Libre Services Manifesto

Project description

The Libre Services Manifesto is the fundamental defining document for the Libre Services model, providing a comprehensive description of every aspect of the model. It will include the following major content:

• Conceptual definition. Underlying philosophy; historical background; technological context; benefits to society.

• Bootstrapping strategy. An explicit description of how Libre Services will be moved from concept to reality. Viability of Libre Services from both engineering and business perspectives; required resources; models for collaborative development and business deployment.

• Criteria for Libre Services branding. A definitive set of criteria for what constitutes a Libre Service. Just as the GPL defines free software, a precise definition is required for Libre Services. This allows providers to brand their service unequivocally as a genuine Libre Service, and prevents proprietary service providers from claiming this brand.

• The Libre Services Social Contract. Libre Services will be based on a written social contract. In the same spirit as the Debian Social Contract, this will consist of a set of ethical commitments made by Libre Services developers towards the free software community and the public.

• Libre Services reference model. Definitions of terminology; how Libre Services relates to existing technology and practices; general software architecture; definitions of usage models; definitions of the franchise and other delivery models.

It is anticipated that the Libre Services Manifesto will take the form of a series of articles, each of which stands on its own and can be read independently of the others.

The Libre Services Manifesto will be published electronically at the LibreServices.org website. In addition it will be published as a physical book with an ISBN number.

Priority and schedule

The Libre Services Manifesto is an essential requirement for communicating the concept to others. It is a highest-priority mission-critical project.

The manifesto is scheduled to be largely complete by March 2007.

Project sponsor and manager

Initial work on the Libre Services Manifesto has been started by the Free Protocols Foundation.

We are currently seeking sponsors to complete this work.

The current project manager is Andrew Hammoude.

Project status

The first article, Libre Services: A non-proprietary model for delivery of Internet services is complete.

The second article, Libre Services: Projects for bootstrapping (the present article) is in progress.

All other articles remain to be written.