Post by Molly White

1y

Enjoying posting this to Mastodon, which I have been informed by Chris Dixon is a failure.

He's real mad Mastodon won't use a blockchain, btw.

How might one fix this? Imagine another system on top of a federated network that collects data from the individual servers and aggregates that data into a single, centralized database. Sometimes servers will disagree, so the system needs a way to adjudicate disputes to decide which servers best represent the network's true state. Well, guess what? We've just invented a blockchain. Blockchains provide a mechanism for centralizing data while keeping control of that data decentralized.
Many proponents of federated networks refuse to use or even to consider blockchains, presumably because of the associations blockchains have with the casino culture of scams and speculation. This is unfortunate. Anyone who looks at blockchains dispassionately will see them as powerful tools that can help to compete with corporate networks. (See "The Computer versus the Casino" for more.)
To complicate matters further, some federated-network proponents will consider using blockchains, but only specific blockchains. For one, Dorsey has expressed interest in using Bitcoin as part of a decentralized social network. The problem is that Bitcoin has high transaction fees (typically more than $1 per transaction) and slow transaction times (usually ten minutes or longer, depending on various factors including network conditions). Some projects are trying to fix these limitations by building layers on top of Bitcoin. I hope they succeed. Without them, it's hard to see how Bitcoin can be a key component of

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1y

"There are only two known network architectures that preserve the democratic and egalitarian spirit of the early internet: protocol networks and blockchain networks. If new protocol networks could succeed, I would be the first to support them. But after decades of disappointment, I'm skeptical." — Chris Dixon, Read Write Own

Blockchains, conversely, provide only fifteen years of disappointment.

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1y

It's worth noting that Andreessen Horowitz is running a huge marketing blitz around this book.

This isn't just Chris Dixon misreading the room and publishing his book two years too late — they're trying to drum up the next story to sell people on crypto.

Tweet by a16z crypto @a16zcrypto
Jan 31
Always a good time to set the record straight on what's actually happening in this industry.

Photograph of a full-page ad in the Washington Post for the book, with a headline: "Forget what you know about crypto". Another subhead reads: "Forget the noise. The next era of internet innovation is here."

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1y

@molly0xfff wow, sad

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