Re reverse proxies, not exactly. Tried reading vanilla nginx configs and trying to understand nginx proxy manager, couldn't grasp either. Also gave haproxy a shot.
rpm-ostree
I guess I don't exactly understand the value of rebasing the core system. Small atomic core with snapshot-based rollbacks, with containerized beyond core stuff seems to get you 99% of the way there, no?
If you can host thelounge on your LAN and access it over VPN on the go, it makes for a very nice IRC experience.
Otherwise, ssh (termux or whatever) to your irc host running irssi or weechat
Atomic automatic updates with snapshot creation? Maybe consider opensuse microOS if you are going headless...didn't quite understand from your description. I have a VPS running microOS that has been doing its automatic updates/reboot thing for a year+ now without a single issue. Opensuse's rolling stuff works very well, and you get native btrfs and snapper integration out of the box.
Easy to use reverse proxy - I really like Caddy. Reading/writing the config for that clicks better for me than others.
I like the novelty of using filesystem tools for backups, but can't shake the feeling that tools like restic and borg are more widely deployed and battle tested.
I like that ipfire is still going strong when many Linux router projects seem to be dying out.
I haven't used either command, but based on what I see in the manual, rcd tells rclone to start listening for remote commands whereas rc is used to issue remote commands.
Try it out by going to a folder with some files and typing: rclone rcd .
That should open a tab in your web browser with a list of your files.
There are situations where being able to send commands to rclone remotely would be helpful, but I'm not sure that you need to do that in this case.
I'm far from an expert, but I don't know of rclone doing versioning, or a continuous sync like syncthing. Also haven't used proton, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
Stage 1 Run rclone config to set up the proton remote. rclone config should take you through a wizard and will eventually ask you to authenticate somehow with the remote. Once that is done and saved, you'll exit the rclone config wizard and be back at the command line.
Then you would run a test command like: rclone ls :
If it worked, you should see a list of files/folders on Proton. If not, you'll have to go back to rclone config and edit the remote to fix whatever went wrong.
Stage 2
Test out copying the folders with a command something like: rclone copy localfile/folder remotename:remotepath
Do some testing to get the hang of the command, but it is pretty straightforward.
Stage 3
I don't know how many files or how big the files are, but I assume not too many and not too big. I also don't know which version of Linux you have, but I assume you have access to systemd, cron, or both.
You'll make a basic shell script that runs the command you practiced in stage 2. Easy peasy, put it in a text file with a shebang at the beginning, make it executable, and give it a go. It should run exactly how it did when you typed the command out manually.
Finally, you will write a systemd timer or a cron/crontab entry to execute that script at some frequency.
So just to summarize:
All three of those links are very outdated - I do not recommend trying to use any of them.
Can you be more specific about what you are trying to do exactly? I know rclone is confusing to get started on, in part because it does so many different things and the documentation requires some background/outside knowledge.
Other couple ideas to consider if job ambitions aren't a major thought:
Nim-lang / Mummy. Neat in being high level like python but compiled and can do low level stuff. Small ecosystem but good interoperability with c and Python. Can also compile to js. Target embedded to web, very flexible.
Also php. Some people say modern php looks more like java. Either way, lots faster than it used to be. Wildly productive language for web stuff. Laravel or Symfony frameworks.
I guess, what I’d like to hear from you all is a way to jump back in as quickly as possible in such a way that it may be a career.
You might check job listings in your region/country to figure out what languages and technology stacks are in high demand, as where you are seems to matter a lot.
I use xmpp. It happens to be a great fit for a private family messaging service. Good interoperability between modern clients. I get that "nobody uses it" is hyperbole, but the internet is a big place and there is room for services without mass market appeal to thrive.
I don't think it was the point of your post necessarily, but I did want to mention a couple of things that might make the Linux switch a little easier - if not for you, anybody else reading and agreeing.
First, distrobox (https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox) is a nifty frontend for podman/docker that I think makes it a little more usable/accessible without having a PhD in devops. Basically helper scripts that create a series of simple CLI commands that let you launch a new environment, enter the new (or old) environment, do stuff in the environment, exit the environment. Keeps your core system's python separated from your development environment(s). Sacrifices the isolation qualities of containers in favor of usability, so probably ok for dev work on a desktop and not so much for production on a server.
Also, there are GUI applications for point and click management of distrobox - I use BoxBuddy, which is available as a Flatpak on Flathub, so again no interference with the core system provided it can run podman and flatpak.
Second, I know the php dev world figured out ways to abstract some docker complexity away with stuff like ddev (https://github.com/ddev/ddev) and lando (https://github.com/lando/lando). I wonder whether other languages have or will build that dev environment in a box abstraction on Docker/Podman/whatever.
Technically true, but FOSS isn't "free" in the sense that someone is contributing labor to build and maintain the software. Free to use, but not free to make. I personally wouldn't expect or shame a person for using FOSS without contributing. But if you make a profitable business off a FOSS project, it seems reasonable to expect some form of contribution back to the project - not because it is technically required, but because who better to sponsor a project than someone profiting from it?