Web 2.0 is Sharecropping
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Web 2.0 services resemble modern sharecropping where users contribute data and labor but do not own the services or have control over their data. If a service goes down or stops allowing new users, there is no recourse for the users. The author argues that users should have access to their own data through open APIs and services should be designed to work offline through peer-to-peer synchronization to avoid lock-in to specific service providers. The author is developing an open source database called Prophet that is aimed at building applications that can work offline through replication and without internet access.
Web 2.0 is Sharecropping
- 3. This is a rant.
- 4. The bad old days:
- 6. You farmed land you didn¡¯t own...
- 7. ...with tools you couldn¡¯t really afford.
- 8. You paid for it with part of your harvest...
- 9. A pretty sweet deal...
- 10. ...until things got bad.
- 11. (Things always got bad.)
- 12. In a bad year, you got further in debt to the land owner.
- 14. The (more recent) bad old days:
- 16. Things got a little better:
- 17. Pic of PCs
- 18. Things weren¡¯t all rosy:
- 19. Pic of BSOD
- 20. Sometimes new versions of software killed features...
- 21. ...so you were locked in to old versions.
- 22. pic of win 31?
- 24. rms che
- 25. Now, things are getting worse again...
- 27. What happens when your favorite service goes down?
- 28. pic of twitter being down
- 29. ...or stops accepting new signups?
- 31. ...or gives all your data to the secret police?
- 32. Pic of yahoo.cn
- 33. You don¡¯t own the services you use.
- 34. When the service provider cuts you off, that¡¯s it. No recourse.
- 35. Not so secret shame: I¡¯m a really bad zealot.
- 36. My calendar lives at google.com.
- 37. I make a web 2.0 tasklist service called Hiveminder.com
- 39. Using hosted apps is going to hurt you.
- 41. APIs are great.
- 42. ...but easy access to a service just makes it easier to get locked in.
- 43. What about Google Gears,Adobe Air, etc?
- 44. Great. now you can use your word processer while you¡¯re of?ine!
- 46. Real of?ine apps shouldn¡¯t need servers.
- 47. Real of?ine apps should sync like you do.
- 48. I¡¯ve been hacking on an open source database called ¡°Prophet¡±.
- 49. It has an API like Amazon SimpleDB or Google App Engine¡¯s...
- 50. It¡¯s designed for ¡°team-scale¡± apps.
- 51. It¡¯s built for P2P replication and disconnected use.
- 52. App #1 is the canonical ¡°of?ine bug tracker¡±.
- 53. App #2 will probably be a BBS you can sync over sneakernet.
- 55. Make sure nobody can take away your right to use your software. Thanks!