@smallcircles good analogy. What if you are the only one that can handle that axe and supply wood to your neighborhood. Maybe there is a wood shop where they can buy it, but the shop clear-cut old
growth forest and are expensive and abusive.

Then you start cutting pieces that are too big for your neighbors ovens? You neighbors complain - but you insist on doing it your way. Now you neighbors call you BDFL.

Another scenario - you form a cutting group that the neighbors can join , the neighbors who can’t handle the axe join the cutting group - helps carrying the wood and make tea for you. The group decides to cut pieces that fits everyone’s ovens. You actually work less now.

@smallcircles to be fair there is a side to this that involves people expecting to consume foss projects and having free support that is a big part of these conflicts as well. The dedication to the commons cuts both ways - if you want agency and governance you’re also responsible … but I think people often do not know how to do this - and maintainers do not know how to offer this. So I guess I’m saying we need new models. (Or maybe old ones we need to rediscover :)).

@smallcircles and maybe the expectation that you want someone to use a thing, without having agency is also a bit mad. You would not want e.g. a friendship to be based on this - or a family. Or a society. Or a workplace (!).

@smallcircles good questions. I think there is an interesting conundrum here. On the one hand most people value personal freedom - and whatever you do that does not do harm is fine. But when you offer something up for usage in the commons and at the same time insist that you have all the power - there is a potential conflict. I think we culturally have a weird obsession with ownership and absolute power over the thing. In another view it is mad to expect to be able to own anything that is shared. And maybe it’s this madness that leads to conflict. …

@evan ok thanks! Any plans for print version?

@evan So I cannot seem to find your ActivityPub book in print anywhere? Is it ebook-only?