Data Access

Owen points out Remember the Milk, a feature-rich competitor to Ta-Da List. The feature list looks impressive, and I’m inclined to give this a try. Ultimately, though, I don’t think I will.

I saw Matt Palmer’s post in planet.debian.org the other day, and I was immediately reminded of it today:

I host my website on my DSL line. I’m fortunate to be using Speakeasy for my DSL service: they specifically encourage subscribers to run their own servers, unlike most other DSL and cable providers. I’m paying X number of dollars every month for the convenience of an always-on connection. Since I’m paying for it, it makes sense to me to consolidate a lot of my data onto a server connected to that always-on connection. I know where it is; I know how to get to it (and can get to it in a variety of ways); and I can do whatever I want or need to do with that data. I don’t have to worry about a service evaporating overnight, or a change in the terms of service, or whether I’ll be able to access my data in a year.

Sure, managing my own server requires some non-trivial investments of time and effort. It’s my data; it’s worth it.