Notices by Strypey (strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz), page 89

@clacke either way, even if they own the software, is the code readable? Is it properly documented? Can Collaborate change contractors if someone offers them a better deal, or are they locked in? Is there a #TechCooperative who would be willing to do some the same job, using 100% free code, with any new code owned by Collaborate under a free license, for a more modest fee? Thoroughly documented, so they are free to choose maintainers going forward, of course. #LikeInNotLockIn

@clacke for example, the Springload have quoted them NZ$40,000 to build v.2.0 of the LetsCollaborate.co.nz site. Back-of-an-envelope calculations; that could fund 5 developers for 5 weeks, fulltime (40 hour weeks), at $40 an hour. That means this charity is either paying to build 1000-ish hours worth of proprietary software (owned by who?), or more likely, paying someone a ridiculous amount to put proprietary icing on a stack of free code (like #MarketAcumen who built #CommunityWeaver3).

@clacke part I what I was thinking about as I shared all my frustrations about Collaborate, was how I might approach them and talk about these things, without coming across like this shaggy bear, shambling out of the woods roaring at them ;) Especially how I can communicate that I'm really *offering* them something of value, not *demanding* they join my secular religion, which I've probably been guilty of with previous outreach efforts.

@clacke part I what I was thinking about as I shared all my frustrations about Collaborate, was how I might approach them and talk about these things, without coming across like this shagging bear, shambling out of the woods roaring at them ;) Especially how I can communicate that I'm really *offering* them something of value, not *demanding* they join my secular religion, which I've probably been guilty of with previous outreach efforts.

@clacke that was my first reaction too. But then I have to remind myself that I have the privilege of more than 20 years of mistakes and mentorship to draw on. Unless one happens to know someone who is already active in our social space, it's still hard to learn about #SoftwareFreedom, managing #PeerProduction and #FederatedNetworks well, using #PlatformCooperatives and decison-making platforms (eg #Loomio) to avoid hierarchy creeping in etc. Let alone find existing projects in a given domain.

@tootbrute I've been wondering which distro to use on a #MacBook I'm going to have soon. One possibility is #Uruk (it has a dock too), a close cousin of #Trisquel:
https://urukproject.org/dist/en.html

I asked for suggestions here a few days ago, and a few people mentioned #ElementaryOS, which is somewhat influenced by #MacOS:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/12/a-tour-of-elementary-os-perhaps-the-linux-worlds-best-hope-for-the-mainstream/

@Ajz cool. Do you know if AppImages are sandboxed at all? That seems like a sensible precaution when using them for evaluating new apps that may create vulnerabilities (either bugs or malware). I don't know if it's wise to use them for day-to-day use. It would be great if there was some way to chuck $ into a bounty for getting a new app packaged in the upstream distros (#Debian, #Fedora, #Arch etc), once it's mature enough for that to be appropriate.
@harriskenny

* if Collaborate themselves, are going to be funded via donations, grants, or fees paid by funded charities listing volunteer opportunities on their platform, it's not even a business, it's a charity. Why not liberate the code, encourage large community groups to set up their own instance (using their own branding not Collaborate's), and federate selectively with instances they trust?

* they are kind of reinventing the wheel, since there are already #TimeBanks all across the country running digital platforms to facilitate volunteering (in the form of "time trades"). Why build a new website, especially a proprietary one?
* Instead of taking steps to make sure they are in control of their technology, #Collaborate have outsourced it to a third-party. Who owns the code? What steps have they taken to make sure they can keep using it if Springload shuts down?
#Collaborate

Sadly, the #Collaborate platform is a great example of how the #VultureCapitalist startup funding model has infected #SocialEnterprise thinking;
* they call their website an "app"
* Instead of building on and sharing their work as #FreeCode;
"You must not ... create derivative works based upon the Site of any kind whatsoever or any software or programming related thereto"
https://www.letscollaborate.co.nz/terms-and-conditions
* You can only login via FB (to be fair they're working on a native login):
https://www.letscollaborate.co.nz/faq/facebook-login

The excellent #Seeds podcast interviewed #HollyNorton, co-founder of #Aotearoa (#NZ) volunteering website 'Collaborate':
http://seeds.libsyn.com/holly-norton-on-co-founding-collaborate-the-social-enterprise-volunteering-app

The Collaborate team are exactly the kind of people we want in the #PlatformCooperative movement. They understand that digital platforms can be used to scale up people's ability to do good work in their communities.

@emacsen I know what you mean This started to happen for me in #Aotearoa after #Occupy and the 2011 #NZ general election, and the feeling intensified after the 2014 general election. All the stuff that was going on with #KimDotCom loomed large, even as we were making progress on things like the NZGOAL Software Edition. It started to feel like we were building awesome sandcastles, but the tide was coming in ...
@cwebber

@aral good to know. That explains a lot. So basically Google has acquired them, without actually having to acquire them ... :-{
@ProfessorBitRot

@harriskenny @Ajz have either of you tried #AppImage for the same purpose?

@dredmorbius My plan? Well, that starts with someone giving me a 5 year, 20 hour a week contract ... ;-P
@bob

@ProfessorBitRot for a long time Mozilla was getting a lot of their funding in the form of donations from Google. I've heard many people suggest this has shaped both their technical and organizational decisions. This is a major downside of the Foundation model of stewardship for free code projects. If you ban corporations from donating, like #Greenpeace does, you just give them an excuse to use your code anyway, without contributing to funding. It's a complicated problem.
@aral

@ProfessorBitRot for a long time Mozilla was getting a lot of their funding in the form of donations from Google. I've heard many people suggest this has shaped both their technical and organizational decisions. This is a major downside of the Foundation model of stewardship for free code projects. If you ban corporations from donating, like #Greenpeace does, you just force them to use your code anyway, without contributing funding. It's a complicated problem.
@aral

@andycuccaro please feel free to speak with #hashtags! It makes it a lot easier for people to find useful information about topics they're interested in, and people with common interest to follow. At least when you're discussing serious stuff, and not just #shiptoasting ;)

'Crypto‐miners: Digital labor and the power of #blockchain technology' by Filipe Calvão, from the journal #EconomicAnthropology
https://doi.org/10.1002/sea2.12136