I operate an independent search engine, currently on a PC in my living room. It's designed to help you navigate the sort of websites you can't otherwise find on the big web.
It's not going to replace Google or disrupt the world order any more than a small thrift shop is going to topple IKEA or upend capitalism. That isn't the point, and it has never been the point, and will never be the point.
Supporting the search engine will pay for the associated bills.
Right now I have only server it runs on. Well I say server, but it's really just a computer, consumer hardware. This means I sometimes have to shut it down to make changes or update the software. It's not a great experience. I hope to get more hardware, or perhaps even proper hosting, but that is more than I can afford out of pocket at this point.
This is not my writing, but it captures a lot of what my search engine is about:
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