Dave Farber
2018-11-05 23:05:30 UTC
Date: November 6, 2018 7:56:32 JST
Subject: Re: [IP] An introduction to SOLID, Tim Berners-Lee's new, re-decentralized Web
Brief response to SOLID that I'd like to offer for IP. I have
no credential that identifies me as an expert here. Please
SOLID apparently decentralizes storage of user-generated
content and encourages the creation of more detailed
meta-data about content (specifically linked data
generalizing ad hoc, untyped links). I understand
that it has some related features for identity management,
authentication, and so on.
"I have a dream for the Web [in which computers]
become capable of analyzing all the data on the
Web - the content, links, and transactions between
people and computers. A âSemantic Webâ, which
makes this possible, ..."
While that quote originates outside of the context of
SOLID per se, my understanding is that it does reflect
a principle that SOLID is meant to realize.
There is a kind of contradiction there. What is most
socially significant about today's surveillance-based
web is that it creates new, massive databases of
very intimately user-specific data. Entities with sufficient
computer power can exploit those databases in various
ways. SOLID does not hope to discourage such databases.
SOLID apparently aims mainly to de-commodify them.
In so doing, SOLID will fail to address the questions of
differential power, and in particular the kind of of
power/knowledge problems that so-called social media
creates. Social media as we know it standardizes and
regularizes a very large proportion of social interaction
in discrete, measured and recorded transactions. It is a
form of surveillance that creates its own reality in order to
control it -- with the side effect of entangling such a large
portion of social coordination. SOLID should be critiqued
on the grounds that it doesn't attempt to "bust up" that
regimentation and pacification of social relations -- instead
it tries to make that regimentation more robust and ubiquitous. It is
"de-centralization" only in the sense that it makes mass
surveillance data the communal property of the powerful,
rather than something they buy and sell among themselves
as a form of of fixed capital.
Regards,
-t
(Thomas Lord, Berkeley CA. Formerly of (e.g.) the FSF / GNU project)
This message was sent to the list address and trashed, but can be found online.
-------------------------------------------Subject: Re: [IP] An introduction to SOLID, Tim Berners-Lee's new, re-decentralized Web
Brief response to SOLID that I'd like to offer for IP. I have
no credential that identifies me as an expert here. Please
SOLID apparently decentralizes storage of user-generated
content and encourages the creation of more detailed
meta-data about content (specifically linked data
generalizing ad hoc, untyped links). I understand
that it has some related features for identity management,
authentication, and so on.
"I have a dream for the Web [in which computers]
become capable of analyzing all the data on the
Web - the content, links, and transactions between
people and computers. A âSemantic Webâ, which
makes this possible, ..."
While that quote originates outside of the context of
SOLID per se, my understanding is that it does reflect
a principle that SOLID is meant to realize.
There is a kind of contradiction there. What is most
socially significant about today's surveillance-based
web is that it creates new, massive databases of
very intimately user-specific data. Entities with sufficient
computer power can exploit those databases in various
ways. SOLID does not hope to discourage such databases.
SOLID apparently aims mainly to de-commodify them.
In so doing, SOLID will fail to address the questions of
differential power, and in particular the kind of of
power/knowledge problems that so-called social media
creates. Social media as we know it standardizes and
regularizes a very large proportion of social interaction
in discrete, measured and recorded transactions. It is a
form of surveillance that creates its own reality in order to
control it -- with the side effect of entangling such a large
portion of social coordination. SOLID should be critiqued
on the grounds that it doesn't attempt to "bust up" that
regimentation and pacification of social relations -- instead
it tries to make that regimentation more robust and ubiquitous. It is
"de-centralization" only in the sense that it makes mass
surveillance data the communal property of the powerful,
rather than something they buy and sell among themselves
as a form of of fixed capital.
Regards,
-t
(Thomas Lord, Berkeley CA. Formerly of (e.g.) the FSF / GNU project)
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] An introduction to SOLID, Tim Berners-Lee's new, re-decentralized Web
Date: November 6, 2018 at 1:26:36 AM GMT+9
An introduction to SOLID, Tim Berners-Leeâs new, re-decentralized Web
By Arnav Bansal
Oct 29 2018
<https://medium.freecodecamp.org/an-introduction-to-solid-tim-berners-lees-new-re-decentralized-web-25d6b78c523b>
Recently, Prof. Tim Berners-Lee lifted the veil off a project called Solid. I decided to check it out. In this article, I describe what Solid aims to do, and also how you can get started with it.
What is Solid?
Solid is an attempt to re-decentralize the web.
Re-decentralize?
Back in the day, the vision for the web was a decentralized, collaborative read-write space. The first browser (called WorldWideWeb) was also an editor.
However, as it progressed, the design of web applications began to centralize for a variety of reasons. User data became the source of power and income for Internet companies.
Solid is a solution to this.
Solid is a new paradigm for web applications, one that is backwards compatible with the existing web.
Solid is a tech stack, a group of related protocols, implementations, and a growing community. Much like the web.
The separation of app and data
In pre-internet computing, your personal computer stored your data.
As people began using multiple computers, and added smartphones to their lives, the âyour data stays with youâ model was replaced by âYour data is in one or more massive data centers around the world, managed by the app developerâ.
And so, applications were deeply coupled with their data. Creating an application on the web entails managing peopleâs data at scale.
Apps and their ability to make money are measured by their data silo. Your data is difficult to migrate, since different apps store your data very differently.
The result? Almost every app has walled garden characteristics. This reduces incentives for developers to innovate at the app level. Existing platforms are secured against disruption, since the data lockdown makes it hard for users to move.
Data protection regulations
Some countries have enacted data protection laws. Companies must make your data available, and you can chose to download or delete it.
This attempts to return control over data back to users. But itâs a legal prescription, and not the technical reality. User data still lies with app developers, and the ability to download your data isnât very useful if you canât migrate to an alternative.
Pods: Bring your own data
Solid remedies this on the technical side. It allows applications to be built in a way where they read and write data stored on your pod.
You have a pod. Your friends have a pod. Pods store your data. You allow apps to access your pod.
Maybe you have multiple pods. Perhaps separate ones for home and work. Your pod can live on your computer, or be distributed across your devices. Or it could be hosted for you.
And pods store linked data. Your pod can link to something on my pod, or anywhere on the web.
We want applications that run across our devices. But we also want autonomy of our data. And we want the ability for different apps to use the same data and write to it.
The ideas behind Solid
Getting into Solid reminded me of starting out with web development. I remember learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the frameworks of the day, all at the same time.
The only difference: Solid is new, and help is harder to find.
(PS: if you just wanna jump in, skip ahead to âFirst stepsâ)
[snip]
Dewayne-Net RSS Feed: http://dewaynenet.wordpress.com/feed/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wa8dzp
Date: November 6, 2018 at 1:26:36 AM GMT+9
An introduction to SOLID, Tim Berners-Leeâs new, re-decentralized Web
By Arnav Bansal
Oct 29 2018
<https://medium.freecodecamp.org/an-introduction-to-solid-tim-berners-lees-new-re-decentralized-web-25d6b78c523b>
Recently, Prof. Tim Berners-Lee lifted the veil off a project called Solid. I decided to check it out. In this article, I describe what Solid aims to do, and also how you can get started with it.
What is Solid?
Solid is an attempt to re-decentralize the web.
Re-decentralize?
Back in the day, the vision for the web was a decentralized, collaborative read-write space. The first browser (called WorldWideWeb) was also an editor.
However, as it progressed, the design of web applications began to centralize for a variety of reasons. User data became the source of power and income for Internet companies.
Solid is a solution to this.
Solid is a new paradigm for web applications, one that is backwards compatible with the existing web.
Solid is a tech stack, a group of related protocols, implementations, and a growing community. Much like the web.
The separation of app and data
In pre-internet computing, your personal computer stored your data.
As people began using multiple computers, and added smartphones to their lives, the âyour data stays with youâ model was replaced by âYour data is in one or more massive data centers around the world, managed by the app developerâ.
And so, applications were deeply coupled with their data. Creating an application on the web entails managing peopleâs data at scale.
Apps and their ability to make money are measured by their data silo. Your data is difficult to migrate, since different apps store your data very differently.
The result? Almost every app has walled garden characteristics. This reduces incentives for developers to innovate at the app level. Existing platforms are secured against disruption, since the data lockdown makes it hard for users to move.
Data protection regulations
Some countries have enacted data protection laws. Companies must make your data available, and you can chose to download or delete it.
This attempts to return control over data back to users. But itâs a legal prescription, and not the technical reality. User data still lies with app developers, and the ability to download your data isnât very useful if you canât migrate to an alternative.
Pods: Bring your own data
Solid remedies this on the technical side. It allows applications to be built in a way where they read and write data stored on your pod.
You have a pod. Your friends have a pod. Pods store your data. You allow apps to access your pod.
Maybe you have multiple pods. Perhaps separate ones for home and work. Your pod can live on your computer, or be distributed across your devices. Or it could be hosted for you.
And pods store linked data. Your pod can link to something on my pod, or anywhere on the web.
We want applications that run across our devices. But we also want autonomy of our data. And we want the ability for different apps to use the same data and write to it.
The ideas behind Solid
Getting into Solid reminded me of starting out with web development. I remember learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the frameworks of the day, all at the same time.
The only difference: Solid is new, and help is harder to find.
(PS: if you just wanna jump in, skip ahead to âFirst stepsâ)
[snip]
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/wa8dzp
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