internet commons and the open web

DHH in his Hey World blog:

When I started working with the internet in 1995, it truly did feel like a commons. You were free to put up your own site, on your own server, whether your purpose was business, art, or simply being there. […] The time when the internet had enough mainstream interest and presence to be a big factor for a lot of people, but before it had been majorly enclosed by Big Tech and the dominant platforms.

[…]

This is why we need to keep zooming out in the fight for the internet commons. See it as part of a broader struggle for an internet free of gatekeepers and enclosure.

[…]

Open pastures on internet commons, not enclosed or captured by any one company.

I may not agree with every bit of this post, but the core of its message in support of an open and unenclosed internet really does resonate with me. It was the 32nd Birthday of the proposal for the World Wide Web that motivated me to restart my blogging efforts here and host this content in a place that’s available on the open web and syndicated using standard technologies, rather than posting directly to enclosed networks.

I think it’s important to keep the web open and this is one way that I can participate in that.