I don't really like retroactive rule changes, but in hindsight maybe it would have been wise to make it harder to get/keep the beta credit. It's one thing if you got a thousand different people, but if they're all alts and one person is planning on jumping accounts every time they run out of credit...
The two systems I can think of off the top of my head are "Free credit is forfeited if you go six months with no pods, whether enabled or not" and "Get $5 for registering and $5 more when doing various tasks during the beta period, like deleting a pod or enabling 2FA." (Perhaps allow the same activity to grant credit twice, if performed before and after a feature is revamped)
The former would make it annoying to manage idling free credit on alt accounts for years and years into the future. It can be done via a calendar reminder, but how many accounts can you manage before it becomes too much of a hassle?
The latter would make it so it's harder to collect the beta credit on burner accounts in the first place because the user would have to automate a few tasks beyond the initial registration, but it might also let you collect more information if you triggered mini questionnaires after the credit awarding tasks are completed.
I already disabled all accounts that never even started a pod. Asked them to send in an email, if they still plan on using their credit. Only a few responded. So I assume those were mostly hoarder accounts. Some were waiting for other regions or didn't have time. Don't plan on going much further for now and generally happy with the interest the beta received.
About your other suggestion, I already did a survey for $10 extra credit. 20% response rate, which is pretty good.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
different from usage & limits, please add estimated monthly cost summary in My Pods dashboard, so i know how much the total cost per month i spend for all the pods i have.
@umzak said:
different from usage & limits, please add estimated monthly cost summary in My Pods dashboard, so i know how much the total cost per month i spend for all the pods i have.
Already there under Account > Billing. But this view needs adding billing details (but NOT a payment method) to show up in full. I’ll probably add an option to skip adding the payment method or use a coupon instead to make this more clear.
Seems like mailing went out, copy-pasting if someone still thinking
Hi Michał,
Welcome to our first monthly dispatch, bringing you updates about your account and new and featured open source apps.
This month marked the end of our beta period. Thanks again to everyone who tested and shared feedback! With more than 1500 pods deployed, PikaPods has grown up quickly.
We also added the first server in the US region, giving you a choice of where you want your data to be located.
Featured Apps
PhotoPrism »
One of the first apps we added. It allows you to organize and share your photo collection mostly automatically. By keeping the data in open formats and under your control, memories are preserved for the future. The Berlin-based project is fully self-funded and independent. In fact they just incorporated and are working hard to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. Run on PikaPods »
ListMonk »
Another exciting project, this time from India. It's best described as a simpler open source version of Mailchimp. It includes scalable subscriber management for millions of recipients, a powerful templating language for dynamic emails and even support for SMS and other messengers. Being free and open source, the subscriber data stays under your control and you are free to add or suggest improvements. Run on PikaPods »
Rallly (yes, 3 Ls) »
This month's newcomer was published less than 3 weeks ago by Luke from the UK. It offers a free and open alternative to Doodle, the meeting scheduling tool. Simply suggest different meeting times and ask your friends or colleagues to choose one. Helps schedule meetings without distraction or upselling. Run on PikaPods »
Explore More Apps
Know of any app that should be added? Suggest it here!
Your Account
You are currently running 0 pods and your account balance is $19.69310. Log into your Account »
@Ryujin said:
I hope its supported in the future, i've only ever used paypal as my payment provider cause it works great with my banking protection provider.
I’ll probably add it for manual top-ups. The survey also showed some demand for it and on BorgBase it makes up about a quarter to a third of transactions.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Would be awesome if there were some kind of usage graph (something similar to what you'll see on HetrixTools), and some more straightforward CPU usage (a.k.a percentage)
@sanvit said: Would be awesome if there were some kind of usage graph (something similar to what you'll see on HetrixTools), and some more straightforward CPU usage (a.k.a percentage)
Yeah, I'd like to have that too. Currently looking into using Prometheus or cAdvisor for this. Just don't want to add too much overhead.
@m4nu, I don't think I will use my account and have no actual need for any pod services. I still have $59 credit in the account. Would it be possible that you use those credits to giveaway to someone else in this community instead of me hoarding it?
@AaronSS said:
I'm trying to add a .es TLD to a pod but it keeps saying the can see the CNAME. Bug?
Note: other pods have custom app.domain.net mappings are are working great.
Hey, just saw this. Still an issue? I disabled NS caching a few days ago. So even if you change nameservers, it should pick up the changes pretty fast.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
@m4nu said:
Hey, just saw this. Still an issue? I disabled NS caching a few days ago. So even if you change nameservers, it should pick up the changes pretty fast.
I put them in our monthly newsletter now. Together with featured apps.
Do expect the summer months to be a bit slower in terms of development. Mostly setting up and improving automation processes where they were missing. Then more new features again.
Also keep an eye out for upcoming posts on LEB.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
@m4nu I am testing it out. Quick question (and I couldn't find any support link hence asking here)
What is the IP address that the pods uses to connect? e.g. in Kuma, what would be the IP address for outbound traffic? think my firewall has blocked it (at destination being monitored)
@Asim said: @m4nu I am testing it out. Quick question (and I couldn't find any support link hence asking here)
What is the IP address that the pods uses to connect? e.g. in Kuma, what would be the IP address for outbound traffic? think my firewall has blocked it (at destination being monitored)
Each pod server has its own ipv4 and ipv6 IP. You could look it up using dig and your pod hostname.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Comments
I don't really like retroactive rule changes, but in hindsight maybe it would have been wise to make it harder to get/keep the beta credit. It's one thing if you got a thousand different people, but if they're all alts and one person is planning on jumping accounts every time they run out of credit...
The two systems I can think of off the top of my head are "Free credit is forfeited if you go six months with no pods, whether enabled or not" and "Get $5 for registering and $5 more when doing various tasks during the beta period, like deleting a pod or enabling 2FA." (Perhaps allow the same activity to grant credit twice, if performed before and after a feature is revamped)
The former would make it annoying to manage idling free credit on alt accounts for years and years into the future. It can be done via a calendar reminder, but how many accounts can you manage before it becomes too much of a hassle?
The latter would make it so it's harder to collect the beta credit on burner accounts in the first place because the user would have to automate a few tasks beyond the initial registration, but it might also let you collect more information if you triggered mini questionnaires after the credit awarding tasks are completed.
I already disabled all accounts that never even started a pod. Asked them to send in an email, if they still plan on using their credit. Only a few responded. So I assume those were mostly hoarder accounts. Some were waiting for other regions or didn't have time. Don't plan on going much further for now and generally happy with the interest the beta received.
About your other suggestion, I already did a survey for $10 extra credit. 20% response rate, which is pretty good.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Hi, my colleague signed up for PikaPods, and he seem to have access to US region as well, while I don't. Is there a way to enable U.S.?
I enabled the new US region for everyone about an hour ago. You should see it enabled after reloading the site. Enjoy!
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Can confirm that U.S. is enabled
Thanks!
BTW, which part of the U.S. is it? And do you have plans to expand to other locations as well?
It's in Boston, MA. Same DC that already hosts BorgBase.com. Hong Kong will follow shortly. Server is already ordered, but waiting for parts.
Those 3 regions should cover most users pretty well. So no plans to add more for now.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
different from usage & limits, please add estimated monthly cost summary in My Pods dashboard, so i know how much the total cost per month i spend for all the pods i have.
benchmark score of the vps I've ever had
Already there under Account > Billing. But this view needs adding billing details (but NOT a payment method) to show up in full. I’ll probably add an option to skip adding the payment method or use a coupon instead to make this more clear.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Seems like mailing went out, copy-pasting if someone still thinking
Paypal not supported?
Maybe later. Not a big fan for different reasons. So trying without at first.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
I hope its supported in the future, i've only ever used paypal as my payment provider cause it works great with my banking protection provider.
I’ll probably add it for manual top-ups. The survey also showed some demand for it and on BorgBase it makes up about a quarter to a third of transactions.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
One feedback after using it for a few days :
Would be awesome if there were some kind of usage graph (something similar to what you'll see on HetrixTools), and some more straightforward CPU usage (a.k.a percentage)
Yeah, I'd like to have that too. Currently looking into using Prometheus or cAdvisor for this. Just don't want to add too much overhead.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
@m4nu, I don't think I will use my account and have no actual need for any pod services. I still have $59 credit in the account. Would it be possible that you use those credits to giveaway to someone else in this community instead of me hoarding it?
No worries. You can use it later. They don't expire. If someone wants more testing credits, they'll get it anyways.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Pods should be sortable. Alphabetically, Date Create, Date Update, Location, etc.
Agree. Will be added.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
I'm trying to add a .es TLD to a pod but it keeps saying the can see the CNAME. Bug?
Note: other pods have custom app.domain.net mappings are are working great.
Hey, just saw this. Still an issue? I disabled NS caching a few days ago. So even if you change nameservers, it should pick up the changes pretty fast.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Sadly, yes.
Overall - really nice service you are providing
Some more exciting news to share:
And some notable new apps added this week:
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Any updates?
I put them in our monthly newsletter now. Together with featured apps.
Do expect the summer months to be a bit slower in terms of development. Mostly setting up and improving automation processes where they were missing. Then more new features again.
Also keep an eye out for upcoming posts on LEB.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
@m4nu I am testing it out. Quick question (and I couldn't find any support link hence asking here)
What is the IP address that the pods uses to connect? e.g. in Kuma, what would be the IP address for outbound traffic? think my firewall has blocked it (at destination being monitored)
Also, can you add Google Pay? Its fast and convenient
I already have an open issue to add wallets at some point. Maybe later in autumn.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com
Each pod server has its own ipv4 and ipv6 IP. You could look it up using dig and your pod hostname.
Simple and secure Borg Backup hosting from $2/month: BorgBase.com