Re: Reboot: Strategic goals for GNOME

[Sandy Armstrong <sanfordarmstrong gmail com>]

On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 3:00 PM, Richard Stallman <rms gnu org> wrote:
>    It seems to me there's a continuing need to 1) raise awareness about
>    GNOME, 2) raise money for GNOME, and 3) provide services around open
>    tools so users don't need to host their own servers, etc., to benefit
>    from services like Snowy, iFolder, etc.
>
> Let's not be in a rush to invite users to use servers -- even our own
> -- instead of their own computers.  That is the wrong direction to go.

It is something our users want, and even expect.  "Wrong" is a loaded
word.  If we make an effort to be a truly Free Network Service
[http://autonomo.us/], there are a lot of benefits to users.

I am not trying to say that the risks you mention do not exist.  But
they can be addressed in time (by features like encryption, as you
mention below).  In the meantime, users are free to not use the
service, or to set up their own servers under their own control
running the Snowy software.

> For instance, consider Snowy:
>
>     "Snowy is a web application for synchronizing, viewing, sharing, and
>      editing your Tomboy notes online. It is designed to power an upcoming
>      Tomboy Online free web service where any Tomboy user can make an
>      account. It can also be used on your own personal server.
>      Snowy is AGPL-licensed and written in Python using the Django framework."
>
> Synchronizing and sharing the notes are not SaaS, though editing might
> be SaaS.  So at least some of this service is basically ok, provided
> Gnote can also use it (because Tomboy's dependence on C# is a problem).

The REST API used for syncing is being developed in the open in
collaboration with other interested parties, including other
Tomboy-compatible applications like Tomdroid and Conboy, and server
software like Ubuntu One and Midgard2.  There is nothing preventing
the Gnote developer from implementing this API, or contributing to its
development.

The reason we specifically talk about Tomboy here is because it is a
part of the GNOME Desktop Suite.

> Even better, can Gnote be adapted to communicate these data via email,
> I wonder?  Then it would not need a server at all.  People could
> optionally encrypt the email using GPG for full privacy.

Email certainly requires a server.

Encrypting user data is something I'd like to explore for Snowy in the
future (see Mozilla's Weave project for a good example of how this
might be done).  I won't be working on this feature until we've gotten
a bit further in development and deployment, but anyone is welcome to
contribute that feature earlier if it interests them.

Storing everything encrypted will have an impact on the ability for
Snowy to provide certain features that users expect in an efficient
manner, so I would not be surprised if many users would choose
features over absolute privacy.  They make that choice every day when
they use Gmail and Facebook.

We can simultaneously work toward providing a compelling service and
protecting our users' freedom, but both goals take time and effort.

> This approach would require some programming, but that would only have
> to be done once; it would spare GNOME the continuing effort of running
> a server, and enable users to avoid depending on one.

I am curious to see what effort and expense will be required by GNOME
to host Tomboy Online.

But the reality for users is that they care about the features that
are most easily enabled by a hosted service.  I feel it would be
foolish of us to keep waiting (aka, losing) until a perfect non-server
solution was available.

But as always, patches welcome.

Sandy