Funded organization?
More updates from fedidevs chat:
@aschrijver: Expect a slick and well-organized developer hub to be launched somewhere in the next stages of Threads roadmap (think like React or GraphQL).
@j12t: Yes, and one thing we could be doing … if we decided to, and got a good plan together … is to pre-empt that by setting up a community-controlled hub like that, funded (in part) by the commercial entities including Meta that have an interest in such a thing. I think that could be “sold” to them, if planned out very well. Anybody interested?
And my response:
Funding helps for people to do the chores and stick to them. The tricky part is that it also changes the dynamics and organization/governance requirements. There’s a clash of cultures here that will also intensify once more corporate entries follow. One one hand there’s the “idealists”, people firmly in the Free Software / Free Culture movement, from where the Fediverse has grown to what it currently is. Then there’s the “pragmatists”, similarly well-intended for the most part, but any efforts should earn a living (be financially sustainable first of all), and then the next group is the enterpreneurial types who see profit.
The latter two groups do not understand why the idealists make it so tough on themselves with their principles. Be wilfully unsustainable. They think that concessions are in order. The idealists OTOH are afraid to do that. They are wary of pragmatists as these often turn enterpreneurial profit-seekers, and become participants in an economic system that does provide financial sustainability, but is utterly broken otherwise.
I am saying nothing new here, of course. Just indicating where the big challenges are in such proposal. Like in “funded (in part) by the commercial entities including Meta”.
Along with corporate entries there’ll be another trend. And that is the emergence of NGO’s, non-profits and maybe for-profits that, based on a sound business model, generate good salaries for staff and employees, on a mission to improve the Fediverse. It need not be bad that this happens, but it is a culture shift. It is not grassroots organization anymore. And in this trend also we’ll find more and more organizations that cater to commercial interests for the benefit of their own workforce first and foremost.
Now I’m not saying this is good or bad, just saying this is likely to happen. I am somewhere in this spectrum, nearest to the idealists but also frustrated how we weakens our position and (holistic) sustainability outlook. And interested in thinking how we might improve with least amount of concessions.
Later…
But a question to me would be if I’d like to see such entepreneurial initiative be at the heart of the Fediverse. I don’t know really, but am sceptical. But anyway… it may come to that given current playing field.
I am however a BIG proponent that we create such a structure where the various ‘hives of activity’ / developer hubs are decentralized themselves, and each contribute to the Fediverse in their own field, concerned about their own domain and use cases. Those hubs can be organized any way they want.
Going from that notion and objective a good Integration Guide and solid foundation to build upon shouldn’t need to be an enterpreneurial initiative. The various hubs each have an interest that that foundation is in proper order. If there’s a need for funding such initiative might find it in the R&I grants that are available. Such as @how who sent a proposal to RIPE.