Most of the time the VPS provider offers some backup solution. It's not only about your configuration files which can easily be recreated, but about all the user data like pictures databases, etc. Which once lost can't be recovered.
But you could back up your stuff on your laptop if you want, it's not such a bad idea actually. For that you trigger the backup script from your laptop, you can do it automatically there too. This makes sure that the laptop is on while you're doing the backup.
The easiest way is a crown job and a bash file which runs a couple of rsync commands to get specific files and directories from the server via ssh.
A more involved way would be a backup system like restic, which does a lot of things for you but is a bit more involved to set up.
I'm hosting my own server and my own bridges. Some of the bridges are rock solid and I never need to do anything other than keeping them updated like the discord, the signal, the Telegram and Slack ones.
Others I installed but they are breaking now and then and I have to fiddle with them like FB messanger, WhatsApp.
The third category is the ones that theoretically should work but I can't get them to work like WeChat or Kakao Chat, because they are in a bad shape, outdated or like in WeChats case my account is flagged to not be able to do that for some reason.
And then there are the chats which have no way to be integrated like Instagram I think.
From what I understand beeper is just a matrix server with all those bridges installed and they configure update and run them making shire that everything works. And to be honest, that is a lot of work and it's a good value proposition.
But yes you're right they need to decrypt your chats on their server so that the bridge can deliver the messages. Actually I made a video explaining it a while ago about Element One which is doing it in the same way: https://tube.jeena.net/w/rYhp4ZT5Ykw1aBGqMr62KG
I have nothing against pull advertising so that if I need something I go somewhere and pull some advertisement to get information about a product I need or want. Window shopping, going to church seem like that.
A friend of mine has a full body traditional tatoo. A lot of people ask him what if he regrets it when he gets older? His answer is that if the tatoo is the one thing he regrets the most of all the decisions he made in his life then that would mean that he must have lived a pretty awesome life.
There is no incarnation, this is the only life you have and it's up to you to make is as good as you can. Externalizing and blaming others for everything does not get you far.
There is no afterlife, no nirvana, no reincarnation, you just sense to exist. Until then make an impression on the universe.
Yeah, we don't have versioning yet because there are so few instances and it's a rolling release so to say. So most people update just every now and then. Most of the admins are in a matrix chanel together also.
I think it's good that PieFed is so small, that means they can move faster and innovate more without fearing that things will break for thousands of people. I think it's good that a project like PieFed can try things and see what works and sticks and this is then a good indicator for projects like Lemmy to copy what is good and leave out what is not good.
I totally understand him, the Americans, Russians, Chinese, North Koreans in the end are on their own to fight against their authoritarian governments.
So they are just a loud minority?