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Overview that explains the problem this is meant to solve: https://upspin.io/doc/overview.md https://upspin.io/doc/overview.md

zzzcpan 10y ago
"This “information silo” model we have migrated to over the last few years makes sense for the service providers but penalizes the users" Well, there were many discussions about this topic. Ultimately non-tech users have to use the software that somebody has to make, market, maintain, etc., so for most users upspin model simply pushes service providers from web browsers to apps where service providers are still very much in control, not users. I think only protocols could give some control to the users for the longest time. They could enable competition among implementations essentially preventing implementations from taking roads that punish users. They would have to find different and user respecting ways to make money. But even then a big corporation with too much money could monopolize the whole market, "extend" protocols and drive all of the user respecting competition out of business or make them play by their rules. And we are back at square one, thinking about taking back control. Something in software has to change very profoundly to change this, like making software that doesn't need maintenance or at least needs so little of it that anyone could afford to do it for their entire life.
- skierpage 10y ago
  > I think only protocols could give some control to the users for the longest time. They do. If you run your own web or blog server you can provide resources at HTTP URLs forever. The server cost is dropping to zero either by running it on your home router or paying pennies/free for a small cloud instance. The biggest expense is owning and maintaining a domain name forever. If Upspin takes off, you could provide resources at Upspin file paths forever without needing your own domain. The problem is people like social sites, most of us now expect to be able to like and share and comment on resources. So although I will consider Upspin as a way to provide pictures to friends and family who aren't on Facebook, I'm unlikely to ever stop also putting them in the walled garden on Facebook for the upvotes. And building a social protocol in which Facebook will give a damn competing with other implementations seems vanishingly unlikely right now.

zzzcpan 10y ago

"This “information silo” model we have migrated to over the last few years makes sense for the service providers but penalizes the users" Well, there were many discussions about this topic. Ultimately non-tech users have to use the software that somebody has to make, market, maintain, etc., so for most users upspin model simply pushes service providers from web browsers to apps where service providers are still very much in control, not users. I think only protocols could give some control to the users for the longest time. They could enable competition among implementations essentially preventing implementations from taking roads that punish users. They would have to find different and user respecting ways to make money. But even then a big corporation with too much money could monopolize the whole market, "extend" protocols and drive all of the user respecting competition out of business or make them play by their rules. And we are back at square one, thinking about taking back control. Something in software has to change very profoundly to change this, like making software that doesn't need maintenance or at least needs so little of it that anyone could afford to do it for their entire life.

skierpage 10y ago
> I think only protocols could give some control to the users for the longest time. They do. If you run your own web or blog server you can provide resources at HTTP URLs forever. The server cost is dropping to zero either by running it on your home router or paying pennies/free for a small cloud instance. The biggest expense is owning and maintaining a domain name forever. If Upspin takes off, you could provide resources at Upspin file paths forever without needing your own domain. The problem is people like social sites, most of us now expect to be able to like and share and comment on resources. So although I will consider Upspin as a way to provide pictures to friends and family who aren't on Facebook, I'm unlikely to ever stop also putting them in the walled garden on Facebook for the upvotes. And building a social protocol in which Facebook will give a damn competing with other implementations seems vanishingly unlikely right now.