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I think something like IPFS is definitely needed. There is nothing stopping you from distributing a webapp on bittorrent but you'll also need to add a README fo
by rhodey 24d ago
I think something like IPFS is definitely needed. There is nothing stopping you from distributing a webapp on bittorrent but you'll also need to add a README for instructions on how to run the webapp on localhost so a browser can render it. So thats not something that any non-technical user wants to do.
- toomuchtodo 24d agoCan you share potential webapp use cases that would rely on IPFS or using IPFS for referencing resources would be an improvement? Perhaps my mental has gaps on this topic, and my thoughts and assertions could be incorrect.
- rhodey 24d agoThe arguments for "reproducible builds" are strong and so think reproducible builds but for something that can be loaded in the browser. Browser is a big deal because its a sandbox also. For example Signal could be a webapp if we had content addressable hashing and it would be sandboxed.
- stackghost 24d agoContent-addressable storage as a whole is a non-starter with non-technical users.
- chriswarbo 24d agoI don't understand. Billions of non-technical users are loading URLs like `https://cdn.foo/?guid=deadbeefdeadbeefdeadbeef https://cdn.foo/?guid=deadbeefdeadbeefdeadbeef` all the time. Why would they care if those URLs became `ipfs://deadbeefdeadbeefdeadbeef` instead?
- deleted 24d ago[deleted]
- stackghost 24d agoThe number of normies visiting urls directly from a CDN is a rounding error. Non technical users like pronounceable domain names. It's why we aren't just using IP addresses. CAS is intimidating to non-technical types.
- chriswarbo 23d agoPronounceable names can point to a content address, the same way they can point to an IP address. For example, https://dnslink.dev https://dnslink.dev points a DNS name to a content address; git refs point to git objects; etc.
- stackghost 23d agoThis is irrelevant. The point I'm responding to is this: >I think something like IPFS is definitely needed. There is nothing stopping you from distributing a webapp on bittorrent but you'll also need to add a README for instructions on how to run the webapp on localhost so a browser can render it. So thats not something that any non-technical user wants to do. This quoted comment assumes there's a web app that is sufficiently complex as to require a readme to run it, but that's too complex for normal people. But somehow, a link that looks like `ipfs://12340-9q5ui1j2;lk3rjq;ladksfj` won't scare those same people off? Color me extremely skeptical.
- chriswarbo 23d ago> a link that looks like `ipfs://12340-9q5ui1j2;lk3rjq;ladksfj` won't scare those same people off Why would non-technical users be looking at raw URLs? Surely links "look like" blue underlined text; or a button; or whatever?
- stackghost 22d ago>Why would non-technical users be looking at raw URLs? Surely you jest. Have you heard of this thing called the address bar? Do you think non technical folks don't know what "Google.com" is? How many normies working office jobs get it drilled into them "don't open links if you don't recognize the domain"? How do normies share urls? They paste them into Whatsapp group chats.
- fc417fc802 24d agoArguably that's a browser shortcoming that applies equally to IPFS (as well as all the other "alternative" internet protocols). (But yes I realize IPFS is a much better fit for the purpose when you dig into the details.)