YSK about corporations' strategies to kill open source protocols

Why YSK: If we want to keep the Fediverse in the hands of its users and prevent "enshittification" (search it), it's good to know how corporations kill grassroots projects like this.

I saw this in another thread on /c/Showerthoughts. I think it's important for this to be circulated widely so that the broader Fediverse community is aligned. We don't want admins second-guessing their decisions when users start infighting. We should be united in our thinking and ready to protect our platform.

A digital speedpainting. A giant reaper with a golden chain around their neck with the logo of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and a headband with the meta logo. The giant silhouette surprise a tiny group in comparison; a warm scene of small cute characters gathered around a Fediverse glowing logo. This is the mascott of Mastodon, Pleroma, Misskey, Funkwhale, Lemmy, Peertube. This is my feelings in reference to the discussions about Meta joining the Fediverse... License: CC-By (except logo of Meta/Facebook/What'sApp and Instagram, under trademarks)
Noedel,

Great read!

I remember me using software called trillian that supported logins to all chat networks, so I could use ICQ, Google, MSN and AOL all at the same time

ComeHereOrIHookYou,
@ComeHereOrIHookYou@lemmy.world avatar

I use to use Pidgin then move to Kopete. It even baffled me at one point how Kopete could connect to Facebook messenger and chat with my friends from Kopete and customize the chat interface to my liking. Good times good times.

Noedel,

The internet truly became a much more closed place :(

I_Miss_Daniel,
I_Miss_Daniel avatar

I was using Miranda for the same thing.

TheBeege,

Oh man, I remember Trillian, too. That was great. Must have been a nightmare to build, though

exscape,
exscape avatar

It was "just" a bunch of clients in one though, AFAIK it couldn't connect people from different protocols.
Pidgin still exists; I used it probably 20 years back on Linux.

TheBeege,

Ahh, I recall using Pidgin, too. I think i ended up favoring it over Trillian. I already had accounts on all the services, so it worked out. I guess thinking about it, if only basic chat was supported, it may not have been terrible supporting everything

minimar,

Having never heard of it, I tried Pidgin just now, and it's kinda exactly what I've always wanted. Discord support is really rough, though..

WhoRoger,
@WhoRoger@lemmy.world avatar

Woo Pidgin still exists? Lovely

minimar,

Technically! It seems... ill-equipped for the modern world, though.

TheBeege,

Hmmm... might have a new open source project to contribute to

thorhs,

I also remember when XMPP wa still the cool kid on the block. Gtalk and other chat networks supported it and allowed federation. I tan my own XMPP server and could talk to users on other servers and even networks. But then Google cut the federation and eventually all external access.

It could have been the next email, but big corporations were already in the chat space and they all walked in their user base.

I’m fairly certain that if email (SMTP) hadn’t been the dominant protocol, we would have walled gardens there as well.

soweli-mute,

the internet without the existance of email as a de-facto proof of identity and account recovery protocol would certainly be interesting.

almost every single site these days requires you to have an email to sign up. it would be interesting to know what system we would have used instead if email wasn't an option.

thegreenguy,
thegreenguy avatar

Just found out Matrix can do this, although you need to host your own server. There is also Beeper for a fully-managed product, but you need to wait to get access.

Timestatic,

Theres Beeper which I bought like a one year subscription back when it wasn't free and honestly its very useful and nice. I linked Whatsapp, iMessage, Signal, IG and discord and while in some cases it doesn't offer the same features it gets the essentials down and its really nice. Theres also another not open source one called texts.com or sth now which looks enticing but im gonna stay with beeper since I like the matrix protocol

friend_of_satan,

See also: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish

sixfold,
@sixfold@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Very good introduction to this topic.

bad_alloc,

One of the best weapons against this is probably having a well-formulated idea about this, which can effectively be communicated to people who are not in the loop. For example Right to Repair presents a kind of "our high quality device with schematics vs their short lived crapware". Good naming helps too. I suggest "Fediverse vs Corponet"

TheBeege,

Fediverse vs Corponet sounds great! But I wonder if we can go more along the lines of Right to Repair? Something like Right to Publish or Content Independence or something?

Corponet very clearly sounds bad, which is good, but Fediverse requires an explanation to a layman without generating interest, first. Laymen are interested in rights and independence, so I think words like that can act as a hook. I'm open to debate, too

AlexKingstonsGigolo,

If this had any grounding in reality, Firefox would be used as little as Cello. Don't buy into conspiracy theories. Don't get me wrong: a company could try this but it wouldn't be sustainable.

vegantomato,
@vegantomato@lemmy.world avatar

Remember that Reddit also started off small, then grew, then got bought, then turned into shit (*). However, I think that Lemmy has a greater chance of surviving as long as people keep everything truly decentralized. We shouldn’t all flock to “lemmy.world” or any other one Lemmy instance. Because if we do, that specific Lemmy instance will also be sold (along with the userbase) and turned into a corporate money-making machine.

() Some would argue that Reddit has always been shit, but that’s besides the point…*

_MoveSwiftly,

Could you please add a "Why YSK:"? It's rule #2. :)

TheBeege,

Ah, thank you! Will edit now

Hopps,

Here is a GPT4 tldr summary, and thoughts on how to avoid this from happening to us:

Summary:

  • The Fediverse is a decentralized network of servers communicating through the ActivityPub protocol.
  • Large corporations like Google and Microsoft have a history of either trying to control or make decentralized networks irrelevant.
  • Google joined the XMPP federation initially but implemented their own closed version, causing compatibility issues and slowing down the development of XMPP.
  • Eventually, Google stopped federating with other XMPP servers, leading to a decline in XMPP's popularity and growth.
  • Microsoft used similar tactics to hinder competing projects, such as the Samba network file system and open source office suites like OpenOffice and LibreOffice.
  • The strategy involves extending protocols or developing new ones to deny entry to open source projects.
  • Proprietary formats and complicated specifications are used to maintain dominance in markets.
  • Meta's potential entry into the Fediverse raises concerns as it could lead to fragmentation and a loss of freedom.
  • The Fediverse should focus on its values of freedom, ethics, and non-commercialism to avoid being co-opted by large corporations.

How a new federated decentralized platform can avoid this fate:

  1. Stay true to the principles: The platform should prioritize and uphold the values of freedom, openness, and decentralization.
  2. Develop open and robust protocols: Use open standards and ensure the protocol's specifications are transparent, well-documented, and not controlled by a single entity.
  3. Foster a strong community: Encourage collaboration, participation, and diversity within the community to avoid reliance on any single company or organization.
  4. Emphasize user control: Give users control over their data and privacy, allowing them to choose which servers and communities to join and ensuring their content is not subject to corporate surveillance.
  5. Focus on user experience: Create a user-friendly interface and provide features that attract and retain users, making it easy for them to engage and connect with others.
  6. Avoid centralization of power: Design the platform in a way that distributes authority and influence across the network, preventing any single entity from gaining too much control.
  7. Promote interoperability: Support compatibility with other decentralized platforms and protocols to encourage communication and collaboration across different networks.
  8. Educate and raise awareness: Educate users about the benefits of decentralized platforms, the risks of centralized control, and the importance of supporting independent, community-driven initiatives.

By following these principles, a new federated decentralized platform can strive to maintain its integrity, preserve user freedom, and resist the influence of large corporations seeking to control or make it irrelevant.

wildncrazyguy,
wildncrazyguy avatar

Ugh, I came into this thread with the argument that we should be inclusive to other platforms, but you’re right and you’ve changed my view.

These companies do have a habit of open source capture and then killing them. I’m sure they would have made sending an email cost a stamp if they would have been mature enough at the time.

I don’t want capture to happen to this great little platform here, but I also don’t want the developers and admins to get jaded either. We’re going to need to find some way to incentivize the folks that are willing to sacrifice their time and resources to keep this going.

I was more of a lurker than a contributor on Reddit, but I’ll fight for the Fediverse because I believe in it and I don’t want to see it corrupted. I hope others like me will too.

Nevoic,
@Nevoic@lemmy.world avatar

Mostly agree, but the "incentive" focus is a misnomer. Humans don't just sit around and stare at walls when they're not "incentivized". Incentives in sociopolitics is just a rebranding of coercion, getting people to do things they don't want to do. People are incentivized/coerced to work at McDonald's because otherwise they'll live on the streets, the housing scalpers will make sure of it.

FOSS exists and isn't at risk of dying. Yeah, it's ideal if the people working on FOSS things don't have to also work a soul crushing day job, and yeah maybe when their soul is crushed they'll lose interest in the things they enjoy doing, but we shouldn't frame that as them getting jaded towards FOSS projects. It's actually just depression, and it impacts other hobbies too.

All that being said, I'm all for donations to people who do FOSS work so they can escape and do the things they love, it means better FOSS products and happier developers.

Hopps,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just to clarify, FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software) promotes collaboration, transparency, and community-driven development. For those who may not be familiar with the abbreviation, it's all about empowering users to use, modify, and distribute software freely. Supporting FOSS developers sustains ongoing development. Let's appreciate the value of FOSS in fostering an open and accessible software ecosystem.

wargreymon,

It can go even darker, the capitalists don't have to go by their own name and be disruptive all they want, the community always need to sort this out or nothing in the open source Fediverse would work.

SuperRyn,

I wouldn't call them "capitalists", they're more worthy of the term "fascist"; that is, an ideology where corporations and the government become one.

Gerula,

Thank you OP, it surely is enlightning. I think that the only real thing that can be done is keep this place anti-corporate. This will result in a maybe not so polished and popular environment but surely more true to it's mission.

sadreality,

I don't see how anyone can be pro corporate at this point on the time line short of being a major shareholder or executive. As worker, consumer, and taxpayer, I am so fucking tired of their corruption and crimes. Nothing left to do but vote with your feet and money, since political process is captured. Maybe third-party vote as no confidence vote in the regime.

Zardoz,

I think most people in theory are against big corporations, but when it comes down to it they just go 'it is what it is' and just accept the big corps without any attempts to break off that path.

My wife is like that and I think it has more to do with not being very tech savvy/or willingness to try something different.

wildncrazyguy,
wildncrazyguy avatar

Corporations are great for one thing, and that’s becoming a funnel for money. They bring people people together to optimize for work on that goal. Innovation just happens to be a consequence of that constant pursuit. I think they do have a place in the societal fabric.

However, we need the other pillars of society to be strong as well in order to maintain balance and democracy - strong government, strong workers’ unions, cultural cohesion , advocacy for nature and resources.

You weaken those, you may get some tidy profits short term, but likely at the expense of our future.

TheBeege,

Right. Capitalism isn't inherently bad. It encourages resources being put into new ideas and technologies, but if left unfettered, it can abuse the people operating within it, as we see now. This is similar to communism being highly vulnerable to low productivity and stagnation. It's not a direct objective of the system, but it's a natural consequence without some kind of outside force regulating it.

To be clear, I'm agreeing, but I'm adding focus to the balance aspect of things

Sunrosa,

I'm really glad people are starting to notice their crimes. Only a year ago it felt like I would only see comments like this in anti-capitalist communities.

teft,
@teft@lemmy.world avatar

Well that was disheartening to read. Money and greed ruining everything.

Wooster,
@Wooster@startrek.website avatar

Okay, but realistically, how can we prevent this from happening in the future?

We’ve already, according to the article, dodged one bullet; but there’s no reason to expect that it’ll be the only one.

Also, due to the nature of the Fediverse being open source, there’s no way to prevent Facebook or other corporate monstrosities from building their own hooks.

I think we need to be prepared to preemptively defederate from the likes of Google, Reddit, Facebook or whatever. Not just this instance, but the greater Fediverse should have a United policy to reject association with those who would consume us and spit us out.

Rentlar,

I’d like to say “we have nothing to lose but our chains”, but more accurately we are only as strong as our resolve against corporations. We’ll do what we can, Meta or whatever multinational will do what it does.

We can’t fully stop what they are planning but it is possible to cultivate what we have and let it grow in a direction that’s open, just and not solely for economic ends.

Greenskye,

You really can't stop it unless you deliberately cultivate an anti-corp mindset in your users. You basically have to treat it like cyberpunk rules.

Chalky_Pockets,

There's no stopping it. We're just going to have to keep being ready to migrate to the next platform when the corporate hooks get in and ruin shit.

memchr,
@memchr@lemmy.world avatar

It would be nice to have some sort of mutually assured destruction with these mega corps.

TheBeege, (edited )

Agreed. We need to treat this like OUR platform. It's not the admins' platform. It's not the devs' platform. It's OUR platform. We create (or at least link) the content. I think that if we maintain this mindset, people will reject corporate attempts to inject themselves into our platform.

Edit: Not to say we shouldn't appreciate devs and admins. See the thread continued

Ech,

Excluding admins and devs from the start is just petulant and short sighted. Treating them like the enemy will only encourage them to silo off from the community.

nova,

It's not that they're the enemy - it's just that the platform is controlled by its users. If an admin goes bad, users have the ability to change instances or stand up instances of their own. We are not tied to a single entity's will.

TheBeege,

Yes, this is what I meant. Thank you for making it clearer than I did

ChoosyChow,
ChoosyChow avatar

Can’t have anything nice, can we?

TheInsane42,
@TheInsane42@lemmy.world avatar

Sure you can, as long as big tech designed it, can sell it to you and sell your data to others. ;) Win-win (for them)

Tolstoshev,

Nobody can get together and build something for everyone without some fucker trying to get a yacht out of it.

TheBeege,

(Edit: I know the Fediverse isn't only American, but these American companies are the ones fucking things up, so that's where my focus is)

I know this was probably meant to be an innocuous comment, but I think this is dangerous thinking.

We're in the current situation due to inaction and forces acting against us. The US populace stopped worrying about trust-busting. We assume that the current system is inevitable. We let our government not serve our needs. We don't selectively place our purchasing and attention to promote good behavior of companies.

If we recognize that we can do something and we decide to work together, we can make things better. We can reject Meta. We can agree to not federate with them and pressure others to make a morale choice rather than a convenient choice. We can do this in other aspects of life, too.

We just need to make sure that we don't let them divide us. We see this among the American population, dividing us based on issues that affect a tiny population and ignoring the things that could help us all, including those tiny populations. We let fighting over the optimal solution for problems get in the way of doing anything, even if imperfect, to at least improve things.

Let's do better. Let's unite. Let's make it clear what results we want. Let's make incremental progress (and giant leaps, if possible) towards making things better. We can't just accept not having nice things. Let's demand nice things, together.

WolfhoundRO,

Having the EU defend the community free space against corporations, like they do with GDPR and the standard laws hitting Apple, should be a powerful ally and strongman for our liberties

TheBeege,

As much as I hate all the work I've had to do to comply with GDPR, I love it. The EU did a good job with it

teft,
@teft@lemmy.world avatar

Well said.

Itty53,
Itty53 avatar

"American companies" smh, let me introduce you to "The City of London", not to be confused with London the city in England.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London

The UK has a metropolitan region called "The City" (of London) where banks get to basically play without rules. It is for that reason the financial capital of the entire world.

The UK has a square mile dedicated to white collar crime and fraud and it exists because the international wealthy were more powerful than the monarchy ever could be, let's not pretend Americans are the ones who gave up. This is a very long, very old battle - older than America the nation itself.

CheeseNoodle,

Sadly true, as much dirty money runs through that place as the rest of the world combined, the US included.

livus,
livus avatar

I agree with you. Boosting this every time I see it.

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