DidacticDumbass

Thank you for the offer! There seems to be a lot of packages that automate all the hard stuff, so I think the hardest part is actually getting my own domain and paying for a remote server.

Any suggestions on that?

I don't even read the logs on my linux system when something goes bad... I should change that, but email seems to be a full time job.

Fascinating read. I have a lot to research. It is not like ProtonMail is the only alternative provider... there are so many, I just like all the extras that they are attaching to it.

This has been my thinking about ProtonMail, even after reading the article on here, and even after reading https://digdeeper.club/articles/email.xhtml (which I have to reread because it keeps getting bigger).

There is no perfect solution, just different levels of trust. That is right, if I want to be "secure" I got to act like a journalist and use a temporary solution or something that has end-to-end encryption.

Besides, email is meant for public communication. No reason to elevate it into some something it will never be.

I think that is it, I am just so unfamiliar with email and networking in general, it seems way harder than it probably is.

I thought I would be getting a lot of different solutions, but there are only a few everyone seems to employ, mailcow being at or near the top.

Cloudflare is another company I only hear complaints about... but everyone uses. Must be solid.

That seems to be the common theme, you get it working now DON'T TOUCH IT!

I guess I need to be in the habit of formatting my emails correctly.

This is has been recommended probably the most. Coming on top as a winner.

AAAHHH!. Now I am scared too.

So much to consider it is dizzying.

It seems like the most sane solution. It is not that expensive for the basic tier given my needs and how important email is for daily functioning. Plus, the perks are pretty damn awesome. I have been paying for mullvad, who are solid, but the more I learn about VPNs, the more it feels like warm blanket than real armor, at least for how I use it.

ProtonMail does have some sketchy history that someone pointed out, but I also think that it is really hard to set up a service that offers every feature and not make a concession somewhere.

Spam is something I am super worried about. Like, I know I can't even be careful and audit every person or company I give my email to. It will inevitably end up on a list and make life hell.

On the whole I have learned to be careful, and I would be very selfish, just set up email for myself. My mother is way to happy to sign up for every goddamn thing. She can keep her Gmail, not like it would benefit her or friends if she migrates.

It seems so simple. I started playing around with Docker, which seems so solid. But I was also turned off by Docker desktop, so it seems like it is becoming something that is slowly monetizing every feature that used to be free. It makes sense I guess, more users more costs. Actually, I think they are only monetizing docker hub, so... I don't know.

I have also seen podman brought up as the thing everyone is migrating to, so I think I will try it.

Proxmox -> VM -> Docker -> Mailserver seems to be the way to go. Not like email needs baremetal performance or whatever.

Thank you for sharing your setup!