4 ms·

Okay, I'll bite. Tell me why I should use appleseed instead of using facebook.

by blhack 16y ago

michaelchisari 16y ago
Same reason you might want to host your own web server instead of using Geocities. And if you don't host your own, the competitive eco-system that's created by federation means you can move your profile between nodes, without losing access to your social network.
- blhack 16y ago
  I do not understand any of what you just said. I would want to host my own webserver instead of using Geocities because hosting my own webserver means that I can write my website in whatever language I want, and that there is no limitation on what I can use it for (like DB restrictions, or domain restrictions). What is "the competitive ecosystem that's created by federation"? What reason would I ever have for moving my profile between "nodes"? What is a "node"? I'm not trying to be harsh, sorry if it sounds like I am. I believe I signed up for appleseed a while ago when you linked it here, but I couldn't figure out what was special about it.
  - michaelchisari 16y ago
    I would want to host my own webserver instead of using Geocities because hosting my own webserver means that I can write my website in whatever language I want, and that there is no limitation on what I can use it for And with Appleseed, you can run your own social networking site, theme it how you want, add third party features, build extensions, etc. "the competitive ecosystem that's created by federation"? Think of it like email. If you decide you don't want to be on gmail anymore, you move to hotmail or yahoo, or you set up your own server, and since SMTP is federated, you can still email all of your contacts, you're not walled off. The same principle applies to Appleseed and distributed social networking. (A "node" is just a social networking website that is compatible.)
- rick888 16y ago
  I've been hearing about Appleseed for at least 5+ years and it's still in obscurity. The problem is that it's just too complicated for the average, non-technically savvy user. Without being able to get the general public to use it, it won't go anywhere.
  - michaelchisari 16y ago
    It's pretty simple to sign up for and use, actually. No more difficult than Facebook. You create an account, upload photos, read newsfeeds, etc. Unless you're talking about setting up your own server, in which case it requires experience with running a LAMP server, and about 5 min to install. The problem is that it's a volunteer open source project, not that it's difficult to use. Thus, it takes a lot longer time to maturation than it does when you have funding and full time employees. However, despite being in beta, that we've built up around 200 Appleseed nodes (50 running the latest code), and the main beta test server has around 600 testers, it's not doing too shabby.
    - rick888 16y ago
      It may seem easy to you, but it needs to be brain-dead easy for the average user or they won't even waste their time on it. Is there one site people can go to like Facebook and signup? There also needs to be a compelling reason to switch.
      - michaelchisari 16y ago
        it needs to be brain-dead easy for the average user or they won't even waste their time on it. A good chunk of the test users are average users, they're friends and family that I've roped into testing for me. I've been using their feedback to improve the software. I'm doing a lot of work on the UI/UX in order to "train" users for the conventions of distributed social networking. Obvious things like tutorials and FAQ's, videos and such, but also I'm working on a redesign to replace link text like "Remote Login" with "I have an account on an other site", so there are constant improvements being made in that area. Is there one site people can go to like Facebook and signup? For now, no, it's still being developed. There will be many sites, some catering to niche audiences, others more general. I've registered a number of domains for that purpose, and I expect others to use the software to do the same. A social networking site for cosplayers, black professionals, or green party activists, or even workplaces or schools which manage their own employee or student social networks.

Okay, I'll bite. Tell me why I should use appleseed instead of using facebook.

by blhack 16y ago

Okay, I'll bite. Tell me why I should use appleseed instead of using facebook.

Same reason you might want to host your own web server instead of using Geocities. And if you don't host your own, the competitive eco-system that's created by federation means you can move your profile between nodes, without losing access to your social network.

blhack 16y ago
I do not understand any of what you just said. I would want to host my own webserver instead of using Geocities because hosting my own webserver means that I can write my website in whatever language I want, and that there is no limitation on what I can use it for (like DB restrictions, or domain restrictions). What is "the competitive ecosystem that's created by federation"? What reason would I ever have for moving my profile between "nodes"? What is a "node"? I'm not trying to be harsh, sorry if it sounds like I am. I believe I signed up for appleseed a while ago when you linked it here, but I couldn't figure out what was special about it.
- michaelchisari 16y ago
  I would want to host my own webserver instead of using Geocities because hosting my own webserver means that I can write my website in whatever language I want, and that there is no limitation on what I can use it for And with Appleseed, you can run your own social networking site, theme it how you want, add third party features, build extensions, etc. "the competitive ecosystem that's created by federation"? Think of it like email. If you decide you don't want to be on gmail anymore, you move to hotmail or yahoo, or you set up your own server, and since SMTP is federated, you can still email all of your contacts, you're not walled off. The same principle applies to Appleseed and distributed social networking. (A "node" is just a social networking website that is compatible.)
rick888 16y ago
I've been hearing about Appleseed for at least 5+ years and it's still in obscurity. The problem is that it's just too complicated for the average, non-technically savvy user. Without being able to get the general public to use it, it won't go anywhere.
- michaelchisari 16y ago
  It's pretty simple to sign up for and use, actually. No more difficult than Facebook. You create an account, upload photos, read newsfeeds, etc. Unless you're talking about setting up your own server, in which case it requires experience with running a LAMP server, and about 5 min to install. The problem is that it's a volunteer open source project, not that it's difficult to use. Thus, it takes a lot longer time to maturation than it does when you have funding and full time employees. However, despite being in beta, that we've built up around 200 Appleseed nodes (50 running the latest code), and the main beta test server has around 600 testers, it's not doing too shabby.
  - rick888 16y ago
    It may seem easy to you, but it needs to be brain-dead easy for the average user or they won't even waste their time on it. Is there one site people can go to like Facebook and signup? There also needs to be a compelling reason to switch.
    - michaelchisari 16y ago
      it needs to be brain-dead easy for the average user or they won't even waste their time on it. A good chunk of the test users are average users, they're friends and family that I've roped into testing for me. I've been using their feedback to improve the software. I'm doing a lot of work on the UI/UX in order to "train" users for the conventions of distributed social networking. Obvious things like tutorials and FAQ's, videos and such, but also I'm working on a redesign to replace link text like "Remote Login" with "I have an account on an other site", so there are constant improvements being made in that area. Is there one site people can go to like Facebook and signup? For now, no, it's still being developed. There will be many sites, some catering to niche audiences, others more general. I've registered a number of domains for that purpose, and I expect others to use the software to do the same. A social networking site for cosplayers, black professionals, or green party activists, or even workplaces or schools which manage their own employee or student social networks.