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On this page information on Cloud Computing services is collected. The focus is on decentralized Free Software services that will respect users freedom.

Information Material

Texts

• Autonomo.us Group Franklin Street Statement on Freedom and Network Services

• Richard Stallman Who does that server really serve?

• Eben Moglen Freedom In the Cloud: Software Freedom, Privacy, and Security for Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing

• Open Software Service Definition (OSSD) misses open standards for communication protocol and data export at any time

• Total Information Outsourcing (TIO)

Video

• Torsten Grote at FSCONS 2010 about Centralized Internet Services and Problems of Power (WebM) also in HD as a torrent download

• Karsten Gerloff Power and Freedom

Audio

• Torsten Grote beim Deutschlandradio Wissen zu Cloud Computing und Freie Software (German introductory interview). (Audio).

• Frank Karlitschek and Torsten Grote Diskussion rund um Cloud Computing + ownCloud (German interview)

Initiatives

A list of "cloud" services and their free alternatives is available from the FreedomBox Project and Libre Projects

Social Networks

• DIASPORA

• OneSocialWeb

  • decentralised social networking platform, based on XMPP, and developed by the Vodafone R&D group

• GNU social

• Peerscape

• Friendika

• Appleseed

• buddycloud

  • a location based, mobile social community
  • uses XMPP and OStatus

• MOVIM

• Jappix

  • XMPP based distributed social network that can be used with existing jabber accounts

• kopal

• DiSo Project

• The Socknet

• 6d

• NoseRub

  • another decentralised social network
  • defines the social network and some basic content types like media, links, micropublishing and text

• SocialRiver

  • OStatus-based software that works with WordPress and BuddyPress to create a decentralized federated social networking platform

• Elgg

  • social networking engine that was initially aimed at educational and learning groups, but has now entered general use
  • not decentralized

• DiSo Project

  • a initiative to build a distributed social network architecture using microformats, OpenID, OAuth and other building blocks

• Pontarius

• Ampify

  • decentralised, social platform as a web application framework allowing others to create social apps on top of it

Protocols

• OStatus

• WebID

  • uniquely identifies a person, company, organization, or other agent using a URI
  • one direct use of this concept is foaf+ssl/tls
  • uses browser certificate and can be combined with OpenID

• The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project

  • Foafpress PHP web application using FOAF

• webfinger

• salmon-protocol

• Activity Streams

• pubsubhubbub

  • A simple, open, server-to-server web-hook-based pubsub (publish/subscribe) protocol as an extension to Atom and RSS.

  • Easy to understand video introduction in non-free format from youtube

• Portable Contacts

  • A secure way to access address books and friends lists

  • uses existing standards wherever possible, including vCard, OpenSocial, XRDS-Simple, OAuth, etc.

• microformats

  • a set of simple, open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards

• Federated Social Web

  • Wiki to collect results of Federated Social Web Summit including Social Web Acid Test

Collaboration

• Crabgrass

• BuddyPress

• Dreamwidth

• AROUNDMe

  • allows to create multiple collaborative group, webspace, community or social networking websites
  • people can connect to a group to contribute using OpenID

Graphics

• GNU Media Goblin

  • distributed replacement for Flickr, DeviantArt, Picasa etc.

  • might be extended from images to video, music etc. later on
  • Python, OStatus

Document editing

• WebODF

• Unhosted Libre Office

Sound

• GNU FM (powering e.g.: LibreFM)

  • distributed replacement for Last.FM
  • for social aspects, it will depend on GNU Social (or other compatible solution)

Email

• Fripost

  • Fripost is a democratic organisation providing free and reliable email service to its members. It was founded by Fellows in Göteborg.

Voice and Video over IP

• GNU Free Call - Announcement

  • decentralized SIP extension with planned GUI configuration
  • supports standard secure SIP clients

Microblogging

• status.net

• OpenMicroBlogger

• Thimbl

Web Storage

• ownCloud

• SparkleShare

• Tahoe-LAFS

• GNUnet

• duplicity

• dvcs-autosync

  • replacement for Dropbox/Wuala/Box.net/etc. based on distributed version control systems
  • nearly instantaneous mutual updates/syncronization
  • can be used with any DVCS hosting option including a completely separate server

• http://www.syncany.org/

  • It allows users to backup and share certain folders of their workstations using any kind of storage, e.g. FTP, Amazon S3 or Google Storage. (Drobox, SparkleShare alternative)

Freedom Boxes

Please note that the following initiatives include commercial hardware vendors and might include non-free software.

• Debian FreedomBox

  • a Debian based platform for distributed applications

  • FreedomBox Foundation

• DreamPlug

• TonidoPlug

• SheevaPlug -> GuruPlug

• Soxyd

  • designed to be hosted on a small-size server
  • will install mail, jabber and web servers
  • easily create a blog, or a social network, in a decentralized and interconnected way

• FeeAgent Dockstar (ships with non-free software)

• Not a Box, but helpful here: PageKite

  • A reverse-proxy/tunneling protocol to expose localhost HTTP/HTTPS/SSH/... servers to the public Internet, working around problems caused by NAT and firewalls.

Different Approaches

• Unhosted

  • an unhosted website is only source code running in browser
  • dynamic data is encrypted and decentralised to per-user storage nodes
  • website uses protocol to securely retrieve information from storage node

• My Profile

  • manages accounts and profiles that users have on the Internet
  • provides and stores unified user account or profile under the user’s control