We need a system like a RockChip processor based single board computer, paired with a trusted protection module, and all fediverse services prepackaged for minimal user input required to self host any fediverse services. All updates should be safely installed over the air via the TPM chip based encryption just like with Graphene OS. All of the necessary connections should be preconfigured to punch a hole for the port into the internet. The hardware should be completely locked down with an immutable base system and SE Linux fully configured. There shouldn’t be any accommodations for obscure edge cases outside of the base configuration. It should not require any further payment or services.
A RockChip RK3588 is fully documented with a 3k3 page long full datasheet. As I understand it, this chip is open hardware, though it still has the ARM proprietary blob (TrustZone), similar to the x86_64 Intel Management Engine, and AMD Platform Security Processor. I have not heard of a similar system present in RISC-V processors, but I also have not seen RISC-V SBCs that are more than alpha prototype dev kits. Unlike other single board computers, the RK series has the documentation required for community based Linux kernel support. No one could pull kernel support that they are the only ones providing using a proprietary datasheet.
There are many RK3588 single board computers available for around $100 already. As a back of the napkin quality idea using baseless imaginary statistics, I bet we could get around 3-5% of regular users to purchase hardware within a year if it was within a $250 price point. This should be set up for one click image and video hosting, threadiverse, mastodon, file sharing, git, blogging, etc.
This is way outside of the scope of a project I am qualified to manage; I am no real developer, just a sloppy hacker type. I’d volunteer to do a hardware design, or at least the bulk of the tedium for someone more experienced with production stuff to review. I would not mind playing the glue between those that have more limited time. If LW has 6k plus active daily users, and 3-5% of these purchased the hardware, the rough margins are nowhere near a viable business. Still, something in the back of my head says the only thing actually impeding internet freedom with the fediverse is the challenge of self hosting, and this is like the issue that Android addressed with mobile hardware. If people could one-time purchase the hardware, and only pay for their regular internet connection, I think they would buy straightforward honest open hardware they fully own.
I don’t know if it is possible, or if the fediverse projects would participate in some kind of automatically updated end point. This was just a fantasy shower thought that I have been mulling over all day. It addresses all of my personal hesitations and insecurities about self hosting, and is simple enough I can imagine my techno illiterate family giving it a try. It is the kind of project I would like to be a part of.
Why?
And even if you magically required this going forward, what would stop someone from forking the project and removing that requirement?
Because 99.9% of people will never self host. They would much rather just buy a product that is not setup as a scam. The scam part is less important to most people than the lack of effort required.
This isn’t a thing to get into for the money. It would be about the FOSS aspect. Doing something like this would not break even for the time and labor involved. It might be worth doing for positive digital neighbors, but I am not at all interested in doing anything for negative or rude people.
I come from a background of being a buyer for a chain of bike shops where I spent millions of dollars based upon knowledge of how such markets work. The entry level customer is all that really matters. The extra stuff is just to woo them into the store.
In a place like this, if you engage, you’re actually irrelevant. If you want to target growth, get a lurker to engage for the first time. Getting some random lurkers to buy into the hardware to self host because they care about software freedom is far far more effective than the current ecosystem. When servers are not updated, and people shut down because of administration, it says this is not viable for the average person with a life. So make this easy for the individual. It is such an obvious thing to do.
The present system is basically like go compile OpenWRT for your router and people whining about how it is not fucking hard. It is not, but most people just do nor care to try it. They just want to buy a device, plug it in, and be done. Half of these devices are on factory original passwords. This is the real scope of what people are capable of and expect. The mismatch is easily solved by packing the fediverse as a device. The alternates are great for the 0.1%. I am not talking about you all. I am talking about something that could go from 0.1% to 5% of the fediverse is self hosted, and likely much larger. The whole endeavor would be like a coop socialist kind of thing from the ground up.
That’s a lot of words to not answer the question. I still don’t understand why you’d need to implement this requirement.
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Okay so it’s an option. Nobody cares and nobody implements it. Everyone goes on with their lives as is.
Why would anyone implement this option when you haven’t given any justification?
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