The internet started as a decentralized network based on Open Standards. Backthen everybody could set up his own web server, mail server or news server andcommunicate with the rest of the world. The last years we saw, that for manyusers the internet was reduced to a few centralized services used to connectwith their friends, to communicate and to store and share all kind of data.Nextcloud wants counteract this development for people who want to store, syncand share their data. It provides a cloud platform based on Open Standards andFree Software. To connect the nodes of self-hosted cloud platforms, Nextcloudis the driving force behind the concept of Cloud Federation. The aim is toprovide a Open Standard to share data across multiple cloud servers. At themoment this protocol is not only implemented by Nextcloud but also by Pydioand ownCloud. Together with many partners, Nextcloud works on formalizing theprotocols to create a real standard. This talk want to discuss how to restorea free, decentralized and open internet in the area of data sync and share. The internet started as a decentralized network based on Open Standards. Backthen everybody could set up his own web server, mail server or news server andcommunicate with the rest of the world. The last years we saw, that for manyusers the internet was reduced to a few centralized services used to connectwith their friends, to communicate and to store and share all kind of data.This lecture looks at this development from the perspective of a cloudplatform which enables people to store, share and sync all kind of data. Inthis area we saw already the last years a strong push to more decentralizedsolution, developed as Free Software. This was a important step in the rightdirection, but at the same time it created a new problem. Everybody who set uphis own cloud platform can only collaborate with users on the same server. Itbecome obvious that we need a way to connect all this clouds again. Like withemail, for example, it shouldn't make a difference if you communicate withsomeone on the same server or not. In order to build this bridge, a conceptcalled Cloud Federation was introduced. The aim is to provide a Open Standardto share data across multiple cloud servers. At the moment this protocolconnects all Nextcloud, Pydio and ownCloud users. Today Nextcloud is thedriving force behind this development and work actively with many partners onformalizing the protocol in order to create a real Open Standard. This talkwants to discuss the development in the world of cloud platforms and howNextcloud can help to restore a free, decentralized and open internet in thisarea. |