A few days ago, I announced NNCPNET, the email network based atop NNCP. NNCPNET lets anyone run a real mail server on a network that supports all sorts of topologies for transport, from Internet to USB drives. And verification is done at the NNCP protocol level, so a whole host of Internet email bolt-ons (SPF, … Continue reading NNCPNET Can Optionally Exchange Internet Email→| The Changelog
From 1995 to 2019, I ran my own mail server. It began with a UUCP link, an expensive long-distance call for me then. Later, I ran a mail server in my apartment, then ran it as a VPS at various places. But running an email server got difficult. You can’t just run it on a … Continue reading Announcing the NNCPNET Email Network→| The Changelog
Sometimes we want better-than-firewall security for things. For instance: An industrial control system for a municipal water-treatment plant should never have data come in or out Or, a variant of the industrial control system: it should only permit telemetry and monitoring data out, and nothing else in or out A system dedicated to keeping your … Continue reading How Gapped is Your Air?→| The Changelog
I loaded up this title with buzzwords. The basic idea is that IM systems shouldn’t have to only use the Internet. Why not let them be carried across LoRa radios, USB sticks, local Wifi networks, and yes, the Internet? I’ll first discuss how, and then why. How do set it up I’ve talked about most … Continue reading Building an Asynchronous, Internet-Optional Instant Messaging System→| The Changelog
“OK,” you’re probably thinking. “John, you talk a lot about things like Gopher and personal radios, and now you want to talk about building a reliable network out of… USB drives?” Well, yes. In fact, I’ve already done it. What is sneakernet? Normally, “sneakernet” is a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference to using disconnected storage to … Continue reading Dead USB Drives Are Fine: Building a Reliable Sneakernet→| The Changelog
It seems that lately I’ve written several shell implementations of a simple queue that enforces ordered execution of jobs that may arrive out of order. After writing this for the nth time in bash, I decided it was time to do it properly. But first, a word on the why of it all. Why did … Continue reading Fast, Ordered Unixy Queues over NNCP and Syncthing with Filespooler→| The Changelog
Note: this post is also available on my website, where it will be updated periodically. When things are difficult – maybe there’s been a disaster, or an invasion (this page is being written in 2022 just after Russia invaded Ukraine), or maybe you’re just backpacking off the grid – there are tools that can help … Continue reading Tools for Communicating Offline and in Difficult Circumstances→| The Changelog
I have a problem.| The Changelog