No "servers" to download and host. We have a "server" already it's called email.
Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
61–70 of 146 posts
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#62I did try to mention this before, with creating a Slack clone [0]. PHP and MySQL which is what this is written in are not very sexy but they're perfect for when you want the entire world to be able to use it. There's reasons why PHP has been so successful with WordPress and Facebook. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16567271
I find it very strange that nobody includes, y'know, Wikipedia in these kinds of conversations. Don't you think Wikipedia is more important than Facebook and Wordpress? As a person involved in mainstream Internet adoption, I consider it as important as the Internet in establishing free, participatory hypertext information. In addition to the fact people now assume they can just find something out without commercial s…
Quite right, I forgot it. But it furthers the point I think.
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#63This is yet another platform solution. The problem with platform solutions is that they still present one and only one choice of software. Decentralized systems can only take off if they are built around standardized protocols - this is why email works. The choice of smtp servers to run, email clients to choose from, that's what's making it resilient. Ideas like ActivityPub, webmentions, microsub, micropub, while not…
While I agree that the emphasis should be on the protocols traction is important and most people see the platform. It can also show some deficiencies of the protocols which is always good. I think most of these platforms do understand the need for true federation. For example Mastodon can now talk and interact with PeerTube through ActivityPub, GNU Social and Mastodon can completely interoperate too.
I'm deeply aware how important UX and the actual interfaces are; however, there are still some underdeveloped building blocks, which are not getting enough attention.
It is true that user interfaces are just as important, but half-baked solutions might do more harm, than good, resulting in disappointment in those who'd be willing to try them out.
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Email is a decentralized system.
Its design intended it to be used that way, but that's not how people use it. Everyone uses a centralized email provider now (Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc.), and these providers act as gatekeepers to email. If they disappear, people will find an alternative centralized messaging scheme, not start learning how to run their own mail servers...
It’s clearly decentralized as you cited multiple providers in your own post. These providers share no common (logical) servers. Would Apple go totally out of business every people that didn’t relied on this provider would be totally unaffected. If you own your domain and only delegate to a provider it’s almost seamless to switch to another. (Admittedly it’s more frequent for businesses than for individuals).
This is a totally different story for Facebook.
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#65This is yet another platform solution. The problem with platform solutions is that they still present one and only one choice of software. Decentralized systems can only take off if they are built around standardized protocols - this is why email works. The choice of smtp servers to run, email clients to choose from, that's what's making it resilient. Ideas like ActivityPub, webmentions, microsub, micropub, while not…
Emphasis should be on the requirements.
What do we want the system to do?
And how can we control our privacy?
Let's answer these questions first.
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#66This is yet another platform solution. The problem with platform solutions is that they still present one and only one choice of software. Decentralized systems can only take off if they are built around standardized protocols - this is why email works. The choice of smtp servers to run, email clients to choose from, that's what's making it resilient. Ideas like ActivityPub, webmentions, microsub, micropub, while not…
Emphasis should be on the requirements. What do we want the system to do? And how can we control our privacy? Let's answer these questions first.
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Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#67This is yet another platform solution. The problem with platform solutions is that they still present one and only one choice of software. Decentralized systems can only take off if they are built around standardized protocols - this is why email works. The choice of smtp servers to run, email clients to choose from, that's what's making it resilient. Ideas like ActivityPub, webmentions, microsub, micropub, while not…
Emphasis should be on the requirements. What do we want the system to do? And how can we control our privacy? Let's answer these questions first.
Fair and important questions. The closest immediate answer I have is https://indieweb.org/SWAT0 but the page is quite dense with indieweb terms.
EDIT: https://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/federatedsocialweb/wiki/SW... might be a better source.
Defining a minimum set of features for what a social network (media? web? system?) is is certainly a required step, and any suggestions are welcome.
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#68I did try to mention this before, with creating a Slack clone [0]. PHP and MySQL which is what this is written in are not very sexy but they're perfect for when you want the entire world to be able to use it. There's reasons why PHP has been so successful with WordPress and Facebook. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16567271
I love how you mention Facebook, yet Facebook moved away from traditionally PHP and made their own PHP engine and has a lot of native code in C++.
They still got all their initial scale from PHP until they were so big that it was worth writing their own PHP engine. They would have had the same problem with Python or JavaScript.
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#69> Friendica runs on PHP with MySQL as a database. If you can run WordPress, you can run Friendica. Not the biggest fan of the stack, but no problem. These networks are getting closer. Now create a desktop installer that: has its own web server + php + mysql pieces embedded and execute on their own ports on startup. (I say I don't like the stack because I'd prefer something that can all be statically compiled). Make s…
You're more or less describing https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork
Re: Friendica – A Decentralized Social Network
#70> Friendica runs on PHP with MySQL as a database. If you can run WordPress, you can run Friendica. Not the biggest fan of the stack, but no problem. These networks are getting closer. Now create a desktop installer that: has its own web server + php + mysql pieces embedded and execute on their own ports on startup. (I say I don't like the stack because I'd prefer something that can all be statically compiled). Make s…
You're more or less describing https://github.com/ssbc/patchwork
Sure. If I were to give feedback, I'd say it needs a better landing and a user guide for the app (as opposed to the protocol inundated with dev jargon). Not really gonna send my mother a GitHub releases page; she needs to be the intended audience. I guess I could send her http://dinosaur.is/patchwork-downloader/ and ask her to read https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/getting-started.html and/or https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/#quick-start but even that has friction. Also, I'd like to see it shipped with Tor and just hit a checkbox (at runtime not install time) for anonymity instead of having to manage my own daemon.
But this is very close, yes.