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This sounds really exciting - would this connect w an existing atmosphere account that was originally set up via Bluesky? Or would we set up a separate aster ID?

I’m getting a server error message with this account. Everything else seems to work. Just not the home button associated with @bsky.app

Can you clarify? Is it an issue when you visit the profile on bsky.app?

What does that mean for you? Your Bluesky account is actually an ‘Atmosphere’ account. Atmosphere accounts can access dozens of different apps, but the data you enter into these apps is always owned by your account - not the app! Aster ID is like @eurosky.social's PDS, but for researchers.

Because of the power of Atmosphere accounts, there are so many apps you can benefit from as a researcher. For science, over 30 apps and tools for publishing (e.g. @leaflet.pub ), networking (e.g. @sifa.id), or curating knowledge (e.g. @semble.so) will all be compatible with your Aster ID.

We’re also working on apps of our own - including a hosting platform for personal websites that will finally make academic websites easy. Stay tuned for more - your Aster ID will be your personal webpage, too!

Sounds very interesting. Have you checked out lea.ac - a client for the sky (as bsky.app mu.social etc., but...) build for researcers.

So we migrate to your PDS? Where is the process explained?

I’m just always suspicious of stuff like this, because even if the intentions behind it are truly good, no project exists in a vacuum. Everything exists within our global system of capitalism and corporatism, which I think will inevitably start to influence any project’s good intentions.

Yep that's a fair concern, a lot of open science ventures started open but then got enshittified like so many other startups. But we can learn from those cases and evolve more resilient organizational forms - we are following emerging best practices as described out here >

Of course this is easier said than done, but similar to what @emily.space said - building on AT Protocol with the awesome collaborative community here opens up new opportunities for implementing these principles and creating truly resilient and democratic infrastructure!

I get that! Trust is something that has to be earned. I hope that a few things can already make that clear:

1. We're legally hosted by a non-profit, and our agreement with them is that we remain a non-profit project. As the person who signed that document on our team, I would be legally liable if we break that! (We could make that doc public at some point to help clarify)

If it helps, I'd say everyone on the team is pretty justice-oriented and not a fan of capitalism lol. Generally, as a non-profit and especially as a currently volunteer-not-paid team, we'll just be slower and perhaps more limited in the new features we can offer vs a for-profit alternative.

It's backed by a non-profit.

"Everything exists within our global system of capitalism and corporatism". Its a fair comment, from a USA perspective. But you'll notice a social movement called "digital sovereignty"in Europe (particularly). Trumpie has scared the politicians into action.

Well, I’m not American, and my European friends agree that capitalism is pretty global, even if it’s not as bad in some places. Unless there’s a big gap in my knowledge, which is possible, everyone everywhere is motivated by money.

Goodoh, So Aster is the social network for this project. Food for thought. open-science-cloud.ec.europa.eu/support/gett...

I think @mathewlowry.eurosky.social might know a little about this but my understanding is it's not atproto-fied (yet?)?

Guys, I love what you are doing but you freaked me out with your first sentence. "In 1989, the internet was invented... " (and you're attracting researchers!)

Yes thanks we corrected that to "web" :)