ZitaSync

I've hit a bit of a snag with my project ZitaSync:
https://www.indiehackers.com/product/zitasync

It's a private self-hosted file syncing app. The feedback I've received so far, is that the very people it's designed to serve (privacy conscious people who don't want to use cloud services), are pretty hostile to paid closed-source software. Yes, even the less paranoid ones who don't insist on open-source everything.

I do like the idea of open-sourcing. However, this absolutely must be commercially viable. The software is self-hosted, so SAAS business models such as charging for hosting can't be used. Donation funding isn't viable, either.

Does anyone know of an open-source business model that would suit a desktop/self-hosted app? Something that doesn't require millions of users, and would deliver income in the mid to near term ("maybe 5+ years" from now won't work).

I finally have the main landing page done. Most people don't know what AmigaOS is, or have distant memories of it from decades ago. So, I've to redo the video with file syncing to Microsoft Windows.

Here's the new landing page: keasigmadelta.com/zitasync

This has been much delayed. The same notification features used in the AmigaOS demo had to be implemented for Windows. However, I wanted to get one more version of ZitaFTP Server out to end users before creating a separate branch for v1.x (so I can develop v2 in the trunk). Then, private problems arose that sucked my time away, until it felt like I could get almost nothing done.

Still, we're finally here. Now I need to get some traffic to the landing pages...

Yes! I managed to get a basic landing page up for ZitaSync just in time for AmiWest (an AmigaOS computer show). I'll be presenting remotely at the show, and needed a page to send potential future customers to.

The page is here: keasigmadelta.com/zitasync-aos

Getting to this point required adding popup notifications to ZitaFTP Server, as well as showing the uploaded file if a user double-clicks on the notification. Going out to record some clips for the demo video was rather fun. It was a great excuse to get out and about.

The contractor finished writing the proof-of-concept Android app. It's barely functional and the code quality is ok-ish. Nevertheless, it can connect to ZitaFTP Server and sync files across. It can also automatically upload new files.

I still have much to learn about hiring and delegating. The contractor initially had trouble understanding what the task was (thinking it would need a cloud server) despite initially looking like he understood. The code's structure could use a lot of improvement, and there's no useful comments indicating what's what.

Part of the hiring difficulty could be the low budget, which is less interesting to good talent. My job description could probably be improved, and I definitely have much to learn about screening candidates.

Still, it was a small job, and contracting it out was still worth it. I could continue work on ZitaFTP Server, and now have a working prototype.

I hired a contractor to build a rough proof-of-concept file-syncing app for Android for two reasons:

1. I'm very busy working on ZitaFTP Server (the server side of ZitaSync) https://www.indiehackers.com/product/zitaftp-server
2. I've never written an Android app before. Having someone else write the prototype will give me a starting point

This is a "scratch my own itch" kind of product. I found copying photos/videos from my phone to my computer tedious, and couldn't find a good automatic file syncing tool. Sure, there are cloud services like Dropbox, but it's ridiculous that your files have to go half way round the world and back, when the PC it's going to is literally on the desk in front of me. I'd also rather not store my files unencrypted on third-party servers.

This happens to be one of the founding ideas for ZitaFTP Server too (https://www.indiehackers.com/product/zitaftp-server). Writing a generic FTP server was never the plan...