I noticed and got interested in Freenet in 2006 by this paper, here from the year 2002 - http://www.lawtechjournal.com/articles/2002/05_021229_roemer.php - and made an effort in actually using it in 2014 as a reaction on the surveillance scandal exposed by Edward Snowden.
The good stuff: For 15 years Freenet is one of the best technical solutions to extreme worst case internet scenarios for whistleblowing & privacy advocates. And it still is. It's one of the most promissing technical solutions in that regard. If I had to set up a new internet user existence with high demands on freedom of press and privacy, I wouldn't think a second looking for other ways than the freenet project. The Freenet has no bad record like for instance busted users for 15 years now upto today. What other tool can claim that for itself? I heard people here be in odds with the fact that freenet is the oldest player in the field. The opposite is the case: It's no weakness, it's a strengh, it's reliability and consistency like a big, thick, old oak. The Freenet is prestigious. In public it forms a 3 note chord together with TOR and I2P, and that upto today: Just have a look at this recent article published by a news website with 17 million visitors per month http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/more-indians-are-logging-on-anonymously-using-browsers-like-tor-freenet-i2p-and-tails/articleshow/49330271.cms Not to forget the prize we've won this year: https://freenetproject.org/news.html#20150211-suma-award The Freenet gets more and more important: Just think of the surveillance scandal revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013, think of more and more countries introducing data retention, think of how threatened freedom of press gets in more and more countries, think of the centralization of the internet, shall I continue? Each of those steps on the other side did, does and will push more people to the freenet. The bad stuff: The Freenet can't afford to look like a window in the past in any way. It simply sucks. It's no pull, but push (away) factor. And the worst thing in this regard is the completely grey, uncreative-depressing starting/main page of Freenet. Second worst is the "internet like 1999" look of the websites linked by said main page of Freenet. This is really a point which urgently and step by step needs to be updated. I'm glad that happens with https://freenetproject.org/ very soon. It's absolutely necessary from user perspective ! Especially because of this: If Freenet always will be slower than the www, then you definitely don't want Freenet to also be uglier then the www. It's a disadvantage you simply can't afford. It should be the other way around: Your design loud and clear have to say that the future of the internet is the Freenet. The chances: Collaborations. Try to get in Tails. Try to get in Debian. Try to get in crowdfunded anti surveillance projects like CommunityCube: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/communitycubes/communitycube-lets-build-a-fair-internet/description It will establish you further like abovementioned and will result in more new users and developers. Funding - pull every thinkable straw, and you have some left. When one has a look at https://freenetproject.org/donate.html , one sees how currently one can donate by... - paypal (recurring payment), which is not used by people, who boycott paypal for fighting wikileaks or simply don't trust online payment - paypal (once) - bitcoins - ~ talking and figuring out together - great offer, but practically to complicated. What ever solution could be figured out, write it directly and so remove the need to start a conversation before paying - merchandising what is missing: - direct bank account based on SEPA - think of your peer group, privacy sensitive folks care about this method a lot, as online banking in times of NSA is evil. - you really need to make a strong effort in making a crowdfunding campaign on any crowdfunding platform, preferably big and popular crowdfunding platforms like patreon or kickstarter, just like MediaGoblin has done so: http://mediagoblin.org/pages/campaign.html -- I mean, you have it all: --- You have the crowd motivation (surveillance scandal, data retention, facebook, etc.) --- You have the offer: The practical useful tool, Freenet - with all of said record ---- Now, all it takes is a serious effort in making a crowdfunding campaign, including a nice video, promoting at news papers & PR people, well-thought crowdfunding aims, and all that placed in bottom drawer waitind to be taken out when the moment is very good for it, like for instance when data retention is being introduced in another big country, etc. Additionally, the time counter doesn't seem to me that effective as the money counter, so better switch back to the money counter. Show people how to use the Freenet. You know why most people don't change their behaviour? Not because of lack of motivation, but because they don't know how. You really need to take people - not only regarding user, but also developers - by the hand and show them as easy and entertaining as possible how everything is done. The best would be a couple of 3 minute youtube videos, spoken in with a decent micro, maybe a little bit subtle background music. By the way, you could beautifully set up an own youtube channel and let it link to your funding page and merchandise page. An anecdote: I planned to "really & seriously" use Freenet after I've read all the FAQ, Wiki, documentation, but guess what? I never made that effort, just because the sheer mass of text demotivated me in doing so. ME, the one writing here. Imagine what it does to the one's, who are not as engaged as I am. Second important: Provide cryptoparty structures with material, so that on cryptoparties people not only learn how to use TOR and PGP, but also Freenet. Be more present at events like CCCamp, Chaos Comunication Congress, and so on. You don't even necessarily need to show huge improvements since last talks, because a lot of people don't know Freenet and constructing the connection between the surveillance scandal, how it's threatening freedom of press and privacy, and the Freenet, and how to use it (!) - see last point - is totally enough. Consider in freenet development that the future of the internet gets more into streaming, interaction, videos, audio (so, the whole HTML5 bubble). Freenet shouldn't drop behind this. Greetings, Torben Lechner --- Ursprüngliche Nachricht --- Von: Ian Clarke <i...@freenetproject.org> Datum: 14.10.2015 21:22:43 An: Discussion of development of development issues <devl@freenetproject.org> Betreff: [freenet-dev] Project Status > I think it's time for us all to take a step back and have a serious > conversation about where we are, and where we are going. > > Our current bank account balance is US$1,184.32, our current PayPal balance > is $1,201.60. > > Even at Xor's very low hourly rate (he could get a lot more commercially > given his skillset - which we should all appreciate him for) this is less > than 100 hours of remaining availability. He needs to prepare for finding > an alternate income source. > > We have a new website in the works, which is great, and many people have > been working valiantly to support the project, but it's hard to escape the > feeling that we're almost in a "maintenance mode". The problem > with that > is that you just can't generate enough excitement to attract funding in > that situation. > > I will be the first to admit that I have had very limited time to devote > to > the project in recent years. I have been much more of an administrator > than a leader. I don't claim otherwise. > > The weird thing is that, even as a 15 year old project, Freenet is more > relevant now than ever. Back in the early days we received a lot of > publicity, but it was mostly because the media thought of Freenet as an > "indestructible Napster". This completely missed the point, of > course. > > But now the world has caught up with us. The Internet has been recognized > as the political tool that it is, people see the effects of Internet > censorship in controlling the debate, it seems that there is a vaporware > project almost every week that claims to do what Freenet was designed to > do > over 15 years ago. > > But unfortunately we are a 15-year-old project, and irrespective of its > new-found relevance, it's very difficult to get people excited about a > project that has been around for so long. > > Anyway, I don't want to say too much because I'd prefer for this to be more > of a conversation than a lecture, but I would appreciate people's thoughts > on this. > > Ian. > > -- > Ian Clarke > Founder, The Freenet Project > Email: i...@freenetproject.org > _______________________________________________ > Devl mailing list > Devl@freenetproject.org > https://emu.freenetproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/devl _______________________________________________ Devl mailing list Devl@freenetproject.org https://emu.freenetproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/devl
