Self-hosted. Self-maintained.
Website and webserver made possible by hardware and software listed below
An AMD Ryzen 5 Series - 3600X, 6-core, 3.8 GHz, Socket AM4 processor is the 'heart & soul' that powers a self-built Windows 11 Pro box. It hosts the photo/video, audio & other software essential in creating the website.
A compact Canon G7 X-Mark III along with an older but trusty PowerShot SX70 HS had been the cameras of choice for majority of the original photos taken and posted on this website. Most of the photos were taken as stock JPEGs while a few edited ones were taken in RAW format.
Three (3) Macs power the website. Two are in the U.S.: an M2 Max, 12-core-powered Mac Studio (2023) along with a 2013, 12-core "trashcan" Mac Pro as backup. A co-located server in Manila is powered by a 2012 Intel Core i7 Mac Mini (aluminum) — the last fully end-user upgradeable Mac Mini model released by Apple.
CM2000 (DOCSIS 3.1) 2.5Gbps cable modem, AXE7800, WiFi 6 capable router (main) plus X6S R7900P (in bridge mode). The i7 Mac mini connects to the web via an AC1900 (DOCSIS 3.0) combo modem-router. A GS324PP switch (24-port) & a ReadyNAS 214 complete the network set.
After growing tired of using a variety of Windows-based software - then FTP-ing it over to the Mac - Realmac's RapidWeaver (v 4.3) was used in August 2011. Currently, it runs v 8.9.4 (w/ Stacks 4.3.x) so that website updates are convenient and fast!
The hands down choice for blogs. Prior to WordPress, the blog integrated on this website operated under Movable Type from October 2004 until 2012. Also in 2012, a PowerMac G5 crash (the main web server at that time) led to an Intel i7 Mac mini upgrade.
The web author had been using Adobe Photoshop since its exclusive release for the Mac in 1990. It was eventually ported for Windows-based users in 1993. Photoshop CS6 is the last version with a perpetual license.
No-IP's DUC client (Mac & Windows) takes care of your presence on the web - even with a dynamic IP address. If you're not too choosy, you can also get a free domain name. Very ideal for beginners who want their own web servers right at home—just like this one!
The site -including back-ups- relies on Samsung's 860 series (Pro & EVO) solid state drives. The Mac mini's stock 1TB Seagate Momentus HDD was swapped out with Samsung's 1TB 860 Pro SSD. Back-ups run bi-monthly via Bombich Software's Carbon Copy Cloner.
Making sure that the web server stays up even when power goes out temporarily is critical when running your own show. CyberPower's CP1350AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS comes with 10 power outlets and two (2) 9Ah user-replaceable batteries.
All work and no play is dumb. Aside from video games, a Yamaha MX61 music synthesizer keeps the web author entertained while in front of several computers. Note that some of the MIDI files hosted here were modified using an older Yamaha keyboard.
A 2.7GHz, 12-core Intel Xeon E5-2697v2 (Ivy Bridge) processor is the heart of the late 2013 Mac Pro ("trashcan") with 64GB RAM & 1TB SSD, that backs up the main web server (Mac Studio powered with Apple Silicon 12-core M2 Max).
What the heck is PHP? And why is it included in Mac OS? If you run a blog or use a lot of scripts on your website then you need it. The latest version (6.4.x) of WordPress require at least PHP version 7.x (8.x recommended). Like Apache, although it comes included in MacOS, you will have to use Terminal commands to enable it.
One of the most popular web (HTTP) server applications, Apache, comes included in OS X when it was initially released in 2001 (OS X Cheetah). It was easily accessible inside System Preferences (Sharing> Web Sharing) until Apple removed this feature in OS X Mountain Lion in 2012.
Swiss-based Logitech had been dressing-up personal computers since 1981. Even some of the best PC makers are simply OEM'ing their keyboards & mice from the company. Web author uses Logitech's solar-powered keyboards, MX series of pointing devices, and webcams.
Everyone who uses a Mac and tries to install software via Terminal understands how it can be tedious to work on. Written in Ruby, Brew simplifies and makes the lives of Mac users who spends a lot of time in the command line environment, so much easier. Also, it's open-source and free.
The web author simply fell in love with the Bowers & Wilkin's MM1 computer speakers attached to an iMac at an Apple Store in San Francisco in 2010. One of the few Hi-Fi speakers made for a PC, its small size elegantly hides the tons of features crammed in a MOMA-inspired design.
Like the First Amendment, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has always been in the forefront of guarding civil liberties in the digital domain since its inception in 1990. Let's Encrypt is just one of their projects — giving free encryption (https) to websites all over the world.
On the Mac, connecting to your MySQL database is usually done via PHP -via its admin feature- and could be frustrating. An open-source application exclusive to the Mac, Sequel Pro's ease of installation and simpler GUI made it possible to run WordPress so much faster on this website.
Give credit to Bill Gates and the late Paul Allen for powering-up most of the world's PCs - legally or illegally. It may not always have the latest and greatest (or, just copying the Mac OS) features but it is the OS' compatibility with inexpensive hardware that made it the ubiquitous OS on this planet
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