71–80 of 128 posts
Cory, if you're reading this, don't call it Meta-Uber. Call it: Co-opt
I mean, I think Doctorow's idea is that users search on Google Play for 'uber' and not only does 'uber' appear in the results, but so does 'meta-uber'
how could the apps on both the driver's and passenger's phones both reliably generate the same globally unique code?
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Creating a federated platform is technically quite feasible. E-mail, the Web, Usenet (before it was overrun by spam anyway), IRC... plus these days, stuff like PeerTube and Mastodon. Sure, not every one of these is "successful", but the trend is there.
The trend is definitely not there. The trend is away from IRC towards Slack, away from open web to walled gardens (or trashpiles) of Facebook, away from Usenet towards unfederated forums like this one.
>[...] away from Usenet towards unfederated forums like this one.
We're actually one step beyond that already, the era of forums is behind us, now people open a Facebook page or Subreddit when they want to create a community around a given topic instead of powering up a new PHPBB instance like they might have 15 years ago. Forums like HN are getting increasingly niche.
I don't like this trend but I think it makes complete sense. Centralized solutions offer generally better user experience (you don't have to monitor 10 different websites or watch your emails for notifications, you don't have to create dozen of accounts etc...), they're easier to develop, easier to maintain and, perhaps critically, easier to monetize.
These days I only see the cryptocurrency communities betting on a decentralized future (instead of merely wishing for it without much hope like I do).
This article is a good time to plug LibreTaxi: "Free and open source alternative to Uber/Lyft connecting passengers and drivers. LibreTaxi makes ridesharing affordable by getting rid of the third party between passengers and drivers. Negotiate the price before the ride is confirmed, pay cash upon arrival. 1-minute hiring for all drivers." https://libretaxi.org/
Who has cash nowadays though?
The closest thing we have to a meta-service is Meta-Elsevier, more popularly known as Sci-Hub, which works so well simply because it doesn't care about legality. It's hosted outside the US on a slowly changing list of TLDs, and so it doesn't have to worry about any form of copyright law, not just the DMCA. I think if you wanted to build more services like this, you'd have to go this approach: instead of building an a…
Sci-Hub also works because it is convenient. As Netflix and Spotify have shown, convenience trumps morality and to a lesser extent pricing. Users jailbreaking their device and getting a specific app from a non-official/non-preinstalled app store is not convenient.
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In all friendliness let me offer a counterpoint to your post: You guys are so funny! Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? Perhaps it's time we became grown ups? To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Also soon there won't be any cash at all, and so no anonymity in any financial transaction, thanks for promoting that!
I am not afraid. But I don't enjoy it either and I'd rather not do it. The same way you tell others "time to grow up" I can tell you "time to get civilized".
This article is a good time to plug LibreTaxi: "Free and open source alternative to Uber/Lyft connecting passengers and drivers. LibreTaxi makes ridesharing affordable by getting rid of the third party between passengers and drivers. Negotiate the price before the ride is confirmed, pay cash upon arrival. 1-minute hiring for all drivers." https://libretaxi.org/
Who has cash nowadays though?
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Cool. I have to say, though, that not having to negotiate a price is a key benefit of Uber. The price is the price, no quibbling, no bait and switch. Similarly, paying by cash feels like a step back.
In all friendliness let me offer a counterpoint to your post: You guys are so funny! Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? Perhaps it's time we became grown ups? To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Also soon there won't be any cash at all, and so no anonymity in any financial transaction, thanks for promoting that!
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I understand your point of view, but an argument about a taxi fare, and paying a restaurant bill with cash instead of a card just don't seem like high quality life experiences worth cherishing to me.
Yeah, but I think removing the possibility of those experiences introduces too much intermediation into daily life for everyone else. I cherish those possibilities, like I cherish freedom. I may not exercise my full freedom every day, but I do cherish it.
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In all friendliness let me offer a counterpoint to your post: You guys are so funny! Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? Perhaps it's time we became grown ups? To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Also soon there won't be any cash at all, and so no anonymity in any financial transaction, thanks for promoting that!
> Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? I'm not afraid of it - I'm just at a disadvantage in terms of information. When I fly into some random city where I don't know anything about what a normal taxi fare is I can't negotiate can I? It's also just something I don't want to do - I don't want to have a stand-up argument with someone about money, thanks. I also don't want to unblock a toilet but that doesn't mean I'm…
That's a bit stone age. Here in Scandinavia I never take cash when I go to one of the other countries, all the taxis take plastic.