If I had to put a number to it, I probably test out half a dozen new apps and services on my home server every week. Some of them become a part of my workflow, most don’t. But from the years of trying out new open-source apps and self-hosted services, I’ve had a very clear realization that usually it’s the simplest tools that are the best. Most software today tries to be too much at once, and solve too many problems without being perfect at any. Whereas when I’m seeking an open-source solution, I’m trying to solve a singular problem. That’s the appeal of 8mb.local. It’s a self-hosted video compressor app that does one job with a singular focus and speed. The premise is extremely straightforward.