1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,100 Welcome to the deep dive and right off the bat, a big thank you to our sponsor, 2 00:00:05,100 --> 00:00:05,320 safe 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:06,320 server. 4 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:07,320 Absolutely. 5 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,350 They handle hosting for software, well, exactly like the kind we're looking at 6 00:00:11,350 --> 00:00:11,960 today, and 7 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,960 they can really help with your digital transformation. 8 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,000 Find out more at www.safeserver.de. 9 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,200 Thanks again, safe server. 10 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:21,200 Great stuff. 11 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:22,200 All right. 12 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,550 So we've got this really interesting set of sources today sent in by you, the 13 00:00:25,550 --> 00:00:26,240 listener. 14 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:28,080 It's all about something called Charlie. 15 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:29,080 Charlie. 16 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:30,080 Yeah. 17 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:31,080 Sounds intriguing. 18 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:32,080 It does. 19 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:36,160 And the very first line in the docs on GitHub, it just says, the personal 20 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:37,120 minimalist super 21 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,280 fast database-free bookmarking service. 22 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:41,280 Wow. 23 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:42,280 Okay. 24 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:43,280 That's quite a description. 25 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:44,280 Lots packed in there. 26 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:45,280 Right. 27 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:46,560 So our mission for this deep dive is to unpack that. 28 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,700 We'll look at the documentation, the development info, and figure out what Charlie 29 00:00:50,700 --> 00:00:51,120 is. 30 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:52,120 How it works, basically. 31 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:53,120 Exactly. 32 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:54,120 Yeah. 33 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:58,050 And maybe more importantly, maybe someone new to this whole idea of managing your 34 00:00:58,050 --> 00:00:58,160 own 35 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,640 online tools, why they might want to check it out. 36 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:05,050 Yeah, because those words, personal, minimalist, database-free, they definitely 37 00:01:05,050 --> 00:01:06,000 signal something 38 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:07,000 different, don't they? 39 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,840 Maybe less intimidating. 40 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:10,840 That's a good way to put it. 41 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:11,840 Yeah. 42 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:12,840 So okay. 43 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:13,840 Let's start super simple. 44 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:14,840 Yeah. 45 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,200 If someone just uses the browser bookmark star, how do we explain Charlie? 46 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:18,200 Okay. 47 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:23,050 Think of it as your own private library for links you find online, like advanced 48 00:01:23,050 --> 00:01:24,000 bookmarks. 49 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Advanced bookmarks. 50 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,130 The really key difference, and the sources hit this hard right away, is that you 51 00:01:29,130 --> 00:01:29,680 install 52 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:30,680 it. 53 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:31,680 You run it. 54 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:32,680 Ah. 55 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:34,160 So not on Google servers or some big company's cloud. 56 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:35,160 Exactly. 57 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:39,030 It lives on your server space, maybe just a small slice you control, and it's built 58 00:01:39,030 --> 00:01:39,360 just 59 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,380 for you, a single user. 60 00:01:41,380 --> 00:01:43,680 The whole idea is simplicity and speed. 61 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:44,680 Okay. 62 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:45,680 That self-hosted angle. 63 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:46,680 Mm-hmm. 64 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,480 Why does that matter so much according to these sources? 65 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,720 What's the big deal about running it yourself? 66 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:52,720 Control. 67 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:53,720 Plain and simple. 68 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,400 Docs literally say the data is yours. 69 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:57,400 Right. 70 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,960 Think about those older services like Delicious or even some current ones, your 71 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:01,680 saved links, 72 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:02,680 your notes. 73 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,240 They live on someone else's computer. 74 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,400 With Sharlee, it's all yours. 75 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,520 And they make a point of saying no tracking, no telemetry sent back. 76 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,360 It's also free and open source software. 77 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,840 Meaning you could actually look under the hood if you wanted to. 78 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:16,840 Precisely. 79 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:17,840 You can check the code. 80 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:22,980 It's really about independence, keeping your digital footprint yours. 81 00:02:22,980 --> 00:02:25,340 That data ownership is definitely a big thing these days. 82 00:02:25,340 --> 00:02:28,480 Okay, what about those other words? 83 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,120 Minimalist and database free. 84 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,200 To a beginner, that might sound like, I don't know, more work. 85 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,040 Yeah, it's funny how that sounds, but the sources frame them as benefits, making it 86 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:39,040 easier. 87 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:40,040 How so? 88 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,840 Well, minimalist usually means a cleaner interface. 89 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,120 Fewer buttons, fewer options to get lost in when you're just starting. 90 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,680 It focuses on the main job, saving and finding your links. 91 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:50,680 Less clutter. 92 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:51,680 Makes sense. 93 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:52,680 And database free. 94 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:53,680 It's known for simplicity. 95 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:58,560 See, most web apps need a separate database like MySQL or something similar. 96 00:02:58,560 --> 00:02:59,560 Right. 97 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:00,560 And setting those up can be a whole thing. 98 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:01,560 Exactly. 99 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:02,560 It can be daunting. 100 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:03,560 Sharlay just skips that. 101 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,020 It stores everything, all your saved links, which they call shares in one simple 102 00:03:07,020 --> 00:03:07,440 file. 103 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:08,640 Just a file. 104 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:09,640 Like a text file. 105 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:10,640 Pretty much, yeah. 106 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:12,200 A structured file. 107 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,240 And the documentation says, this makes installation dead simple. 108 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,360 You literally just copy the Sharlay files to your server space. 109 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:20,360 Wow. 110 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:21,360 Okay. 111 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:22,360 And backups. 112 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:23,360 Just a simple file. 113 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,560 Plus, this file approaches why it's super fast. 114 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,240 Reading from one file is really quick for the server, even with tons of links. 115 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,000 Dead simple installation. 116 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:34,000 No database headaches. 117 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,000 Right. 118 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Okay. 119 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:37,000 I can see how that appeals to someone starting out. 120 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,060 So it's running on my little server space. 121 00:03:39,060 --> 00:03:40,520 What can I actually do with it? 122 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,240 What kind of everyday uses do the sources mention? 123 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:44,680 Oh, lots, actually. 124 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:45,680 It's pretty versatile. 125 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,180 Of course, saving interesting links with comments. 126 00:03:48,180 --> 00:03:50,760 Bookmarking sites you use often so you can get to them from anywhere. 127 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,760 Standard stuff. 128 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,880 Yeah, but also things like using it as a read-it-later list. 129 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,260 You find an article, share it, maybe add a tag, and come back later. 130 00:03:59,260 --> 00:04:00,260 Simple. 131 00:04:00,260 --> 00:04:01,840 Like pocket or instapaper, but self-hosted. 132 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,800 Kinda, yeah, but much more minimal. 133 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,960 The sources also suggest using it as like a personal knowledge base. 134 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:08,960 How would that work? 135 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:10,740 Well, say you're researching something. 136 00:04:10,740 --> 00:04:13,960 You save links, add notes, tag them. 137 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,360 Because it's fast and searchable, you can quickly find that specific bit of info 138 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:17,600 you 139 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,240 saved, instead of digging through browser history or notes somewhere else. 140 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:22,320 I like that. 141 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:23,920 Centralizing your own finds. 142 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:24,920 Exactly. 143 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,470 They even mention using it for drafting quick notes or blog posts, almost like a 144 00:04:28,470 --> 00:04:28,920 minimal 145 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,560 micro blog, or keeping code snippets. 146 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,480 Even using it as a shared clipboard between your own devices. 147 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:36,480 A clipboard. 148 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:37,480 Interesting. 149 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,800 Yeah, or a playlist manager for online videos or music you find. 150 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,040 Lots of little organizational uses stemming from that core link saving function. 151 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:46,440 Okay, so it's flexible. 152 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:50,500 Now, once I've saved a bunch of these shares, how do I manage them? 153 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:52,960 What features help keep things organized? 154 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:54,940 You get full control over each share. 155 00:04:54,940 --> 00:04:58,900 You can edit the link itself, the title it pulls in, add your own description, and 156 00:04:58,900 --> 00:04:59,720 crucially, 157 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:00,840 add tags. 158 00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:02,120 Tags seem pretty central here. 159 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:03,560 They really are. 160 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:05,080 That's your main organization tool. 161 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,080 You can tag things multiple ways, build your own system, then there's search. 162 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:14,480 Yeah, you can search across everything, titles, descriptions, the tags you added, 163 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:14,840 even the 164 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:18,000 URLs themselves, full text search of your stuff. 165 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,000 Nice. 166 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,000 What about viewing them? 167 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,000 Is it just a big list? 168 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:22,360 No, you get options. 169 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:27,270 There's the standard list view, sure, but also tag clouds, tag lists, and even a 170 00:05:27,270 --> 00:05:27,880 picture 171 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:29,360 wall or thumbnail view. 172 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,720 Oh, thumbnails could be good for visual stuff. 173 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:32,720 Definitely. 174 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,110 And each link gets its own permanent link, a permalink, which is handy for 175 00:05:36,110 --> 00:05:36,960 referencing. 176 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,480 Any integration with other tools? 177 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:39,480 Yes. 178 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:44,720 It generates feeds, ATEM and RSS feeds for your links, and even a daily digest feed. 179 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,680 So you could pipe your saved links into a feed reader. 180 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:48,680 Exactly. 181 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,400 Or use tools like IFTTT or Zapier potentially. 182 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,320 Oh, and one neat little feature they mentioned is automatic URL cleanup. 183 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:56,320 What's that? 184 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,940 It strips out all those extra tracking parameters, like up-source and stuff from 185 00:05:59,940 --> 00:06:00,760 URLs you save. 186 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,560 It keeps things cleaner and a bit more private. 187 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:04,560 That is neat. 188 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:05,560 Okay, so someone's listening. 189 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:06,560 They're intrigued. 190 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:11,160 But the idea of installing on a server, even if simple, feels like a hurdle. 191 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:12,680 Is there a way to just try it? 192 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:13,680 Absolutely. 193 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,440 The docs are great on this for beginners. 194 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:20,180 They do have install guides configuring your server using Docker containers, the 195 00:06:20,180 --> 00:06:20,560 file drop 196 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:22,200 method we talked about. 197 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,280 But crucially, they point to a public demo instance. 198 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:26,280 A demo. 199 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:27,280 Perfect. 200 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:28,280 So you can just play with it online? 201 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:29,280 Yep. 202 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:30,280 Zero install needed. 203 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:33,660 According to the docs, you just go to their demo site and the login is demo and the 204 00:06:33,660 --> 00:06:34,160 password 205 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:35,600 is demo. 206 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,320 Login dot demo, password dot demo. 207 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:39,320 Got it. 208 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,100 You can click around, save some fake links, test the search, see the tags, 209 00:06:42,100 --> 00:06:42,800 everything. 210 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,920 That's the ideal way to see if it clicks for you before you commit to setting it up. 211 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:47,920 That's a fantastic tip. 212 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:49,860 It takes away the initial barrier. 213 00:06:49,860 --> 00:06:53,440 Now quickly, what's the story behind Charlie? 214 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:54,440 Is it new? 215 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:55,440 Old? 216 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:56,440 It's got a bit of history. 217 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:58,660 The source has mentioned it's actually a fork. 218 00:06:58,660 --> 00:07:02,390 The original version was started by someone named Sebastian Sauvage, but he stopped 219 00:07:02,390 --> 00:07:02,920 maintaining 220 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:03,920 it. 221 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:05,200 Ah, happens a lot in open source. 222 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:06,200 It does. 223 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:08,280 But in this case, the community picked it up and kept it going. 224 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:13,020 So the Charlie you get now is actively developed, supported, bugs fixed, new things 225 00:07:13,020 --> 00:07:13,640 added. 226 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,440 So it's alive and well, thanks to the community. 227 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:17,440 Very much so. 228 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,060 There's documentation, community support channels if you need help, and yeah, it's 229 00:07:21,060 --> 00:07:21,920 clearly under 230 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,680 a free software license, reinforcing that openness. 231 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:25,680 Good to know. 232 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:31,280 And just super briefly, any mention of the tech it uses, just for context. 233 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,730 Yeah, they mentioned PHP is the main language, but honestly, for someone just 234 00:07:34,730 --> 00:07:35,520 thinking about 235 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,480 using it, that's probably not the important part. 236 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:39,440 Alright, the focus is on the experience. 237 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,750 Exactly, the simplicity, the speed, that feeling of controlling your own little 238 00:07:43,750 --> 00:07:44,440 corner of the 239 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,040 web, that's the hook. 240 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,160 Okay, so let's try and wrap this up. 241 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:54,120 If we boil down everything from these sources, Charlie's core appeal is what? 242 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:59,040 It's your personal, fast, no-frills link manager that you control because you host 243 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:00,160 it yourself. 244 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,520 And that database-free part makes it surprisingly simple under the hood. 245 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,540 And specifically for someone maybe just starting to explore self-hosting or wanting 246 00:08:07,540 --> 00:08:08,080 more data 247 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:09,080 control. 248 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,520 Those features, minimalist, super-fast, database-free, they aren't just buzzwords. 249 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,920 They translate directly into being easier to set up, faster to use, and generally 250 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:18,280 less 251 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,280 complex than you might expect. 252 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:21,840 It lowers the entry barrier. 253 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:26,960 It's definitely making a case for simple personal tools. 254 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,840 Which leads to maybe a final thought for you, the listener, to chew on. 255 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,160 We're also used to the convenience, the slick corporate bookmark tools, the browser 256 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:37,360 defaults. 257 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,320 They're easy, but you trade away control, maybe privacy. 258 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,200 Yeah, there's always a trade-off. 259 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:47,140 So what's the hidden value, maybe, in deliberately picking something like Sharlie, 260 00:08:47,140 --> 00:08:47,840 something 261 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:52,000 where you own the data, you control the experience, even if it takes a tiny bit 262 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,520 more effort initially? 263 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,380 How could choosing simple self-hosted tools actually change how you interact with 264 00:08:57,380 --> 00:08:57,640 all 265 00:08:57,640 --> 00:08:59,920 the information flying at you online? 266 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:01,200 That's a great question. 267 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:02,200 Something to ponder. 268 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:03,380 Definitely something to mull over. 269 00:09:03,380 --> 00:09:06,680 And on that note, that brings us to the end of this Deep Dive on Sharlie. 270 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:07,840 That was a good one. 271 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:08,840 Yeah. 272 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,320 And thanks again to Safe Server for sponsoring this exploration. 273 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:17,240 Remember, hosting, digital transformation, help check them out at www.safeserver.de. 274 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:18,240 Thanks Safe Server. 275 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:19,840 And thank you for sending in the sources. 276 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:20,840 Really fascinating stuff. 277 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:21,840 We'll catch you on the next Deep Dive.