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Urbit

urbit.org

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Re: Urbit

#101

Post by bronzejaguar »

phs318u wrote: post #92
theamk wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Urbit “planet” is like a VM, but running an OS developed completely independently from existing computing words. There is a custom language, a custom network layer, a custom cryptography and custom identity system. There are even custom words for common terms. This has no GUI, but it does has a web interface that you can connect to. From the practical standpoint, you have a linux process running from a data directory…

> custom cryptography Just lost me. > you are only supposed to interact with it by running it and typing commands So, "the last computer you'll ever need" ... other than my phone, because the last time I wanted to type commands on a phone-sized device, was back when I was wet-dreaming over the Sharp Zaurus. Given the artificial scarcity of the IDs and the semi-mystical woo describing the proposition, my spidey-sense…

As far as I’m aware, there is no custom cryptography, and you can interact with it through a web UI now, not just through commands. Not sure where they got that idea.

Re: Urbit

#102

Post by iudqnolq »

bronzejaguar wrote: post #96
joe_the_user wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why exactly would one need to subordinate one's self to such bizarre ideologically machinery just to run a device-independent OS? I could run space on the cloud somewhere and log into my server from whatever local system? It's kind of a 1990s model but still.

You don’t, and the article is outdated and “titles” no longer exist.

The words changed from feudal to stellar. The concept is the same.

Re: Urbit

#103

Post by iudqnolq »

miss_haru wrote: post #98
iudqnolq wrote: post #17

So if I buy my "last computer" from Urbit a "senate" made up of people who paid them money early on can do whatever they want to my data --- ahem "upgrade the logic" --- without my having any say? I'm not sure if I want some ChromeOS-analogue with automatic updates from the Reddit/4Chan --- ahem early cryptocurrency adopter --- hive mind. > We want everyone to own their own identity and wallet. One way to do this wou…

I'm not sure how you got your first assumption from the rest of your quotations. "[the Urbit] "senate" can do whatever they want to my data" No. The urbit senate can do nothing with your data. Your server holds your data. It is not distributed on the block chain. It is not mirrored by your peers. No one has any access to your data, except where you give them permission. Your final quote refers to the power the senate…

You're right. I misinterpreted. People can buy power, but not of the more serious kind I thought initially. Thanks for the correction.

Re: Urbit

#105

Post by matildepark »

nootropicat wrote: post #23
ALittleLight wrote: post #15

I have seen Urbit a couple times but never really understood it. From the "Understanding Urbit" page - >Imagine that you can login from anywhere with one name and password. >And when you do, your entire OS appears. >Inside is your whole digital life. All of your communities, conversations, and connections. All of your biometric data and devices. Your entire personal archive in one place that’s secure, private, and de…

The part you buy is dns that runs on ethereum (iirc), but with artificial scarcity because they want to make money. This part is completely pointless, because the actual system could work as well on ens directly, or even dns. The actual urbit is like docker with standard API for communication between all apps on different containers, but it runs on a lisp-machine like architecture, except instead of lisp there's a ne…

That's a bit cynical, I think. The address space has had a few "official" rationales because it serves a handful of duties at the same time; again, explaining a system is different than explaining a product, but pitching a system as a product is difficult. You often end up framing the system-as-product a specific way each time.

> Urbit is a friendly network: a network on which you can assume that a stranger is nice until proven nasty. Friendliness is a direct consequence of scarce, individually owned identities. We're not changing human nature, just creating the right economic incentives.

> Most forms of network abuse are "Sybil attacks": they rely on an infinite supply of fresh identities. Scarcity makes reputation work. Spam is a business; if the cost of a new planet exceeds the amount of money you can make by spamming from that planet until its reputation is trashed, there will be no spam. [1]

While it's true an intent was selling the parts of the address space Tlon has to fund its development, its business model for consumers going forward isn't really to sell you planets; it's more about bootstrapping the project and offering hosting and support.

For investors, purchasing address space (i.e. a galaxy or star within Tlon's ownership) is a way of investing in an asset that could be a source of income while also having some influence over how the network changes in the future, in the way a stockholder would a company.

Essentially the address space is an attempt to create and maintain ideal incentives for the ICANN-esque players (galaxies), down to the ISP-esque players (stars) and the everyday user (planets), and their devices or additional users (moons) in a way that sustains the entire network.

[1] https://urbit.org/blog/the-urbit-address-space/

Re: Urbit

#106

Post by [deleted] »

icebraining wrote: post #39

This post is still the best thing I read about Urbit: https://www.popehat.com/2013/12/06/nock-hoon-etc-for-non-vul... (note: I haven't actually that much on Urbit)

[deleted]

Re: Urbit

#107

Post by mendelmaleh »

ajflores1604 wrote: post #54

I've never come across this project before, but I've been playing around with a similar idea... Essentially I want to scrape data from my own accounts and anything I'm interested in following, on a home server and push that data to a sort of "dashboard" interface. To watch either on my phone or laptop or, in theory, anywhere. I've always hated current phone interface paradigm. I see a grid of app icons like having a…

Sounds like you want to self-host google xD

Re: Urbit

#108

Post by iudqnolq »

blotter_paper wrote: post #99
iudqnolq wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is by design. Prior to the current stellar analogy the founder described this using terms from feudalism. > In one design sketch for Urbit, Yarvin made the link between monarchies and the platform more explicit, classifying users as “Lords,” “Dukes,” and “Earls.” The design behind the titles, he writes, “is standard Lockean libertarian homesteading theory.” At the end of the sketch, Yarvin indicates that…

I can't find that quote by searching the text of the linked article. I was looking for it because I'm skeptical of the claim that Yarvin supports a society with multiple shareholders of political power. I read the archives of Unqualified Reservations when Urbit was first released, and I was left with the impression that Yarvin supported the rule of literally one person. This is the closest quote I've found so far, bu…

I accidentally omitted a newline between the quote and my commentary, and it's too late to edit now.

The Verge: "In one design sketch for Urbit ... has reserved 32 duchies for his exclusive personal benefit."

Me: "The founder is an alt-right philosopher... are shareholders and have voting rights."

If you search for the first sentence of the quote you'll find it.

Re: Urbit

#109

Post by iudqnolq »

miss_haru wrote: post #93
iudqnolq wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's a personal server OS? Will I use it to write text documents and browse the web? Can I run the X Windowing system on it? It appears to me it's currently accessed through a browser. Is that temporary?

The primary way you access any web server is through a browser. You can access your Urbit server by command line, or by web interface.

Ah. I assumed a Server OS was an OS to run servers, not a server that exposes an OS. Thanks for the clarification!

Re: Urbit

#110

Post by miss_haru »

antielectronite wrote: post #79
Rainymood wrote: post #63

Is this some kind of over-the-top joke that I'm not in on? I've browsed and read but honestly still can't understand what Urbit is. When I saw the picture of the stone with the thing on top I thought I was finally "in" on the joke, but they seem to continue on.

Yeah I'm seeing all kinds of weird analogies/ abstractions that try to explain what this thing is but not a single use-case or an example of somebody getting utility out of it. Is this a parody?

Use case: this conversation, except between our own computers.

Typically, we 'log in' to 'our accounts' on some company's server and use whatever fuctions the company grants us. They are not really our accounts in any meaningful way.

If one were to be banned by hackernew(or twitter), she would have no access to her data, social connections, et c.

In the urbit world, any data you have authored and any messages you have received are YOURS. They are forever available on your own server.

It is simply not possible for 3rd parties to ban/delete/control your conversation, when the model is peer to peer.

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