Old hardware as servers: hobbyist infra going mainstream

A post titled 'My server is a phone now' got traction, with the author using an old Android phone as a home server. Commenters noted the phone has a built-in battery backup and reasonable compute, and several people reflected on the idea of using old phones as peripheral compute extensions. Separately, a post reviving a four-year-old reMarkable 2 tablet drew a thread about device longevity, offline firmware updates, and the frustration of devices losing notes when the battery dies.

These two threads are both about squeezing real utility out of hardware that capital markets have written off. The phone-as-server post is practical and slightly subversive: a modern smartphone has more compute than a $5-$8 VPS, runs on a battery, and costs nothing if you already have it.

The broader signal is that people are getting more intentional about hardware ownership and longevity, partly from environmental instinct and partly from cost pressure. The 'right to repair' and 'self-hosted' instincts are merging into a practical DIY infrastructure movement.