Mercurial > thoughts

     1 #+TITLE: Server Culture

     2 #+AUTHOR: Robert McIntyre, Dylan Holmes

     3 #+EMAIL:     rlm@mit.edu

     4 #+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/setup.org

     5 #+INCLUDE:   ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org

     6 #+MATHJAX: align:"left" mathml:t path:"http://www.aurellem.org/MathJax/MathJax.js"

     7 

     8 * Purpose

     9 

    10 - To empower users by providing free (libre), secure, user-friendly,

    11   personal servers.

    12 - To create software that capitalizes on the personal server model;

    13   for example, personal e-mail servers, file serving and transfer.  

    14 - To provide intuitive and transparent web interfaces for configuration.

    15 - To promote a culture of computer literacy in general and personal

    16   servers in particular by writing modular

    17   free applications with friendly interfaces, transparent configurability,

    18   and lucid documentation.

    19 

    20 * VPS Service

    21 

    22 - Encrypted storage

    23 - Domain registration

    24 - Backup service

    25 - Software bundles

    26 

    27 - Hardware

    28 - Pricing

    29 

    30 * Web interface

    31 

    32 - Server configuration

    33 - Package management

    34 - File management

    35 - Web terminal

    36 

    37 * Modules

    38   These could have user friendly locations as subdomains of the main

    39   domain that each person would already have (such as

    40   mail.example.com, video.example.com)

    41   

    42 - user managament -- to give other people access to files, etc. 

    43 - E-mail

    44 - File sharing

    45 - Social media (e.g. via RSS feeds)

    46 

    47 * Brain stoming notes

    48   

    49   - What about small busineses?  They are also entities that need

    50     privacy and control over their own information. There's still no

    51     really good way to get up and going as a small business with little

    52     computer ability.

    53     

    54   - Bitcoin --- people could store their wallets on their own servers

    55     and always have access to money.

    56 

    57   - Backups --- this should be taught to people and made extremely easy.

    58 

    59   - Legal issues -- should encrypt the server's hard drive

    60     automatically.

    61 

    62   - Identity -- using openid or something, people can finally have an

    63     online presence on the web.

    64     

    65   - Privacy -- one peoblem with proxy sites or VPNs is that they are

    66     only as good as the company's word that they won't keep logs. If

    67     people could somehow use their own servers as a VPN or proxy, they

    68     they could ENSURE that no logs are kept.

    69 

    70   - If people have servers running all the time, they could donate

    71     hard drive space and CPU power to worthy causes in addition to

    72     money. (for example, consider donating hosting power to a favorite

    73     comic). 

    74 

    75   - Back up your personal files to your server.

    76 

    77   - Email lists -- where you can manage lists like at MIT, and people

    78     can add themselves, etc.
author	Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date	Sun, 07 Sep 2014 21:35:52 -0700
parents	072f65145ec0
children	9bf4f0d5af68