> I want to fight-back against the centralisation of Internet services.
My sentiments exactly. Right now email is something anyone can participate in as long as you are using software that follows the (open) standards. It is at its core an inclusive technology, despite the (disheartening) issues mentioned in this thread about the pitfalls and hazards of getting your own mail-server going. It would be a shame if we were to lose this.
On the other side of the spectrum we have the dominant instant messaging platforms, where you can only participate if you run their proprietary software and identify yourself with your pre-approved identifier (your phone number in most cases). Or the centralized social media platforms that censor according to their interpretation of what is permissible.
I understand that leaving all complexity and the burden of grokking something as abstract as networked software is something most people are glad to leave in the hands of Apple, or Microsoft, or Google; but it saddens me that those of us who do understand how this stuff works (at least in a broad sense) appear so willing to just accept the death of a free and open internet for a bit of convenience.