Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

joindiaspora.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 64 posts

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#31

Post by jokoon »

eropple wrote: post #28
jokoon wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Does Diaspora have a strong chat? It doesn't have chat at all. Diaspora wanted to make an app so that servers can communicate between each others. There are already tons of chat protocols, creating another one would be stupid. diaspora would not host anything, while facebook make both the app and the hosting, and keeps the data. Facebook also failed to implement some sort of craigslist, which is something that woul…

> Diaspora was not created to be wanted, diaspora was created so that users can care a little more about their data. Which is the stupid part of the whole thing. If nobody wants it, that uses can care "a little more" about their data is immaterial because nobody's using it. "If" the tech was there--who cares about "the tech", really? Privacy nerds aren't numerous enough to drive a social network. If you want people t…

Well it was a good technological intention, trying to make an open standard for social networking applications, to maybe open new roads for non-facebook developers. Maybe doing a web app was not the good idea though.

The problem with facebook, is that devs can't access the data directly, but users can. It's also an API wall for developers who might have an idea and join the party. The only people to decide what new thing to do and experiment are the people at facebook. It's kinda odd, because the internet is supposed to be an open thing. They have this huge database of users, and all I see is some strange smartphone home app and some homepage redesigns, nothing really new since the website release. I mean as a tech, chatting is not a new thing, facebook just created another chatting protocol. People just chat using facebook instead, instead of sharing their AIM or MSN.

That's why diaspora is cool, at least nobody has real direct authority on your data except the users, or at least it diminishes the link between the host and the user. It's more on the dev side.

What sucks, is that the only real standard thing on the web is the mail. It's the backbone of online identity, it's still there. What can't we do the same for web applications ? The web was not meant for applications of the scale of facebook. Maybe we need finer, grainier ways of exchanging social data. Diaspora was not only about privacy issues, it also wanted to show people maybe there are other things to do with social network than just... commenting pics, chatting and joining groups about whatever thing.

And seriously, facebook is a success because it appealed to basic stuff like this. Why can't some programmers have the ambition of making other things with social networking, and not being called stupid for trying so ?

I mean if a guy Zuckerberg did not put a little effort, there would never have been facebook. I heard a former diaspora dev killed himself. That's not towards success, but nobody really cares either. It's like wanting innovation is a sin or something.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#32

Post by PavlovsCat »

dasil003 wrote: post #18

Diaspora highlights my biggest worry as an entrepreneur: building something for the way I wish users were versus the way they actually are.

I hear you. But also, hear this:

It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists. It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need.

- Alan Moore ( http://intellectual-thoughts.com/Alan%20Moore%20Quote.htm )

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#33

Post by quomopete »

PavlovsCat wrote: post #32
dasil003 wrote: post #18

Diaspora highlights my biggest worry as an entrepreneur: building something for the way I wish users were versus the way they actually are.

I hear you. But also, hear this: It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists. It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need. - Alan Moore ( http://intellectual-thoughts.com/Alan%20Moore%20Quote.htm )

but the question remains: Are social media art? are programmers of social media artists? I do not doubt there are programmers that are artists and programs or implementations of programming that is art. That's not what I am asking. And I don't mean art in the sense of "State of the art" or "term of art", as in patents.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#34

Post by dominotw »

tstactplsignore wrote: post #2

I have never thought the Diaspora project would succeed, because it's the social network nobody wants. Honestly I think that in the startup community there has been an enormous failure to understand what makes Facebook so popular. The most important features of Facebook are not the wall, and they're not sharing statuses or links. The most important features of Facebook, are: (1) Chat with a strong mobile app- for man…

I use none of these features you mentioned.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#35

Post by fudged71 »

tstactplsignore wrote: post #2

I have never thought the Diaspora project would succeed, because it's the social network nobody wants. Honestly I think that in the startup community there has been an enormous failure to understand what makes Facebook so popular. The most important features of Facebook are not the wall, and they're not sharing statuses or links. The most important features of Facebook, are: (1) Chat with a strong mobile app- for man…

You missed two important pieces:

1) Contact list. Facebook IS the address book. And that's what people use it for.

2) Pictures. People like to creep their friends to see how they've changed over time, and to judge people.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#36

Post by fudged71 »

Joeboy wrote: post #6

It's hard to see this getting traction now, but I'm still glad it exists. Maybe Facebook will somehow fuck up badly enough to push people onto Diaspora, although I can't really see how at this point.

That's why facebook does small releases of beta features to gauge user feedback. They don't want to piss off lots of people at once. And whenever they make a large change to the settings, they make an equally large change to the UI so that people discuss the new look rather than the concerns over the settings.

They've become too smart to lose their place as #1.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#37

Post by NegativeK »

quomopete wrote: post #33
PavlovsCat wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear you. But also, hear this: It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists. It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need. - Alan Moore ( http://intellectual-thoughts.com/Alan%20Moore%20Quote.htm )

but the question remains: Are social media art? are programmers of social media artists? I do not doubt there are programmers that are artists and programs or implementations of programming that is art. That's not what I am asking. And I don't mean art in the sense of "State of the art" or "term of art", as in patents.

I think PavlovsCat is saying that software shares a trait with art via this Alan Moore quote instead of saying that software is art.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#38

Post by garrettlarson »

jokoon wrote: post #23
tstactplsignore wrote: post #2

I have never thought the Diaspora project would succeed, because it's the social network nobody wants. Honestly I think that in the startup community there has been an enormous failure to understand what makes Facebook so popular. The most important features of Facebook are not the wall, and they're not sharing statuses or links. The most important features of Facebook, are: (1) Chat with a strong mobile app- for man…

> Does Diaspora have a strong chat? It doesn't have chat at all. Diaspora wanted to make an app so that servers can communicate between each others. There are already tons of chat protocols, creating another one would be stupid. diaspora would not host anything, while facebook make both the app and the hosting, and keeps the data. Facebook also failed to implement some sort of craigslist, which is something that woul…

> Facebook also failed to implement some sort of craigslist, which is something that would really serve a big purpose for people in general (advertise for any sort of stuff, jobs, dating, help needed, local announcements...). I don't understand why they don't do that.

Facebook introduced Marketplace in 2007: https://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2383962130

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#39

Post by NegativeK »

fudged71 wrote: post #36
Joeboy wrote: post #6

It's hard to see this getting traction now, but I'm still glad it exists. Maybe Facebook will somehow fuck up badly enough to push people onto Diaspora, although I can't really see how at this point.

That's why facebook does small releases of beta features to gauge user feedback. They don't want to piss off lots of people at once. And whenever they make a large change to the settings, they make an equally large change to the UI so that people discuss the new look rather than the concerns over the settings. They've become too smart to lose their place as #1.

> They've become too smart to lose their place as #1.

You don't believe that'll last forever, do you?

Facebook can innovate until the wee hours of the morning, but if a significant social group (I'm thinking young people, but I suppose it doesn't have to be) goes with another platform simply for fashion reasons, Facebook could slowly die off as users migrate away.

Re: Release of Diaspora v0.1.0.0

#40

Post by shmerl »

tstactplsignore wrote: post #2

I have never thought the Diaspora project would succeed, because it's the social network nobody wants. Honestly I think that in the startup community there has been an enormous failure to understand what makes Facebook so popular. The most important features of Facebook are not the wall, and they're not sharing statuses or links. The most important features of Facebook, are: (1) Chat with a strong mobile app- for man…

Yet it succeeded in becoming a moving an alive project. "Nobody wants" is a too blank of a statement.
Post reply on HN