@benpate
> We could probably rebuild most of Discord's features as an Emissary inbox without doing a lot of back end code

One way to rapid prototype this would be to cheat. Copy as much as Discord's HTML/CSS/JS as you can get hold of. Chuck it in a private repo, accessible only to you/ your team.

Then you only need to build a layer of scripting glue and gaffer tape between that and an existing AP back-end (#Emissary, @Bonfire, dealer's choice). Published under a free license.

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#Discord

After a few days/ weeks of furious hacking, you'll either give up in disgust and tombstone your repo, or a get a PoC working. If you do, celebrate and announce the fact.

Then you can recruit web/app designers who've never had access to the private repo (with the Discord layout code). They can then build Free Code interfaces on top of your glue and gaffer tape layer. Voila, a fully libre service with all the key features of Discord

Rinse, repeat for other DataFarms we'd like to replace.

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@mick_collins
> someone could write a front-end that calls those apps as if they were the same app, and the end user wouldn't need to know

Ooh, you're wading into murky waters here Mick ; ) Here be (komodo) dragons!

Putting aside the messy details, you're right that one app could present a unified interface on top of a bunch of different components. In fact, most apps do that, we're just so used to seeing certain features bundled together that we don't notice.

@laurenshof