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Welcome back to the deep dive. Great to have you with us again as we jump into

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another interesting corner of the digital world, we try to break down these

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sometimes complex ideas just for you. Before we get started, though, just a quick

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shout out to our supporter, safe server. They're the ones handling the hosting for

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really cool software, kind of like what we're talking about today. And they're

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there to help you to with your own digital transformation stuff. You can find out

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more at www.safeserver.do.e.

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OK, so let's think about your digital life for a second, especially if you're into

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the outdoors.

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Right. You know, hiking, biking, maybe just tracking your runs.

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You probably log all that phone GPS watch, whatever.

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All that data, your route speed elevation, where you've been like, have you ever

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stopped and wondered

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where did that actually live? Who's really in control?

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Is it yours or are you just while borrowing space on someone else's server?

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Today, we're doing a deep dive into Wanderer.

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It's this thing called the self-hosted trail database.

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And it really looks like it could change how you manage and sort of think about all

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that personal adventure data.

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Gives you a fresh perspective, puts you back in charge.

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Yeah, exactly. And our mission today really is to unpack what Wanderer actually is.

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Why it's a pretty big deal for anyone tracking outdoor stuff.

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And crucially, how it empowers you, gives you that control over your own data.

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We'll keep it straightforward, easy for beginners to grasp, no heavy tech talk.

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OK, so let's picture this. You've got maybe years of GPS data piled up from all

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those amazing trips.

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It's stored somewhere.

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But is it really in your hands?

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Like, can you trust the platform it's on?

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Will they change the rules, start selling your info or just, you know, disappear

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one day?

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That's exactly the problem Wanderer tackles.

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Put simply, it's a self-hosted trail database designed to, well, save your

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adventures.

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And those two words self-hosted, they're absolutely key.

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Okay, self-hosted, let's unpack that because it sounds maybe a bit technical, right?

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What does it actually mean for you, the user, day-to-day?

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Well, the really revolutionary thing is that self-hosted means it's built around

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this idea.

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Privacy first, always.

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So imagine not having to worry about a service changing its terms or finding out

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they're using your adventure data in ways you didn't expect.

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With Wanderer, you get full control, period.

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No third-party tracking, no being locked into one company's system, you know, where

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you can't easily take your data elsewhere.

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No compromises on privacy.

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Your trails, they stay on your server under your control.

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It's more than just privacy, really.

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It's about, like, taking back ownership of your digital stuff in an era where we

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often just rent access.

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That idea of owning versus renting your digital footprint, that really resonates.

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Now, I know loads of listeners, probably me included, use things like Kuboot or

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Strava.

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We've got years of history logged there.

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Does using something like Wanderer mean you have to ditch all that?

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Start from zero, because, honestly, that sounds like a massive pain.

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No, not at all, and that's a really important point.

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Nobody wants to lose all that history.

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Wanderer isn't about throwing away your past, it's about bringing it under your

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roof, so to speak.

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It actually has built-in support to easily import your trail history straight from

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Kuboot and Strava.

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No complex file juggling needed, so you can pull all those past journeys into one

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place under your control.

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It's about centralizing everything where you want it.

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That import feature sounds crucial, a real game changer.

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So, okay, let's say your data is now safe and sound inside Wanderer.

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What can you actually do with it? What's the experience like?

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It's actually pretty impressive.

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First up, you can obviously manage your trails and even plan new routes.

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You can physically draw new routes right there on the map within the system.

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Yeah, it has extensive map integration and visualization, so you get nice

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interactive maps.

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And you upload your recorded GPS tracks naturally from your device.

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Then you can add all sorts of useful bits notes on the weather, terrain type, who

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you're with.

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Maybe rate the difficulty.

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This builds up this really rich, searchable catalog of everything you've done

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outdoors.

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Having that level of detail sounds amazing for keeping records.

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But honestly, if you've got hundreds of trails, how easy is it to find stuff?

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Is the search intuitive, kind of just like hard bike rides from last summer near

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the coast?

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Or is there a steep learning curve?

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Good question, it's got this advanced filter and search functionality, but it's

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designed

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to be powerful without being, you know, overly complicated.

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You can quickly find things using all that metadata you added, date, activity,

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distance,

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keywords in your notes, whatever.

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Plus, you can create custom lists.

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So you can easily make a list for, say, favorite peak district hikes, or quick

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lunchtime runs,

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or family walks.

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It lets you organize your memories however makes sense to you.

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Okay, that sounds much more manageable.

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What about sharing though?

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Is it just for you, or is there a social side?

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Because sharing the adventure is a big part of it for many people.

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Right, and Wanderer definitely thinks about that.

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The idea is to explore together, even apart.

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It uses something called the activity pub protocol.

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Activity pubs.

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Okay.

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Think of it like a common language that lets different apps or different Wanderer

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servers

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talk directly to each other.

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So instead of one big company holding everything, your Wanderer can connect with my

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Wanderer.

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We can share trails, comment on activities, discover stuff across this sort of

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decentralized

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network.

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It's a bit like how email works.

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You can email from Gmail to Outlook, right?

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Activity pub lets your Wanderer talk to another Wanderer or even other compatible

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platforms

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like Mastodon.

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Wow, okay.

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It creates this open community feel for adventurers, but without any central

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company controlling

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it all.

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That decentralized network idea is fascinating, especially for outdoor folks.

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I had to ask again for the non-techie person listening, self-hosting protocols

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still sounds

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a bit daunting maybe.

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How easy is it really to get Wanderer installed and running?

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What's the actual first step?

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Totally fair question.

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And the developers have really tried to make this smooth.

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The recommended way and the quickest is using a tool called Docker Compose.

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Docker.

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Yeah, now without getting too technical, Docker basically packages everything up

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neatly.

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So you run like two simple commands in your computer's terminal.

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That's it.

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It downloads and starts everything for you.

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Just two commands?

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Pretty much.

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The very first time might take, say, 90 seconds while it sets itself up.

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Yeah.

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But after that, you just open your web browser and go to the address like any

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website.

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For most people using it personally, it's surprisingly straightforward.

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They've hidden the complexity pretty well.

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Okay.

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That does sound achievable, even for me.

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That's a relief.

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Yeah.

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So we've covered the features, the import, and how it's actually quite easy to get

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started.

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But let's zoom out a bit.

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What's going on under the hood that makes Wanderer so different, so robust,

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compared

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to the usual services?

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Well, a big part is that decentralized thing we talked about, using Activity Pub.

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No reliance on a central server.

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That's huge.

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It's not just about privacy, it's resilience.

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If one person's server goes offline, the whole network doesn't crash.

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And you can discover new trails from different communities because these instances,

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these

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individual Wanderer setups can share directly.

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It's not all funneled through one giant company database.

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It fosters a much healthier ecosystem, I think.

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And technologically, it's built on solid, modern stuff.

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Things like HTML, Svelte for the interactive front-end bits that make it feel quick,

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go

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for the backend engine, which is known for being efficient.

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It also uses specialized tools like MiloSearch, that's what makes a search so fast,

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and PocketBase

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for managing the database efficiently.

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These aren't just random tech names, they're choices that contribute to a smooth,

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reliable

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experience for you.

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And crucially, it's open source.

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That seems central to the whole philosophy, right?

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Transparency, user control.

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Absolutely.

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It's described explicitly as a passion project, and the commitment is that it will

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always

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be free and open source.

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That's fundamental.

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It means the code is out there for anyone to look at, check its privacy claims,

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even

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help improve it.

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It's supported by donations, LibrePay, Buy Me a Coffee, which really shows its

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community

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roots.

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And yeah, help is welcome, coding, checking the future plans on the roadmap, even

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just

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helping translate it into other languages.

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That whole collaborative approach makes it stronger and keeps it focused on users.

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Oh, and it also has a full featured API, which basically means for people who like

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to tinker,

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there are ways to automate things or build custom tools that work directly with

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your

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Wanderer data.

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So putting it all together, you get control of your data, you get this

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decentralized community

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potential, and it's all built on transparent, open source tech.

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It really does sound like a complete package for adventurers who care about

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ownership.

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Okay, and that pretty much wraps up our deep dive into Wanderer.

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It seems like a really compelling, user-controlled way to manage and share your

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outdoor life,

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free from the usual corporate tracking and lock-in worries.

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And it leaves you with a thought, doesn't it?

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How might actually owning and controlling your personal adventure data, how might

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that

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genuinely change your relationship with your hobbies, with your digital life

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overall?

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Something to chew on.

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Definitely something to think about.

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If Wanderer sounds interesting to you, we really encourage you to check out wanderer.to.

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That's where you'll find the documentation.

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And look up the GitHub repository if you want to see the code, or maybe get

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involved.

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And if you like this kind of software, consider supporting the developers.

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And one last big thank you to our supporters, Safe Server, for helping make these

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deep dives

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happen.

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For hosting solutions, digital transformation help, check them out at www.safeserver.de.