Video summary
The Unhost project, led by Yan as its design dictator, aims to liberate users from the monopolies that currently dominate the web. The core problem identified is the current architecture of software evolution, where applications and user data are siloed within separate, proprietary ecosystems like Google Docs or Facebook. This model forces users to create multiple accounts, surrender their data to various corporations, and lose control over where their information resides, often on servers located in places like California that they cannot access or manage. The project seeks to bridge the gap between the convenience of web applications and the security of local devices by proposing a new architecture that separates web apps from data storage.
To achieve this separation, the team proposes an open protocol called Remote Storage, which functions similarly to a browser's local storage but operates on a remote server. In this system, users keep their data in a single location, such as a CouchDB instance, their own cloud, or eventually supported services like Dropbox and Google Drive. When a user accesses a web application via a browser, they authenticate using Web Fingerprinting or BrowserID, allowing the app to load and sync with their remote storage in real-time. This setup enables users to work on their documents or photos on any device, including a friend's computer or an internet cafe, without losing access to their data, effectively making the web as personal and controllable as a local desktop environment.
The technical foundation of Unhost relies on free software principles, specifically leveraging JavaScript because it runs entirely on the user's client machine rather than on a remote server they cannot control. The applications are built purely with JavaScript and communicate with remote storage using Web Fingerprinting for authentication and Cross-Origin Resource Sharing to make secure AJAX calls across different domains. To ensure seamless performance, the project utilizes specific libraries like put-del-lead for efficient data synchronization and actively works to make various storage providers compatible with their protocol. The team acknowledges that while coding proficiency affects speed, the goal is to provide a robust alternative that respects user privacy and freedom without sacrificing usability.
The Unhost project is driven by a small, dedicated team based in a town called Unhost, which serves as both a location and a symbol of their mission. They are supported by donations and foundations like the D Foundation, alongside collaborations with other initiatives such as Terms of Service Didn't Read and Open Tabs to promote decentralized actions and transparent terms of service. By combining the best aspects of the web with the autonomy of local devices, Unhost offers a vision where users retain ownership of their data while enjoying the collaborative power of online applications, ultimately creating a freer internet free from corporate monopolies.
Read the full video transcript
I'm Yan I'm the design dictator for the
unhost project and uh we love the web
and we want to help you achieve freedom
from the web's monopolies and um yeah
next slide please going to tell you a
quick thing about software Evolution
next slide so basically uh software or
what we what we do all the time is we
have apps on the top and we have data on
the bottom like your data next which
might be your documents and photos next
slide and next slide and there are
multiple applications so whatever your
word processor your um photo editor next
slide please and yeah that's all on the
desktop so you have your home folder
your my documents and um all the
different apps and um you have your data
where you know they are um next slide
please but yeah that was on the desktop
next slide uh now on the web there
basically you have all these package
deals of apps and storage so you have
your Google docs you have your Facebook
you have your Flicker and you need to
get Accounts at each one you need to put
your data there you give your data away
you license it away and um it's a hassle
to uh keep track of all of this um next
please so yeah and it's it's hosted so
you you don't even know any anymore
where it is so it's it's not even on
your computer anymore uh next mostly in
California next um so what we want to do
is in enable you to to have the um yeah
the the good parts of the web next um
yeah but but with the with the with the
good parts of your devices as well so
next all your next um all your devices
which essentially boils down to having a
browser where you can access these from
next right so we propose better
architecture next for the web next in
which we separate web apps from data
storage so say you have your your um
your web apps your um photo editor your
uh document editor and but your data is
is in one place your home folder for the
web which might be whatever your couchdb
instance um your own cloud might be even
your Dropbox um if we get that Legacy
support running but basically next you
go to an application in your browser
then you authenticate with your um or
you you via web finger call you get to
the remote storage next that gets loaded
in and basically synced all the time
while you work on it next and get synced
back and if you leave it then um it's
it's Vanishing again so you can use it
on your friend's computer or on the
Internet cafe next uh next so we call
that protocol what we are basically all
we do is a onepage specification for an
open protocol we call remote storage so
it's similar to local storage in the
browser um but remote so you can use it
not only locally but it basically sycs
your local store storage to this um uh
remote storage that you have uh next so
yeah the technology we use is basically
we say um free software on the web or
free free hosted software for the web is
not the solution because it's still
hosted on the server that you can't
control so we say JavaScript is awesome
because it's always on your client it
always runs on your computer so the apps
are pure JavaScript next uh they do a
web finger call next to the storage and
they authenticate if via either via ooth
next or we do the signin via browser ID
which is developed by Mozilla and it's
really really good which wants to take
sign in basically from now from the
operating system the user management
from the operating system to the browser
which is great next and cross origin
resource sharing which is basically
which basically allows the Javascript
app to make cross origin cross domain
Ajax calls um to access the data from
the remote storage next extend
time thanks yeah and get put Del lead
for syncing data uh next and uh we work
on making storage providers compatible
like owncloud couch TV and eventually
Google Drive and WordPress and Dropbox
next uh yeah that's me on the left uh
that's mik on the right he's our code
communist and in the middle it's Kenny
who had the original idea and we are in
a small town called unhost which is
basically our name uh uh excuse me
there's a question from the chat oh yeah
don't this make the a lot slower um if
if you're a good coder no why should I
know it depends on how good you can code
JavaScript so um yeah and uh next slide
uh we're sponsored by uh your donations
and the nlet foundation which is D
Foundation next we also do awesome
projects with terms of service didn't
read which is for rating terms of
service next then Libra projects with L
list free software Web projects next and
open tabs which is decentralized actions
next no no you're done the the address
is yeah we're un hosted everywhere and
thanks thank you