Were Othernet to have happened 30 years ago, and like 3D printing the tech was already all there, we would all be using a newsgroup like perhaps alt.othernet and maybe a few sub-groups to discuss and coordinate specific aspects of the project. Other than being all text the discussions on Othernet forums minus the heart widgets etc work like old USENET newsgroups. These older protocols are just very good at minimizing bandwidth and dealing with long periods of lag and absence of connection.
NNTP(usenet) protocol is so good for this type of operation an intergalactic peer-to-peer hybrid with some fidonet-ness was featured as a way to deal with low bandwidth and sometimes years of network lag in the plot of Vernor Vinge’s A Deepness in the Sky.
