Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Free as in Freedom Network Services [was: Tackling Network Effect]

[Michał 'rysiek' Woźniak]

Dnia wtorek, 15 maja 2012 o 00:36:01 wayne, steve napisał(a):
> Is anyone on this thread aware of the Independent Media Center
> movement? It is something I am learning about and getting involved
> with. I am donating my personal desktop PC to my local IMC to be
> used to host web content. Others in the community have begun
> donating their old computers and network devices also. I imagine
> that each of us on this list has the potential to rally support
> for such "independent media centers" in our own local areas that
> can be coordinated globally through the internet.

Oh, this is precisely what we need!! We need *globally distributed* 
hosting, i.e. hosting on Hadoop filesystems[1], inaccessible to the 
users hosting them; we need distribution of network load (p2p and TOR 
might help here, at least conceptually).

Basically, we need SETI@Home / BOINC for disk space and network load, 
instead of (or rather "aside from") CPU and RAM.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadoop

> Also, I can think of multiple groups with similar goals and ethical
> standards: indymedia.org, riseup.net, sdf.org, fsf.org, etc.

Yes.

> Rather than trying to tag our lofty goal of providing Freedom
> Network services onto any one of these (FSF in the case of this
> discussion), why not simply establish a working group whose
> purpose is to make these groups more aware of one another at the
> operational level.

That is a good idea, but we would need somebody to spearhead that. And 
I mean a person person completely engaged, full-time.

> After we have established a relationship among these groups based
> on our common goals, this "working group" could become a "steering
> committee" whose aim is to democratically organize effort among
> the groups--that is, assuming we can establish common ground among
> the groups.

We can. But we need to be delicate about it - we all know how anal 
retentive all freedom loving communities tend to be...

> By approaching existing groups in this way, we can rally support to
> initiate a funding campaign by which we can purchase and distribute
> hardware, develop new protocols and software (where necessary) and
> train individuals to lead their own local Freedom Network
> services.

Similarily to what TOR Project does. They are high-profile and well 
funded precisely because they work with multiple communities (human 
rights; free software; net neutrality).

The FaiF Distributed Cloud Project or whatever we would call it 
could/should also work in a similar manner.

> Am I making sense?

Yes, a *lot*. ;)

-- 
Pozdrawiam
Michał "rysiek" Woźniak

Fundacja Wolnego i Otwartego Oprogramowania

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