Let's talk enterprise features. This week, Planka – a popular project management platform that I often confuse with Plinko (yes, there's a Price Is Right fandom page) – removed single sign-on (SSO) capabilities from its community edition in the app's v2.2.0 release.

Gating SSO behind a paywall has become a common (and unpopular) method for self-hosted projects to generate income, often dubbed the SSO tax. The strategy relies on the average enterprise's reliance on these capabilities for both security and ease-of-use (users not having to remember multiple passwords, etc.), while often leaving amateur self-hosters (many of whom lack monetary resources) out to dry.

Needless to say, Planka's users weren't very happy. And rightfully so. Unlike other platforms that paywall the feature from inception, the decision to remove it now is a bit of a rug-pull for the users who've already invested time, energy, and resources into the platform.

But as usual, nothing in this world is black and white. So before you grab your pitchforks, allow me to be the voice of reason:

Yes, the SSO tax is obnoxious. Yes, the late-game switch is frustrating. Yes, switching platforms can be time-consuming and counterproductive. Yes, this will leave some users at risk. Yes, paywalling features in a platform that has benefitted from community contributions feels unfair.

On the other hand:

No, you are not entitled to anything from software you haven't paid for.

And that's it. Self-hosted and open source software is a double-edged sword. Developers have the freedom to build and share whatever they'd like, but that same freedom also allows them to make unpopular decisions.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do in response: Fork the project. Respectfully voice your opinions and concerns. Make the switch to one of the many viable alternatives. Vibe code your own.

Or – just stop using kanban and manage your tasks in scattered text files like the rest of us.

In other news and activity:

• Somebody developed a native Nextcloud app for desktop and mobile that looks incredibly promising
• The Open Home Foundation launched ESPHome Starter Kits for users looking to build their own devices without soldering or coding
• HCCF, a non-profit that made the news a few months ago after sharing their vision for a domain dedicated to self-hosting (.self), officially submitted their application with ICANN this week
• Mark Zuckerberg (Meta, Facebook) dropped a tone-deaf AI manifesto that's sure to make your eyes roll

Happy selfh.st/ing!

Newswire

Feedback

Content Spotlight

Meet Hammer, a self-hosted novel writing ecosystem. With Hammer, users can explore, research, document, and write books from a number of client apps (mobile and desktop) all synced via a self-hosted backend server. Features include scenes, encyclopedias (for tracking characters, events, etc.), timelines, notes, statistics, private links, and public sharing/publishing.

Hammer's self-hosted sync server can be easily deployed via Docker and is required for mobile syncing (desktop-only installations can leverage other syncing solutions, like Syncthing).

Links: Website, Source Code

Overheard Online

Videos and Podcasts

• These Routers Shipped With Backdoor And Amazon Sold Them For Years | Lawrence Systems
• The Best New Homelab Apps of July 2026 | Servers@Home
• Finally... A Search Engine That Doesn't Suck. | Switch and Click
• I Turned My NAS Music Library Into a Real Radio Station | Techdox
• Meet the Redesigned Discourse Admin Dashboard! | Discourse

Command Line Corner

Preface a command with a single space to omit it from being logged in the terminal's bash history:

$ history
  docker compose up
  cd ~
$  rm example.txt
$ history
  docker compose up
  cd ~

Thanks to following executive sponsors, whose continued support makes this newsletter possible:

• AFFiNE – Privacy-first knowledge base
• Atria – Event management and networking platform
• Dawarich – Location history tracking and insights
• Faved – Handcrafted minimal bookmark manager
• Karakeep – The bookmark everything app
• Komodo – Build and deploy software across servers
• Postiz – Agentic social media scheduling
• Rasputin – Homelab cluster OS and control plane
• Seamside – Small internet made from your people's devices
• Servers@Home – Homelab resources and community
• tirreno – Security framework
• Uncloud – Multi-node Docker Compose for production
• Wintertrace – Winter service and snow removal tracking

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