Selfhost offline software
Recently in Spain we have suffered a complete power outage, with no electricity for a long time.
Some were able to have power on their computers with generators, solar panels, etc.
And I know you can have data connectivity with SDR or HAM radio.
But my question here is, what are some good self-host/local offline software that we can have and use for when something like this happens.
I know kiwix, and some other for manuals. Please feel free to share the ones you know and love, can be for any type of thing as long as it works completely offline, just name it.
Of course for GNU/Linux (using Arch myself BTW).
Thanks in advance.
Some were able to have power on their computers with generators, solar panels, etc.
And I know you can have data connectivity with SDR or HAM radio.
But my question here is, what are some good self-host/local offline software that we can have and use for when something like this happens.
I know kiwix, and some other for manuals. Please feel free to share the ones you know and love, can be for any type of thing as long as it works completely offline, just name it.
Of course for GNU/Linux (using Arch myself BTW).
Thanks in advance.
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iii
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to iii • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to iii • • •iii
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •Mark
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • •Linux reshared this.
6R1M R34P3R
in reply to Mark • • •im willing to pay up to €100 more or less
can you recommend a kit or just works hardware for meshtastic?
Mark
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • •Linux reshared this.
tasankovasara
in reply to iii • • •techsnob
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to techsnob • • •a14o
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •You can put together a media server and build a catalogue so you can watch movies and series offline. Maybe not a huge priority in that situation but definitely nice to have.
Jellyfin is a good option for streaming from a media server to other devices. The *arr suite is an option for building the catalogue.
6R1M R34P3R
in reply to a14o • • •Maeve likes this.
a14o
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •CarrotsHaveEars
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •A piece of software always runs locally. It is in some cases those who needs to communicate with the server fail to deliver the usual function you expect when offline.
Please do not confuse one to another.
And perhaps you can start by complaining which services you are using heavily rely on the server side? General questions attract general answers and IMHO you are better off just search on the internet.
6R1M R34P3R
in reply to CarrotsHaveEars • • •like this
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Zenlix
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •like this
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6R1M R34P3R
in reply to Zenlix • • •like this
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Zenlix
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to Zenlix • • •kiwix.org/en/
Explore Offline Wikipedia and Educational Content with Kiwix- Kiwix
KiwixSneezycat
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •limelight79
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •There's a whole community for self hosting software.
!selfhost@lemmy.ml
Hopefully I did that right...
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6R1M R34P3R
in reply to limelight79 • • •like this
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cerement
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •tasankovasara
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •like this
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6R1M R34P3R
in reply to tasankovasara • • •like this
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TCB13
in reply to tasankovasara • • •Yeah, some people don't like to run with full repo mirrors but keep updated copies of the Debian ISO that can be mounted as repositories at any point:
It's essentially the same, but in another format.
Debian: Notes About ISO Images and Offline Archives
Tadeu Bentolike this
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MNByChoice
in reply to TCB13 • • •One can also use a cache to hold deb and rpm files requested by the machines. (Works great when running hundreds of systems.)
I like "apt-cacher-ng". It will do deb and rpm. wiki.debian.org/AptCacherNg
unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~bloch/acng/
Edit: better link
AptCacherNg - Debian Wiki
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TCB13
in reply to MNByChoice • • •tasankovasara
in reply to tasankovasara • • •like this
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Grunt4019
in reply to tasankovasara • • •phantomwise
in reply to tasankovasara • • •adry
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •Spain? check guifi.net ;)
People had LAN Partys playing video games "offline" in the 90s... Setting up a network is easy, the difficulty comes from scaling up to many nodes, and spreading through the geography (e.g. if you were to use antennas for WLAN, they would need a mostly unobstructed vision) which in urban areas gets tricky.
But those "topology" issues can be flattened, e.g. you can always have a raspberry pi (or any device) acting as server in the corner of a neighborhood. A virtual bulletin board, emails, etc. all could be self-hosted locally there and then people could go grab a coffee and consume the local news just like in the middle ages, but with a screen, digital assets and some healthy amount of trolling 😛
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6R1M R34P3R
in reply to adry • • •'sierra'
TCB13
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •This is going to be controversial but...
Linux is not really suited for the post-apocalitic no-internet world, the way the repositories are built and software is packed (almost nothing is static, a lot of dependencies on other packages everywhere) just makes it really impractical and hard to deal with those scenarios. Flatpak / containers and friends even make this situation worse because you can't easily mirror the repositories and there's no straightforward way of exporting a Flatpak as a solid file that can be shared around and installed everywhere - the current tool for that doesn't account architectures and dependencies very well.
Windows however is a much more solid and good option, yes, it's painful to hear this but in Windows you can get an exe from a friend in a flash drive and it runs as is. Same goes for installers, reinstalling the OS etc. There's only a couple of .net framework installers that will cover dependencies for 99.99% of stuff in a few MB. The same goes for macOS, however it depends on a lot of software signing nowadays and certificates that can
... Show more...This is going to be controversial but...
Linux is not really suited for the post-apocalitic no-internet world, the way the repositories are built and software is packed (almost nothing is static, a lot of dependencies on other packages everywhere) just makes it really impractical and hard to deal with those scenarios. Flatpak / containers and friends even make this situation worse because you can't easily mirror the repositories and there's no straightforward way of exporting a Flatpak as a solid file that can be shared around and installed everywhere - the current tool for that doesn't account architectures and dependencies very well.
Windows however is a much more solid and good option, yes, it's painful to hear this but in Windows you can get an exe from a friend in a flash drive and it runs as is. Same goes for installers, reinstalling the OS etc. There's only a couple of .net framework installers that will cover dependencies for 99.99% of stuff in a few MB. The same goes for macOS, however it depends on a lot of software signing nowadays and certificates that can expire and you then have a problem.
balsoft
in reply to TCB13 • • •There are ways to deal with this. There's AppImage for GUI apps (that replicates the "just get an exe from a friend on a flash drive") and lots of bundling programs for non-GUI apps (I use
nix-bundlebecause I use Nix, but there are other options too).Lots of distro installers work offline too, by just bringing all the stuff you need as part of the installer.
And one major benefit of Linux is that when stuff does inevitably go wrong, it's infinitely easier to fix than proprietary garbage.
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TCB13
in reply to balsoft • • •AppImage suffers from the same problem that Flatpak does, the tool do work offline aren't really good/solid and won't save you for sure. It also requires a bunch of very small details to all align and be correct for things to work out.
Imagine the post-apocalyptic scenario, if you're missing a dependency to get something running, or a driver, or something specific of your architecture that wasn't deployed by the friend alongside the AppImage / Flatpak (ie. GPU driver) you're cooked. Meanwhile on Windows it has basic GPU drivers for the entire OS bakes in, or you can probably fish around for an installer as fix the problem. It is way more likely that you'll find machines with Windows and windows drivers / installer than Linux ones with your very specific hardware configuration.
balsoft
in reply to TCB13 • • •I've been using my laptop in areas without internet for days. It works fine.
I have
appimage-runfrom nixpkgs installed, which handles all those details. They are also not too hard to figure out manually should you need to.
... Show more...GPU drivers are emphatically not part of the AppImage. They are provided by Mesa, which is almost guaranteed to be installed.
I've been using my laptop in areas without internet for days. It works fine.
I have
appimage-runfrom nixpkgs installed, which handles all those details. They are also not too hard to figure out manually should you need to.GPU drivers are emphatically not part of the AppImage. They are provided by Mesa, which is almost guaranteed to be installed.
It's actually the other way around - if you want your GPU to work properly on a new Windows install, you have to fish around for AMD/NVidia drivers. On Linux Mesa is pretty much pre-installed on all distros.
LMAO, try moving a windows installation from Ryzen+AMD GPU to Intel+NVidia GPU and let me know how it goes (hint: you will have to manually uninstall, and then install a shit ton of drivers, for which you will need internet).
Meanwhile I'm typing this from a (Ryzen+AMD GPU) desktop which has an SSD from my (Intel+integrated graphics) laptop. When I plugged it in, it booted into sway just fine, with complete GPU support and all, and the only reason I had to update my config is to make it more convenient to use on the desktop.
Linux is not the best "apocalypse" OS, but it sure is better than Windows.
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6R1M R34P3R
in reply to TCB13 • • •this is not true,
in fact, most of the machines I have here won't work with a Windows installer .iso or Windows OS itself and some of my hw don't even have drivers for it.
So yeah no
meanwhile, most GNU/Linux .iso distro installers have drivers already on the .iso itself, including propietary ones
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TCB13
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to TCB13 • • •like this
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TCB13
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •Not true, Rufus creates bootable and persistent USB flash drives with one checkbox. You can do it manually also.
I was trying to illustrate a point, you may have your distro, your packages and what think you need, but if we're talking about post-apocalyptic you'll probably need other stuff and at that point you have windows computers and windows software installed or installers available pretty much everywhere starting with your next door neighbor and with Linux not so much.
cerement
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •Variants of Concern
in reply to TCB13 • • •like this
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atzanteol
in reply to TCB13 • • •Wut? Linux bundles drivers for tons of things out-of-the-box literally built as part of the kernel and many distros (e.g. Pop_OS) even provide NVidia drivers out-of-the-box as well.
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cerement
in reply to balsoft • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to TCB13 • • •what I'm not willing to use is propietary software
so more than controversial, you are just not being helpfull
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TCB13
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •I am. When "shit hits the fan" you want to be as compatible and and frictionless as possible, because at point having a running computer will be a feat on its own and you probably won't have time/power to deal with software complexities and "ways around issues". You most likely want to boot a machine from whatever parts are available and get some data out of it or maybe in and move on to hunting or farming. No time to be there fixing xyz package with broken dependencies and whatnot. If someone gives you a flash drive with data it follows the same logic, you want to get to something as quickly as possible.
In Linux there's also an over-reliance on web-based solutions that can be self-hosted in your system or a 3rd one but that, once again, just adds extra friction that you don't have with "simple" formats and binaries like pdf, docx and others that at the end of the day are just self contained apps that can be run as is without extra fuzz nor cloud dependencies.
I'm all for Linux, alternative and open-source, b
... Show more...I am. When "shit hits the fan" you want to be as compatible and and frictionless as possible, because at point having a running computer will be a feat on its own and you probably won't have time/power to deal with software complexities and "ways around issues". You most likely want to boot a machine from whatever parts are available and get some data out of it or maybe in and move on to hunting or farming. No time to be there fixing xyz package with broken dependencies and whatnot. If someone gives you a flash drive with data it follows the same logic, you want to get to something as quickly as possible.
In Linux there's also an over-reliance on web-based solutions that can be self-hosted in your system or a 3rd one but that, once again, just adds extra friction that you don't have with "simple" formats and binaries like pdf, docx and others that at the end of the day are just self contained apps that can be run as is without extra fuzz nor cloud dependencies.
I'm all for Linux, alternative and open-source, but in the situation described you last concern is if you're running proprietary stuff.
MNByChoice
in reply to TCB13 • • •Offline repository caches for Linux have been a thing for decades. People absolutely pass binaries to friends.
Flatpac may not be suitable, but that is only one way to get software on Linux.
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TCB13
in reply to MNByChoice • • •Nanook
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to Nanook • • •many people here have already generators, solar panels etc and that worked ok here
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daniskarma
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •6R1M R34P3R
in reply to daniskarma • • •thanks for sharing
didn't knew about it but i guess most countries have its own sattelite network available
does the one you mention has a specific name?
daniskarma
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •cerement
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •Govsatcom, Eutelsat, Iris2: Ukraine seeks European alternatives to Starlink
Gregoire Lory (Euronews.com)beeng
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •freifunk.net/
An independent mesh network in Germany.
freifunk.net - Freifunk steht für freie Kommunikation in digitalen Datennetzen
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6R1M R34P3R
in reply to beeng • • •beeng
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •utopiah
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •qjkxbmwvz
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •You mentioned ham radio --- definitely fun! It's a process to get into it though, as you need to study/pass an exam, and then you need a radio. Radios range from cheap ($25 or so) in the VHF/UHF ("walkie talkie"-style) to more expensive for an HF rig ($1000 range for 100W HF). If you want to get into low power ("QRP") it can be much cheaper. You also need a fair amount of space for a good antenna setup...
There are tons of different communication modes, some without a computer and, like you mentioned, some that use computers.
wsjtxandfldigiare popular programs.Good luck!
6R1M R34P3R
in reply to qjkxbmwvz • • •i got myself an RTL-SDR because a friend told me about them (didn't arrived yet)
definitely gonna check on all that you talk about too
cerement
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •form of amateur radio data communications using the AX25 protocol
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)atomkarinca
in reply to qjkxbmwvz • • •MeshCore - Off grid mesh radio communications system
meshcore.co.ukdaniskarma
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •You can download a collection of thousands (maybe a million I don't even know) of books in Spanish in epub format, from the "secret library". It's like a 100Gb torrent, but way worth it.
Ebooks tens to have long lasting battery. I spent a few hours reading on monday.
Just now I'm on my phone, but if you are interested let me know and I'll try to find the link and will mp it to you if you want.
And just now I've been thinking that epubs being so small size maybe there's a way to transmit them over this radio mesh networks on demand, like some sort of radio library. I've have to look into that. Maybe they are too big for that as radio bandwidth for data transfer tends to be incredibly small.
6R1M R34P3R
in reply to daniskarma • • •utopiah
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •So... I've done that May 2023 for a holiday trip.
I left with my RPi4 and few gadgets but no Internet.
There I built git.benetou.fr/utopiah/offline… and my main take away is
and more importantly the meta take away is
because just like first aid you need to be actually ready when needed and knowledge change over time. You need to actually try though, test your setup and yourself genuinely otherwise it is intellectual masturbation.
Have fun!
offline-octopus
Gitea: Git with a cup of teaBastingChemina
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •There is the kiwix hotspot.
A WiFi hotspot that gives you access to the entire Wikipedia, medical information, homesteading books ...
Kiwix WiFi Hotspot - Access Knowledge Offline Anywhere- Kiwix
Kiwixpierre_delecto [he/him]
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •cerement
in reply to 6R1M R34P3R • • •an extreme option could be something like the Varvara / Uxn virtual machine by the Hundred Rabbits collective (created after having to deal with Adobe updates and Xcode updates over a barely functioning cell connection) – emulators are available for all sorts of hardware
blog: Weathering Software Winter | youtube:
uxn
XXIIVV