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Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

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Re: Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

#11

Post by [deleted] »

Dalewyn wrote: post #7
flangola7 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say we need basic universal internet infrastructure in the same way we have roads, libraries, hospitals, mail service, etc. Fundamental services like email, image and video hosting, backup storage, small cloud nodes, and so on. All partially or fully publicly funded, with no bloat or wasted overhead trying to commercialize it into an advertising platform filled with spyware and dark patterns.

You're going to need to do a lot more than that to convince me that the internet is a human right and public need. And yes, you do need to convince me: If it's "publicly funded" then I (and everyone else) am/are paying for it. Personally, I would sooner pay for another US navy aircraft carrier.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

#12

Post by seabass-labrax »

Dalewyn wrote: post #7
flangola7 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say we need basic universal internet infrastructure in the same way we have roads, libraries, hospitals, mail service, etc. Fundamental services like email, image and video hosting, backup storage, small cloud nodes, and so on. All partially or fully publicly funded, with no bloat or wasted overhead trying to commercialize it into an advertising platform filled with spyware and dark patterns.

You're going to need to do a lot more than that to convince me that the internet is a human right and public need. And yes, you do need to convince me: If it's "publicly funded" then I (and everyone else) am/are paying for it. Personally, I would sooner pay for another US navy aircraft carrier.

But would you pay for a another, say, French Navy or Turkish Navy aircraft carrier? There are few things which western democracies spend taxes on which don't benefit at least some proportion of the tax-paying population, and most of the cost of running those public services also goes back into private industry of the same country. A private internet company can employ foreign workers, pay foreign taxes, award dividends to foreign owners, and after all that, can be just as corrupt and expensive as a tax-funded service!

Re: Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

#15

Post by groby_b »

myself248 wrote: post #10
flangola7 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say we need basic universal internet infrastructure in the same way we have roads, libraries, hospitals, mail service, etc. Fundamental services like email, image and video hosting, backup storage, small cloud nodes, and so on. All partially or fully publicly funded, with no bloat or wasted overhead trying to commercialize it into an advertising platform filled with spyware and dark patterns.

It's sad to me that we went away from everyone just having their personal web space as part of their ISP package. Ditto email. It meant more smaller providers had to play nice and we didn't have a few major companies arbitrarily deciding what to host and what to drop. I don't believe it should be government funded, but I wish there was a protocol that would let my ISP allocate a few GB of resources on my behalf that…

You can't because some people hosted extremely popular files (often starting with p- and ending in -orn) on the few GB that your local ISP gave you. And your local ISP suddenly needed to serve hundreds of terabytes they didn't have in their peering budget.

So now you need caps. And enforcement. And exceptions. And suddenly, you have a cloud service provider. And they've invested a ton into making the place nice, and there are teams drawing salaries keeping this running, and "succession protocols" aren't making them any money.

What you're asking for is infrastructure. Humanity to date has not found a way to finance long-term working infrastructure that doesn't involve a government, because that's the only body that invests in the commons. (Yeah, sometimes we pretend we can privatize, and then you get PG&E, and everybody suffers)

Re: Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

#16

Post by eviks »

flangola7 wrote: post #5
quickthrower2 wrote: post #2

First off: great work! The age old question is how you afford to run this, and how if you get popular do you not become an imgur yourself and have their same pressures to delete, moderate and make money.

I say we need basic universal internet infrastructure in the same way we have roads, libraries, hospitals, mail service, etc. Fundamental services like email, image and video hosting, backup storage, small cloud nodes, and so on. All partially or fully publicly funded, with no bloat or wasted overhead trying to commercialize it into an advertising platform filled with spyware and dark patterns.

No way do we want the internet to suck even more like those other services

Re: Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

#17

Post by squeaky-clean »

Dalewyn wrote: post #7
flangola7 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say we need basic universal internet infrastructure in the same way we have roads, libraries, hospitals, mail service, etc. Fundamental services like email, image and video hosting, backup storage, small cloud nodes, and so on. All partially or fully publicly funded, with no bloat or wasted overhead trying to commercialize it into an advertising platform filled with spyware and dark patterns.

You're going to need to do a lot more than that to convince me that the internet is a human right and public need. And yes, you do need to convince me: If it's "publicly funded" then I (and everyone else) am/are paying for it. Personally, I would sooner pay for another US navy aircraft carrier.

> then I (and everyone else) am/are paying for it

Don't you already pay for it?

Re: Show HN: Avoiding Imgur Link Rot

#20

Post by flangola7 »

myself248 wrote: post #10
flangola7 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say we need basic universal internet infrastructure in the same way we have roads, libraries, hospitals, mail service, etc. Fundamental services like email, image and video hosting, backup storage, small cloud nodes, and so on. All partially or fully publicly funded, with no bloat or wasted overhead trying to commercialize it into an advertising platform filled with spyware and dark patterns.

It's sad to me that we went away from everyone just having their personal web space as part of their ISP package. Ditto email. It meant more smaller providers had to play nice and we didn't have a few major companies arbitrarily deciding what to host and what to drop. I don't believe it should be government funded, but I wish there was a protocol that would let my ISP allocate a few GB of resources on my behalf that…

Doing it without government is unviable. You missed my entire point.
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