FSCONS (fscons) 2010, Gustav Eek and Stefan Kangas, Distributed E-mail - Delivering Infrastructure, the Syndicated Way. As in protest against Software as a Service, Fripost the Association for Free Email is presented. The association uses a distributed server system for to deliver a free email service with high reliability.

1. Distributed E-mail
Delivering infrastructure, the syndicated way
Gustav Eek Stefan Kangas
Fellowship of Free Software Foundation Europe Göteborg
FSCONS, November 7 2010

2. Fripost – The free email association
Overview
Introduction
Background – power over the infrastructure
Free computer labour
The Free E-mail Association

3. Fripost – The free email association
Centralisation of Internet
Distributed ⇒ Centralised

4. Fripost – The free email association
Software as a Service
Users perform their computer work on servers controlled by
others.

5. Fripost – The free email association
Privacy and Surveillance
We are not only being spied on by states!

6. Fripost – The free email association
Privacy and Surveillance
We are not only being spied on by states!
“Services” you get with Google’s mail service:

7. Fripost – The free email association
Privacy and Surveillance
We are not only being spied on by states!
“Services” you get with Google’s mail service:
Advertisement
Semantic analyses
Spying

8. Fripost – The free email association
Free software
The four freedoms of free software
Freedom to. . .
0. Run, for any purpose
1. Study and modify
2. Share
3. Share modified versions

9. Fripost – The free email association
Free computer labour
The four freedoms of free computer labour
1.
2.
3.
4.

10. Fripost – The free email association
Free computer labour
The four freedoms of free computer labour
1. The work is performed exclusively with free software
2.
3.
4.

11. Fripost – The free email association
Free computer labour
The four freedoms of free computer labour
1. The work is performed exclusively with free software
2. The work is performed with computer hardware that
entirely is at one’s possession and control
3.
4.

12. Fripost – The free email association
Free computer labour
The four freedoms of free computer labour
1. The work is performed exclusively with free software
2. The work is performed with computer hardware that
entirely is at one’s possession and control
3. The information worked with is information that one
possess
4.

13. Fripost – The free email association
Free computer labour
The four freedoms of free computer labour
1. The work is performed exclusively with free software
2. The work is performed with computer hardware that
entirely is at one’s possession and control
3. The information worked with is information that one
possess
4. The result from the computer work also is at one’s
possession and control

14. Fripost – The free email association
Internet’s servers
Distributed ⇒ Centralised

15. Fripost – The free email association
Software as a Service, Round II
Non-free in a double sense

16. Fripost – The free email association

17. Fripost – The free email association
Let’s get organized
FRIPOST
the free e-mail association

18. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed e-mail system
mail gateway
IMAP server
Backup serverLog server
mail gatewayInternet

19. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed e-mail system
mail gateway
IMAP server
Backup serverLog server
mail gatewayInternet

20. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed e-mail system
mail gateway
IMAP server
Backup serverLog server
mail gatewayInternet

21. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed e-mail system
mail gateway
IMAP server
Backup serverLog server
mail gatewayInternet

22. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed e-mail system
mail gateway
IMAP server
Backup serverLog server
mail gatewayInternet

23. Fripost – The free email association
Organizational principles
The association promises to. . .
1. Receive e-mail in a reliable manner
2.
3.

24. Fripost – The free email association
Organizational principles
The association promises to. . .
1. Receive e-mail in a reliable manner
2. Provide for administrative transparency
3.

25. Fripost – The free email association
Organizational principles
The association promises to. . .
1. Receive e-mail in a reliable manner
2. Provide for administrative transparency
3. Protect its members’ integrity: never...
3.1
3.2
3.3

26. Fripost – The free email association
Organizational principles
The association promises to. . .
1. Receive e-mail in a reliable manner
2. Provide for administrative transparency
3. Protect its members’ integrity: never...
3.1 Read or analyse emails, manually or automatically
3.2
3.3

27. Fripost – The free email association
Organizational principles
The association promises to. . .
1. Receive e-mail in a reliable manner
2. Provide for administrative transparency
3. Protect its members’ integrity: never...
3.1 Read or analyse emails, manually or automatically
3.2 Gather statistics about or analyse the members’ traffic
3.3

28. Fripost – The free email association
Organizational principles
The association promises to. . .
1. Receive e-mail in a reliable manner
2. Provide for administrative transparency
3. Protect its members’ integrity: never...
3.1 Read or analyse emails, manually or automatically
3.2 Gather statistics about or analyse the members’ traffic
3.3 Hand out any information to third party

29. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed e-mail?
mail gateway
IMAP server
Backup serverLog server
mail gatewayInternet

30. Fripost – The free email association

31. Fripost – The free email association
Whats’s the difference?
The e-mail service provided through FRIPOST is free!
Free as in freedom (not free candy).

32. Fripost – The free email association
This is only the beginning

33. Fripost – The free email association
This is only the beginning
GNU Social

34. Fripost – The free email association
This is only the beginning
GNU Social
Diaspora

35. Fripost – The free email association
This is only the beginning
GNU Social
Diaspora
. . .

36. Fripost – The free email association
What can we hope for?
Larger structural change is needed.

37. Fripost – The free email association
What can we hope for?
Larger structural change is needed.
We might:
Be instrumental in bringing about that change
Provide an alternative for the eager

38. Fripost – The free email association

39. Fripost – The free email association
References
Turner, M. et.al. (2003). “Turning Software into a Service”,
Computer vol. 36
Stallman, R. M (2010). “Who does that server really serve?”,
Boston review
Moglen E. (2010). Freedom in the Cloud, (talk)
Free Software Foundation. “The Free Software Definition”
Brownlow M. (2010). “Email and webmail statistics”

40. Fripost – The free email association
Distributed E-mail
Delivering infrastructure, the syndicated way
Gustav Eek Stefan Kangas
Fellowship of Free Software Foundation Europe Göteborg
FSCONS, November 7 2010