104 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
# Modpol
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Modpol, short for "modular politics," enables diverse governance processes on multi-user platforms. It offers a library with which users can choose, modify, and create modules that add specific governance functionalities.
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**Learn more at [modpol.net](https://modpol.net).**
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## Modpol for Minetest
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This implementation is a mod for [Minetest](https://minetest.net), a free/open-source voxel game. To use in Minetest, simply install the full codebase in your `mods/` or `worldmods/` folder. Minetest will load `init.lua`.
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In the game, open the Modpol dashboard with the command `/mp`.
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For testing purposes, players with the `privs` privilege (generally admins) can use the `/mptest` command, which resets all the orgs and opens a dashboard.
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## Mastodon Govbot
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Modpol can operate a governance-supporting bot for communities on [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org), an open social network.
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This version utilizes and requires the installation of [lupa](https://github.com/scoder/lupa), which integrates Lua into Python, and [Mastodon.py](https://pypi.org/project/Mastodon.py/), a Python library for interacting with the Mastodon API.
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*To do: explain how to set up the bot on the server.*
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* Install Python on your system and the two required libraries:
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- `pip install lupa`
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- `pip install Mastodon.py`
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* Set up files `clientcred.secret` and `usercred.secret` in the `modpol_mastodon/creds/` directory, using the account settings in Mastodon
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Once it is configured, to initialize the bot, run from Modpol's base directory:
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```
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python govbot.py
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```
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This in turn calls login-mastodon.py, which initializes Modpol and the bot.
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## Command Line
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Modpol can also be used 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.
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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:
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```
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$ lua[jit] login.lua
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```
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Alternatively, to test arbitrary functions in the interpreter outside of the interactive dashboards, load Modpol's library with:
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```
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$ lua[jit]
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> dofile("modpol_core/modpol.lua")
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```
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In the interpreter, for a list of global functions and tables, use `modpol.menu()`.
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## Storage
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The persistent storage method may be chosen in `modpol.lua`.
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By default, data will be stored in a data directory at `modpol_core/data/`. This will contain a log file and serialized program data files.
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For Minetest: If available, Modpol uses Minetest's built-in StorageRef system for Minetest 5.*.
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## Documentation
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Various guides are available at the [GitLab wiki](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/wikis/home).
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Read documentation of functions and modules at `docs/doc/index.html`. Documentation was generated using [LDoc](https://stevedonovan.github.io/ldoc/). To generate basic documentation for every page, download `ldoc` and use the following command:
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```
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$ cd docs/
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$ ldoc ..
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```
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This will not generate the same index page and sidebar as the documentation provided; the appropriate structure needs to be added manually.
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## Credits
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This project is led 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).
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Contributors include:
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* [Luke Miller](https://gitlab.com/lukvmil) (co-leadership, main control flow, object orientation, module spec)
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* [MisterE](https://gitlab.com/gbrrudmin) (early project refactoring, core feature development)
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* Robert Kiraly [[OldCoder](https://github.com/oldcoder/)] (ocutils.lua, storage-local.lua, project refactoring)
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* Skylar Hew (documentation)
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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/)_.
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## Contributing
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We'd love to welcome more contributors. Please join the conversation in the [Issues](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/issues), the \#modpol channel at the [Metagovernance Project](https://metagov.org) Slack, and the [Minetest.net forum](https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=26037).
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Learn more about the project and how to develop your own modules in [the wiki](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/wikis/home).
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## Licenses
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* [Project](LICENSE.mt): MIT
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* [Lua Serpent Serializer](serpent/LICENSE.txt): MIT
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