modpol/README.md

# Modular Politics for Minetest

Modular Politics is an extension that enables diverse governance processes on multi-user platforms. It seeks to implement a theoretical framework, also called [Modular Politics](https://metagov.org/modpol), which proposes these design goals:

* *Modularity*: Platform operators and community members should have the ability to construct systems by creating, importing, and arranging composable parts together as a coherent whole.
* *Expressiveness*: The governance layer should be able to implement as wide a range of processes as possible.
* *Portability*: Governance tools developed for one platform should be portable to another platform for reuse and adaptation.
* *Interoperability*: Governance systems operating on different platforms and protocols should have the ability to interact with each other, sharing data and influencing each other's processes.

Modular Politics produces a library that enables users to create or adapt their own modules that add specific governance functionalities. 

This implementation is a mod for [Minetest](https://minetest.net), a free/open-source voxel game. It is designed to be easily adapted to other multi-user platforms that also employ Lua as an extension language.


## Installation in Minetest

To use this in Minetest, simply install it in your `mods/` or `worldmods/` folder. Minetest will load `init.lua`.

In the game, open the Modular Politics dashboard with the command `/mp`.

For testing purposes, players with the `privs` privilege (generally admins) can use the `/mp` command, which resets all the orgs and opens a dashboard.


## Standalone Version on the Command Line

Modular Politics can also be used independently of Minetest as a command-line tool. Currently command-line use of modpol requires a Unix-style system, but it is intended to become more fully platform independent.

The command-line version is in the `modpol` subdirectory. To run the program on Unix systems in CLI mode, install lua or luajit and execute the following in this directory:

```
$ lua[jit] login.lua
```

You can also interact with the interpreter by starting it this way:

```
$ lua[jit]
> dofile("login.lua")
```

In the interpreter, for a list of global functions and tables, use `modpol.menu()`.

## Storage

By default, a  data  directory  named  "data" will  be created in  this directory. `/data` will contain a log file and serialized program data files.

Another storage method may be chosen in `modpol.lua`. A StorageRef-based method for Minetest 5.* is included: `storage-mod_storage.lua`.


## Credits

Initiated by [Nathan Schneider](https://nathanschneider.info) of the [Media Enterprise Design Lab](https://colorado.edu/lab/medlab) at the University of Colorado Boulder, as part of the [Metagovernance Project](https://metagov.org). Based on the paper "[Modular Politics: Toward a Governance Layer for Online Communities](https://metagov.org/modpol)."

Other contributors include:

* [Luke Miller](https://gitlab.com/lukvmil) (main control flow, object orientation, module spec)
* [MisterE](https://gitlab.com/gbrrudmin) (project refactoring, core feature development)
* Robert Kiraly [[OldCoder](https://github.com/oldcoder/)] (ocutils.lua, storage-local.lua, project refactoring)
* Skylar Hew (documentation)

We are grateful for initial support for this project from a residency with [The Bentway Conservancy](https://www.thebentway.ca/). Read about us in _[The Field Guide to Digital and/as Public Space](https://www.thebentway.ca/stories/field-guide/)_.


## Contributing

We'd love to welcome more contributors. Please join the conversation in the [Issues](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/issues), our [Matrix.org channel](https://matrix.to/#/#minetest-modpol:matrix.org), and the [Minetest.net forum](https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=26037).

Learn more about the project and how to develop your own modules in [the wiki](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/wikis/home).


## Licenses

* [Project](LICENSE.mt): MIT
* [Lua Serpent Serializer](serpent/LICENSE.txt): MIT