I have been wondering recently about setting up a server. The advantages:

1) It’s cheaper than hosting.

2) More uptime.

3) Easier management and site updating.

4) Being able to do what I want, when I want.

5) Did I mention it’s cheaper?

The disadvantages:

1) Cable/Fiber-Optic isn’t too cheap…

2) Having direct access may only lead to problems, with my constant OS modding.

3) No backups, and the machine still wouldn’t be as fast as a professional server.

I’ve done a little research, and found out that any computer can be a server. All I’d have to install would be Ubuntu Server Edition, which handles Apache, PHP, mySQL, and all the other server configuration.

Also, I’ve noticed that many professional illustrators/artists have Wacom Cinitqs. At $2500 dollars for the 20-inch version, and $999 for the 12 inch version, the prices are kind of steep. Once I save up enough money, that will definitely be my next major computer purchase.

As I mentioned before, I’ve got the proxy running. Seeing as the hosts would delete my account if I overloaded their servers, I’ll have to keep the proxy private, with password protection. Maybe when I get a dedicated server, I’ll open it to the public.