| Revision as of 03:41, 1 September 2006 editDemi (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,812 edits →Criticisms: Apparently fictitious citation← Previous edit | Revision as of 03:47, 1 September 2006 edit undoDemi (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,812 edits Removed criticism section--little of it can be substantiated in any meaningful way... see talk pageNext edit → | ||
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| According to their charter, the PDPC exists "to help peer-directed project communities flourish", mostly based around ] projects, and encouraging the use of free software through supporting it's development. Many open source development groups including the ]<ref>, ], ], ]</ref> use the ] network for communication. | According to their charter, the PDPC exists "to help peer-directed project communities flourish", mostly based around ] projects, and encouraging the use of free software through supporting it's development. Many open source development groups including the ]<ref>, ], ], ]</ref> use the ] network for communication. | ||
| == Criticisms == | |||
| Like most ] networks, Freenode bandwidth and server machines are put forth completely by volunteers. PDPC donations go solely to Rob Levin, the only paid employee of the organization. Many question the necessity of having a full-time paid IRC administrator. Other IRC networks without paid administrators include ], and ]. Many note that Rob Levin and his wife already live on the goodwill of the public as they collect disability checks. Taking note of this, Rob Levin has been called a "professional online beggar" by a popular news publication.<ref>, ], ], ]</ref> | |||
| A series of network disruptions brought into the question the competency with which the ] network was run: | |||
| *In October 2005, ex–] member Grog received "staff" status on the ] IRC network from ] (lilo) by posing as ], developer of ] and ], who happened to have a similar IRC nickname. Grog proceeded to un] #GNAA, ] several of the more popular channels including: #wikipedia, #linux, and #solaris, and overall caused ]. Initial reports claimed a staffer had been ]. However, it was later determined that it had been an act of ]. | |||
| *In June 2006, a hacker somehow obtained ]'s oper block and nick services password. In a network press conference, Freenode officials cited the ] and ] as suspects.<ref>, ], ].</ref> The ability of hackers to obtain the most priveledged access level on the network called into question the security of all Freenode passwords.<ref>, ], ], ]</ref> It was noted by commentators that that that Rob Levin failed to use an ] to Freenode servers, allowing his oper block password to be sniffed off the wire. | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 03:47, 1 September 2006
| Company type | Nonprofit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet Services |
| Founded | Houston, Texas (2002) |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, USA |
| Key people | Rob Levin, Founder, President, Executive Director Christopher Mills, Treasurer Seth Schoen, Secretary Phil Stracchino, Board member |
| Products | Freenode |
| Revenue | under $25000 USD (2005) |
| Number of employees | 1 (Rob Levin) (2006) |
| Website | pdpc.us |
The PDPC is an organisation directed and operated by Rob Levin (a.k.a. lilo) which runs the Freenode IRC network.
The PDPC is incorporated in the state of Texas, USA; and is an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable and educational organization.
Goals
The PDPC website describes themselves as follows:
- Peer-Directed Projects Center, an IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, was created to run the freenode network and to establish a variety of programs relating to peer-directed project communities. Contributions to PDPC provide resources to help us establish those programs.
According to their charter, the PDPC exists "to help peer-directed project communities flourish", mostly based around free and open source software projects, and encouraging the use of free software through supporting it's development. Many open source development groups including the GNU Project use the Freenode network for communication.