We are running chromebits. Runs on ChromeOS, simple to build a 'kiosk app' which automatically starts on startup. Costs more than RPI.
Very easy to lock up, easily administered (reboot/screenshot) from the management console. We have a few hundreds of them out there, works like a charm and pretty much no work.
I'd advise against the likes of RPI's if you need a few and remote manage them. Deploying new app versions is very easy and the thing just works.
Don't underestimate the freedom it gives to not have to do any damn thing on the box, ever. When working at scale the time you save is enormous.
Only have one long-term goal: maximizing the happyness of my family. Biggest achievement would be not having to worry about finances and being able to work (a lot) less.
Pretty much every short-term goal ought to be a net plus on my longterm goal. Short-term goals:
1. Get our new SaaS business to 3K euro MRR
So my wife can quit job and support the SaaS (It's targeting the niche she works in, once software is done she does over support / sales / marketing / networking etc.). This is #1 because her job is awfull and low-paying, so we need to fix that first. Just landed a great customer so fingers crossed...
2. Either get SaaS up to 8k euro MRR+ OR start another
- So i can start working alongside her doing the same kind of work. Might even be able to hire someone so we can take some days off!
My job now is great. Pay is not great, but i can easily take days of if i want or work from home etc. No commute to speak of, so maximum time for other company stuff. If #1 or #2 is a bust, i'm pretty confident i will keep trying to get a SaaS off the ground. Either that or get another job half an hour away so i can retire a few years faster. Lets hope for the former.
Webserver; Azure ubuntu VM, nginx reverse proxy.
Application: asp.net core 2 MVC backend, plain old html/jquery frontend. Really want to upgrade to VueJS/Typescript just to see whats up.
DB: A managed database on Azure