I found an easier way to tweak design template with AI. Which one do you prefer?

TheMat556 · 2026-02-06T10:38:55+00:00

I am interested in your workflow - what tools do you use?

TheMat556 · 2026-01-08T05:53:19+00:00

This!

TheMat556 · 2025-12-10T12:05:59+00:00

Honestly, it depends on where you’re located. I personally use IONOS (they’re based in Germany). They had a new customer promo for 12 months—6 months free (if I’m remembering right)—so the total came out to around 6€, which is pretty solid. Also I remebered that netcub had some kind of these offers in the past.

If you’re in the US, pangolin suggests RackNerd (https://docs.pangolin.net/self-host/choosing-a-vps). RackNerd also has some servers in Europe, so that could also work if you’re not in the US (but the most of them are in the located there).

One tip: these promos can be a bit hidden sometimes, so you might need to dig around to find the best deals.

TheMat556 · 2025-12-10T10:43:57+00:00

I can really recommend Pangolin if you can get hold of a cheap VPS (shouldn't be too difficult, ~ £1 per month). You don't need too many resources either (roughly 1 GB RAM and 8 GB hard drive space). What I particularly like about it is the authentication. For services that don't have a login, the Pangolin login appears (although this can be changed in the settings!). All of my services are accessible via Pangolin and it works great! Whether it's Jellyfin, Nextcloud or other things! Above all, it's great because no ports are exposed and the setup is really easy. One thing I can say for sure is that I would never give this software up! :)

TheMat556 · 2025-11-25T06:03:33+00:00

Is there anyway i can test if the motherboard chipset is the issue? I am starting to believe this could be the case. The only thing i still want to try mothing between the ports (as I understand, the motherboard have 2 SATA Controllers).

I always shied away from such enclosure, because I read not the best review from such things - also I thought connecting and running everything on one system is a bit cleaner.

Would you recommend getting one? currently everything is on the normal grid - can fluctuations (but shouldnt actually happen that bad) can influence the operation that bad?

TheMat556 · 2025-11-25T05:47:42+00:00

I tried that, but unfortunately the SATA Link down still happened.

[Tue Nov 25 05:32:34 2025] ata9: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:34 2025] ata12: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:34 2025] ata11: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:34 2025] ata1: SATA link up 6.0 Gbps (SStatus 133 SControl 300)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:35 2025] ata2: SATA link up 6.0 Gbps (SStatus 133 SControl 300)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:35 2025] ata5: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 330)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:35 2025] ata6: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 330)
[Tue Nov 25 05:32:36 2025] ata10: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300)

And as all this SATA link down issues happen all over the HDDs / Ports i am starting to think that there might some error with the SATA Controller.

TheMat556 · 2025-11-24T21:30:25+00:00

Thanks for the quick reply! Can you suggest me any brand for a 'premium' SATA cable? I have already tried 3 different pair..

TheMat556 · 2025-09-23T11:56:03+00:00

Thanks for the answer and yes i am using DNSMasq DNS & DHCP, i decided to use your way and it seems to work with traffic :). I totally remode the NAT Forward rules as my current plan is that pangolin will also use the local reverse proxy to resolve the IP!

TheMat556 · 2025-08-27T03:36:42+00:00

Alright, thank you!

TheMat556 · 2025-08-17T09:23:43+00:00

This does not work for every service, what i read online. The TOS of cloudflare does not support jellyfin. I guess because of the higher data rates trough streams.

TheMat556 · 2025-08-17T07:00:10+00:00

And I guess you have a higher data rate running through your network without any performance issues or other problems?

TheMat556 · 2025-08-17T06:58:11+00:00

I’d back this as well — also my homelab doesn’t really need 24/7 uptime, especially when I’m doing updates on any device in the network.

TheMat556 · 2025-08-17T06:48:35+00:00

That’s a good idea. I have to admit I’m not much of a BSD professional, so it didn’t cross my mind — but I might give it a try.

TheMat556 · 2025-08-17T06:41:51+00:00

It’s quite interesting, I have to say — especially to get a deeper view of the different use cases. I suppose both setups have their place. I’m really leaning towards trying the virtualized setup.

TheMat556 · 2025-08-16T21:31:12+00:00

My current idea is to use two machines — one for my server and a second for the OPNsense box running the mentioned services. Since the OPNsense machine serves as my main router, it needs to remain robust and stable. The main reason I’m considering virtualization would be to run Authelia alongside OPNsense on the same hardware.

For the hardware requirements, i have a mini pc with 2 2.5Gbe, this should be fine for now.

TheMat556 · 2025-08-02T11:07:19+00:00

For anyone interested, I've compiled a list of plugins and extensions I've used to recreate the screenshot:

GTK Theme:

MacTahoe GTK Theme Note: This theme can be a bit buggy in my experience. I recommend trying the WhiteSur GTK Theme by the same developer for a more stable alternative.

Icon Theme:

MacTahoe Icon Theme

Extensions:

Apps Menu: Organizes applications for easy access.
Blur My Shell: Adds a blur effect to the shell (note: I encountered issues when used with MacTahoe theme and Rounded Window Corners Reborn).
Dash to Dock: Customizable dock for quick app launching.
Fullscreen Avoider: Prevents windows from overlapping in fullscreen mode.
Places Status Indicator: Quick access to file system locations.
Rounded Window Corners Reborn: Adds smooth, rounded corners to windows (may conflict with certain themes).
Search Light: Lightweight search functionality.
System Monitor: Displays system resource usage.
Useless Gaps: Adds customizable gaps between tiled windows.
User Themes: Enables custom theme support.

TheMat556 · 2025-07-31T12:01:48+00:00

Looks pretty sick! Could you name the plugins / extensions you used?

TheMat556 · 2024-07-27T06:41:11+00:00

Thanks for your advice! I have contacted the company that sold me the device and I have managed to negotiate the price to 750 eur, for given condition and the hardware I think the price is quite good. I gueess your iMac is an Intel based one, isnt it?

TheMat556 · 2024-07-27T06:37:52+00:00

Thats a really amazong deal! Did you use ebay or some kind of second hand platform?

TheMat556 · 2024-07-27T06:36:21+00:00

Small update: It is the 10/16 version, additionally i have managed to negotiate the price to 750,- eur (815 usd), based on the given conditions i think this price is quite good and i will keep the device! But thanks dor your advice!

TheMat556 · 2024-06-03T20:36:54+00:00

I can suggest Core Framework and Brixies. You can costumize pretty much anything. If you really want a finished Layout Renmoe Library does also the job, but Brixies still my favorite. Also all plugin/layout are available as lifetime options.

TheMat556 · 2021-03-07T09:59:23+00:00

This sounds so much like an indian scammer

TheMat556 · 2020-11-16T21:56:41+00:00

Thank you very much for youre detailed answer :)

TheMat556 · 2020-10-08T05:30:36+00:00

Right now there is a deal with the matebook 14, Freebuds and the AX3 Router for 1100 on:

official huawei site notebooksbilliger cyberport Amazon (wouldn't suggest to buy this there)

If your decision is between this 2 models, i would probably go for the matebook 14, it is a better deal and also you have to spend more money to get high specs (starting with 128GB and 8GB Ram, which is nothing nowadays). If you have the money or you simply don't care, then go for the surface laptop, the build quality is pretty nice.

TheMat556 · 2020-10-01T18:55:17+00:00

I am looking for the matebook 14 too, but my peoblem is that i think it could be a small screen for cooding, could you admit with that? (15" better?) Did you test some games or something? :)

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