It is now relatively easy to build your own S3-compatible storage system with software such as Ceph radosgw or Openstack Swift.
So a way for users to specify their own S3 url would come pretty handy in the webapp's "add S3 remote" page.
It is now relatively easy to build your own S3-compatible storage system with software such as Ceph radosgw or Openstack Swift.
So a way for users to specify their own S3 url would come pretty handy in the webapp's "add S3 remote" page.
Such S3 clones are supported if you make the repository at the command line. See S3 special remote documentation.
I think the question comes down to, is it worth adding UI in the webapp for this, or is it likely that someone who is using a S3 clone knows the endpoint url to use? Similarly, the webapp only offers box.com as a WebDAV remote, although there are many other DAV servers. What I'm trying to do with the UI is guide the user through finding a place to store their data, and covering every step as easily as possible.
I understand your concerns about keeping the UI straightforward.
It makes sense however to allow users to add a custom backend without using the CLI. What about a new "Custom backend (expert only)" option which directly asks for a string with the arguments to 'git annex initremote'?