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Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

theguardian.com

21–30 of 218 posts

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#21
There are inherent benefits to large, centralized platforms. Users, especially content creators, desire a large network of users and excellent UX, both of which have typically been properties of centralized systems or at least far easier to achieve with centralized systems. Every decentralized social network thus far has failed, and the modestly successful ones (Mastodon, for example) are in fact federated.

Many of the problems alluded to in this article, in particular the privacy risk of centralized data, are more effectively solved by policy changes and iterated technology (differential privacy as well as bread-and-butter cryptography) rather than furious hand-waving about blockchain protocols.

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#24
post #4

How long until it reverts back to some nodes having way more influence/power/data than the others? This is not only a technology problem, it's (mostly, I'd say) a social one. Humans will always want more power and control, whether it's in real life or online. Every single type of governance has fallen victim to human greed and ambition, as will any kind of Internet, I believe. Fix the users - save the Internet! :)

And eventually a decentralized node will become the new central node for the next big thing.

It's all cyclical.

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#25
Beaker Browser (mentioned as one of many possibilities in this article) is the real deal. If it doesn't get you fired up about the possibilities, then - well let me explain I guess:

* The interface is dead simple - share this folder, done.

* It is a read-write browser. Netscape (and other browsers) used to be this way - they had some limited HTML creation tools. Beaker brings this back in the form of making an "editable copy" of a website. It's a choice in the address bar.

* Making an "editable copy" doesn't have to mean you're now editing raw HTML. An editable copy can direct how it is edited through JS. (See the recently released "dead-lite" for an example of this.)

All these attempts are exciting but I'm actually starting to use Beaker because it's so useful even without adoption.

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#26

Beaker Browser (mentioned as one of many possibilities in this article) is the real deal. If it doesn't get you fired up about the possibilities, then - well let me explain I guess: * The interface is dead simple - share this folder, done. * It is a read-write browser. Netscape (and other browsers) used to be this way - they had some limited HTML creation tools. Beaker brings this back in the form of making an "edita…

Can you explain what you can use beaker browser for, even without adoption?

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#27
With phones doubling performance every 1-2 years, and desktops/laptops largely stagnating, it looks like in a few years, a server rack will fit into your smartphone.

And most enterprise software (and almost no individual user) barely needs more than a rack of current gen servers.

So yeah, decentralization will be upon us soon enough.

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#28

Beaker Browser (mentioned as one of many possibilities in this article) is the real deal. If it doesn't get you fired up about the possibilities, then - well let me explain I guess: * The interface is dead simple - share this folder, done. * It is a read-write browser. Netscape (and other browsers) used to be this way - they had some limited HTML creation tools. Beaker brings this back in the form of making an "edita…

Tara gave a good intro talk at jsconfeu https://youtu.be/rJ_WvfF3FN8

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#29
I have started a project as a way to explore how web applications can become more decentralized. In the blockchain the starting point are dapps, so I’m calling mine ddapps. Would love any constructive criticism (not quite ready for ShowHN yet):

ddapp.org

Re: Decentralisation: the next big step for the world wide web

#30

With phones doubling performance every 1-2 years, and desktops/laptops largely stagnating, it looks like in a few years, a server rack will fit into your smartphone. And most enterprise software (and almost no individual user) barely needs more than a rack of current gen servers. So yeah, decentralization will be upon us soon enough.

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