SMB : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Message_Block

In short it’s a way to share network access to storage across MacOS/Linux/Windows.

MacOS switched from AFS to SMB (as the default file sharing / network storage protocol) a few years ago as it was clear that was how everything was headed - though iOS and MacOS also have native support for NFS.

On linux, you can use samba to create SMB shares that will be available to your iOS device.

It’s a lot of configuration though - so maybe not the best choice.

As for Nextcloud - indeed you can use it in your local network without making it available on your WAN connection. That’s how we use it here.

When we need it remotely - we VPN into our home network. But no exposed ports. :)

Neat solution!

I use Nextcloud. But that also means setting up and managing Nextcloud. By the same token you could use google drive.

For notes and photos you can export them within the app. Notes specifically requires that you print and then hit the share on the print dialogue to save the notes to the file system as a pdf.

Notes also has another option: if you have a non-Apple mail account on your phone - you can enable notes for that email account and simply move (or copy) your notes from one account to the other. The notes will then become available within that email account mailbox structure on any device or machine where that email account is enabled.

For voice recordings you can save any voice recording directly to the iOS filesystem.

The iOS files app also allows you to connect to any other server/desktop via SMB.

There are lots of options here. None are awesome, but they work.

While you’re technically right, I don’t see a material difference between paying with cash and paying with data (Verge sign up is free, but it’s still sign up).

I don’t think it will be that cut and dry.

A huge number of tech companies are still and/or will always be fully remote.

Over time, the big pay checks that Meta and Google and Apple are offering will be overshadowed by the possibilities of remote work done right (as opposed to simply working as you are in the office but from home).

There are lots of smart, talented folks out there willing to take a pay cut to gain back the time that office culture can waste, commuting first of all.

Sure there are challenges to the sense of togetherness that can help build great teams, but plenty of remote-only organizations make the time and space to foster that appropriately.

Ultimately, I think we’ll find that the eventual competitors to the MAANG-like behemoths emerge out of smart, well designed, remote-first organizations. Though I think Netflix is largely remote - at least for the engineers I know who work there.

Grateful that they don’t. But they have tried to do it with podcasts.

Spotify “pulled an Apple”, bought Gimlet and moved all their podcasts onto Spotify exclusively. I don’t use Spotify and chose to find alternatives. I’m happy I did.