Talk:FreedomNode

User Experience

Archiving this here; this really describes freedombox functionality --Bnewbold 14:05, 20 June 2012 (CDT)

The node presents a uniform interface across client devices using HTTP(S) – a collection of stylesheets allow the interface to adapt successfully to a wide array of different screen resolutions and input methods. You interact with your node by opening a browser – any browser – and navigating to your node’s address. That address can be a global name such as a user-owned DNS entry, or a third-party subdomain such as username.fnf.tel, or, from the same local network, a local address, such as ‘https://mynode’. Alternatively, the node can be accessed from its unique IPv6 address.

Navigating to the address of a node prompts the user to authenticate. This is done using the F-Pass (F-Pass == FreedomTunnel?)system. F-Pass is the key to trust and addressing on the Free Network – tying together x.509, PGP, IPv6, and secure, one time passwords.

Once authenticated, the user is presented with a main menu that provides access to all of the essential functions of the node. Icons exist for Blogging, Microblogging, Planning (like plans.txt on Unix or GrinnellPlans), Mail, and an A/V Center (photos, music, video, and files). An additional icon leads to a list of contacts, with a final icon leading to system settings.

Users can be organized into aspects, with a ‘Neighbor’ aspect generated automatically for those with whom you can communicate without need of an Internet Service Provider. From the contacts page, a user can access the blog, microblog, plan, or shared media of another user. Users have precise control over who can access each piece of media on their node. Sharing is encrypted by default, anonymized when desired, and opportunistically peer-to-peer – that means that we all cooperate to move each others’ messages, when it is possible, rather than paying a professional bit-mover

Software

For true fault isolation and tolerance, nodes could run Genode, a novel nested operating system architecture (GPL-licensed). Then on top of that, a lightweight debian install would be used to ensure long-term package support and stability. The user-facing services run on top of Debian, powered by a collection of existing open-source daemons and tools. These services would benefit from tight integration of a unified interface and a unified authentication and identity management system.