SocialHub and the Substrate of Decentralised Networks
a deep dive into the messy substrate and coordination layers below decentralised networks, and how authoritarian thinkers like peter thiel view this substrate as a way to capture networks
SocialHub and the Substrate of Decentralised Networks
SocialHub, one of the primary forums to talk about the fediverse and ActivityPub, has been struggling how to continue the operation. Decentralised networks need a coordination layer, but how to build this in a decentralised manner?connectedplaces.online
abeorch
in reply to wisdomchicken • •Fediverse reshared this.
wisdomchicken
in reply to abeorch • • •yeah, there are two aspects to this: what do you think is beneficial for the ecosystem, and what do people do in practice. And those are largely different things, turns out.
I think you can make a pretty good case why it would be beneficial for ecosystem development to have protocols more standardised. But that also kinda doesnt matter much, because in an open network you dont have control over what other people are doing.
Bluesky has a much more structured protocol, and much more control over their protocol and anyone in the fediverse has over activitypub. Still, the first thing that people do is tweak the protocol. The three most successful other products on atproto (tangled, streamplace and roomy) all significantly modify the protocol to fit their own needs, theoretical arguments be damned
Jayjader
in reply to wisdomchicken • • •The next time I'm about to moan and complain about how nobody directly implements activitypub apis "the standard way", I'll remember this article and be mollified.
As @abeorch@friendica.ginestes.es states, diversity is a strength when it comes to resisting capture.
abeorch
in reply to Jayjader • •Fediverse reshared this.