7 ms·
Long ago, in the mists of time when I was a wee lad, the internet was a simpler place. There were seven buttons around the world, all pressed down by volunteers
by eropple 7y ago
Long ago, in the mists of time when I was a wee lad, the internet was a simpler place. There were seven buttons around the world, all pressed down by volunteers. If any four of them were released, the world would end. “The world” was defined as “the internet”, and at the time that meant “the world” was defined as “men with beards and suspenders and real opinions about Star Trek”, and so that wasn’t so bad.
Today in 2019, “the world” is defined as “you know, the world“, and there are seven million buttons being held down all over the world.
If any four of them are released, the world ends.
We have made mistakes, is what I’m saying.
(I once had call to explain to nontechnical people how and why the internet is the way it is and why my ops crews tend to be full of people who are a little too calm about things being constantly on fire. This was my best crack at it.)
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- ethbro 7y agoYou came up with this analogy when Lost was still airing, no? Although BGP probably makes about the same amount of sense to most people.
- csours 7y agohttps://www.icann.org/news/blog/the-problem-with-the-seven-keys https://www.icann.org/news/blog/the-problem-with-the-seven-k...
- ethbro 7y agoHoisting my pitchfork a bit, but the internet might be better off without hierarchical DNS. I certainly wouldn't call that "the world ending."
- bin0 7y agoSo we run into the age-old problem of "who decides". Also, how do we prevent fragmentation when there is disagreement.
- ethbro 7y agoFreedom isn't free. Web of trust. Inconvenient, but that's a price I'm willing to pay for a network that empowers users rather than commercial interests.
- bin0 7y agoHmm. My issue with that is a majority consensus could decide that, for instance, .gov domains should no longer be relegated to the American government. Same issue as with a crypto 51% takeover.
- vageli 7y ago> Hmm. My issue with that is a majority consensus could decide that, for instance, .gov domains should no longer be relegated to the American government. Same issue as with a crypto 51% takeover. I'm sure other countries would like to use .gov.
- bin0 7y agoThey are entitled to their opinion; I saw a lot of this on the .amazon thread yesterday. However, right now, it's used by America only. There are some perks to inventing the internet. My point is I don't like a system in which the majority can decide they don't like you having something and take it. For instance, what if people decided they didn't like facebook, so decided to seize its domain?
- vageli 7y agoIt's used by America only because America made the rules. That's not a great justification for the system as it stands. Are there any examples of longstanding institutions that are _not_ beholden to the will of the many? All things fall if you can get enough people to revolt.
- eropple 7y agoI did not. Never saw it either. ;)
- csours 7y agoThere's no need to fear, for seven men with keys, masters of the universe, well versed universal programming linguistically... and if there is a big blackout.. up to 6 of them can back out! https://youtu.be/Odw9Md9Lm6g?t=164 https://youtu.be/Odw9Md9Lm6g?t=164
- inopinatus 7y agoBack in that oft-forgotten age I was privileged to know, work, and chill with the brave volunteers (and, subsequently, paid RIR staff) holding down the buttons. It’s worth mentioning that even back then there dwelt in the west a large ugly troll whose name was AS701 (AS701 was not alone, either, having two hideous siblings, AS702 and AS703, that lived in other climes). Everyone tiptoed around the beast, because when angered it would flap its routes and there would be a great wailing and severe packet loss. The brave volunteers tried many times to tame the awful creature and I’m very sorry to see that it is still fucking everyone’s announcements even today.