SOV-022: Matt Hill from Start9 - The Sovereign Computing Show
Start9 CEO Matt Hill joins Jordan Bravo to discuss the evolution of sovereign computing and the upcoming StartOS 0.4.0 release. Learn about Start9's mission to democratize server administration, their revolutionary new networking capabilities, plans for an open-source router, and innovative community programs for scaling support and development. Plus: why dignity matters as much as privacy and security in computing.
Show Notes: https://atlbitlab.com/podcast/sov-022-matt-hill-start9
- 00:00 Opening Quote: Sovereign Computing Definition
- 00:33 Introduction and Show Sponsorship
- 01:51 Welcome and Sovereign Computing Origins
- 03:21 What is Sovereign Computing?
- 04:54 Privacy vs Confidentiality and the Dignity Factor
- 06:15 The Undignified Reality of Modern Computing
- 08:37 Making Server Administration Accessible
- 10:00 Democratizing Advanced Computing Skills
- 11:42 Familiar User Experience Design Philosophy
- 14:09 Learning from Mobile OS Evolution
- 15:45 Bringing Linux Admin Experience "Above the Hood"
- 18:05 StartOS Evolution: From 0.0.1 to 0.3.5.1
- 19:28 Dependency Management and Configuration Breakthroughs
- 20:17 Moving from Docker to Custom Container Runtime
- 21:33 StartOS 0.4.0: Complete Architecture Rewrite
- 24:44 Two Years of Development Hell and Breakthrough
- 26:30 Custom LXC Container Runtime Development
- 27:35 Advanced Networking Capabilities in 0.4.0
- 28:29 Granular Interface Control Example
- 31:49 Private Domains and DNS Management
- 35:06 The "Digital IKEA" Philosophy
- 36:34 VPN Tunneling and Network Abstractions
- 37:57 Start9 vs Tailscale Comparison
- 41:13 Router Hardware Prototypes and Development
- 46:47 Router as Standalone vs Integrated Product
- 52:00 StartOS and Router Integration Benefits
- 53:26 Router Release Timeline: Not Before Mid-2026
- 54:44 Community Tech Program: Scaling Support
- 01:00:18 Community Developer Program Announcement
- 01:05:02 Package Development and Crowdfunding Model
- 01:11:56 AI in Development: Limited but Useful
- 01:17:01 Self-Hosting AI Challenges and Hardware Limitations
- 01:24:37 TabConf 2025: Workshop and Package Development
- 01:26:55 Conclusion
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