ArkOS: Host Your Own Cloud
The cloud is hot right now. Although some are hesitant to put their data into a cloud hosting environment, they're probably using the cloud without even realizing it. Services like Google Calendar, Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud are becoming increasingly popular without being called “cloud” flat out.
Something can be considered “cloud” when you can access it from a multitude of devices anywhere in the world. But what if you don't want to rely on one of these cloud hosting services? What if you want your very own cloud?
ArkOS: Enter Citizen Web Project
Citizen Web Project is attempting to make this a reality. Their big idea: if you have a Raspberry Pi computer, you utilize the operating system their team is designing in order to host your own cloud service. Seem like a good solution for you?
Any hosting provider will tell you it's hard to get cloud hosting off the ground. Setting it all up can become complicated, and if this is a home-based operation, even more so.
arkOS is designed to change this process into a more simplified version. Users still control their data, relying on the open source software package that those more technically-gifted users can feel free to contribute to if they so desire.
arkOS: The OS
At the heart of arkOS is Arch Linux, which is historically tough to configure and setup. However, since it is designed to run on a Raspberry Pi computer (a mere $35), just run the installer app on your PC, slide an SD card into the appropriate slot, and run the Raspberry Pi on that card.
Now, you see the Genesis GUI. Here, you can install apps or perform various customizations to your system. This GUI gives you the power to install apps like OwnCloud, which empower you to run the cloud service of your choice: RSS reader; file server; website; and others.
While you can run Genesis on other Linux distributions, arkOS was made specifically to run it. Furthermore, it doesn't allow you to host websites of large businesses. It just can't handle the traffic.
arkOS: The Sky Is The Limit For Your Cloud
As long as you're not getting millions upon millions of page hits, you should be able to host just about anything. Want to host your own, private cloud email hosting site? No problem. Miss Google Reader? Make your own!
And with projects in the works like Deluge, dynamic DNS service and port proxy for those who don't have their own domain name or static IPs, people are guaranteed a super easy way to get apps and services out there.
Would you give arkOS a try?
