[Freedombox-discuss] [ask] booting and configuring

[Jonas Smedegaard]

On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 07:03:23PM -0700, Thomas Lord wrote:
>
>Opinions and speculations requested, please.
>What is our group vision about this:
>
>I mail off a headless freedombox to some non-hacker
>friend (who, let's assume, has a computer
>and Internet connection at home already, but
>who isn't a sysadmin or anything close).
>
>He opens it up.  Plugs it in / turns it
>on.   The package, I hope, has one page of
>instructions about how to configure the
>freedombox and start using it.
>
>What does the process look like?
>
>Does my friend have to have wifi?
>Or a spare ethernet cable and a router
>with a spare slot?   What if his wifi
>is password protected?   Does he
>telnet to the box?  Use a web browser?
>Or does it include a (possibly tiny, minimal)
>display and my friend is supposed to plug
>in a keyboard?
>
>What is a realistic and desirable "vision"
>for the "first 10 minutes" experience?


I imagine something like this:


  * Initiate personalization mode in one of these ways:
    a) Plug a USB keyboard into the box while turned off.
       Turn box on, and when light changes to slowly blinking
       (approx. 1 minut) type in a temporary passphrase (yes,
       blindly, there is no screen) and unplug the keyboard.
    b) Hold down reset button for 5 seconds while turned off.
       Turn box on while keeping down reset button, and when
       light changes to slowly blinking (approx. 1 minut)
       release the reset button.
  * Notice how light blinks double now, indicating pairing mode.
    If not then repeat above step.
  * connect the box and your own computer one of these ways:
    a) connect directly with an ethernet cable
    b) connect directly with a USB cable - showing as a usb-net at
       your computer
    c) connect your own computer to wifi network "freedomnet"
       offered by the box.
  * connect to web address http://freedombox.local/ or connect 
    to DLNA device "freedombox".
  * Enter your passphrase (if using reset button, enter 1234).
  * Select the Freedoms you want enabled, and select "OK".
  * If your selection included personal freedoms then enter your
    nickname (you can add more later), and save the WebID you
    are then being given.
    NB! Very important that you keep this WebID and keep it
    private - it is your key to personal data on FreedomBox!

I want activation to be possible even in a somewhat hostile environment.

I want to support Zeroconf of most types of personal computers in common 
use today - both Mac and Linux (mDNS/DNS-SD) and Windows and e.g. some 
TVs (SSDP part of UPnP).

I guess DLNA style interfaces are unable to store a WebID so cannot 
support personal freedoms.  They can instead be presented with a notice 
that personal freedoms needs a more capable computer because simple 
passwords is too weak to provide adequate protection.


I tried hard to imagine alternative ways of interaction (e.g. call it 
with a SIP phone and interact with it through voice and phone digits).  
I am sure design folks are more creative here, and I would be more than 
happy to help find technical ways to support non-web-style interfaces!

Anyone knows which interfaces (plural - I assume not one is ideal for 
all) most ideally support blind, deaf or differently challenged people?


I strongly believe that initial setup should consist only of a list of 
enable/disable style choices and (if needed at all) a single personal 
identifier and/or a single box identifier - all services should have 
sensible defaults and be ready to go (any tuning is optional and done at 
later reconnect).  This helps keep initial setup to a minimum and helps 
ease ability to provide vastly different kinds of interfaces (like 
voice-controlled or even clapping-hands-by-certain-logic).


  - Jonas

-- 
  * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
  * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

  [x] quote me freely  [ ] ask before reusing  [ ] keep private
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