[Freedombox-discuss] FreedomBox Conspiracy Theory

[John Walsh]

Hi Everybody,
 
There has been been a lot of heated and name calling on the mailing list
recently;
<quote>
On 11-07-21 at 05:38pm, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:

> this is a complex project WHERE THE REQUIRED SOFTWARE DOESN'T EXIST.

> have i said it enough times, you think??

Yes. One time was one too many,

This project is about putting together existing tools.

Other projects exist to invent software.

 - Jonas
</quote>
<quote>
Fbox and nextnet used to be awesome lists. Then the philsophers/"architects"
show up. Useful discussion to accomplishing results disapears.
</quote>
I think this is quite disappointing for a project with such high
aspirations, 
 
I think the name calling can be put down to "The Great FreedomBox Conspiracy
Theory". Basically, the Great Philosopher promised people who gave him money
a FreedomBox full of "Debianised" toys from the Packagers, which would do
everything to protect Freedom Fighters except mesh computing. Of course, the
mere mention of the toys "freedom and privacy" drew donations from
Philosophers and Architectures who felt that after donating they had a right
to be heard at the Foundation. 
 
Next, the "Is/Is Not" Manifest was published by the Foundation which was so
general the Philosophers/Architects started talking about their new toys.
After a while one of the Philosophers wondered were they just talking
amongst themselves, which caused the Great Philosopher and his Packagers to
issue the Great Update and then the Working Group Proposal. Under the
Proposal, Architects could talk amongst themselves in their "UI/UX" meeting
room; Philosophers could talk amongst themselves in the Peer to Peer Model
meeting room, while Packagers got their own meeting rooms such a Networking
Protocols and Security Meeting Rooms. .
 
However, before the meeting rooms were built one Philosopher demanded his
new toy to be invented now by the Packagers. The Packagers said it was only
their job to Debianise existing toys and not create inventions thus
revealing the Great FreedomBox Conspiracy Theory. The Architects realised
that it's the Packagers who choose the UI of the Debianised toys. The
Philosophers realised that it's the Packagers who choose the Peer to Peer
Model of the Debianised toys. The Architects and Philosophers felt their
contributions were of no value to the FreedomBox and they were only being
tolerated because of their donations. The Packagers felt that they donate
money and their time to do all the work so they should choose the UI and
Peer to Peer Model for the Debianised Toys of the FreedomBox. War broke out.
 
First of all, I hope everybody can see the different parts they play in the
story  (I am a Philosopher and a bit of an Architect), and I hope you also
noticed I used nice language so that people wouldn't get offended. Another
Architect proposed a UI (1) which involved what looks like a considerably
amount of work to me. It's my impression, that work is going to be ignored
simply because FreedomBox will use whatever UI comes with a software
package, i.e. FreedomBox packages and does not invent. I do not have an
issue with principle of packaging, but I do not want to be wasting my time
doing UI work that will be superseded by the UI of a chosen package. The
same goes for the Peer to Peer Model Working Group work.
 
I think the Foundation needs to be honest with if/how non-packagers can
contribute to the project and I think a good time to do that would be when
the FreedomBox Roadmap is released sometime after the Debcon hacking fest. I
will make a couple of wiki posts to scratch an itch, but then I will step
back from the project until I see the Roadmap.
 
At the end of the day, I will buy a FreedomBox because there will be nothing
better out there and I am happy if that's my only genuine contribution.
Please don't just tolerate me because I donated to the project, I would
rather know now, if there is a genuine opportunity to contribute my thoughts
and ideas, or if this is a mindless brainstorming session for the likes of
me without an actual outcome.
 
I wish the project much success.
 
 
 
 
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