Review and Collaboration Request: The Iranian By* Halaal Digital Ecosystem

Announcing: Availability Of PersoArabic Web Sites

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[ Please distribute this as widely as possible, wherever appropriate.
This announcement is web published as PLPC-180023 and is also available in pdf format. ]

Dear Fellow Iranian,

The current direction that Internet services are headed is putting humanity in danger.

We want to create a complete parallel Halaal/Libre Digital Ecosystem to stand against and in contrast to the existing Proprietary American Digital Ecosystem.

By “Digital Ecosystem”, we mean the whole thing. Software, Internet application services, content publication and generation facilities and social and societal frameworks. Clearly, such an effort must be very multi-disciplinary and include, engineering, moral, societal, social, economic and business dimensions.

The umbrella title we have chosen for this work is:

The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem
A Moral Alternative To The Proprietary American Digital Ecosystem
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/180016

Much consideration has gone into the choice of every word that is in that title.

Preservation of ByStar user’s autonomy, privacy and freedom are the primary factors driving design of ByStar Services. Health of society is our goal. The correct manner-of-existence of software and correct manner-of-existence of internet application services are our focus.

The full scope of the halaal/libre ByStar digital ecosystem is all of humanity. In this communication, we additionally underscore ramifications of this work for Iran, for Iranians and for Persian speakers.

We have created persoarabic.org web sites to focus on implementation and deployment of “The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem” in the context of writing, publishing, communicating and processing in Persian and in Arabic. All documents mentioned here are available at www.persoarabic.org

We believe that ByStar’s framework for halaal manner-of-existence of software and Internet services and ByStar’s framework for the entirety of the halaal/libre digital ecosystem can be a basis for formulation of Iranian national policy towards software and internet services. We will expand on this.

0.1  Roadmap

In Figure 1, we present a multi-disciplinary roadmap in form of layers. Each layer has a document that addresses it. At the lowest layer lies moral and societal questions of right and wrong (halaal and haraam). Included in these layers is also the question of money, business and economics (in the form of an open business plan). In other words, we are saying that when it comes to something as important as Internet application services, we should not drive it purely based on economics and profit. This is in stark contrast to the purely economically driven proprietary american digital ecosysytem.

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Figure 1: The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem Roadmap

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The layers in Figure 1 are color coded.

The green layers at the bottom are philosophical, moral and societal. Their scope is wider than the moral digital ecosystem that we are after. Generally speaking, these are not the domain of engineers. They are the domain of ethicists, philosophers and sociologists.

The blue layers are philosophical, moral, societal, social and engineering aspects of digital ecosystems that require direct involvement of engineers and the engineering profession.

The orange/brown layers are engineering constructs. Software and Internet Services.

The yellow layer is economics and business.

0.2  Introducing Halaal and Haraam into Globish

Our focus as engineers, is to do the right thing.

We have chosen the word “Halaal” as the main qualifier for our software and services. Through this word, we want to focus on morality and ethics of the manner-of-existence of software and the manner-of-existence of Internet services.

Note here that we are applying morality and ethics here only to the manner-of-existence of software and Internet services. And not to functionality of software and Internet services. And not to usage of software and Internet services.

So, anytime that we speak of “Halaal Software” and “Halaal Internet Services” we mean “Halaal Manner-Of-Existence Of Software” and “Halaal Manner-Of-Existence Of Internet Application Services”.

We believe that label of “Halaal Software” is far better than “Free Software” or “Open-Source Software” or FOSS/FLOSS, etc. In order to make it clear to our FOSS brothers and sisters that we are on the same side, we sometimes expand the label to become “Halaal/Libre”.

In an essay titled,

Introducing Halaal and Haraam into Globish
Based on Moral Philosophy of Abstract Halaal
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/120041

we precisely define what we mean by “Halaal” and “Haraam”.

0.3  Nature Of Poly-Existentials

Central to our approach is full rejection of the Western so-called Intellectual Property Rights regime of copyright and patents.

That we have done with:

The Nature of Poly-Existentials:
Basis for Abolishment of The Western So-Called Intellectual Property Rights Regime
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/120033

In that paper we analyze and discredit the Western Intellectual Property Rights regime based on the inherent nature of what it seeks to control and restrict. All digital constructs are inherently Poly-Existentials.

0.4  Halaal Manner-Of-Existence Of Software

Next we focus on the question of correct manner-of-existence of software and the correct manner-of-existence of Internet Application Services. That we have done with:

Defining Halaal Manner-Of-Existence Of Software
And Defining Halaal Manner-Of-Existence Of Internet Services
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/120041

As engineers, our legitimacy for addressing this topic is our responsibility to the engineering profession and the engineering profession’s responsibility to society. Our definitions for Halaal manner-of-existence of software and Internet service are concrete and precise.

0.5  Concept Of Libre Services

We have formulated a radically new, non-proprietary model for delivery of Internet services. In the document titled:

Libre Services:
A non-proprietary model for delivery of Internet services
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/100101

we introduce the Libre Services model.

Libre Services are an extension of the principles of free software into the Internet services domain. They are Internet services that can be freely copied and reused by anyone. Any company or organization can reproduce and host any Libre Service, either for its own use, or for commercial or non-commercial delivery to others. The Libre Services model exists in relation to the proprietary Internet services model of Apple, MSN, Yahoo and Google, in an analogous way to how GNU/Linux exists in relation to Microsoft Windows.

0.6  ByStar Federation of Autonomous Libre Services

The Halaal/Libre model is not just theory. We have built a set of real, working, in-use Libre Services. We call these the By* Federation of Autonomous Libre Services. By* (pronounced “by-star”) is a unified services model, unifying and making consistent a large number of services that currently exist in functional isolation. It is a coherent, integrated family of services, providing the user with a comprehensive, all-encompassing Internet experience.

In the document titled:

ByStar Federation of Autonomous Libre Services
Overview of Concepts and Models
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/180015

we introduce ByStar services.

The By* services are based on 100% halaal/libre software and patent-free protocols, and are thus completely transparent and reproducible by anyone. They are a communal public resource, not owned by anyone, freely available for use by society at large. Their widespread deployment and usage is in the direct interests of the general public welfare.

ByStar services are structured in two layers. (1) Autonomous Libre Services and (2) Federated Libre Services.

0.6.1  Autonomous Libre Services

An Autonomous Libre Services is a Libre Service where the primary user of the service is the “owner” of the service. The concept of Autonomous Libre Services focuses on preserving privacy by providing control over information to users with safe guards of functional transparency, information portability and non-retention controls. Formal definitions are provided in Defining Halaal Manner-Of-Existence Of Software – And Defining Halaal Internet Application Services

The ByStar Autonomous Libre Services presently includes ByName, ByAlias, ByMemory, BySMB/ForSMB, ByFamily, ByNumber, ByWhere and ByEvent.

0.6.2  Federated Libre Services

The concept of Federated Libre Services is layered above Autonomous Libre Services and focuses on interactions amongst Autonomous Libre Services and facilitation of information aggregation amongst Libre Services.

The ByStar Federated Services presently includes: ByContent, ByTopic, ByInteraction, ByLookup, ByHookup, BySource and ByBinary.

The ByStar Federation is vast in scope. Its basic structures are in place and many services are built or are partially built. The Libre Services collaborative framework allows for ByStar to grow dynamically.

0.7  Blee: The ByStar Libre Emacs Environment

The first User Environment for ByStar Libre Services is called: “Blee”. An overview of this User Environment is provided in:

Blee – ByStar Libre Emacs Environment:
A User Environment For The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/180004

Blee is a layer above emacs that integrates GNU/Linux capabilities into emacs and provides for integration with ByStar Services.

0.8  Neda Open Business Plan

The economic and business consequences of halaal software and services are a fundamental shift of business operations from the for-profit, proprietary quadrant into for-profit, non-proprietary quadrant.

The halaal manner-of-existence of software creates a powerful generative development model for Halaal Internet Services. This generative model is absent from Haraam Internet Services. Thus Halaal Internet Services have a major advantage and can compete directly with Haraam Internet Services in terms of development.

The basic recurring revenue models for Halaal Internet Service providers are essentially the same as for Haraam Internet Service providers. Thus in terms of revenue generation, Halaal and Haraam services are on an equal footing.

As part of our responsibility to create a viable implementation construct we have fully analyzed the business dimension, and we have formulated the business model in the form of an Open Business Plan, titled:

The By* Federation of Autonomous Libre Services
An Inversion to the Proprietary Internet Services Model
An Open Business Plan
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/180014
http://www.neda.com/StrategicVision/BusinessPlan

0.9  The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem

The totality of halaal software, halaal Internet services, content generation and content publication facilities and societal frameworks that we described, forms the “The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem”.

The describer this overarching model and structure in:

The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem
A Moral Alternative To The Proprietary American Digital Ecosystem
http://mohsen.1.banan.byname.net/PLPC/180016

0.10  Foundation and Infrastructure

We see our primary role as one of guardianship of the goals and direction setting and facilitation of collaboration and growth. Towards that, we have formed the following structures and foundations.

0.10.1  The Free Protocols Foundation – non-profit, non-proprietary

Free Protocols Foundation (FPF), exists with the mission to maintain the integrity of public protocols, software and Internet services.

FPF is a non-profit entity.

0.10.2  Neda Communications, Inc. – for-profit, non-proprietary

Neda Communications, Inc. is a for-profit . Neda is a consulting firm specializing in Internet and Linux. Neda engineers have developed the ByStar Federation of Autonomous Libre Services. The entire ByStar software is GPLed (Affero v3). Neda plans to profit from widespread deployments of The Halaal/Libre ByStar Digital Ecosystem in a variety of ways.

0.10.3  LibreCenter.net – Home of ByStar Libre Services

We have built our own data center. It is distinct and different from other data centers in that is built purely on Halaal/Libre Software. At this time most ByStar Services are hosted at Libre Center.

1  Our Requests From You

The above picture is vast. Many consider it unbelievable and fantasy. Thus far, the entire By* formulation and development has been done by a very small team.

By* can only be significant if its usage is widespread and if By* collaborative development involves many. And now we ask you, as recipient of this email, to assist us in making By* widespread.

The entire By* design revolves around principles of planet wide scalability, very distributed systems, autonomous control and end-to-end interactions. As such, By* has the potential for becoming a basis for national Internet services in Iran.

The above documents collectively permit others to independently subject our approach to examination and validation.

As a first step, we ask you to review these and give me your critique. If you think our work has merit, we also ask you to help us in spreading the word. Please feel welcome to further distribute this note where appropriate.

The top level orienting document to read is:

There we also describe the frameworks that are in place for collaboration and we invite you to participate in this work.