A simple Node app periodically checks if a feed still validates with the W3C service. You can modify it to check feeds you care about. #
When big tech companies say they love open formats and protocols, that means they're launching something new and they're just saying that so you relax about their intentions, which haven't actually changed at all.#- That's why I say if they really want to prove their love for the open web, if they aren't just trying to lull us to sleep while they steal yet another market from the open web, they should do something that helps the web more than it helps them. #
- I know how The Mind of Facebook works. There are people at the company who believe in the open web (or at least there were at one time) and some of them have the ability to launch projects to be part of the open web, but by the time the project has to get approval from one of the top execs, it dies -- because Zuck et al have hearts of stone, and think they can have anything that isn't nailed down, and think anyone who believes in being fair to users and competitors is a chump -- a Mother Teresa type, someone to laugh at not work with.#
- There are very few people in the world as greedy and mean as Zuckerberg. Never underestimate how cold his heart is. And never believe he will do anything that benefits anyone but him.#
- I wish we had a group of tech industry veterans who could explain how to interpret moves like the ones the company that used to be known as Facebook is making wrt ActivityPub.#
- They're running a standard Embrace and Extend strategy of a giant company entering a market that's "dominated" by a small competitor that's hoping for the best. I put dominated in quotes because it's obvious that the market defined by the startup is going to be huge. But it's better if the new area is dominated by a mega corp, that is for the established billionaires. For the rest of us, it sucks. #
- It all depends on what users do. #
- Amazingly with podcasting, we were able to confuse the bigco's enough for long enough that the users learned they were entitled to choice and they suspected any effort to lock them in. That, and some grace from Steve Jobs to not try to dominate podcasting when Apple had the chance to.#
- I'm not able this time to get the message out. I'm here, I am typing into my blog, but not enough people are hearing it. Don't believe Facebook has good intentions. If they did, they would hook the main Facebook product up to the open web, not the new one. #
- Maybe it's time from some other names of the open web generation to step up and help. Facebook is going to run over the nascent federated social web the same way Google ran over RSS. That cost us a decade or more of open growth. #
- But we can put a roadblock in Facebook's way. #
- Remember how the founders of AI spoke up. #
- Well the founders of the open web could have a word too. If you're so inclined, now is the time.#
- PS: If you know a founder of the open web, please send them a link to this post. It's the web-like thing to do. 😄#