Live data from Hacker News

Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

billprin.com

21–30 of 319 posts

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#21
post #6

My big question with using a Web3 login is what advantages it gives the website owner. With social Web 2.0 login, I can be fairly sure the person logging in has a valid email address, a name, etc, and it is a single click for the user vs filling in all the info all over again. With a Web3 login, it is basically the same. Except I'm not really given any personal info like name or email, so I need ask them for that any…

Web3 emphasizes privacy be default. Emails are no longer needed for password management so if u need them for something else users should opt-in.

Apple already provides something like that that’s WAY more popular and doesn’t require the waste of resources a public blockchain would.

I know some people (especially us techies) like to control the whole stack but who do you think the majority of normal users would prefer?

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#22

I honestly thought this was going to be a joke post because that top image is ridiculous. Maybe I'm just old, but it reads to me as Web 1.0: Great Web 2.0: Ugh, ok Web 3.0: You're serious with this?

I had the same thought. Imagine listing all blockchains in tiny icons you scroll sideways. I suppose that can be done a lot better, but still, who decides which blockchains are included and which are not?

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#23
... why would I want to share my wallet to something I trust less than a strange dog? Or part of my identity? No thanks.

One of the great things about usernames/passwords is it didn't demand that vulnerability - you could come up with whatever and it was your responsibility to keep up with your shit. Systems that mimic real world systems on average feel less prone to this silliness.

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#24

Several years ago, Mozilla/Firefox created "Persona," which was an open-source federated identity system that provided all the benefits described here. The idea was that it would eventually be built into browsers. I used it on a commercial site myself for many years. It failed to gain traction, and Mozilla eventually pulled the plug. Persona had many advantages over the Web3 vision described in this article. It was p…

One possible advantage web3 has over Persona is that it is not under the control of Mozilla or whatever foundation Mozilla set up to address those very predictable concerns. Being distributed might help it gain early adopter mindshare which could lead to future UX improvements. (Not saying I believe this will definitely happen, just that Persona failing isn't a guarantee of failure here.)

This doesn't explain why Persona didn't work. Unless we understand why it didn't work and show how web3 alleviates the problem, how is anyone to believe a web3 login system will work? You could also ask what has changed since Persona tried and failed? In other words, why now?

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#25
The real issue for me is that I would rather have Apple sitting between me and To Ty's app than a public blockchain with no owners. There are just too many edge cases and circumstances where I would rather have a trillion dollar company defending me, a paying customer, against To Ty if the app turns on me or doesn't meet my expectations.

me me + apple > To Ty's app.

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#26
post #22

I honestly thought this was going to be a joke post because that top image is ridiculous. Maybe I'm just old, but it reads to me as Web 1.0: Great Web 2.0: Ugh, ok Web 3.0: You're serious with this?

I had the same thought. Imagine listing all blockchains in tiny icons you scroll sideways. I suppose that can be done a lot better, but still, who decides which blockchains are included and which are not?

Precisely. Or what if you're some random grandma that has a wallet (since we're living in a make believe world where this is easy to create). Imagine you've forgotten which blockchain your wallet is on. Will there be a search box to find my wallet in this mess of combinatorics that is a login page?

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#29

Several years ago, Mozilla/Firefox created "Persona," which was an open-source federated identity system that provided all the benefits described here. The idea was that it would eventually be built into browsers. I used it on a commercial site myself for many years. It failed to gain traction, and Mozilla eventually pulled the plug. Persona had many advantages over the Web3 vision described in this article. It was p…

One possible advantage web3 has over Persona is that it is not under the control of Mozilla or whatever foundation Mozilla set up to address those very predictable concerns. Being distributed might help it gain early adopter mindshare which could lead to future UX improvements. (Not saying I believe this will definitely happen, just that Persona failing isn't a guarantee of failure here.)

[deleted]

Re: Real Problems That Web3 Solves, Part 1

#30
post #21
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Web3 emphasizes privacy be default. Emails are no longer needed for password management so if u need them for something else users should opt-in.

Apple already provides something like that that’s WAY more popular and doesn’t require the waste of resources a public blockchain would. I know some people (especially us techies) like to control the whole stack but who do you think the majority of normal users would prefer?

Bitcoin doesn't support web3. Ethereum is moving to proof-of-stake, so the resources issue is gonna become a thing of the past. Also using web3 for authentication doesn't broadcast any transaction. So zero resources are used at that point.

Apple has a closed platform mindset, I hope users will see the benefits in a decentralized open protocol.

Post reply on HN