3 ms·

I am in no way trying to defend avalanche. I have been speaking from the standpoint of datalisp. Again, the Byzantine generals problem of the paper is not an a

I am in no way trying to defend avalanche. I have been speaking from the standpoint of datalisp. Again, the Byzantine generals problem of the paper is not an accurate description of what is happening in the datalisp network and does not apply except locally (in a 'neighbourhood' of the dispute) so it's not 2/3 of the whole network but rather 2/3 of the echo chamber that needs to agree... Anyway you seem to be eager to dismiss off-hand so I am losing interest in debating with you as-is.

jude- 5y ago
So is global agreement on state a criterion for datalisp's correct operation, or not? If not, then why compare it to Avalanche at all?
- openfuture 5y ago
  Could you please read our exchange from your first comment and tell me how you parse it? From what I can tell; I agree with your dismissal of avalanche and offer an intuition for what may be the problem by contrasting it to my work-in-progress idea, then we have a series of back-and-forths where I consistently mention datalisp but never once talk about avalanche.. Regarding global agreement of state, yes it is not a criterion for datalisp. Datalisp approaches the network like a sheaf (locally consistent but globally not necessarily so) and uses the properties of propagator networks (which are fully CP, therefore they converge on a fixpoint) to reason about convergent consensus that executes lazily. The casual dismissal of datalisp (as it stands) is that the message format for communicating your beliefs w.r.t. probability of signal-to-noise is not fully worked out yet and all we have is a series of heuristical arguments. However, datalisp is a data-intechange format first and foremost and optimized for building authenticated datastructures. It is not specialized for cryptocurrencies per-se (since the focus is on second order byzantine fault tolerance).
  - jude- 5y ago
    This would be going a lot more smoothly if you could articulate which distributed systems properties, exactly, you intend datalisp to provide. So far, you're contradicted yourself at least once here: > I believe the problem in the first place is forcing the network to come to global consensus. In my project the idea is to form "lazy consensus" (i.e. just enough consensus for everyone to have a consistent outlook on the world). So, which is it? Not coming to global consensus and "just enough consensus for everyone to have a consistent outlook on the world" seem mutually exclusive. Don't be afraid to lay down a bold system description, and don't hold back on the specifics. Not trying to brag, but I have a PhD in distributed computing, I work on a blockchain at my day-job (https://github.com/blockstack/stacks-blockchain https://github.com/blockstack/stacks-blockchain), and I chair its governance process. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to understand a rigorous system design. But, I don't have very much patience for weasel-wording, pussyfooting, or hand-waving.
    - openfuture 5y ago
      I had already looked at your profile so I am aware of your credentials. In the original comment I mention my project and point to resources for learning more. I don't know why you think I am "weasel-wording, pussyfooting or hand-waving" when what is in fact happening is that we are having this discussion in a place that is not exactly optimal for writing pages and pages of explanations but rather for high-level discussion (which is necessarily brief on details but may link to resources). I will be the first to admit that what I am doing is not fully worked out yet. Then again you are familiar with research work so you know things take a while to become polished enough to stand up to the "surface level scrutiny" even if the ideas may have merit from the beginning. The fact that I am working in the open and engaging people like you in discussion should not be considered "weasel-wording" or whatever slur you come up with. You claim I am contradicting myself yet you do not elaborate on how so. I have already given you the argument for why it is not a contradiction (global consensus happens eventually due to convergence and "lazy" in computer science is another way to say "demand driven" - i.e. we converge as much as we need to in each "neighbourhood" of the network, the sheaf reference should further enhance your mental image of what is going on). If you want to go into details with me and discuss things more thoroughly then I suggest you join the datalisp channel on telegram. I would be happy to hear your criticism and try to understand better in which ways I may be lacking. After all, what we all want is better systems of governance and if you are intrigued by this approach (or rather; high level description of a possible approach) then from my point of view our interests are aligned.

jude- 5y ago

So is global agreement on state a criterion for datalisp's correct operation, or not? If not, then why compare it to Avalanche at all?

openfuture 5y ago
Could you please read our exchange from your first comment and tell me how you parse it? From what I can tell; I agree with your dismissal of avalanche and offer an intuition for what may be the problem by contrasting it to my work-in-progress idea, then we have a series of back-and-forths where I consistently mention datalisp but never once talk about avalanche.. Regarding global agreement of state, yes it is not a criterion for datalisp. Datalisp approaches the network like a sheaf (locally consistent but globally not necessarily so) and uses the properties of propagator networks (which are fully CP, therefore they converge on a fixpoint) to reason about convergent consensus that executes lazily. The casual dismissal of datalisp (as it stands) is that the message format for communicating your beliefs w.r.t. probability of signal-to-noise is not fully worked out yet and all we have is a series of heuristical arguments. However, datalisp is a data-intechange format first and foremost and optimized for building authenticated datastructures. It is not specialized for cryptocurrencies per-se (since the focus is on second order byzantine fault tolerance).
- jude- 5y ago
  This would be going a lot more smoothly if you could articulate which distributed systems properties, exactly, you intend datalisp to provide. So far, you're contradicted yourself at least once here: > I believe the problem in the first place is forcing the network to come to global consensus. In my project the idea is to form "lazy consensus" (i.e. just enough consensus for everyone to have a consistent outlook on the world). So, which is it? Not coming to global consensus and "just enough consensus for everyone to have a consistent outlook on the world" seem mutually exclusive. Don't be afraid to lay down a bold system description, and don't hold back on the specifics. Not trying to brag, but I have a PhD in distributed computing, I work on a blockchain at my day-job (https://github.com/blockstack/stacks-blockchain https://github.com/blockstack/stacks-blockchain), and I chair its governance process. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to understand a rigorous system design. But, I don't have very much patience for weasel-wording, pussyfooting, or hand-waving.
  - openfuture 5y ago
    I had already looked at your profile so I am aware of your credentials. In the original comment I mention my project and point to resources for learning more. I don't know why you think I am "weasel-wording, pussyfooting or hand-waving" when what is in fact happening is that we are having this discussion in a place that is not exactly optimal for writing pages and pages of explanations but rather for high-level discussion (which is necessarily brief on details but may link to resources). I will be the first to admit that what I am doing is not fully worked out yet. Then again you are familiar with research work so you know things take a while to become polished enough to stand up to the "surface level scrutiny" even if the ideas may have merit from the beginning. The fact that I am working in the open and engaging people like you in discussion should not be considered "weasel-wording" or whatever slur you come up with. You claim I am contradicting myself yet you do not elaborate on how so. I have already given you the argument for why it is not a contradiction (global consensus happens eventually due to convergence and "lazy" in computer science is another way to say "demand driven" - i.e. we converge as much as we need to in each "neighbourhood" of the network, the sheaf reference should further enhance your mental image of what is going on). If you want to go into details with me and discuss things more thoroughly then I suggest you join the datalisp channel on telegram. I would be happy to hear your criticism and try to understand better in which ways I may be lacking. After all, what we all want is better systems of governance and if you are intrigued by this approach (or rather; high level description of a possible approach) then from my point of view our interests are aligned.