From 53c327a2229b480540e40ca84ae321f047ba097b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: librelad Date: Thu, 21 May 2026 21:56:43 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] docs: clarify privacy-first Cloud model, drop managed hosting, add origins MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit - Add "Why LibrePortal" (privacy motivation) and "Acknowledgments" (built from scratch since 2023, inspired by bmcgonag/docker_installs) - Reframe LibrePortal Cloud with the plain-English "courier with a sealed box" model: we only handle encrypted data, keys stay with the user - Drop "Managed hosting — we run LibrePortal for you" - Update Support to free community + optional paid priority Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 Signed-off-by: librelad --- PROMISE.md | 15 +++++++++------ README.md | 29 ++++++++++++++++++++++++----- 2 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-) diff --git a/PROMISE.md b/PROMISE.md index 9079c5d..7bfdfd5 100644 --- a/PROMISE.md +++ b/PROMISE.md @@ -17,13 +17,16 @@ If you self-host LibrePortal, you get everything. No asterisks. Building and maintaining this takes real work, and we want to do it sustainably — without betraying a word of the above. So we charge only for -things that **aren't the software**: +things that **aren't the software** — and only for services we can run +*without ever needing to see your data*: -- **LibrePortal Cloud** — optional hosted services we run for you: remote - access (no port-forwarding), off-site encrypted backups, a free subdomain - with automatic HTTPS, phone notifications, and more. -- **Managed hosting** — we run LibrePortal for you, if you'd rather not. -- **Support** — priority help for those who want it. +- **LibrePortal Cloud** — optional services for the tricky parts, like reaching + your server from your phone or keeping off-site backups. We work like a + courier carrying a sealed box: we move and store your data, but it stays + locked and *you* hold the only key — we can't open it, and we never run your + apps for you. +- **Support** — free community help, plus optional paid priority support for + those who want guaranteed fast answers. ## The line we will not cross diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 8ffc4ab..1be8326 100755 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ it all. > ⚠️ **v0.1.0 — early days.** Expect rough edges while things settle. +## Why LibrePortal + +Too many services today treat your data as theirs to take — quietly +overstepping boundaries that should never have been crossed. LibrePortal grew +out of frustration with that: it's a way to run the apps you depend on on +your own server, where your data stays yours. Privacy here isn't a feature to +toggle — it's the whole point. + ## Free & open — forever The entire platform is **free software under the [GNU AGPLv3](LICENSE)**. @@ -33,17 +41,28 @@ cd LibrePortal ## LibrePortal Cloud (optional) -Self-hosting is free and complete. If you'd rather not run the fiddly parts -yourself, **LibrePortal Cloud** offers them as paid, hosted services — remote -access, off-site backups, notifications, and more. **Every one has a free, -self-hostable equivalent in this repo** — you pay for convenience, never to -unlock. [Our Promise](PROMISE.md) spells out exactly where that line sits. +Self-hosting is free and complete. If you'd rather not fiddle with the tricky +parts — like reaching your server from your phone, or keeping off-site backups +— LibrePortal Cloud will handle them for you. Here's the catch that makes us +different: we work like a **courier carrying a sealed box.** We move your data +between your devices and store backup copies, but it stays locked and *you* +hold the only key — we can't open it, and we never run your apps for you. +**Everything we offer, you can also set up yourself for free.** +[Our Promise](PROMISE.md) spells out exactly where that line sits. ## Contributing PRs welcome — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). We use a lightweight DCO sign-off (`git commit -s`), no CLA. +## Acknowledgments + +LibrePortal has been built from scratch since 2023. Its spark of inspiration +was a small installer script from Brian McGonagill (`OpenSourceIsAwesome`): +[gitlab.com/bmcgonag/docker_installs](https://gitlab.com/bmcgonag/docker_installs). +From that seed it grew start to finish — refined, extended, and refactored +into the platform it is today. + ## License [GNU AGPLv3](LICENSE). What's open stays open.