I’m not the only one bummed about the end of Pocket. Here’s Sam Cole for 404 Media writing Pocket, One of the Only Apps I Ever Liked, Is Shutting Down.
Not knowing that pocket was getting the axe, I bookmarked the open source alternative wallabag (never used it, don’t know if it’s any good). Because it sure feels like self-hosting your own software is the only way to have any kind of guarantee about these things.
There’s a tipping point where having rough edges, expecting no customer support, and eating the maintenance – all hallmarks of managing open source applications – is better than the mainstream options.
And for someone like me, I can go and install things on my Raspberry Pi home server easily enough. But normal people?
I feel like we spent the last 15 years telling normal people Don’t use spreadsheets like a nerd! and Don’t use Word docs like an old business man! Even though you could run your life perfectly well off of those things. No! Instead we have all these apps and websites that are cheaper, faster, and better than anything before.
If you’re a non-techie that is looking for something to hang your hat on, I don’t know what to tell you.
Maybe go back to doing things the old cruddy way. Your computer desktop is an absolute Goddamn mess, but it doesn’t have a fiduciary responsibility to any shareholders.
That’s the reluctant conclusion of Cole’s article:
404 Media contributing writer Matthew Gault suggests copy-pasting links to articles into a giant document to read later. Now that Pocket is no longer with us, I might have to start doing that.
Previously: