Merge branch 'development' of github.com:threefoldfoundation/www_threefold_io into development

content/blog/an_org_building_a_decentralized_internet/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+---
+id: an_org_building_a_decentralized_internet
+title: "ThreeFold: An Organisation Building a Decentralized Internet"
+image_caption: "ThreeFold: An Organisation Building a Decentralized Internet"
+description: Greetings fellow decentralization lovers, I am in search of people looking to contribute to what is now the largest decentralized network in the world, working towards the goal of providing a decentralized internet that breaks down barriers to information and compute resource access. Our network provides digital equality to all users while placing the control of their data back into their hands.
+date: 2022-11-09
+taxonomies:
+  people: [threefold_community]
+  tags: [threefold_grid, technology, peer_to_peer, threefold_cloud]
+  categories: [foundation]
+extra:
+  imgPath: an_org_building_a_decentralized_internet.png
+---
+
+## ThreeFold: An Organisation Building a Decentralized Internet
+
+_*Disclaimer: This blog has been written by ThreeFold community member Drew Smith, and was originally a Reddit post. The team found so much value within it that we felt it was important to give it a permanent space within the ThreeFold Blogs collection, and Drew agreed to this. Besides a few grammatical corrections and minor contextual tweaks, the content has not been edited – and you can find the original post [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/DrewSmith214/comments/yhym2f/an_organization_building_a_decentralized_internet/).*_
+
+<br>
+
+Greetings fellow decentralization lovers, I am in search of people looking to contribute to what is now the largest decentralized network in the world, working towards the goal of providing a decentralized internet that breaks down barriers to information and compute resource access. Our network provides digital equality to all users while placing the control of their data back into their hands.
+
+<br>
+
+The project I’m discussing is [Threefold.io](https://threefold.io/), this is a project that currently has nearly 3000 Bare-Metal\*\* \*\*nodes in 64 countries allowing anyone in the world to deploy an industry standard VPS on the decentralized infrastructure with no involvement of the centralized cloud providers, This is a network meant to be used by everyone that can be expanded by anyone. You can check out a current map of the nodes online on the [ThreeFold Explorer](https://dashboard.grid.tf/explorer/statistics)
+
+<br>
+
+The ThreeFold Grid consists of three synergistic layers: The Nodes, The Network, and the BlockChain.
+
+<br>
+
+- **The Nodes:** These are hardware that gives its grid its power, The requirements for running a 3Node are a bare metal x86_64 machine and a reliable internet connection. These nodes can be hosted in a variety of environments spanning at home deployments to rented-space DC's. This includes DC's themselves being able to bring capacity online so long as it’s a fully bare metal device.
+
+  - You can find **_plug and play solutions_** for bringing a 3Node online on the [3Node marketplace](https://marketplace.3node.global/index.php?dispatch= categories.view&category_id=167), this marketplace includes node offerings from both the organizations itself as well as multiple independent businesses that have become certified 3Node Resellers.
+
+  - If you're familiar with the concepts of building a server/pc you can also bring your hardware online as **_D.I.Y 3Node_** this allows you to contribute any additional hardware you may have in your deployment to the support of both the grids network and compute capacity. you can find documentation on D.I.Y nodes on the [Forums](https://forum.threefold.io/t/diy-nodes-guide/837) or in the [Wiki](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__diy_guide)
+
+  Each node is booted using a fully in house developed autonomous operating system that automates both node deployment and workloads being deployed on the node after its online, called [Zero-OS](https://github.com/threefoldtech/zos). This OS is a hypervisor environment that accepts commands from and is managed by the block-chain.
+
+<br>
+
+- **The Network(s):** The grid is supported by multiple internal and external networks that allow for the nodes to function as a decentralized data center. This is made of two major components.
+
+  - **Z-Net**- is an internal private overlay network between VMs, Kubernetes Nodes, Containers and the grid. This network allows for minimal usage of Public ipv4 space while still allowing for global deployment solutions encompassing multiple 3Nodes.
+
+  - **Planetary Network-** This is a peer to peer end to encrypted network solution based on opensource technologies (yggdrasil) that allow grid users to create, develop and overlay networks designed to protect users ability to communicate and access information. You can find the github Repo [here](https://github.com/threefoldtech/planetary_network), with 3000 endpoints all controlled by a single DAO, the potential exists to create the most reliable peer to peer mesh in existence.
+
+  - **Public IPv4-** Threefold farmers have the ability to add Public Ipv4 to the grid in addition to their compute capacity, these IPs can be deployed as gateway addresses in support of the grid, or rented by end users for their workloads, at the time of this writing the threefold grid has 1114 Public Ipv4 addresses available for use. you can find documentation on adding I.P addresses to the grid [here](https://forum.threefold.io/t/diy-public-node-guide/3340)
+
+<br>
+
+- **The BlockChain:** the blockchain technologies built into the Threefold Grid represent what makes the grid truly unique and allows it to be utilized to support customer facing workloads or provide a decentralized compute resource pool. grid utilization is supported and created through two avenues
+
+  - **Individuals:** can deploy any workload they need on any node on the grid, if it can run on Linux it can run on the grid, this type of use is supported by the [Threefold Playground](https://play.grid.tf/#/), a decentralized deployment solution that provides industry standard Linux vps deployments as multiple use case specific deployment solutions for [Kubernetes](https://kubernetes.io/), [Caprover](https://caprover.com/), [Peertube](https://joinpeertube.org/), [Funkwhale](https://funkwhale.audio/), [Mattermost](https://mattermost.com/), [Discourse](https://www.discourse.org/), [Taiga](https://www.taiga.io/), [Owncloud](https://owncloud.com/), [Presearch](https://presearch.io/), [SubSquid](https://subsquid.io/), [CasperLabs](https://casperlabs.io/), and [Node Pilot](https://nodepilot.tech/)
+
+    - Custom VM images cab be uploaded to the [Threefold Hub](https://hub.grid.tf/) allowing full deployment customization with any Linux os image supporting cloud-init. Documentation on creating custom images can be found [On the Forums](https://forum.threefold.io/t/manipulating-cloud-images-for-the-grid/3380)
+
+    - Storage workloads can be deployed using [Terraform](https://github.com/threefoldtech/terraform-provider-grid) with offerings of HDD, SSD and [Quantum Safe File Storage](https://github.com/threefoldtech/terraform-provider-grid)
+
+  - **Solution Providers**: these are developers of user facing services that utilize the grid as their hosting platform. These organizations/individuals are able to develop customized solutions that provide needed services in their market and receive rewards for the utilization that their developments bring. A great example of this is [Zonaris](https://zonaris.con/), which is a third party organization that is quickly taking the lead in grid solution development. They have recently released an interface that allows end users to deploy [Streamr](https://streamr.network/discover/network/) nodes on the Threefold grid while paying in fiat currency. you can get started with them at [Get Zonaris](https://get.zonaris.com/).
+
+    - This allows developers to invest in only their code while having the infrastructure of a worldwide virtual data center at their disposal to scale their solutions with their business needs.
+
+    - Solution providers are able to automate their tools being deployed on the grid using [Terraform](https://github.com/threefoldtech/terraform-provider-grid).
+
+<br>
+
+What this has all truly come together to form is an organization where anyone can contribute to building a more private and secure internet that is designed to allow universal access to information and compute power regardless of the end user's nationality or beliefs. Threefold truly exists to capitalize on the ideal economies from every corner of the world, in order to provide a better digital future for all.
+
+<br>
+
+**What Can You Do?**
+
+Much of what you see today at Threefold.io is the work of 100s of decentralized contributors working together towards a common goal. The grid is designed so that anyone can contribute whether you're a developer, a property owner, an I.S.P, or just someone with a spare computer and a network connection. As it stands the grid is strong and well supported across the world. The biggest impact that can be made today is by developing solutions that leverage the grid and use its resources to bring affordable and accessible hosting to end users.
+
+<br>
+
+There are many discussions happening on the [Threefold Forum](https://forum.threefold.io) about partnerships with other projects and how we can better support both the crypto landscape and the general internet user base. Even by just joining discussions on the Threefold Forum and providing your input and ideas you can help to make sure that the internet of tomorrow is built for and by the users of tomorrow. but there are lots of ways to contribute:
+
+- You can purchase the TFT token following [this guide](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tokens/threefold__how_to_buy).
+- You can learn about farming [here](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__farming_intro).
+- You can learn more about the Threefold Cloud and Deploying [here](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/cloud/threefold__cloud_home).
+
+<br>
+
+_*Written by Drew Smith*_

content/blog/twitter_mastodon/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+---
+id: twitter_mastodon
+title: "Twitter, Mastodon, and Why We’re Evolving the Internet"
+image_caption: "Twitter, Mastodon, and Why We’re Evolving the Internet"
+description: What’s happening with Twitter is just the latest warning of the dangers of the centralized Internet, and the fact that people are leaving is the latest signal that the world is increasingly ready for a decentralized digital world.
+date: 2022-11-21
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart, victoria_obeegadoo]
+  tags: [threefold_grid, technology, peer_to_peer, decentralization]
+  categories: [foundation]
+extra:
+  imgPath: twitter_mastodon.png
+---
+
+## Twitter, Mastodon, and Why We’re Evolving the Internet
+
+With Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter becoming official at the end of October, many people have become uncomfortable with the idea of a single controversial billionaire with a lot on his plate having that level of power over a platform used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide – making decisions that look to be putting the company, the platform, and its users in jeopardy, at least in the short term.
+
+<br/>
+
+As a result of the acquisition and a series of events thereafter, millions of Twitter users have started looking for a replacement, with more than one million people flocking to the leading decentralized Twitter alternative, Mastodon, over the past two weeks.
+
+<br/>
+
+![mastodon_users](./mastodon_users.png)
+
+<br/>
+
+This is not the first time we’ve seen the alarm bells ring, a mass exodus from a top social networking site or communication platform. (And by the way, it won’t be the last.) As an example, last year after WhatsApp announced some changes to its terms of service, tens of millions of new accounts were created on Signal and Telegram. And earlier this year, Facebook reported a loss in daily active users.
+
+<br/>
+
+The reality is that most platforms are owned & controlled by the few. And it actually goes further than just platforms: the way the infrastructure of the current internet model is built, its foundational layers, are controlled by the few as well. Think about it, as ‘users’ of platforms, browsers, websites, etc., we have become the product, or rather, our data has become the product.
+
+<br/>
+
+Targeted advertising, cookies, geo-localisation. Agenda setting might have been ignited in the newspaper industry hundreds of years ago, but it definitely reached the Internet. When you search for something on the web, through most browsers & platforms, the outcomes you get are the result of an agenda setting. This means that a few decide which information is more important than the other. Often, this decision is subjective, and influenced by the highest bids to get on top of the list.
+
+<br/>
+
+What’s happening with Twitter is just the latest warning of the dangers of the centralized Internet, and the fact that people are leaving is the latest signal that the world is increasingly ready for a decentralized digital world. People aren’t just boycotting social media, they are leaving to go somewhere else considered ‘better’. They are migrating to Mastodon.
+
+<br/>
+
+## What makes Mastodon a viable alternative to Twitter?
+
+Mastodon has a lot of the same functionalities as Twitter, such as replies, retweets, favorites, bookmarks and hash tags. However, it is not owned or operated by any one organization. Instead, it’s made up of lots of different servers (also called “instances”), all talking to one another. The service describes itself as a “federated network which operates in a similar way to email.” And as it is open source, Mastodon allows for anyone to download, modify, & install Mastodon on their own servers. Pretty nifty, right?
+
+<br/>
+
+![mastodon](./mastodon.png)
+
+<br/>
+
+Mastodon was created in 2016 by German software developer Eugen Rochko. Unlike most popular social media sites, like Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, Mastodon is a nonprofit. As such, its goal is to benefit the public rather than shareholders. Twitter has built up a reputation for being the “watercooler of the world”. While it would be quite a task for Mastodon to replicate that feat at scale, many people might prefer the latter for a number of reasons, like:
+
+<br/>
+
+- Control over your timeline: No algorithm dictating what you’ll see – and no advertisements
+
+- Not for Sale: “We will never serve ads or push profiles for you to see. That means your data and your time are yours and yours alone.” - Mastodon
+
+- Freedom of moderation: Individual communities may create their own content guidelines, offering a variety of different user experiences. Join a server with the rules you agree with, or host your own!
+
+- Decentralization: Each Mastodon server is a completely independent entity, able to interoperate with others to form one global social network. Anybody can deploy Mastodon on their own infrastructure, under no third-party control.
+
+- Open Source: Mastodon believes in the right to use, copy, study and change Mastodon as one sees fit, since everyone benefits from contributions from the community.
+
+- Interoperable: Built on open web protocols, Mastodon can speak with any other platform that implements ActivityPub. With one account, users get access to a whole universe of social apps—the Fediverse.
+
+<br/>
+
+## How do Mastodon & ThreeFold Align?
+
+What is happening with Twitter is a reflection of the entire Internet model. Now, more and more people are opening their eyes to the shared fundamentals of decentralization and open source, which are paradigms shared by ThreeFold & Mastodon.
+
+<br/>
+
+In a world where centralization is the default way of operating, we tend to be relatively oblivious to what it entails. Being part of a centralized Internet ultimately makes us dependent on the relative few that dictate our digital lives. By moving away, through decentralization, we can take control of our digital lives again.
+
+<br/>
+
+![twitter_vs_internet](./twitter_vs_internet.png)
+
+<br/>
+
+Mastodon and the whole Fediverse have already attracted incredible communities with similar values and mindsets as that of ThreeFold and our community. Everyone joining Mastodon is looking for decentralization – whether they know it or not. Really, this mass exodus from Twitter is more proof (a la people leaving Facebook in droves or moving from WhatsApp to other messaging tools) that the world is increasingly ready for decentralization and what ThreeFold enables.
+
+<br/>
+
+Leaving Twitter for Mastodon is a step in the right direction, but if you are really alarmed by what has been happening with this Twitter saga, we are here to invite you to take action and be a part of a better Internet system. We can build this together!
+
+<br/>
+
+## How can ThreeFold support Mastodon?
+
+ThreeFold provides a reliable decentralized infrastructure that Mastodon and the rest of the platforms within the Fediverse need, and we believe that those communities will be very interested in our broader vision as well.
+
+<br/>
+
+The ThreeFold Movement is collectively building an Internet by the people for the people, from the infrastructure level up to the experiences. You can plug in hardware, join the ThreeFold Grid, and provide decentralized Internet capacity for the communities around you.
+
+<br/>
+
+**ThreeFold offers three main solutions to the growing Mastodon community:**
+
+<br/>
+
+1. **Deployment**: ThreeFold is making it very easy for anyone and everyone to create their own server through the ThreeFold Playground, so they are in full control. And it’s on decentralized infrastructure.
+
+2. **True Co-Ownership**: We’ll make it possible to co-own communities via smart contract, so if some nodes leave or go offline, the server is still viable. So any group of people can chip in some money and co-own your own Mastodon server. By creating your own community, as of Grid 3.8, you will also be able to ask people for contributions in order to operate the server, etc. And you can set and maintain your own moderation standards.
+
+3. **More Flexible (Secure) Login**: Lastly, we’re going to focus on authentication. Today it’s only email based, which means it’s easy for people to hide. ThreeFold could enable different verification options – email-based, TF Connect, and even TF Connect + KYC. So each server can have their own standards.
+
+<br/>
+
+## What is ThreeFold already doing to make this happen?
+
+- Currently the team is working on an easy-to-deploy weblet so that anybody can easily launch their own instance of Mastodon running on top of the ThreeFold Grid.
+
+- Creating a plan for people to be able to [deploy their own Mastodon servers](https://forum.threefold.io/t/how-to-deploy-mastadon-on-the-threefold-grid-today/3487) for free.
+
+- Building a website re: Mastodon + ThreeFold.
+
+- Reached out to the Mastodon team (We have done this officially, but we can do more of it from more angles).
+
+- Creating plenty of content on the [forum](https://forum.threefold.io/c/threefold-grid-utilization/fediverse/113) (e.g. open letter to Mastodon community), posting on social media, finding and engaging with public conversations about Mastodon on Twitter (something we can all do).
+
+- We held a Community Call around Mastodon & the Fediverse to discuss in further details what has been mentioned in this blog. Find a recording of it [here](https://forum.threefold.io/t/mastodon-the-fediverse-community-call-recording/3522)!
+
+<br/>
+
+If you support decentralization, you have found a project to contribute to in ThreeFold! Join us on [our two-way chat](https://t.me/threefold) or [our forum](https://forum.threefold.io), and let’s build a new internet together!

content/farm/index.md

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Become a ThreeFold Farmer. Provide Internet capacity to the people around you, a
 
 <br>
 
-<button>[Buy](https://marketplace.3node.global/)</button>
+<button>[Buy](https://marketplace.3node.global/index.php)</button>
 <button>[Build](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__diy_guide)</button>
 <button>[Learn](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__farming_intro)</button>
 <button>[Farmers Chat](https://t.me/threefoldfarmers)</button>
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ The ThreeFold Grid is the only Internet infrastructure that can scale to the far
 
 <br>
 
-<button>[Buy a 3Node](https://marketplace.3node.global/)</button>
+<button>[Buy a 3Node](https://marketplace.3node.global/index.php)</button>
 <button>[Build a 3Node](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__diy_guide)</button>
 <button>[More About TFT](/tft)</button>
 

content/header/index.md

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ extra:
 
 {% end %}
 
-- MoreInfo
+- More Info
 
 {% row(style="wide") %}
 

content/people/threefold_community/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+---
+title: ThreeFold_Community
+weight: 0
+description: Together we build!
+taxonomies:
+    people: [threefold_community]
+    memberships: [foundation]
+    categories: [foundation]
+extra:
+    imgPath: threefold_community.png
+    organizations: [threefold_foundation]
+    countries: []
+    cities: []
+    private: 0
+    socialLinks: {
+        LinkedIn:,
+        github: ,
+        websites: https://threefold.io,
+    }
+---
+The ThreeFold community is made up of passionate individuals from all corners of the globe participating in the expansion and evolution of the ThreeFold Internet and project.

templates/people/list.html

@@ -25,8 +25,10 @@
             {% if pages_str is containing(person.title) %}
                 {% set page = get_page(path=page_path) %}
                 {% if page.extra.private >= 0 %}
+                {% if page.title != "ThreeFold_Community"%}
                     {% include "partials/person_card.html" %}
                 {% endif %}
+                {% endif %}
             {% endif %}
         {% endfor %}
         </div>