Welcome to the deep dive, let's jump straight in today.
We're talking about something
I know affects pretty much everyone online.
It's that feeling, right?
The sheer flood of links, articles,
just stuff you find online every single day.
How do you keep track of it all
without losing your mind?
Now this deep dive is supported by Safe Server.
They handle hosting software
and can really help support your digital transformation.
You can find out more at www.safeserver.de.
So a big thanks to Safe Server for making this possible.
And today, yeah, the source material we're diving into
looks at a tool that's actually built
to tackle that exact problem.
It's a specific kind of bookmark manager
and the sources suggest it's, well, refreshingly simple.
A bookmark manager.
Okay, but I mean, my browser does that already.
Why would I need something else?
I'm really interested to unpack this
based on the source material.
What is this thing and why would it be useful?
Especially maybe for someone feeling a bit buried
or just starting to think about organizing their online finds,
is it actually easy to start with?
That's exactly the angle.
The source material introduces a tool called Shiori
and it's described pretty clearly,
a simple bookmark manager built using the Go language.
Simple. Okay, I like the sound of simple,
especially when you're drowning in links.
The material even compares it to pocket
saying it's meant to be like a simple clone.
A lot of you probably know pocket, right,
for saving articles.
So thinking of Shiori like your own personal,
self-hosted pocket,
that gives a pretty good idea, saving things,
but maybe with more control.
Precisely. And one thing the source really emphasizes,
especially for ease of use and getting started,
is how it's distributed.
It comes as a single binary.
A single binary. Okay.
So for someone, maybe not super technical,
what does that actually mean,
practically speaking, how's that easier?
Well, it often just means you download one single file.
That file is the program.
No complex setup wizards,
no chasing down other bits of software it needs to run,
makes it really portable, really straightforward,
to just get going on your own machine,
or maybe a small server.
Just one file. Okay.
That does sound less intimidating than the usual install process
that fits the easy entry idea.
Right. While it's not something you need to fuss about right away,
the source does mention it's flexible underneath.
It supports different kinds of databases like Sklite 3,
PostgreSQL, MariaDB,
MySQL for actually storing your bookmarks.
Databases. Okay, that sounds technical again.
Well, yeah, but for beginners,
the default Sklite 3 usually just works out of the box.
No setup needed really.
The others are just options,
good options if your collection gets huge,
or you have specific needs later on,
so it gives you choices but doesn't
force complexity on you right at the start.
Got it. Simple start, power later if you need it. Makes sense.
Once you've got the single file running,
how do you actually use it day-to-day?
What does the source say?
It outlines two main ways basically.
You can use it from the command line,
which is powerful, sure,
but maybe not the first stop for everyone,
or, and this is probably key for most people,
you can use it as a web application.
The web app. That sounds like the way in.
The source calls the interface simple and pretty.
That's definitely the route I'd take.
Just open it in your browser and presumably,
all your saved stuff is just there, ready to manage.
Exactly that. That web interface
is really central to making it approachable.
Okay, so managing, what features does the source highlight
for actually using the links you save?
I assume the basics are covered.
Adding, editing, deleting, searching.
You need those just to keep things usable.
Absolutely. Those core functions are there.
But what if you're not starting from zero?
What if you have like hundreds of bookmarks
already somewhere else?
The source tackles that. It mentions import features.
You can import from that standard Netscape bookmark format.
Most browsers can export that.
And you can even import directly from Pocket
if you've been using that.
Oh, that's important.
And crucially, it also lets you export your data back out.
Right. So you're not starting over
and you're not trapped either.
You can bring your stuff in and take it with you
if you ever decide to switch.
Okay.
Well, that's reassuring actually.
Okay. Now here's something the source mentions
that sounds, well, really interesting.
The offline archive feature.
It says, where possible,
Shiori parses the readable content
and makes an offline archive.
What does that really mean?
Why is that better than just saving the link?
What does it protect you from?
This is a really key difference.
It's not just saving the web address, the URL.
Shiori tries to actually download
and save the content of the page,
the article text, the main information.
Think of it like taking a permanent snapshot.
Ah, okay.
The source points out that this means
even if the original website changes that page later,
or maybe even takes it down completely,
your saved copy of the content should still be there,
safe inside Shiori.
Wow.
It's basically a way to fight against link rot,
you know, when links just die over time.
Yeah, happens all the time.
So this helps you build a more durable personal library
of the web stuff you actually care about.
That feels significant,
like future-proofing your saved knowledge.
Browser bookmarks definitely don't do that.
If the page is gone, the bookmark's useless.
That solves a really common frustration that's powerful.
It really shifts things from just pointing to a page
to actually preserving it.
And to make the saving part easy,
the source also mentions there's beta support
for browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome.
So you can just click a button in your browser
while you're reading something
and save it directly to Shiori.
Integrates right into how you normally find stuff.
Okay, let's recap.
It sounds simple to get started.
Single file, nice web interface.
It lets you bring in your old bookmarks,
make saving new ones easy with extensions.
And it has that really standout offline archiving
to stop links from dying.
But how reliable is this?
Is it some little side project that might vanish?
How do you know you can trust it with all this saved stuff?
That's a fair question.
The source gives a couple of good indicators here.
First, the license.
It's under the MIT license, which means it's open source.
Okay, open source.
So the code's out there for people to see.
Exactly.
It's free to use, free to modify.
And that openness usually encourages a community
to build around it.
Right, more eyes on it.
People fixing bugs, adding things.
Precisely.
And the source provides some numbers
that suggest the community is quite active.
It mentions over 10,000 stars on GitHub.
That's like a thumbs up from developers.
Nearly 600 forks, meaning people are copying the code
to work on it.
And 64 contributors.
10,000 stars.
Yeah, that's not small.
No, those numbers suggest it's pretty popular,
actively developed, and well supported.
It points towards it being a reliable choice,
not just a flash in the pan.
Okay, so putting it all together.
Shiori, based on what the source material tells us,
seems like a really accessible option.
It's simple, it's portable,
that single binary thing is key,
it's got a friendly web interface,
tackles real problems like getting your old blinks in,
and crucially, that offline archiving.
And it's backed by a healthy open source community.
Sounds like a solid starting point
for anyone wanting to finally get a grip on all those links.
I think that's a fair summary based on the source, yeah.
It presents itself as a straightforward way
to take control.
Makes it easier, especially for beginners,
to start saving, organizing, and importantly,
preserving the web content they value
without the later frustration of finding it gone.
So maybe something for you, the listener,
to think about as you're browsing later today.
How much do you actually value having
your own personal accessible copies of the web
pages that really matter?
Copies that stick around no matter
what happens to the original site online.
Worth considering.
And let's give one final thank you to Safe Server
for supporting this deep dive.
Remember, Safe Server helps with hosting software
and supports your digital transformation.
Check them out at www.safeserver.de.