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Software engineering is a broad spectrum where we can move up and down its abstraction ladder. Using off-the-shelf tools and even third-party providers is fine. I don't have to do everything from scratch - after all, I didn't write my own text editor. I'm also happy to download prepacked and preconfigured software on my Linux distro instead of compiling and adding them to PATH manually.

I could, I just choose not to and direct my interests elsewhere. Those interests can change over time too. One day someone with Tailscale can decide to explore Wireguard. Similarly, someone who runs their own mail server might decide to move to a hosted solution and do something else. That's perfectly fine.

To me, this freedom of choice in software engineering is not disheartening. It's liberating and exciting.

discuss

johnisgood|1 month ago

That is a strawman though, and I am not sure why all replies assume extremes all the time.

Nobody said do everything from scratch. The point is: basic networking (port forwarding, WireGuard) should not be beyond someone's capability as a software engineer.

"I use apt instead of compiling" is a time tradeoff. "I can't configure a VPN" is a skill gap. These are not equivalent.

If you choose convenience for whatever reasons, that is completely fine.

mschild|1 month ago

"I can't configure a VPN" and "I don't want to configure a VPN" are 2 entirely different things. Mind you I have no idea how complex tailscale setup is in comparison.

I'm in the middle of setting up my own homeserver. Still deciding on what/if I want to expose to the internet and not just local network and while setting everything up and tinkering is part of the fun for me. I get some people just want results that they can rely on. Tailscale, while not a perfect option, is still an option and if they're fine with the risk profile I can understand sacrificing some security for it.

duckmysick|1 month ago

I'd argue that no, managing your own VPN is not a basic skill - certainly not in the realms of software engineering (more like network engineering).