Has anyone ever had success with getting non-technical users to install or deploy software on a server?
I've asked this question before and the answer is always (and depressingly) a resounding 'no': there is no easy and simple way for non-technical users to successfully install your web app software on a server.
Time moves on and I'm hoping things have changed. Does someone have a successful tale to share?
And just to pre-empt the suggestions that Docker, Cloudtron, Sandstorm, command-line scripts are possible options: none of these are easy or simple for non-technical users. Even one-click app marketplaces (Linode, Digital Ocean etc) have their complications.
If you're a developer who doesn't want to provide a SaaS service (or wants to provide a self-hosting solution in addition to a SaaS one), a simple installation process for your customers should be a big win. But the complicated process of server install makes this difficult to impossible.
It's a bit depressing that we still don't have a simple, easy way to install web apps on a server. Without easy deployment for non-technical users, self-hosting will never be a viable option for most people, only for a tiny minority of technical users. Agree or disagree?
I've asked this question before and the answer is always (and depressingly) a resounding 'no': there is no easy and simple way for non-technical users to successfully install your web app software on a server.
Time moves on and I'm hoping things have changed. Does someone have a successful tale to share?
And just to pre-empt the suggestions that Docker, Cloudtron, Sandstorm, command-line scripts are possible options: none of these are easy or simple for non-technical users. Even one-click app marketplaces (Linode, Digital Ocean etc) have their complications.
If you're a developer who doesn't want to provide a SaaS service (or wants to provide a self-hosting solution in addition to a SaaS one), a simple installation process for your customers should be a big win. But the complicated process of server install makes this difficult to impossible.
It's a bit depressing that we still don't have a simple, easy way to install web apps on a server. Without easy deployment for non-technical users, self-hosting will never be a viable option for most people, only for a tiny minority of technical users. Agree or disagree?