Is NethServer the right name for the new version?

Application hosting platform are three words for say “OS”.

You are talking about a software product. If technology of the program is irrelevant how can be relevant for the adopters the project you’re talking about? Are you selling a Cupertino application “don’t bore about the how, it automagically works”?
The lacking of some technological piece (shorewall) euthanized NethFirewall. The lacking of the underlying OS the world was expecting (CentOS 8) turned tables about “the project formerly known as NS8”.
So please, Alessio, is the technology so important, after plummeted twice project paths?

I’m trying to describe better NethServer adding some benefits below. How does that sound?


NethServer 8 is an open-source hosting platform that simplifies application deployment, management, and scaling. It caters to the needs of businesses of varying sizes, from small to medium enterprises, by providing an efficient app server and a state-of-the-art container platform.

Our platform prioritizes ease of installation, maintenance, and security to reduce the complexity of IT infrastructures. With NethServer 8, you can effortlessly manage your container infrastructure on-premises or in the cloud, all from a centralized location. Additionally, the multi-node installation enables you to scale your infrastructure as your business grows.

The modular design of NethServer 8 allows for customization to fit specific requirements. Our active community ensures that we continuously improve and update the platform to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

With exceptional scalability, NethServer 8 is an excellent choice for those seeking a reliable, easy-to-use, adaptable, and capable application hosting platform. One platform to run your apps and data anywhere.

NethServer 8 benefits for sysadmins

NethServer 8 is an open-source hosting platform designed to simplify the life of system administrators. It provides several benefits that make it an excellent choice for managing IT infrastructures:

  1. Ease of installation and maintenance: NethServer 8 is built with ease of installation and maintenance in mind. As a system administrator, you can easily deploy and manage your applications with minimal hassle.
  2. Simplified container management: With NethServer 8, you can manage your container infrastructure on-premises or in the cloud, all from one centralized location. This feature allows you to save time and reduce the complexity of managing multiple container environments.
  3. Customizable modular design: NethServer 8 has a modular design that allows you to customize the platform to fit your specific needs. This flexibility makes it an excellent choice for sysadmins who need to tailor their IT infrastructures to meet the unique requirements of their organization.
  4. Active community support: The platform has an active community of developers, sysadmins and users who continuously improve and update the platform. This support ensures that the platform is up-to-date with the latest technology, security patches, and bug fixes.
  5. Scalability: NethServer 8 is highly scalable, making it suitable for businesses of varying sizes, from home setups to small offices and medium enterprises. As a sysadmin, you can easily scale your infrastructure to meet the needs of your growing business.

Overall, NethServer 8 is a reliable, easy-to-use, and capable hosting platform that simplifies application deployment, management, and scaling. As a system administrator, you can benefit from its ease of use, simplified container management, customizable modular design, active community support, and scalability.

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The version buzzword-free is available? At the third marketing term my allergy skyrocketed.

I agree. It is like starting building from the top floor.

Just an advice.
Could you please try to change your approach? It’s very far from being collaborative. We’re here to tackle a big challenge here… please don’t be judgemental

I’m trying to communicate what Nethserver is… especially for people that don’t know it. Highlighting the benefits
When someone approaches your project, it gives you a few minutes to understand if it suits your needs or not.

What do you mean? Would you explain it better, please?

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WOA! Very long list :scream_cat: I try to summarize what I think is critical and should be reworded.

I hope I’m not reviewing some GPT output :wink:

I agree with Michael, if IT professionals are its audience Application hosting platform seems a bit vague.

Also hybrid cloud infrastructure/application server are not that better :confused:

“Scaling” is quite bold IMO. As it is multi-node, NS8 could be the base to build a scalable module, but existing modules are (still) not aiming at scalability.

Wrong. As said in another thread NS8 modules/applications are built of containers like NS7 apps are built of RPMs. NS8 does not run arbitrary containers, like NS7 does not run arbitrary RPMs: the app developers work is integrate them with the rest of the system.

For this reason “your container infrastructure” must not be taken as “your arbitrary container infrastructure”: it is forcibly limited to existing NS8 apps.

How much is difficult to write a NS8 app? I hope it is super-easy, because it is one of our goals, but I guess it is not trivial. By time we can improve the developer experience too…

I don’t understand

What do you mean for regular health checks? NS8 has the local builtin firewall, but has no self-healing.

We no longer have a general customization tool, like E-Smith templates. Individual applications provide documented customization points because it is widely recognized as a value for users (sysadmins), developers and support team.

If “customizable” is what I understood, see the above reply.

Again, not your containers: it can be misunderstood. It is about applications…

I agree with Michael that it is important to know what’s under the hood. Especially in a long text I expect the container part is explained, as I wrote above. Think about evaluating the system security: where the software comes from?

I understand that it is not something that make us different from today’s products. Software is distributed as containers more and more: like Alessio suggest it is maybe not important to say it, especially in a short text.


First 4 paragraphs I feel :confused:

  • Point 1 “Ease of installation” ok!
  • Point 2 “Simplified container management”, your container infrastructure
    As said, I get it wrong
  • Point 3 “Customizable modular design”
    As said, it is not customizable by design but by app developer’s willpower
  • Point 4 “Active community support” True!
    I note that here NS8 becomes a “platform”
  • Point 5 “Scalability” yes, in the sense of split and moving the apps to new nodes.

There is also another enhancement from NS7. You can install multiple user domains in the same cluster. That means many organizations could be managed from the same cluster.

Could you please stop throwing marketing to the community? Please? The sales pitch is high itching and useless.
It’s not pleasing, and you receiving back unpleasant (and IMVHO fair) answers.

[

Totally agree. I’m back on this community (hi !) after a long leave and I feel there is something changed. I read a lot of frustration especially around NS8. Please stay open : the world is changing (and must change). NS7 was and stays a wonderful tool, and yes NS8 will lead us totally elsewhere but we should be confident in the vision Nethesis has and stay constructive and respectful. Everybody has different ways and words to explain their thoughts, wether they are ‘sales pitch’ or not.

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As the phrase goes, “There is no such thing as ‘the cloud’, it’s just someone else’s server

Everything runs on a server of some type, so it seems like a nit pick to say that since we’re using containers we shouldn’t call it a server anymore. Also, I’m pretty sure we’ve missed the boat for things being “cloud-hosted”, since there are more companies moving away from it each day (back to self-hosted servers).

I think the name NethServer is fine, and I also think if there is desire to rebrand to something else that’s fine too. I vote MegaUltraXtremeBox. If we’re going to rebrand, then we should focus less on server vs cloud and more on a new brand and name we think people will find attractive - not forgetting who our target audience is.

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Totally agree we’re in a new phase where our loved product is changing a lot!
So work together to test and improve it, as a unique community.

We’re positioning a new product that has a different architecture and I think it’s opening new interesting scenarios and hopefully new users and contributors!

Good point of view. The word “Server” can explain better that is not a “cloud-hosted" thing but a “self-hosted” environment

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Good, so do you have any alternative?

We can say that

you can easily manage your apps using a container infrastructure on-premises or in the cloud, all from one convenient location

right?

Yep but I mean customizability as you can modify your set of apps as you want. It’s not a monolith but a really versatile environment

Ok let’s talk about “your apps delivered as containers” right?

My two cents.

Just call it NS8, it’s small, simple, and keeps the legacy and history of the “old” servers in the name.

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Hello and welcome to the Nethserver community.
I agree with you one hundred percent.

Regards…

Uwe

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Welcome @Num3 !

I agree with both Rui and @transocean :heart:

+1 for NS8 :blush:

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Hi all,

I’ve dumped my brainwaves on the wiki to kickstart the page here:

https://wiki.nethserver.org/doku.php?id=product_description

May I invite you to incorporate your ideas there please?

Thanks!

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Thank Laylow, I read through your writings. There are a lot of suggestions to take inspiration from
I am going to work on a new nethserver.org asap.

I think that we need to explain what NethServer is first (beyond the technology nodes and containers):

  • an open-source system for automating the deployment and management of applications.
  • an application hosting server
  • an open-source hosting platform that provides a simplified experience for deploying and managing your applications.

Yes and I’d like to stress that

  • hosting is also self-hosting
  • …and that it is about hosting of applications and data

Finally, don’t forget the How part: the Why and the What are important, but IT people wants to understand also How it works :pray:

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and with that GDPR comes to mind

No matter what you do with the data or where you put the data, you still need to consider the GDPR aspect