Chris Fisher Co-founder of Jupiter Broadcasting, a Linux and open source podcast network launched in 2008, who hosts shows on Linux, software development and self-hosting.

“For me, the browser homepage thing is sort of like the app nag about reviewing the app. I'm never launching the app to review the app. I'm launching the app to get something done. I don't ever launch Firefox to just look at the start page.”

LINUX Unplugged · Hands-On Engineering Podcasts · November 2026

Context

Comparing home dashboards, a co-host described a start page for his self-hosted services that he never ended up using. Chris explains why a dashboard living in a browser tab doesn't work for him and says he'd want a dedicated display instead.

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Transcript

LINUX Unplugged Around 35:13 into the episode

Chris Fisher

Who, I mean, is that what dashboard guys are doing? Are they firing up your browser and you're just like looking at your start page for a second?

Wes Payne

Or maybe you have it as permanent infrastructure, separate screen over here. That I could see,

Chris Fisher

but then you're going now. I start going towards Grafana. It's just like, so for me, like the browser homepage thing is sort of like the app nag about reviewing the app. I'm never launching the app to review the app. I'm launching the app to get something done.

Wes Payne

To look at the app. I'm

Chris Fisher

launching my browser to immediately go somewhere. I don't ever launch Firefox to just look at the start page. So I don't get it. But I could see a dedicated thing, but then I don't want it in a browser window.

Wes Payne

This seems nice. HomeR supports custom widgets, so the open router one is Vibecode.

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

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