Back in the 80s on BBSes and 90s on usergroups and finally the Internet a bunch of techies did whatever they wanted and normal people didn't get anything. Now they're getting more than any of us got back then and we're not standing still either, it's just moved on from the web. The Internet dream is alive and is evolving and whilst the original manifesto sounds a bit childish to me nowadays it's still part of what drives us. Wherever the mainstream catches up so do the old hierarchies and we move on.
The End of the Internet Dream
131–140 of 212 posts
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
The subtle distinction between "want" and "need" is at the root of this. What the user wants is at odds with what they need.
Who decides what they "need", if not the user in so much as what they "want"? I'm terrified of others prescribing what's "needed" because someone else has decided what what's "wanted" isn't the best for them. That's no freedom at all.
> I'm terrified of others prescribing what's "needed" because someone else has decided what what's "wanted" isn't the best for them.
I'm equally terrified of others convincing you that what they have to offer is the best for you, with minor tweaks to "cover your needs"; yet that's the basis of profit-based marketing.
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think it's nearly as grim as you make it out to be... it's just as easy to deploy a personal not-profit driven application/bulletin-board or whatever on Amazon, Linode, DigitalOcean, Azure and many others as it has EVER been to start a project and deploy it online. People are choosing to use Facebook, Twitter and other sites... that doesn't stop anyone from doing other things. That said, I think some governme…
> People are choosing to use Facebook, Twitter and other sites Which people, the early techies OP was talking about, or the other bunch who joined the Internet later on having no experience and knowledge how to use it to keep their privacy and maintain same responsibility for other online participants ?
Get off my lawn!
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The Internet Dream is sadly not compatibile with profit-driven world. I've seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by Silicon Valley startups.
The same argument was made (correctly IMHO) before as well. "The best minds of my generation destroyed by Wall Street and Hedge Funds." Perhaps i'm naive but on average, the product shipped by the west coast is a whole lot more useful than the product shipped by Wall St, no? Certainly on relative terms, I would think on absolute terms as well?
Yes, the same idea for Finance Industry. Loads of our brightest get drawn into there and never leave.
However, I was thinking more along the lines of these minds leaving these brain destroying occupations and making something better (e.g. something described in the article) rather than choosing between one and the other bad cases.
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#135Good article. However I don't understand why so many smart people fear decision-making machines. In my experience the decision makers in bureaucracies, government and private alike, never ever show the "humanity" ascribed to them in arguments about this issue. Instead they follow their instruction (which is actually a program written in human language) to the letter and are usually so obtuse and unempathetic it seems…
It is difficult for a machine to be accountable for its decisions. It's not as simple as holding the manufacturer responsible, either. With human decision-makers, at least you have a bunch of douchebags that you can point your fingers at and attach epithets like "obtuse and unempathetic". And we can hope that if we collectively do something, we'll be able to replace them with less dysfunctional folks. With complex de…
Very very true! This comment sums up my fear exactly. I'll take it further, not only losing one's job -- but the fear of litigation is also a big deterrent. Now imagine in court you just say...Google Tensor Flow made me do it (or Theano or whatever...) I
wonder what would happen, but given my experiences to date (call center rep: no, the systems says you didn't pay, so obviously you did not [despite the cancelled check.])
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#136"At Google, women make up 30 percent of the company’s overall workforce, but hold only 17 percent of the company’s tech jobs" Hence what? In France prison population is 96.5% male. Does it prove sexism? That's it, I quit reading women, they can't write without pulling the cover to themselves.
You know I read that paragraph expect to cringe at any implied reasons, but there were none. In fact, if you read the previous paragraphs, the author states that the tech community is very inclusive of difference - it's really not an issue.
To me these paragraphs together indicate that it's not a tech problem that there are less women in the industry, but rather a wider societal issue. The tech community is welcoming and inclusive and tolerant of diversity. Any supposed lack in numbers of women in tech does not prove the opposite.
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#137Earlier quoted context omitted.
Who decides what they "need", if not the user in so much as what they "want"? I'm terrified of others prescribing what's "needed" because someone else has decided what what's "wanted" isn't the best for them. That's no freedom at all.
> I'm terrified of others prescribing what's "needed" because someone else has decided what what's "wanted" isn't the best for them. I'm equally terrified of others convincing you that what they have to offer is the best for you, with minor tweaks to "cover your needs"; yet that's the basis of profit-based marketing.
I respect your concern (I'm trying to be non-specific in terms of pronouns here, but it's hard), but that's a fear we have to live with, no? The notion that someone else's argument might be more persuasive than our own, that someone else's message might be accepted instead. Surely, there's something perverse about it, underhanded, or perhaps I'm just not enlightened enough, otherwise I wouldn't accept such a false pretense. Surely, if I'd been shown the light, and not doused in such propaganda, I'd make a better choice!
The problem with that of course, is that a lot of people can make that argument. And regardless of who's making the argument, be they weak or strong, they all rely on the premise that the person needs convincing of something, because to imagine that they might come to a conclusion that's not your own /by themselves/ is a terrifying thought.
I'm sorry, but I really can't condone the notion that some messages should be feared in that way, and that someone else knows what's best because they presume I do not.
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#138Earlier quoted context omitted.
Let me ask, why try to control the ugly side? Let it run just as free as the good stuff, and allow people to select what they want.
You don't get to opt out of people falsely calling SWAT teams to your house.
Maybe the problem is the existence of SWAT teams?
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
But they also complain about paying a dollar for an app. They get exactly what they are willing to pay for.
What's a, say, 200 USD app or OS that isn't pretty shitty? There aren't many. In fact, I can't mention one on the post. I know of a few OSes and app that are decent (at least don't try to track you, show ads to your face, do weird stuff in the name of making profits for a company). These all cost 0 and are open-source. Weird uhm.
That entirely depends on your definition of "shitty".
Some might care about an occasional ad in an app that they chose not to pay for, or never paying for software on principle, and will always choose open. Some might find the need to manage system-level functionality and installation, or make allowances for miserable UI/UX simply because it is open, too much to bear.
Re: The End of the Internet Dream
#140The internet dream is almost here! Patents and IP have lost their bite compared to the 80's (continuing to do so) and piracy is easier than ever. More countries are participating in the global conversation than ever before. Enhancements in security and privacy are evident and improving (albeit slowly). The internet is becoming a lot less like TV and will continue to do so. People care more about commenting and creati…
> Yes we still have work. Infrastructure is still a big issue. If we want to reduce centralization, we need better infrastructure and equal access to it. That one is very political.
If you want to work for an open internet, this is the key thing. For open to be the default, it should be dramatically easier to implement a new thing using p2p or on a blockchain than with centralized services.