Friday, May 29, 2009

Fanbuntu AKA Fannish Pack

WHAT?

I have been thinking of an idea, where software packages such as Pidgin, Ekiga, Mumble, Firefox, Thunderbird, and other network communications applications are automagically configured (via a Python script, perhaps?) to use centralized servers for specialized communication.

WHY?

I have noticed that many people do not know of or possess many packages that, even if redundant, are Free and Open Source Software, and would not hurt to possess (barring such things as "insufficient disk capacity", "insufficient permissions" or such), and the convenience of having central servers should provide motivation to acquire the meta-package.

HOW?

There are two parts to this idea.

First, there is the client-side aspect, where a Python application adds files and runs scripts to configure the clients. This may involve running a Druid to gather data, then generating files, overwriting the ones produced by the original installers. The point of the exercise being, that the communications applications are already configured to connect (aggressively) to particular central servers, and speaking of which....

Second, there is the server-side. Basic network services, such as DNS name servers, Teredo IPv6 tunneling servers, DHCP address assignment servers, STUN traversal servers, IRC+XMPP+SILC chat servers, SIP+IAX2 VoIP servers, Mumble teleconferencing servers, ESMTP+POP3 mail servers, and LDAP directory servers, not to mention the many MUD and game servers, are all ran by a not-for-profit organization ran by the Science Fiction Fandom, as well as many daughter fandoms, you know who I mean.

These servers may be redundant (especially the basic network services), but these servers a specially reserved and set aside for the Fandom, and provide a specialized community.

Elaboration on this and related ideas to be posted.

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