SysAdmin Weekly Newsletter Issue #22: The Open Source Lifeline

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SysAdmin Weekly #22 – The Open Source Lifeline

Hey everyone!

Issue #22 is live and this week we're talking about something that's been on my mind for a while > open source as a practical survival strategy, not just an ideology.

Big Tech is consolidating compute, cloud, and client hardware at a pace we haven't seen before. Vendor lock-in is increasingly the default state of enterprise IT. So what's the counterweight? Well.... I'd argue it's open source and the Steam Deck is the clearest mainstream proof that the argument is already won.

This week's edition covers:

• The "locked room" problem and why it's getting worse
• The practical case for open source in 2026 (cost, security, talent, and exit rights)
• A due diligence checklist for evaluating OSS projects before you commit
• Tool of the Week: Forgejo, a self-hosted git solution. It's open source, and free!
• Community Signal: awesome-selfhosted, Gitea migration docs, and Linux hitting ~90% Windows game compatibility via Proton
• Quick Win: A 3-question audit you can run on any proprietary tool in your stack this week

Read Issue #22 here

As always, drop your thoughts below! For example, do you have open source tools that saved you from a vendor going sideways?

Would love to hear what's in your stack.