Of course, adapting an existing system as deployed isn't easy.
I will say though that I think if Bluesky were to become actually decentralized it would look a lot like ActivityPub in terms of having directed messaging. This will also introduce similar challenges around eg replies, etc.
To the end of the fediverse, perhaps I sound bitter, "they didn't adopt ActivityPub the way I saw it!"
The truth is that Mastodon didn't, but Mastodon also saved ActivityPub. It then painted a vision of the future that wasn't, at least, what Jessica Tallon and I expected of it. But it saved AP.
For this reason @blaine@mastodon.social says of both ActivityPub done right and Bluesky done right, "they're the same picture" (The Office meme goes here, yes)
To a large degree, I think @blaine@mastodon.social is right
Of course, adapting an existing system as deployed isn't easy.
I will say though that I think if Bluesky were to become actually decentralized it would look a lot like ActivityPub in terms of having directed messaging. This will also introduce similar challenges around eg replies, etc.
Let's leave the ocap stuff to the side for now, then. Let's focus on what Bluesky and the fediverse have to learn from each other.
- The fediverse should adopt content-addressed storage and decentralized identity
- Bluesky should adopt real, actual federation and decentralization
For this reason @blaine@mastodon.social says of both ActivityPub done right and Bluesky done right, "they're the same picture" (The Office meme goes here, yes)
To a large degree, I think @blaine@mastodon.social is right
For this reason, @spritely@social.coop's tech looks like it's very focused on computer science'y low-level BS, but that's actually because it's too hard to build the systems I want right now on top of current technology, we need stronger foundations
But people have to build for today too
Let's leave the ocap stuff to the side for now, then. Let's focus on what Bluesky and the fediverse have to learn from each other.
- The fediverse should adopt content-addressed storage and decentralized identity
- Bluesky should adopt real, actual federation and decentralization
The ocap stuff, I tried getting fediverse implementers excited about this and tbh, it's pretty hard to design into a Ruby on Rails or Django style framework and mindset. Backporting the right designs to existing systems is a real challenge.
Especially ocaps need to go bottom-up.
For this reason, @spritely@social.coop's tech looks like it's very focused on computer science'y low-level BS, but that's actually because it's too hard to build the systems I want right now on top of current technology, we need stronger foundations
But people have to build for today too
Spec-wise in ActivityPub, I think it's possible. The ecosystem, as deployed? I think the ecosystem can and will only do part of it, if we really get everyone excited, maybe the content addressed storage and decentralized identity parts, in which case the fediverse will also survive nodes going down
The ocap stuff, I tried getting fediverse implementers excited about this and tbh, it's pretty hard to design into a Ruby on Rails or Django style framework and mindset. Backporting the right designs to existing systems is a real challenge.
Especially ocaps need to go bottom-up.
(cotd ...)
- Better anti-spam / anti-harassment using OCapPub ideas
- Improved privacy with E2EE ("encrypted p2p" even a better goal)
Whew! An improved fediverse?
"Uh, Christine, this sounds like a lot, do you think the fediverse can take this on?"
Spec-wise in ActivityPub, I think it's possible. The ecosystem, as deployed? I think the ecosystem can and will only do part of it, if we really get everyone excited, maybe the content addressed storage and decentralized identity parts, in which case the fediverse will also survive nodes going down
Here is your recipe for making the "Correct Fediverse IMO (TM)":
- Integrate ocaps, which is possible because actor model + ocaps compose
- Content addressed storage!
- Decentralized identity (notice the y, I did not say DIDs) on top of ~mutable CAS storage
- Petname system UX
(cotd...)
(cotd ...)
- Better anti-spam / anti-harassment using OCapPub ideas
- Improved privacy with E2EE ("encrypted p2p" even a better goal)
Whew! An improved fediverse?
"Uh, Christine, this sounds like a lot, do you think the fediverse can take this on?"
The reason I bring up the proposal here is that I think it has all the right analysis of what the fediverse should do, if it was going to rise to the challenge of fulfilling its true potential
So let me lay out what the things in that proposal were:
Here is your recipe for making the "Correct Fediverse IMO (TM)":
- Integrate ocaps, which is possible because actor model + ocaps compose
- Content addressed storage!
- Decentralized identity (notice the y, I did not say DIDs) on top of ~mutable CAS storage
- Petname system UX
(cotd...)
Now I want to be clear here that I *don't* think that proposal was necessarily the right one for Bluesky, and I do think Jay Graber was the right person to lead Bluesky
What I wanted to do required a lot more research, and we have done that over at @spritely@social.coop instead
The reason I bring up the proposal here is that I think it has all the right analysis of what the fediverse should do, if it was going to rise to the challenge of fulfilling its true potential
So let me lay out what the things in that proposal were:
Christine Lemmer-Webber