@tallship

Hello there,
@identitywoman@mas.to @fediforum @j12t@social.coop @Dangerangel@kolektiva.social @sus_fediforum@a.gup.pe 😉

You recently had a bit of exposure with the recent unconference, #Fediforum. That was, by some attendees' recollections, less than noteworthy - there's was some serious confusion with some who were slotted to be presenters, and a boatload (pundit there - I'm @tallship, naturally 😉) of good folks, #fedizens all, who posted disparaging perceptions as to why people such as yourselves (self described "OG's") would even consider requiring people to download and install a #deprecated, Privacy Disrespecting and proprietary skin for the no less disrespecting #Zoom platform, instead of a more capable, and featureful #FOSS product such as BBB/Greenlight (or something akin to that).

Most of us just can't seem to get our heads around the fact that self-titled OGs could be #OG in the Fediverse and world of #FOSS and actually not know seemingly anything at all about Big Blue Button, the relevance of Dogfooding and using FOSS whenever possible (practical, at least, which it was) in #Fediverse related activities.

From what everyone that I've spoken to about this (you guys are indeed a hot topic lately, lolz), and there's been a lot coming my way and asking about you; it seems that your understanding, standing, and indeed tenure here in the Fediverse, #ActivityPub, and #ActivityStreams related arena is sophomoric at best, with the exception of one of you - and one of you are roundly described as a CryptoBruh in general conversation.

Those questions may indeed be only rhetorical, as dozens of prominent #fedizens and Fediverse developers alike are asking amongst themselves: "Just who are these pretenders breaking into the scene with potentially disruptive, divisive proposals?

Please, feel free to shoot me or flame me - I am, after all, just the messenger. Your presence has a lot of people asking questions about what your underlying motivation actually is.

But the question remains, and not only that, but more importantly, who are you really? Meaning, ulterior motives or special interest monetary funding is generally suspected by netizens rightfully asking the questions as to why three hitherto and mostly unassociated personalities are so interested in what might be perceived as standard clandestine EEE playbook procedure.

I mean, to put it plainly, explaining it like someone is a sixth grader, it really is easy to consider that you've just sprang into the stage and are advocating for a fork when you kinda at the same time seem oblivious to #Social_Coding, #FEP, and not the least of which, #SociallHub.

Could you please be entreated to describe for the rest of us here in the wider public spaces in the Fediverse what your hopes, dreams, and aspirations are with the respect to the following?

https://web.archive.org/web/20230315184714/https://fediforum.org/about/

And more importantly... Your true motivations for carrying out your campaigns there in #swicg?

- Are you funded by third parties, paid to bring this agenda forward?
- Is there something you find lacking in the organic growth and critical mass that the Fediverse is achieving on its own, independent of influences from the deprecated, proprietary and Privacy Disrespecting monolithic silo sector?
- What associations have you, with any (if any), other initiatives such as Bluesky PBLLC, Meta, Automatic, Alphabet, and/any other so-called "Big Tech" or governmental interests?

Hard questions, I know, but understanding the actual motivations you have for undertaking the approaches you are proposing - including that of "bestowing certifications" which thrusts enmity between emerging and existing Fediverse development projects that are antithetical to not only the stated "lack of merchantability" clauses in almost all FOSS licenses, but also the spirit of #DeSoc and a free and federated infra that plies one platform against another...

Well that just don't seem benign.

Here's what you actually said:

>A branding program for products that have passed the test suite ... As an implementor, you get to put the sticker on your product. ... In particular, in the places in the product where users “connect” to other servers in the Fediverse, like “Visa” is displayed at the POS terminal ... I believe this will become critical if/when larger orgs with potentially different value systems connect to the Fediverse

I can't, no matter how hard I try, see that as anything but absolutely diabolical.

In the words of another very prominent Fediverse project lead in a public post:

>Ah, that explains it. They want an enforcement mechanism. Once ActivityPub FediForum Edition is legitimized by becoming a W3C standard, those who demonstrate loyalty to "larger orgs" will receive a certificate. Those who refuse, will be declared unworthy and banished from the network. That's what this really is about.

Is this in fact what the three of you are advocating?

People are, respectfully, awaiting your responses here, in the wider public Fediverse forum. Very, very many people.

I look forward to your timely responses 🙂

Kindest regards,

#tallship

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