Just a quick message to point you to the well-hidden list archives: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/libreplanet-discuss/2012-05/msg00002.html I will read your excellent-looking email when I have some time later.
On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 12:42 PM, Michał 'rysiek' Woźniak <[email protected]>wrote: > Dnia poniedziałek, 14 maja 2012 o 13:05:05 Ramana Kumar napisał(a): > > On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 11:16 AM, Michał 'rysiek' Woźniak > > (...) > > > > > We need something like this for Free Somftware based services, as > > > currently we are all taking a beating due to network effect (look > > > at Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Dropbox - it's all network effect > > > at work). And we cannot tackle network effect if we do not build > > > a vast network of users. > > > > Can you describe ways in which we might do this in more detail? > > Perhaps we can figure out a good solution here and then do it! > > Be concrete, perhaps using my "skype replacement" problem as a > > motivating example. > > Sure thing. I did it already (partially) in the "New GNU" thread (by > the way, where are the list archives?..), I'll try to do a better job > here, though. > > We could create a *simple* directory protocol (no, LDAP won't do) for > finding out people's e-mails, JIDs, etc (if, of course, those people > would provide such data); integrate it into available solutions > (client-side: Pidgin, mail clients, Diaspora, etc.; server-side: > ejabberd, mail servers, Diaspora, etc.) - when providing profile data > (like e-mail addr) users could select to make that info available for > federated access by other servers and clients. > > We could create a website for "leave your proprietary network/service > day", hold such a day say once per two months. People could log-in > with their proprietary network logins (Facebook/Twitter/Google+) and > pledge leaving the network for a libre one (like Diaspora) or at least > setting up an account on a libre network on a given day, or when the > number of their friends pledging the same reaches a given number. > > This would obviously be sent to their walls, timelines or whatever > it's called in their proprietary social network of choice. their > friends would get the message and see that maybe they are not alone in > their idea of leaving Facebook. > > This is obviously just a preliminary idea, it would need to be > properly thought through and blueprinted. > > > Second idea that I might start realising soon myself is firing up > cloud service providers that integrate many libre software services > (like XMPP, e-mail, Diaspora, StatusNet, OpenID, Mozilla Sync, > ownCloud, etc.) so that people would have a chance of using a *single* > service for all their communication needs, while retaining control > over their data (using standard, free software projects would mean > switching the provider would be much easier than leaving Facebook). > > These two ideas should for obvious reasons be put into practice about > the same time. > > > Describe the world where I find out Skype is nonfree and then [go > > where] ([why there?]) and [do what] to get a free replacement, > > that anyone can easily do. > > http://podupti.me is just such a place to go for "Facebook > replacement". It needs better exposure, and much better information > on-site, but it's the right idea. > > > > > One word: email. > > > > > > I also love this example and I use it whenever I can. > > > > > > However, thing is: when e-mail was just picking up steam, it was > > > de facto the only service to connect users. Hence everybody > > > happily set- up their accounts and actually used it. > > > > > > Currently the users cannot be bothered with Yet Another Protocol > > > or Social Network, because they already use a multitude of > > > those. > > > > > > That is one of the reasons why Diaspora, StatusNet, XMPP, SIP > > > hasn't picked up users as fast as we would like them to. And > > > they won't as long as using them is more cumbersome than > > > proprietary, centralised networks/protocols. > > > > > > I think we have the technology already; we need to focus on > > > tackling the network effect and on heavily usability. > > > > Do we have the manpower to solve these problems? > > If so, where is it? > > Problem is, in my opinion, that we need to refocus. > > We - the FLOSS Community - are by and large great technicians, > programmers, we have the manpower and will to tackle *technical* > issues. > > However, our problems currently are not purely technical; Free > Software is often technically superior to proprietary/centralised > solutions, yet users still use the proprietary platforms (ICQ/AIM > being one of the examples). > > Why? Reasons are many. Sometimes it's the usability (like with Skype); > sometimes it's the network effect - already vast amounts of users use > the proprietary solution, so the incentive to use it is much stronger, > as the aim is to keep in touch (Skype, Facebook, ICQ/AIM, etc.). > > These two problems are not easy to solve for us, as we are not that > competent in those areas. Especially usability would need new sort of > people joining in and helping out - UX designers and the like. This is > one of the reasons why I feel that while many things Canonical does > are really bad (please, let's not get into a "Ubuntu is Evuhl" flame > now, m'kay? ;) ), we are still - as a community - getting a lot of > good stuff from the fact they are employing UX designers, for example. > > Now, the network effect thing is more "tackleable" by us. It's really > a question of focusing on creating ways for people to feel that they > are in a group. they are connected, easy ways to find other people, > etc. Diaspora, as I wrote already, does it well. We should simply move > this up on our priority list, so that our techie community would find > that important to work on. > > Specifically, I strongly believe that tackling the network effect > problem is more important than Gnash, Google Earth, FLOSS network > router drivers. I think it should (after finding a suitable way of > describing it) make it to the priority projects list. > > -- > Pozdrawiam > Michał "rysiek" Woźniak > > Fundacja Wolnego i Otwartego Oprogramowania > > P.S. > I strongly believe that centralisation (of data, of communication > means, etc.) is as big of a problem as something being proprietary - > because both are related to control. When fighting for Free Software > we need to fight for decentralisation, too. >
