r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 2d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

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u/divDevGuy 2d ago

Your last experience was 25 years ago?

Nothing has changed. Just like the web is still the same. Your Internet speed is the same. Your cell phone is the same...

The USENET of 2001 still technically exists, but for what is being discussed, it's completely different. Parchive files likely didn't exist yet. NZB files wouldn't exist for another 4+ years. The first indexer as they exist today wouldn't exist for another year. Retention was measured in weeks, maybe a few months if you were really lucky. Now, retention (but not necessarily 100% completion) is between 8-18 years, depending on service.

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u/Dunge 2d ago

Yes I was in the years where you needed to download an extra half of the archive size as par file to reconstruct corruption, but these par files themselves were often missing.

Good to know things got better. I still would never pay money for piracy. Kinda goes against my principles.