After resting for a couple of weeks, It is time to return to work. Now is time for the server, which is suffering a few changes:

• Firstly, Acid Rain Server (ARS) will be distributed mainly as an RPM. This package is designed to be installed on any PC you have in your house with capacity to be a server. Until now It was distributed as an ISO, this was an inconvenient if you wanted to install it on a machine that you had already running.
• One of the advantages of having a machine with ARS, is that you are provided with Mercurial's web access . However, the provided default skins are not very attractive and they are oriented to programming projects, so I'm working on a more friendly theme allowing easy interaction with files. The skin will be very similar to this website.
• It also seems interesting to have a public directory from which anyone can access our files. In other words, anything that is left in your Public folder in your PC will be synchronized on the server and will be available through the web environment for all. I must say that I'm a bit stuck at this point but I will do my best to make it available.
• Finally, an image gallery integration is being completed. Still not clear whether it will be available only in a specific directory or anywhere. Suggestions are welcome.
  

Consequences

So far there are basically two ways to use Acid Rain (client application) independently (on a single PC without synchronization) or with a Mercurial server. In the second case you can choose between a service provided by a company or installing ARS at home. Well, the consequence of all this is that the last two variants (home server vs hosting service ) are no longer equivalent since ARS begins to incorporate extra features.

Additional features will grow in future releases. Due to the Open Source nature of the project it is also possible that some companies will be interested on providing a 100% ARS compatible service but this seems rather remote for now.

How to use ARS?

I'll write my case as an example. In my house there is a small low-cost PC next to my TV. It has two missions to accomplish. The first one  is to be a HTPC using XBMC. In addition, ARS is installed in order to have my own private cloud through which all my files are synchronized between my home laptop, my work one and even my tablet.

As a curiosity I will tell you that I don't need to have this PC running continuously since I can remotely power it on and synchronize some files, for example from work or from else where (ie when on vacation)

And when?

  Well, if we are lucky ARS 0.5.0 will see the light before March :)