NCE.DFOS: The forest opens

Greetings, Dark Forest Friends. A big week is upon us.

Over the past seven days we've been hard at work planting the seeds of Hacienda. Right now that work is arriving in a flurry:

• Yesterday the blog app launched (with ongoing improvements)
• This morning the migration tool shipped for existing spaces (letting you bring existing chats + posts into Hacienda)
• Tomorrow morning, both groups and money will be live
• Tomorrow we'll launch a new website at DFOS.com that will include discovery for all spaces listed as public

Let's walk through the changes.

Hacienda recap#

We're calling DFOS R.01 (the first official release of this software) Hacienda, named after a mythical place where all the right people are having all the right conversations. But the Hacienda does not exist. It must be built.

DFOS R.01 lets you build your own internet. A private world of apps, folders, work, and ways of collaborating. A community of internets shielded from unwanted public view.

Each DFOS space is customizable to your needs. Here's how we've redesigned the NCE space, as an example:

The top row are apps related to DFOS itself. The second row are community-led spaces. The bottom row are links to the podcast and our book. A mix of native apps and links to other spaces online, brought together into a new world. (Link here)

With Hacienda, anyone can make a space like this. We'd love to see what you do make. Reply to this email with a screenshot of your space! We'd love to see :)

The blog app#

Yesterday we shipped a new version of the Blog app, redesigned for Hacienda. To use it, first install a blog app to your space:

Give the app a name, choose an icon, and set a topic (if you wish to associate it with a Chat).

Once it's installed, you can select what kinds of posts can be made:

So, as an example, we're planning on launching a Gallery app soon, which will be just an image feed. This will let you customize how each blog app functions.

Migration#

Many of us already have data built up in our pre-Hacienda DFOS spaces, so we made a migration tool to help you move it over.

To use this, go into the "Desktop Research" icon on your homepage, which will put you in Hacienda world. Now click on the space name in the top menu and go to Space Settings.

From the Space Settings screen, click on the Topics menu. This will show you the blogs and chat apps that you've already made.

Click on the name of a topic you want to migrate. When the dialogue box pops up, lookin for the "Migrate to apps" button at the bottom.

You can then choose which Post app or Chat app (if one or both exist) to import your data to:

Note that you can only import your data once! Think carefully about how you move before you get started. Give it a shot and let us know in the comments if you're having any issues.

Invites and the new DFOS.com#

Tomorrow we'll send out the first round of invites to people on the waitlist, inviting them into DFOS for the first time.

To help explain what we're up to, we're also launching a new DFOS website, including a Discovery area for all Public spaces that have added a description. If you wish to appear in DFOS discovery, go to your Space Settings, change your visibility to public, and add a sentence describing what your space is about.

This will still be done in a DFOS way. A tiny taste of the vibe that's coming, courtesy Ilya's always brilliant designs:

The start of a new world#

Tomorrow will mark a significant day in what we plan to be a long life for DFOS. We wouldn't be where we are in this moment without the amazing community of friends, fans, collaborators, and sickos who are here right now. We are grateful for your patience, enthusiasm, and wisdom.

These are the good old days. Here's to many more.

— DFOS