Some time back, I solicited views on what the FreedomBox should be. I assembled those views and passed them to Eben Moglen, who refined it into something manageable and coherent. Then we let the TAC take a turn. The below is the result, a concise statement of what the FreedomBox is. I'm publishing it here for another round of public comment.
Best regards, James # The FreedomBox... ## Generally * Is a software stack, for multiple kinds of hardware. * Is especially valuable software in plug computers. * Is Free as in Freedom. * Is a Debian-based project. Is not a Debian distribution. * Is targeted at specific hardware but is not limited to that hardware. * Is flexible about hardware. * Is optimized for a specific hardware configuration. * Is not an X server. * Is not a device with a screen, keyboard or pointer. * Is not an outdoor device. * Is easy for ordinary people to use. ## Target Audience * Is designed for everybody-- hackers, students, reporters, teachers, families, etc. * Is personal but not single user. ## Services * Is a torrent client and can use TOR for that purpose. * Is a web server. * Is a web proxy. * Is an email server. * Is a print server. * Is a file server (NAS). * Is a drop box. * Is a streamer of media files, but does not necessarily connect directly to your TV. * Is VPN capable, both for you and for people behind large government firewalls. * Is an instant messaging server. * Is a VOIP server. * Is an eternity server. * Is a photo album and gallery. * Is a TOR node. * Is able to save a live video stream feed from your phone via bluetooth, wifi or internet. ## Facilitates secure, anonymous and private chat and messaging * Is an encrypting relay for email. * Is the nerve center of your distributed social network. * Is a platform for federated social networking. * Is a platform for distributed collaboration. ## Security and Reliability * Is smart about of knowing who to trust and how much to trust them. * Is not a tamper-proof machine. * Is thoroughly and automatically tested. ## Connectivity and Interoperability * Is able to Communicate securely, privately and anonymously with other FreedomBoxes and devices. * Is dedicated to producing state of the art mesh networking and routing solutions to replace local ISP services when disrupted. * Is capable of detecting and tunneling around non-neutral networks. * Is your router, both wireless and wired. ## Data Backup * Is your encrypted backup server. * Is capable of storing backups on other FreedomBoxes, local storage or on third party servers. * Is recoverable by strength of your social network in addition to the usual methods (passphrase or keys). ## Is A Good Net Citizen. * Is capable of detecting intrusion on its downstream LAN (e.g. looks for bot-shaped packets/traffic). * Is a filter for ads and other unwanted content. * Is a tool for collaborative SPAM filtering. ## Improves Your Network Experience * Is a guard for your privacy and can strip identifying information from your web browsing, * Is capable of filtering out advertising from web browsing and email. * Is a device that protects against spyware. ## Hardware * Is portable, not mobile. * Is not a cellphone. * Is usually connected to the public internet. * Is capable of talking to cellphones and using their radios. * Is not a battery or solar powered device, but can be powered by either. * Is operable via cellphone application. * Is operable via remote or local computer. * Is capable of talking with a GPS, but is not a GPS. _______________________________________________ Freedombox-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss
