The #4opens vs. liberal tokenism in #openweb tech https://hamishcampbell.com/the-4opens-vs-liberal-tokenism-in-openweb-tech/ This should not be about reinventing the wheel. We really don’t need another set of guidelines that sound good but change nothing.
The Failure of #Mainstreaming – What Comes Next?
It should be painfully obvious by now that all the current #mainstreaming paths have failed. Whether we look at politics, technology, media, or activism, the same patterns emerge, co-option, stagnation, and eventual collapse under their own mess and contradictions. The valid question isn’t whether mainstreaming has failed, it has. The real question is: What do we do about it? This applies just as much to our efforts to reboot the #openweb as it does to broader struggles in the "real […]https://hamishcampbell.com/the-failure-of-mainstreaming-what-comes-next/
It should be easy to see that all that the current #mainstreaming is failed.
The valid question is what to do about this, it's just as relevant in our #openweb reboot as it is outside in the real world
https://rights.social./bill-of-rights this is exactly the same project and process as the #4opens just more liberal/capitalist friendly. And no teeth... it's an appeal to people - where the original and much older #4opens is that and more importantly it's a way of judging devs #KISS
The real thing is here https://unite.openworlds.info/Open-Media-Network/4opens
phhwww... #nothingnew comes to mind, though diversity is good, the project needs to link, this is basic #openweb
The indieweb is strongly individualism, where the Fediverse is more community based, though says it’s individualism to get #mainstreaming outreach (white lie).
indieweb is a good fit for capitalism
Fediverse is (as of now) a bad fit for capitalism
So it depends on your (mostly unspoken) view on politics. In this they use overlapping tech but for different use, they are both #openweb native.
A part of this might be that it’s interesting to see that the right-wing are picking up the real problems and mess on the left and then using it to forward their own ideological agenda. The need for #netiquette to mediate hostility on the #openweb https://hamishcampbell.com/the-need-for-netiquette-to-mediate-hostility-on-the-openweb/
The issue with #FOSS tech development
The failure of many #FOSS projects is a failure to move from theory to practice. The issue is that developers work in isolation, disconnected from grassroots needs, and get lost in perfectionism rather than delivering functional prototypes.
The #geekproblem dominates, many coders prioritize control, abstract debates, or self-contained experiments over practical, usable tools for real-world communities. This is why projects stall: they are not built with activists in mind. Meanwhile, centralized platforms continue to consolidate power, because they offer simple, accessible, and functional solutions, despite their deep flaws.
To break this cycle, we need:
* Practical iteration—build rough, working solutions rather than endless theorizing.
* #4opens culture—embrace open process, standards, and real collaboration.
* Bridging solutions—tech that activists can actually use, not just developer-driven experiments.
* Funding models beyond #NGO traps—so projects remain independent and sustainable.
The fight for the #openweb is not only about resisting #dotcons but creating alternatives people can and will use. Can we move beyond abstraction and actually make history?
@witchescauldron I'm way behind the curve on modern coding and implementation but I'm anxious that #openweb is released even in #beta form as soon as. I'll adopt it and stress test it. I'm very good at breaking things 
#fediverse yay!
Development - Next Steps for #OGB
The #OGB (Open Governance Body) is a native #openweb project to enable decentralized, transparent governance for grassroots media and activist networks. However, like many open projects, it faces significant development roadblocks.
Currently, the challenge is moving beyond theory into implementation. The stalled dev work at http://unite.openworlds.info highlights the common issue: lack of dedicated developer focus. The problem isn’t just writing code; it’s building a bridge between activist needs and functional, people-friendly tools. The #geekproblem looms large, developers work in isolation, disconnected from real-world social movements, or they get caught in perfectionism instead of delivering working prototypes.
What #OGB needs is practical iteration: a rough, working proof of concept, rather than endlessly debating the ideal model. The project requires coders willing to work openly, embracing the #4opens (open source, open standards, open process, open data). The biggest blocker? A culture that prioritizes control over collaboration.
The development side of #MakingHistory
Building radical alternatives is not just about ideas—it’s about infrastructure. The #makeinghistory project is grounded in the messy, often frustrating work of creating tools that actually function for real communities. We’ve spent decades watching #dotcons centralize power while open projects stumble due to lack of focus, infighting, or simply being too obscure for everyday use.
#Makinghistory means stepping outside the cycle of dead-end open-source projects that never reach real people. We need bridging solutions, funding models outside the #NGO trap, and devs who understand grassroots needs. It’s not about innovation for its own sake, it’s about making the #openweb function better as a lived alternative.
This is where the real fight is. Not in reaction, not in abstraction, but in building tools people can and will use.
The development of #IndymediaBack
The reboot of #Indymedia (#IndymediaBack) is about reclaiming grassroots, open, and radical media infrastructure outside of the control of corporate platforms and #dotcons. However, the development side has stalled due to the same issues that have stalled other #openweb projects, lack of sustained coder engagement, resistance in centralized funding, and the dominance of closed silos.
The challenge is building tech that works for activists, not just developers. The original Indymedia relied on early open-source tools. This means moving beyond tech-fetishist projects that scratch a developer’s itch while ignoring real-world community.
A trust-based federated publishing network is the goal. The #OMN (Open Media Network) framework already outlines how to create syndicated media flows using #4opens. The stalled dev site at http://unite.openworlds.info needs committed developers who care about media as a movement, not just a tech experiment.
Without serious investment in #DIY, people-friendly, open-source alternatives, activists will remain trapped inside the #mainstreaming of social media platforms. The question is: can we finally push through the #geekproblem and make this happen?
Capitalist paths have shaped wide spaces in the #openweb into a landscape to prioritize profit over public good, leading to the current mess of exploitation, centralization, surveillance, and inequality we face today. Capitalism is the logic of the #dotcons https://hamishcampbell.com/capitalism-is-the-logic-of-the-dotcons/
"No real commitment from “allies”, the move to the #openweb was ignored by the #mainstreaming left who stay on the #dotcons…The liberal crowd loves theory, but often won’t do the hard work of actually shifting paradigms, this leaves in place structural hostility to #DIYCulture, PEOPLE ARE SO TRAINED TO CONSUME RATHER THAN CREATE & MAINTAIN that even the “alternative” spaces get stuck replicating the same individualist consumption patterns."
From: @eliasulrich
https://hachyderm.io/@eliasulrich/114245314539691549
"The #Mastodon codebase is an example here, it was designed by copying the #dotcons, so the fundamental social architecture reinforces #stupidindividualism rather than community building. Instead of nurturing federated, collective spaces, it encourages a kind of fragmented, isolated posting, which is why it struggles to grow meaningful movements.
No real commitment from “allies”, the move to the #openweb was ignored by the #mainstreaming left who stay on the #dotcons even though they are evil. The liberal crowd loves theory, but often won’t do the hard, unglamorous work of actually shifting paradigms, this leaves in place structural hostility to #DIY Culture, PEOPLE ARE SO TRAINED TO CONSUME RATHER THAN CREATE AND MAINTAIN that even the “alternative” spaces get stuck replicating the same individualist consumption patterns."
wow „No code from other browsers. We're building a new engine, based on web standards.“ - awaiting session by #AndreasKling on # SotB2025 #browser #dev #ladybird #OpenWeb
Just learned about #openvide today. Did you give it a try? What's your experience like?
Community support needed to keep this site online https://hamishcampbell.com/support-needed-to-keep-this-site-online/ Tech-minded? If you enjoy tinkering with WordPress configs and want to lend a hand, drop me a message! Let’s keep this #openweb native space up and running reliably.
Struggling for a Real Alternative
For the last 5 years conversations have been about, the #Fediverse, #Web3 and more recently the pushing of #mainstreaming into the #openweb native path. But despite this, the #fediverse is still a notable outlier in the digital landscape. This is in part because unlike the dominant tech trends, which emerge from Silicon Valley and the cross-Atlantic #dotcons agenda, the #fediverse is rooted in European ideals of decentralization, federation, and digital autonomy, it's a "native" #openweb […]https://hamishcampbell.com/struggling-for-a-real-alternative/
I have been walking this path for 30 years as an #openweb organic intellectual, technologist, and part of the #OMN. It’s not easy, and it’s not as simple as clicking “sign up” and walking into a ready-made community https://hamishcampbell.com/its-not-easy-and-its-not-as-simple-as-clicking-sign-up-and-walking-into-a-ready-made-community/
#Business #Proposals
Google needs to learn how to soar · Search’s future, built for users and the open web https://ilo.im/162zhf
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#Users #OpenWeb #AnswerEngine #SearchEngine #Google #SEO #AI #Gemini #Design #WebDesign
