Skip to content
  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • Moments Moments Moments, current page.

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
backus's profile
John Backus
John Backus
John Backus
@backus

Tweets

John Backus

@backus

Seeking alternative compression. Hopefully wrong on average. Shameless. Started @getcognito and @bloom

San Francisco, CA
Joined August 2012

Tweets

  • © 2018 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    1. zooko‏ @zooko Jul 19

      zooko Retweeted John Backus

      I want to retweet this every day for a week.https://twitter.com/backus/status/1020111697896341504 …

      zooko added,

      John Backus @backus
      p2p file sharing history is littered w/ predictions that a new **unstoppable and totally decentralized** protocol will takeover. It never happened. Users always flocked to the least decentralized system possible. Big lesson for today's blockchain and decentralization ecosystems pic.twitter.com/O2mE85BxF8
      Show this thread
      14 replies 34 retweets 137 likes
    2. John Backus‏ @backus Jul 19
      Replying to @zooko

      My next blog post walks through mp3 file sharing and tries to argue this at every step: • Centralized mp3 hosts • Link-only blogs + ephemeral hosts • Napster • Limewire/Kazaa • BitTorrent Each point's peak popularity reflects approximately the bare minimum decentralization

      2 replies 2 retweets 18 likes
    3. John Backus‏ @backus Jul 19
      Replying to @backus @zooko

      In fact, you can view 2005's BitTorrent as a step backwards in decentralization compared to Kazaa and eDonkey which decentralized search. BitTorrent lazily (in a good way) outsourced search liability and p2p coordination (trackers) to centralized systems. DHTs/PEX/etc came later

      5 replies 1 retweet 11 likes
    4. gwern‏ @gwern Jul 19
      Replying to @backus @zooko

      Yep. "Worse is Better". We see the same thing with darknet markets: they're only as decentralized and secure as they are forced to be. Their predecessors often (and still do!) run on the clearnet.

      1 reply 2 retweets 11 likes
      John Backus‏ @backus Jul 19
      Replying to @gwern @zooko

      Yup. As much as it pains me since I like the project, I think this worse is better for decentralization rule applies perfectly to OpenBazaar

      6:56 PM - 19 Jul 2018
      • 1 Retweet
      • 7 Likes
      • Rob Nelson Scott Fang-cis ن Harry Tormey Alex Tabarrok Ken Griffith zooko 🤖 Sonya Mann 🎀
      3 replies 1 retweet 7 likes
        1. gwern‏ @gwern Jul 19
          Replying to @backus @zooko

          Bodes well for Augur, though! :)

          0 replies 0 retweets 5 likes
          Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. Undo
          Undo
        1. Rob Nelson‏ @guruvan Jul 20
          Replying to @backus @gwern @zooko

          As it stands today, you're absolutely correct. I think you'll see several different approaches to presentation and ux on OpenBazaar as the base platform matures. Monetization opportunities on the platform are extensive.

          0 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
          Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. Undo
          Undo
        1. Midnight Magic‏ @midmagic Jul 19
          Replying to @backus @zooko @gwern

          The people writing it almost to a person, write designs which harm privacy and say wrong things about Tor and integration with Tor—like shockingly ignorant things. And then block you when you ask them about it.

          0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
          Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. Undo
          Undo

      Loading seems to be taking a while.

      Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

        Promoted Tweet

        false

        • © 2018 Twitter
        • About
        • Help Center
        • Terms
        • Privacy policy
        • Cookies
        • Ads info