RE: Official?

[Jock Dempsey <guru@anvilfire.com>]

The problem with "Official" is that we have just left the safe confines of
ONE "official" webring system to many small systems. It is a hard mindset
to lose. 
As open code Ringlink is setup to create an environment of distributed
rings and ringhosts.  A distributed system has the advantage of not being
controlled by one person or corporate entity.  It is the strenght of the
Internet itself.  It also has the disadvantage of not having a central
organization that makes sense of all the rings.  A weakness of the Internet
itself.
To become a STRONG system there needs to be a distributed directory system.
 I have discussed a backup/restore system with Gunnar.  It could be used to
backup a rings directory that would be distributed to any member of the
system that wanted to host the directory.  James Huggins and I have been
discussing a ring data exchange format (RXF) that would allow something
like this to span different ring systems.
For this system to work there would have to be ONE central directory where
new rings and hosts join the system.  IT would have "accept new sites"
turned on, while the rest had "accept new sites" turned off.
The ONE site accepting new members for the cause would always be listed as
SITE #1 and titled "JOIN" to make it easy to find.  Otherwise IDs would be
permanent.  This site could be a volunteer position OR voted on by ring or
Rings hosts. . .  To become THE site all the Ring host would have to do is
turn ON "accept new sites" and all the ringhosts change the JOIN link.
Some system that would make the database available would be needed.  It is
my goal to mail all the Ringmasters on my system their databases.  The
distribution of the Ring of Rings database could be similar.  Eventualy it
would probably need to be made available via FTP.
The Ring of Rings list URL would be a ring entry on every member ring
rather than a Ring of Rings home page.  Click on Ring of Rings and a list
of rings would replace the site list.  Which one the member rings linked to
could be determined by the Ring Host.
To simplify things the Ring of Rings link could be a permanent link on the
List page.  Hard coded OR in the Config file.
As a distributed database there would be safety in not having it just
dissapear one day. . .  It WOULD require some cooperation and administration.
Just something to think about.
Jock D.