I’m setting up something similar using Unraid and VMs. This route would probably be more of a challenge for you technically… But if you’re willing to learn, and pay, Unraid sounds like it would be a good fit for what you’re trying to accomplish.

Yeah but the whole solar system is moving at 720,000 km/h, so all those bikes on other planets are moving just as fast.

Because you need network effect. Which means you need big money for marketing, content moderation and development costs. That includes algorithms, which maybe you don’t want, but most people do.

It’s not that I want a for profit company, I just don’t think Mastodon will every achieve critical mass without one.

It’s not the users, it’s the developers / investors. I’ve tried so many times to get into Mastodon, but it sucks compared to Bluesky. It lacks content and polish, so it’s no wonder everyday people choose Bluesky over it.

The real conundrum is why isn’t there a for profit company with big money behind it, investing in ActivityPub. I guess you could point to Threads? But insert your “not like that” meme of choice.

Fwiw, apparently Bluesky did initially look at activity pub, but found the protocol lacking, which is why they invented ATProto. I don’t know the details though.