37. p2p networks have a nice scalability property - growing popularity can actually add capacity and not just consume resources on the network. And the creator doesn't have to pay for mounting server costs.
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38. Blockchains are actually logically centralized, which makes them useful for cases where you need a trusted third party but can't trust a platform/entity. If you can securely distribute trust across a blockchain, it acts like a third party.
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39. Defining the problem is as hard, if not harder, as coming up with a solution. Decentralization technologies are a cool grab bag of solutions, but properly applying them still requires defining the right problems.
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40. In centralized apps you trust the server, in decentralized ones you trust cryptography.
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41. This essay by on the civic philosophy of computing networks is a good read: infocivics.com. It’s long so I’ll try to summarize some interesting points:
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42. Current web application structure is authoritarian, because the server has ultimate authority over the system. Users possess no authority of their own, since the server may override a user’s choice at any time.
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43. The fact that all power is concentrated in the server is not apparent until users become dissatisfied with UI changes, moderation policies, or algorithmic feeds, and discover they have no ability to change it.
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44. When users try to “vote with their feet” and use another service, that’s when this powerlessness becomes most apparent. They can’t take anything with them. Their data, identity, and connections are all lost.
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Haha I'm trying to get to 100 for the threadpalooza challenge, sorry if interesting bits get buried in there.
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