Hi, my name is Arne. Originally I was super-excited using the Solid solution in educational contexts, but it looks like everything here went to sleep. This is very sad to see … 
Hi Arne, great to have you here! Unfortunately, it appears that most people appear to prefer to interact through real-time chat, so the Gitter channel is most active.
You can keep up with what’s happening in the world of Solid through the weekly editions of This Week in Solid.
As well as using chat, the folks at Inrupt and other developers are head down in code so very active but not so much here! If you ask on chat you will get responses, here too but maybe slower.
No need to be sad 
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There are some very exciting structural additions being discussed which the key developers are preoccupied with, and they prefer to discuss that elsewhere, but the key goals remain the same and as far as I am aware existing clients will not need much if any change.
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Yeh i’ve a been a bit disappointed with the Solid project as well. I regularly check the forum for updates but there doesn’t seem to be much going on. I’m eager to start building a solid app but i’m not willing to commit until the tech has matured enough for it to be used in a production environment (or close enough). I’m also waiting for better tutorials, but i think i’ll be waiting a long time.
I think the forum is not being used well by Inrupt or the team to share their work. I check in here and on the chat daily, so I see the contrast.
Hardly any of the activity gets reported in the forum these days, and I think this can be improved a lot.
People arriving here will get a very different impression from those arriving on the chat. For example there is the This Week in Solid update to the information GitHub repo which is published, er weekly on the chat 
but not here! You can though ‘watch it’ on GitHub and get a weekly email.
@MitziLaszlo how about creating a solid updates category and posting a link to the update each week?
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Solid appears to have big gaps in the basic libraries / backend systems needed for such an eco-system to grow; so, I guess it just a matter of just being patient.
It’s great to see people put honest comments there. @happybeing also has a good point of posting development status.
Meanwhile, if we are seeking something, it may also be better for us to take in a part. Even without actual coding, asking questions and discussing in more particular topics could contribute inspirations. As a 10+ year full-stack dev and solution architect, I personally see very positive about what’s going on underneath.
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Tim seems to be holding out for a solid only solution but I personally don’t think the data browser is ready, though admittedly I haven’t tried very hard to learn it. It’s like asking for directions to the library or the post office and being directed to a construction site. Maybe you could find books or send a letter there but you could also have an accident. I think they should allow the server to be configured with data browsers with more predictable, if boring, textual and maybe verbose interfaces that don’t require a tutorial.
But having said that, people should understand that Solid is really two different things, the specification for a server that’s as simple as possible, and a forest or ecosystem of client interfaces to solid servers. The forest isn’t there yet.
If the criteria for posting is writing code, then I am in violation, I guess. I am trying to cut down on the posting, but it’s a hard habit to break.
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A bit off topic, but I wanted to make sure: from my personal point of view, I’d like to hear from everybody, certainly not just those writing code, so please do not feel you need to cut down on posting. Solid is for everyone 
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Hi Arne, Vincent, Mark, tag42git, glensimister, jocose, dprat0821,
This Week in Solid is a great way to keep up to date.
There are a few ways you can contribute to Solid which are all explained here. Summarising you could:
- Develop the Solid Specification: either by joining a panel and getting involved in working towards proposals for editorial review or by applying to be an editor and reviewing the proposals. Communication channels of the panels are explained here. If you are approved as an editor then you will be invited to the communication channels.
- Implement the Solid Specifications: if you are in the data storage, identification, or application sectors you could look into implementing the Solid specification into your product. The forum is structured into categories that focus on specific types of Solid specification implementation
- help others to implement the Solid Specification: either by developing the libraries or tutorials - chat happens on https://gitter.im/solid/libraries
- increase awareness of Solid: by hosting a Solid Event in your city - chat happens on this channel
There are several chat channels popular with people who are working on Solid. Rather than focus on the chat channel I would encourage you to be decisive about what you are trying to achieve in the list above and then see which chat channels are being used for each of those activities.
Gitter tends to be used by those who are developing the Solid specification whereas the forum is slightly more popular with those implementing the Solid specification. You can find an overview of the gitter chat channels here. You are of course very free to use other channels if you prefer.
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