[Freedombox-discuss] Working Groups Proposal
I'm happy to be part of the Promotion and Visual Identity group since
I'm familiar with that work, via some of my other hats.
Deb
Community Building Addict
On 17 October 2011 12:18, James Vasile <vasile at freedomboxfoundation.org> wrote:
> 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.
>
>
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>
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