Even if you're lazy

I often suffer from technical issues related to the imperfect functioning of processes, applications, or workflows I use daily, which really irritate me. These frustrations drag on for months before finding a definitive solution because, essentially, I’m lazy. I realize that with very little effort and just a modicum of goodwill, it’s easy to resolve and permanently improve the way I approach our digital world; but my laziness, in fact, trumps everything else.

For a few years, I had access to the FreshRSS instance of Devol, an Italian group of tech activists who host self-hosted solutions for free, and I connected my clients to it (Reeder Classic first, Unread later). Suddenly, however, after a server upgrade, nothing worked anymore.

I had manual monthly backups – yes, I’m picky – so it was a small problem for me to go back to using iCloud sync directly in the app. I didn’t have time to do anything else, so I left everything as is for a few months.

But I felt like I was missing something. A kind of strange precariousness. The idea that I wouldn’t be able to use non-Apple devices to access my feeds unsettled me, even though I don’t own any non-Apple devices!

So, this past weekend, in a very short time (it took me about twenty minutes), I:

• installed a FreshRSS instance on my Raspberry Pi at home with Docker,
• imported the latest OPML extracted from my client,
• connected the client via FreshRSS.

My Raspberry Pi isn’t exposed to the internet, and I use Tilescale for private access. It wasn’t a problem; the client still connects.

As soon as I can, I’ll also implement an automatic backup system for the entire instance.

It was a small thing, but a constant annoyance. It was solved in a flash. Sometimes, damn it, it really doesn’t take much to improve your digital assets. Even if you’re lazy.