Pubnixes

This is my landing page for information and links about pubnixes.

Matters are complicated by the significant overlap between pubnixes, gopher and other areas of interest.

Definitions

I take a "broad" definition of pubnix, to include any big remotely accessible UNIX/Linux machine which permits shell access for users beyond a single household, employer or family. A "narrow" definition of pubnix would restrict that by imposing some of the following conditions:

• non-commercial or non-profit organisational setup
• not charging users for access
• not limiting users to a particular sub-population (e.g., members of some particular wider community)

In the late 1990s, some friends and I were involved in founding some pubnixes, in a contested context. It meant we needed to put some thought into the actual theory of what pubnixes are and why they're good. The broad/narrow typology above cuts across that. I'll write more on it one day.

There is also a concept of "micro-pubnix" (and "subverse"), adumbrated in some of the articles linked below.

Some links

Micropubnixes

The term "micropubnix" connotes a newer style of pubnix which is intentionally limited to a specified number of people, e.g. 48 users.

Specific pubnix sites

The circumlunar subverse

The tilde subverse

My own pubnixes

In the future, circa 2026, I intend to found a new pubnix focused on smolnet / Heterodox Technology.

Unsorted links

Pubnix governance

TBD

• unincorporated vs incorporated
• who grants root access?
• do users have to be members of the organisation?
• is the organisation (if any) more of an association or a foundation?

Coda

I tend to call them "Public Access UNIX" systems, or PAX. This is definitely what some people called them in the 1990s. The "pubnix" term was new to me when I came across it a few years ago, circa 2020.