I can help with Peer Model/Network Protocols (in that order).
Michal Excerpts from James Vasile's message of 2011-10-17 17:18:10 +0100: > I discovered last night that my mail to this group has been disappearing > in to a hole, which explains why my recent emails have generated zero > response or discussion. > > Here's the working group plan, generally described. This is a proposal. > The people on this email list will decide how this actually works in > practice. > > We can populate these groups on the mailing list and then those groups > will work via whatever mechanism they deem best. > > Best regards, > James Vasile > > > > ## Promotion and Visual Identity > > This team is the welcoming face we share with the world. > > * Logo and associated branding > * Prettier website > * Identifies conference and speaking opportunities > * Organize hackfests > * Encourage media coverage of the FreedomBox project > * Recruit more people to the project > > ## User Experience > > This working group will design the layer that the end user sees. > FreedomBox will live or die based on whether it is easy to use, and > ease of use for unsophisticated end users is this group's highest > priority. > > The UX Working Group may also create mechanisms to serve advanced > users. It might be the case that the FreedomBox will need a simple > configuration mode and also an expert mode that we don't expect mere > mortals to ever see. > > Although UX is a separate Working Group, every aspect of this project > is connected to user experience. As such, it is expected that this > Working Group's members will work closely with other Groups to produce > a consistent and simple user experience across the many parts of the > FreedomBox. > > ### Goals > > * Identification of UX priorities, goals and standards > * UX conceptualization to serve those priorities, goals and standards > * Execution of that concept in the browser and smart phones apps > * Conduct real-world HID trials of the UI > > > ## Network Protocols > > This working group will develop the means by which FreedomBoxes will > talk to each other in a secure, anonymous and private fashion. This > is a tremendously difficult project because there are so many > considerations and trade-offs. > > ### Goals > > * Evaluate mesh networking options > * Evaluate DNS/routing options > * Evaluate ways to find other FreedomBoxes and communicate with them, > assuming TCP/IP connections. > > > ## Peer Model > > The FreedomBox has social built in to the stack at a low level. What > that means is that it has a concept of who it (and its users) are > interacting with. That knowledge should be available across the > device and allow the user to treat all interaction with people or > groups of people in context-sensitive ways. That means the FreedomBox > will need a way to store and organize information about peers (both > boxes and users on those boxes). It will also have to make that > information available to the applications on the FreedomBox, including > existing applications with their own user models. Finally, > information interchange between FreedomBoxes will sometimes include > data stored in the peer model. What are the concerns about this > interchange and what steps should we take to do this interchange while > protecting security, privacy and anonymity? > > This Working Group will recommend a peer model and ways to integrate > that model into applications, both new and existing and also to > exchange data with other boxes. It will possibly develop software to > implement its recommendations. > > This Working Group can assume that data interchange will take place > over protocols selected or developed by the Network Protocols Working > Group. This group should not develop protocols. > > ## Configuration > > Beneath the user interface, there needs to exist a layer that actually > manages configuration. This is the layer that edits text files to > enact user choices, sanity checks those choices, rolls back changes, > maybe files reports so we can identify option conflicts, etc. > > This group might reasonably start by looking at Nick Daly's excellent > config work. > > ### Goals > > * Create an API for talking to the UI layer. > * Prevent conflicts or breaking the box. > * Enact config choices (edit text files, change db entries, run > scripts, etc.) > * Record new conflicts so we can prevent future conflicted config > states. Optionally report that data. > > ## Social and Applications > > Decentralizing the web requires self-hosting the applications used by > so many people as part of their daily lives. Email, (micro)blogs, > social networks, photo-sharing, shared whiteboards, file sharing, etc. > This group will evaluate existing software and identify software that > can be hosted on the FreedomBox in conformance with its goals and with > minimal changes to the software. > > ### Some Goals > > * Separate data from applications > * Export/import/interoperation with existing services > > ## Security > > This Working Group will identify the security concerns that plague any > effort like the FreedomBox. They will review new code, review > existing software packages, and gently apply their paranoia for the > good of us all. It is recommended that this group work closely with > the Network Protocols team. > > There is a tradeoff between security and ease of use. This group > seeks to illuminate rather than defeat that tradeoff. > > ### Goals > > * Allow as much communication as possible while protecting security, > privacy, and anonymity. > * Identify the trade-offs between security and ease of use and > recommend points along the continuum FreedomBox might inhabit. > * Allow security-minded users to have security while interoperating > with users who choose less secure mdoes of operation. > > ## Documentation > > This Working Group will develop documentation standards and execute > those standards to provide end users as well with all the information > they need to use a FreedomBox. This Group may also create > documentation for developers. > > The existence of a Documentation Working Group does not free others > from writing and maintaining documentation. Documentarians will work > closely with other Working Groups to *help* with the documentation > effort and to standardize it across the project. Responsibility for > documenting FreedomBox technology, though, remains with those who know > it best-- e.g. those who develop, customize and package it. > > > ## Platform Group > > The Platform Group tweaks Debian, packages software, studies > deployment, brainstorms the path from a stock Dream Plug to a working > FreedomBox, investigates other platforms and anything else involving > the layer from the OS on down. > _______________________________________________ Freedombox-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss
