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.

1. Web 2.0 is
Sharecropping
JesseVincent
jesse@fsck.com

2. (That’s bad)

3. This is a rant.

4. The bad old days:

5. Pic of sharecroppers

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:

15. pic of mainframes

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?

23. Things got ‘better’:

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

38. pic of hiveminder

39. Using hosted apps is
going to hurt you.

40. Data access is
important.

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 offline!

45. Pic of wordperfect

46. Real offline apps
shouldn’t need servers.

47. Real offline 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
“offline bug tracker”.

53. App #2 will probably
be a BBS you can sync
over sneakernet.

54. bestpractical.com/prophet

55. Make sure nobody can
take away your right to
use your software.
Thanks!