Cloud Commune workshop ideas

Historical

• webrings
• BBS
• FidoNet - linked bbs systems at night during cheap phone rates
• ECHO - East Coast HangOut - built by Stacy Horn
• Forums

Paradigm of Academia/Military inventing the internet vs hobbyist/community-networks

• We discuss military/arpanet-via universities but leave out the hobbyist community from the history
• Community Memory, Usenet, FIDO, ECHO

Examples of community networks

• Redhook Wifi
• People’s Open Network - mesh network
• Guifi - mesh network

Current explorations

• Beaker browser

distributed Social Media

• Rotonde
• Mastadon

Distributed web community

• Tilde / Of Many Trades, etc

Mozilla NSF

• Challenge 1 - prototype off-the-grid internet - how to provide needed info/etc/apps? (maps? resources. a simple messaging app, etc) during disasters
• Challenge 2 - Smart Community Networks Challenge - how can we leverage existing physical or network infrastructure to provide high-quality wireless connectivity to communities in need
  • how can you be scrappy and build something scalable

Considerations

• technical feasibility
• differentiation
• affordability
• social impact
• scalability

2 stages

• Design Concept Stage
• Working Prototype Stage