we need a prototype implementation of OPSN

[oresmus]

For the purpose of this prototype implementation, see our mission as described in issue #1.

To serve that purpose, I think the implementation needs certain features:

• anyone can easily create their own "OPSN node" which hosts files for them (in a free or cheap online server); see issue #3 for a discussion of how to implement an OPSN node
• if they want, it can host files for a few of their friends too, so they can get their friends to try it by just sending them the url for a web app (and the friends won't have to do anything except browse to that url, at least if they just want to see a graph of existing items, and add a few items identified by the implicit id of "that browser on their computer")
• the basic idea of OPSN items (small expressions or medium-sized documents) being automatically copyable between OPSN "pools" (repositories) is a main aspect of the implementation
• the demonstration web app can at least be used to make bookmarks and add tags and text to them (sort of like a Google+ post), but with those bookmarks becoming nodes in an OPSN graph
• the nodes have a simple protocol which allows them to be used from that web app or desktop apps (written in various languages), and to federate with each other.
• although the implementation and its formats and protocols can be very limited, they don't preclude being generalized to cover everything contemplated for OPSN (to the extent we can anticipate issues that might come up). In particular, all files, items, and protocol connections are "versioned" so that we are never forced to stop supporting old versions when generalizing them.

And I think certain features, not strictly necessary, are very useful if practical:

• to help users understand the idea of the OPSN graph, the demo app is able to show that graph as a graph, even if that's not the usual or best way of seeing it for purposes of interacting with the data.

As a minimal set of use cases to support, some or all of:

• allow bookmarking, with textual notes and tags, but also connected into an OPSN graph of topics and relations
• allow posting things similar to Google+ posts
• allow simple desktop programs to implement "personal file backup" using OPSN nodes (though it's ok to mostly ignore issues of file privacy initially, e.g. by trusting the security of the OPSN node and a connection to it, rather than encrypting the files)

[oresmus]

I should mention the possible use of sandstorm.io for making this prototype... except I'm not sure if this issue is the right place. Better here than nowhere, though.

Anyway, sandstorm.io (an open-source framework for web apps, which takes care of authentication and inter-app communication, and in other ways makes it easier to write them and for people to host them) has several example open-source apps that have related functionality to an "OPSN node" and/or to an "OPSN UI". It also has overall project goals highly compatible with the goals of OPSN (since in OPSN we hope to have lots of small servers, and Sandstorm wants to make that practical for general open-source apps).

Here is a related discussion on Google+.