. Each system has its own disk and no system knows the other one exists.
But the BIOS still sees two bootable partitions and offers to launch either one of them. So these people who are so good at Linux literally boot Windows as they would boot from a thumb drive (smash F12 or whatever key at startup) as opposed to using the solutions that are provided, because they actually require to tinker a little bit. That's from the same people that claim the Arch Wiki is superb (it's got many flaws).
wq1119@reddit
I wanted to mean that he should not have picked Arch of all distros to advertise Linux to his young and mainstream audience, not for his own personal distro, a non-tech savvy Windows/iPhone novice trying to switch to Linux through Arch is a recipe for disaster and frustration.
FutureVawX@reddit
To be fair, he's on youtube for such a long time already, a lot of his viewer, especially the ones that still watch him since his "retirement" are leaning towards older ones.
DuskGideon@reddit
I think he gives really good book reviews though, that's what made me start watching him myself. Highly recommended.
Ok-Carrot-6642@reddit
The last time I saw his channel was when he was competing for 100 million subscribers.
presentation-chaude@reddit
I knew about the guy but never ever watched a single video of him. The first one I saw was the one on Linux.
gaijoan@reddit
I watched part of one vid many years ago, just to see what the hype was all about...it was pretty much him trying a game for the first time, sucking badly, and making noises like a toddler...haven't watched any other until the Linux vid...
KlausVonLechland@reddit
I remember that... I am afraid to check how long ago was that...
Honster_Munter@reddit
Yeah I remember watching bitch lasagna last year when it came out
ruinedlasagna@reddit
T-Series surpassed PewDiePie in subscribers in May 2019, right on 6 years ago.
TheCrispyChaos@reddit
Everyone who loves computers should enjoy Linux or at least give it a chance. It reignited my love for em! :)
gaijoan@reddit
Absolutely! Windows, gaming, and macs were killing it for me, but once I switched to Linux, it was reignited.
The sad thing is that I was planning on building a new setup and switching to Linux back in 2009...I was looking at buying a new monitor, and just happened to see a 27" iMac, and it lured me in...lost years to that shit before finally doing what I'd originally planned...
Mean-Interest-2062@reddit
Same for me.
headshot_to_liver@reddit
Yep,we're gonna see him soon in homelab sub and him joining forces with Jeff Geerling and Techno Tim
Youju@reddit (OP)
This is from his newest video in case you didn't know it's out already.
SlincSilver@reddit
Why in gods name would he use a Steam Deck as a home server ?
With the cost of a steam deck he could actually build a decent server
Sensitive-Check-8105@reddit
Did you even watch yhe video?
jr735@reddit
In fairness, some of us have seen what Linus Sebastian can do to a Linux install, while claiming to be technologically proficient. I'm not sure that the Linux community is interested in the least what this guy is doing.
Most of us have little patience with what the average Linux content providers produce, let alone what this guy might produce.
Expensive-Bill-7780@reddit
Linus encountered valid Linux bugs.. you don't have to use linux to be technologically proficient
jr735@reddit
Yes, and there are best practices to handling bugs and installing software, across all OSes, notably updating before installing something new, which he didn't do.
Expensive-Bill-7780@reddit
I have a somewhat outdated windows install and nothing breaks soo
jr735@reddit
Yes, because Windows insists on updating at will. It has been the recommended practice, at least since Windows 95 (i.e. when Linus Sebastian was a kid), to update your operating system before installing software. That remains the best practice.
The fact that he completely ignored the warnings as to what the consequences would be and that he still pressed on was laughable. Linus's channel is as far removed from tech tips as reality TV is from reality.
Expensive-Bill-7780@reddit
I've intentionally disabled the updates and I can still install apps just fine.
Well, it spat out a 1000 line text for him and well.. who reads that?
jr735@reddit
Yes, it works until it doesn't. I handle my package management directly through apt.
Who reads the text? When it's giving you 1000 lines, that's the first clue it's a problem.
Expensive-Bill-7780@reddit
Well Linux always gives you a 1000 lines when you install/want to install something and it's stupid
jr735@reddit
No, it doesn't. I've been using Linux for over 20 years and the only time I see something like that is if there's an old image that's been installed and there's an initial update or if migrating across versions in Debian. Most times, I see very little being needed when I want to install.
Don't like how Linux works? Stay on Windows? I haven't been on Windows since Win 98 and will never return or give MS a penny of my money. What's stupid is paying MS for malware and spyware.
Moltenlava5@reddit
That's the difference with Felix, he himself accepts his own shortcomings and by no means is a tech content creator. He often makes self deprecating jokes about not spending too much time tinkering with stuff and getting it to work and that is exactly what makes this content refreshing.
Speak for yourself, It's really fun to see someone who is not well versed with Linux and the whole self-hosting ecosystem go into it and be successful at it while expressing how much fun he is having. It reminds me of the time i first discovered Linux.
jr735@reddit
That's all great. I generally don't have a lot of interest in someone watching someone muddle through. I'm glad that users try it and carry on with it and use it, but that's not something I want to watch as a YouTube video or sitcom, generally speaking.
And again, self-hosting doesn't impress me. It's not some pioneering venture. Those of us who walked away from dumb terminals in the 1970s and 1980s to do home computing were doing just that.
plEase69@reddit
I see that you are unable to view the potential that video has. Albeit, today not that much but linux and selfhosting gets ignored by many and they see it as being complicated.
The audience that still connects with him and feel to use linux and other privacy tools is a win for linux community in general.
Hence its a win
jr735@reddit
Self-hosting is simply using your own computer for that which it is intended. I do it all the time. I'm doing it right now. I find it hilarious that some people today are thinking they're pioneers for "self-hosting" when those of us who actually have been doing this for decades walked away from dumb terminals for good in the late 1970s and earl 1980s.
There are educational Linux content providers out there. People should make use of them.
BigHeadTonyT@reddit
Some need an introduction to what you can do and a kick in the butt. Show them what is possible, they will do the rest.
I think Pewds does that.
jr735@reddit
That's true, but of little value to regular Linux users already there.
SlincSilver@reddit
No, I have a life
man-teiv@reddit
apparently you have the time to whine on reddit
SlincSilver@reddit
I am not whining, I am simply wondering why choose a Steam Deck,
Also commenting on reddit takes 4 minutes which I do between task at my work, I am the office right now, but I can't sit and spend 40 minutes watching some rich dude flex his tech
sutg@reddit
Money isn’t the issue for him lol. He mentions in his video it was close by and the only thing that he could use.
Bc his raspberry pi wasn’t able.
SlincSilver@reddit
Ok, I get it, but why a steam deck ?
I feel like it is wasting hardware, the steam deck how deal is being a hand-held console and has high tech involved to make it possible, for a server it makes 0 sense for it to be hand-held.
Why not simply use an old pc or something ? I feel like a lot of people would kill to have such a hand-held device to use in the go, and he is parking it on a wall for it to stay still like a desktop pc
koreas-air-is-bad@reddit
Cuz he’s rich? It’s fun? He can do literally anything he wants when it comes to money atp
Bernhard_NI@reddit
No, just because he can. That's reason enough.
presentation-chaude@reddit
If he has a Steam Deck handy because he's gaming with it, why should he build a server on top?
The Deck is still usable as usual, he just has one more use case.
SlincSilver@reddit
Oh ok, I didn't get that he was still being able to use it as usual,
since a self hosting requires the devices to not leave the home internet of the service would go offline I assumed he wouldn't keep using it when he leaves his house.
artifcat@reddit
Hey I get what he’s saying, he didn’t have to buy any new hardware, he already had the deck sitting there. I’d do the same if I knew where to start.
linuxjohn1982@reddit
It was just the only x86-64 device he had on-hand to host the software he wanted to host. Also, since SteamOS just uses Arch anyway, he didn't lose his ability to game on it.
DistributionRight261@reddit
My Self Hosted:
dfischer@server:\~$ neofetch
.-/+oossssoo+/-. dfischer@server
`:+ssssssssssssssssss+:` ---------------
-+ssssssssssssssssssyyssss+- OS: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS x86_64
.ossssssssssssssssssdMMMNysssso. Kernel: 5.15.0-142-generic
/ssssssssssshdmmNNmmyNMMMMhssssss/ Uptime: 6 days, 5 hours, 18 mins
+ssssssssshmydMMMMMMMNddddyssssssss+ Packages: 1339 (dpkg), 8 (snap)
/sssssssshNMMMyhhyyyyhmNMMMNhssssssss/ Shell: bash 5.1.16
.ssssssssdMMMNhsssssssssshNMMMdssssssss. Terminal: /dev/pts/0
+sssshhhyNMMNyssssssssssssyNMMMysssssss+ CPU: Intel Celeron J3455 (4) @ 2.300GHz
ossyNMMMNyMMhsssssssssssssshmmmhssssssso GPU: Intel HD Graphics 500
ossyNMMMNyMMhsssssssssssssshmmmhssssssso Memory: 1430MiB / 7765MiB
+sssshhhyNMMNyssssssssssssyNMMMysssssss+
.ssssssssdMMMNhsssssssssshNMMMdssssssss.
/sssssssshNMMMyhhyyyyhdNMMMNhssssssss/
+sssssssssdmydMMMMMMMMddddyssssssss+
/ssssssssssshdmNNNNmyNMMMMhssssss/
.ossssssssssssssssssdMMMNysssso.
-+sssssssssssssssssyyyssss+-
`:+ssssssssssssssssss+:`
.-/+oossssoo+/-.
Bernhard_NI@reddit
Ah, the J3455, pretty nice CPU you got there.
At some point, I replaced it with the G6900 for more single core performance and another device to play with. Now I got off-site backup with the J3455.
DistributionRight261@reddit
It's quite nice file server plus jellyfin.
And it backups everything every night with rclone.
antenore@reddit
This is not the first <> that recently are advertising their steps into Linux and <> reaction. While I'm happy there's this hype around Linux, finally! I'm wondering who pays them for this , because these guys usually never advertise anything for free.
elijuicyjones@reddit
This isn’t about being first it’s about reach. Go ahead, name another influencer with 110,000,000 YouTube subscribers that switched to Linux loudly and publicly on their channel. All the other biggest ones are on windows.
antenore@reddit
My comment wasn't negative by any means. I'm just wondering who is finally pushing for Linux, that is good
elijuicyjones@reddit
Companies like Armor coffee and Fendi pay shitloads of money to reach his audience. You can Google this stuff. No, there’s no secret Linux Cabal paying streamers to switch to Linux and use FOSS software.
ZmeulZmeilor@reddit
In the future we'll see a bearded, bald PewDiePie talking to a camera in the woods.
sudogaeshi@reddit
so, PDP becomes Luke Smith?
jet_heller@reddit
That's one of the worst cases of using the wrong tool for the job I've ever heard of.
elijuicyjones@reddit
That’s not the spirit of self-hosting. Use whatever you have is the culture. This kind of snarky sniping gatekeeping about other people’s hardware is not cool.
jet_heller@reddit
It's not in the spirit of self-hosting to aim for using the right tools for the job.
Gotcha.
You do you man.
Pssst: And commenting on the tooling is the furthest thing from gatekeeping. I'm not trying to tell anyone anything about what they can and can't do. I'm just saying "bad tooling".
Youju@reddit (OP)
It's the only x86 device he has. He didn't want to buy another one.
skunk_funk@reddit
Why not use distrobox to get the hosting going?
jet_heller@reddit
That doesn't make it the right tool for the job. Just because you don't want to buy a screwdriver doesn't mean that pounding your screws in with a hammer is the right thing to do.
The biggest problem with that thought though is that you can fairly cheaply buy an x86 device for this purpose.
Youju@reddit (OP)
Why exactly is it better to buy another device? He still plays game on his SteamDeck. Hosting runs in the background anyway.
jet_heller@reddit
It is not "better to buy another device." It is better to not remove the functionality meant for the device in favor of using resources on something in the background.
m0h97@reddit
He didn't remove its original functionality, if you watched the video you'd know.
jet_heller@reddit
If he's not running SteamOS, he did.
bowser_thebeast@reddit
This woke me up. Now as someone who doesnt have any IT experience. How do i start? I first want to get rid of my onedrive and have everything off the cloud. Then go some steps further. Help
skunk_funk@reddit
You need a computer that you leave on 24/7. I personally went with an old office PC (a small Dell with i7-9700) and a couple external hard drives. ZFS is tempting but overkill for me. Ubuntu server (if I were starting over I'd go plain debian, but ubuntu server is quite stable so it's fine) hosting VMs, all headless. Nextcloud as a replacement for onedrive.
Many people hate nextcloud, but it works quite well if you spend the time (like, days in my case) configuring it. Check /r/selfhosted for alternatives. I don't like the docker, that and jellyfin I just run bare metal (for easier transcoding for both) but many will disagree.
Then, you need backups. I use 2 hdds on my machine, and leave a laptop with an external drive on it at my parents.
Tailscale for access
Just start reading up and you'll come up with your own solution.
lampasul@reddit
hell yes
Sufficient_Bass2007@reddit
Economically it seems the worst device for a server. You pay a battery, a controller and a display to use it as a host in your garage. If you want to do self hosting and hack, build a custom NAS with the proper hardware matching your budget. I really don't get the point. It's not a big feat, the hardware and software of steam deck are pretty open, looks like a waste more than anything. I understand he has infinite money so it doesn't matter and people are interested only because he is famous.
Youju@reddit (OP)
He already had the Steam Deck. And he can still play games on it too. It's the only x86 device he currently has.
Sufficient_Bass2007@reddit
Maybe I'm missing some context. Why does it need to be x86 and why can't he buy another device more suitable and as hackable?
Even if he can play, since it is a server he can't travel with it anymore without losing the server connection. Also running unrelated services on a game console doesn't help in game performances.
tet90@reddit
what he self hosting
indianfasicst@reddit
I watched the video, mainly his passwords but also photos and other files and documents
Aperture_Kubi@reddit
So a file share? Or syncthing?
Cool and all, but a bit of a waste to use a Steam Deck for that. Just get an older Pi with a screen case.
indianfasicst@reddit
He got the pi but it was ARM architecture and he couldn't set it up so he setup on the x86 steam deck
N1SMO_GT-R@reddit
Nothing like a permanent temporary solution.
dpokladek@reddit
A fellow programmer I see
N1SMO_GT-R@reddit
I was born in the jank.
Bernhard_NI@reddit
You got to embrace the jank.
indianfasicst@reddit
XDD
engwish@reddit
He couldn’t set up file sharing on an ARM? Am I missing something? lol
secretonlinepersona@reddit
he got a x86_64 img instead of an arm one and thought "maybe I can put that to use!" as others said, a permanent temporary solution
Actes@reddit
That's the most unhinged response to struggling to find an arm equivalent to your application.
Here I am using qemu containerization or vms, my man goes "yeah fuck it i guess the steam deck is x86"
secretonlinepersona@reddit
100% agree, I can't say I haven't been that lazy before but I would certainly not do that with my file share lol
OrganicSugarFreeWiFi@reddit
I bet the choice has a lot to do with "content" as well. Dude knows how to get people talking, and choosing a steam deck gets a lot of attention. To his credit though, it's funny and the choice probably seems less weird to someone who doesn't have a bunch of gadgets already laying around the house. Most of us probably do the same, but we have random tech laying around, so our weird solutions just end up being slightly less weird, haha. This is a lot closer to something I would have done in college before I started accumulating tech.
presentation-chaude@reddit
He couldn't host his password management service.
NeatYogurt9973@reddit
box64???
thirteenth_mang@reddit
Rich people problems
torsten_dev@reddit
nextcloud, vaultwarden and whatnot.
onehair@reddit
Nextcloud
tet90@reddit
never tried it i personally like syncthing
dve-@reddit
Nextcloud is much more than Syncthing. It's much more like Onedrive + Teams + Google Docs (Nextcloud Office). You have an admin and he can create multiple users who can even chat with each other etc.
You obviously have to install it on a server that can either stand in your garage or you can rent a server on the internet.
FrameXX@reddit
Recently I tryed NextCloud, and while the server is really versatile I found it kind of slow and it was not because of internet or the server being a potato. I tryed Immich and while it is for photos and videos only it felt way snappier for both uploading a downloading stuff. Maybe I didn't configure the nextcloud server correctly. I did it according to some tutorial on bare metal Debian Linux. No docker image.
HumonculusJaeger@reddit
A couple servers while gaming in it.
dve-@reddit
Everything
ZunoJ@reddit
The steam deck doesn't seem like a good choice for a server lol
Thebandroid@reddit
I self host windows on my laptop, iOS on my iPhone and proxmox on my server. I also self goat milk in my fridge
Gastkram@reddit
What is self goating?
Thebandroid@reddit
I’ll tell you when you’re older.
Gastkram@reddit
Baah
No-Pear-6046@reddit
can i have some?
GreenTang@reddit
his Steam Deck
AssPennies@reddit
Don't know what I was expecting.
SmallRocks@reddit
Definitely something more modern like nuclear power. Steam powered is so 1800’s.
Fit_Parfait_9867@reddit
Yeah. I think they mean riced
KaiserSeelenlos@reddit
Nah he self hosts a PW Manager and filesharing.
particlemanwavegirl@reddit
Cause the Steam Deck has so many options for internal storage
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
REMERALDX@reddit
More than raspberry pi that he had at that time
particlemanwavegirl@reddit
RPi still seems a lot easier to expand simply by virtue of not being forced into a handheld case.
phoenix277lol@reddit
me when i realize i can take the hardware out of the steamdeck body and it still works
krishna2803@reddit
what was the spinning thing on the bottom left of the display?
Tinkers_Kit@reddit
If you haven't watched it yet, you can see it in his original switching to Linux video, it's the animated ASCII art he made that runs when he opens a new terminal.
krishna2803@reddit
ah interesting.. i did watch the video, but thought it was something functional lol, maybe related to the devices connected to his network :^)
F_n_o_r_d@reddit
I'll watch the video, but why would I self-host anything on a Steam Deck?!
Youju@reddit (OP)
Only if it's the only device you have.
btngames@reddit
It looks so awesome, I love the Steam Deck.
His case modification really adds to it too.
zlice0@reddit
df ... || echo df failed
lol wait whatthe_ivo_robotnic@reddit
I think I get what he's doing, it's similar to if you did:
Not at all necessary but I think it's neat he's learning bash operators like
&&
and||
and probably more of a fun thing to do.zlice0@reddit
no i understand that 'or' part but just like ...why? it will print its own error message anyway wont it
DeliciousIncident@reddit
The echo executes only when df returns an error code. It's a short-hand if-else block.
derdennda@reddit
because btop looks cool on a wallmounted steamdeck?
GerberToNieJa@reddit
server with built in UPS
NOT_HeisenberG_47@reddit
I have a theory, pewds releases a tech video and lurks in all the sub reddits with some burner account to see what the people are saying
artifcat@reddit
I wish I knew where to even start with this. I have a spare steam deck I’d love to use. All the metrics/telemetry on the wall like that would bring me so much joy.
fapfap_ahh@reddit
This is very cool but why not use something else as a homelab? Just to try stuff out and tinker (which is always a good thing imo)?
hilldog4lyfe@reddit
I fully expect him to eventually be convinced to install proxmox
Coperspective@reddit
Yea with his wealth he can afford a whole Blackwell suite if he wishes
RAMChYLD@reddit
I don’t really follow Pewdiepie but more power to him for going to Linux!
Beautiful_Crab6670@reddit
...I mean, yeah. You can "self-hosting" on a potato too if you so desire.
sususl1k@reddit
I mean, I used to run modded minecraft servers on my 15 year old ThinkPad. So I don’t see why not
Mysterious_Tutor_388@reddit
the steamdeck is probably pretty capable of hosting some game servers yeah
sususl1k@reddit
I mean, it’s a weird homelab device but mine’s an old mac mini, so fair enough I guess. Also that colorscheme hurts my eyes
KaiserSeelenlos@reddit
The new Tech timeline Videos are so good.
He also switched his desktop from Mint to Arch :).
Love it. It's so fun. And it makes me want to tinker.