[...] a massively decentralized Internet, consisting of a huge number of small communities, requires database management systems that are built from the ground up for the purpose.
The systems available today are built to support massive, centralized, owned datasets, at immense complexity and cost, with intentions that go against the principles of a free and open Internet.
@chrisg I run plenty of mysql instances, including on a Raspberry Pi for development. If used on a small scale it just works and requires no management.
Android has SQLITE built in - that is what holds your text messages - and that just works too.
What do we need to fix specifically?
@mike805
The problem i am identifying is not technical, but political. It's about what are the intentions behind the infrastructure we develop, and my position is that we need to encourage a new wave of free software built specifically against centralization.
So yeah, we have the tech today to build small sites. SQLite is an excellent example of that. What we need is a widespread, explicit movement against big tech.
Shout out to @aral and @laura who (AFAIK) spoke about this idea first.
Absolutely. I am not under any illusion that people will jump on a standalone piece of software just because of the morals it supports.
But a free, decentralized, anti capitalist software movement requires a lot of effort and moving pieces. And if we don't put in the work, then it will definitely not happen.
So i want to try, even if the odds are massively against me. At least i am having fun while doing it 🙂
@chrisg @aral @laura Sounds interesting. I am doing some Android dev now, and web projects, using nodejs in both cases. What are you working on?
It seems like the piracy ecosystem is the most successful and extensive software system with explicit anticapitalist goals.
It's really amazing that a lot of people are willing to work for free and at personal risk when they cannot even claim credit under their real names.
What are they doing right? Why does that work so well?
@chrisg Exactly. The goal must be that someone would use what you make because it is functional, usable, and maybe even delightful. Not because of its ethics. If we don’t design for that, we’ve already lost.
To put it another way, our ethics must include making sure that the experiences people have when using what we make are good ones. It all comes down to respect: for human rights, effort, and experience.
See:
- https://ind.ie/ethical-design/
- https://small-tech.org/about/#small-technology
Chris Gioran 💔
mike805
Aral Balkan