As a lightning node runner myself, I 💯 understand the problems of self-hosting.

What do you think would make it more accessible?

Alby's solution of just paying someone to host your node for you? (Doesn't have to be Alby, others could get into that same business and provide some competition)

Self-hosting platforns like start9, yunohost, and other to lower the technical burden?

Do you feel mobile apps like Zeus play a part here? To be clear, I'm referring to the lightning node running directly on your phone. It can't receive payments unless the app is open, and doesn't have a lightning address, but it frequently works well for in-person payments and is entirely self-custody.

And beyond the technical woes of hosting, and technical/operational issues of falling behind on chain data and the like, there are also the headaches of channel management. Maybe that one is not a big deal as long as you only open channels to big clearing houses. I open channels with plebs, and I see channels go inactive sometimes. So far I've always been able to poke the operator and get it sorted, but my point is that most people going to be looking for a payment system, not a hobby.

I'd love to hear your take on these things. I have my own ideas, but they all have various drawbacks. Plus, I haven't personally tried, alby hub or start9 (yet), so I don't have strong opinions about those.