About
Blinkenshell is a free Linux/UNIX shell account provider. It was founded by independence in the summer of 2006 as a hobby project. The name Blinkenshell refers to a note that could be found on old mainframe computers and such known as "Blinkenlights".
Blinkenshell is focused on creating a good service and a good community. There are a few things we aim to achieve, goals if you want:
- Create good and reliable service
- Create an open and friendly community
- Support open protocols
- Support open source/free software
- Provide strong integrity
- Provide strong security
We do a few things to work towards these goals. Firstly, participating in the community is required to get an account. You are encouraged to help out other users in the chat if you can. All communication with the server is done with encrypted protocols (SSH). Both remote logins and file transfers are done this way to ensure strong security. Also, strong passwords are enforced. We do not give out emails or user information to any third party, only people involved in running Blinkenshell.
Take a look at the Signup information if you would like to sign up for an account.
My reasons for running this project and providing access to my computer for free is a mix of several things. Firstly, I do use the service myself, so why not let others in too? I also think it's a great way to learn about new stuff about UNIX, networking and security. And lastly I like the idea of providing a service that people find useful.
I run this project as a hobby of mine, and I do not intend to make any money on the project. However, donations are very welcome and greatly appreciated. Read about how to donate and what the money is used for.
Important Blinkenshell history:
Summer of 2006, Blinkenshell is founded by independence.
- 2007, signup accounts are introduced.
- 2008, Email service introduced.
- 2010, Blinkenshell gets it's own IRC network.
In August 2010 just before the four year anniversary, Blinkenshell went through some major changes while moving to a new server. More information can be found in blog posts arond this time.
- 2011, Blinkenshell has had IPv6 for a while and now it's enabled by default on the main webpage.
- 2013, the Blinkenshell buildserver is introduced.
If there is anything else you would like to know, you can ask in the chat or contact independence.
Happy hacking!