20 ms·

Can you tell me an example of what simply didn't exist five years ago and now exists bc of Web3? And the potential of the tech? Because i used to work in an age

Can you tell me an example of what simply didn't exist five years ago and now exists bc of Web3? And the potential of the tech? Because i used to work in an agency and we develop apps and smart contracts for Ethereum and what they were doing were the most basic and primitive things, slow, fragile, incapable and very expensive to use. Not to mention all the environmental problems with PoW. Only reason we were developing them was that there were loads of money from all the hype around it. The actual usefulness was zero.

angio 5y ago
I can play a game (DarkForest) and sell items to other players in exchange for real money (xDAI) without trusting dodgy websites.
- imwillofficial 5y ago
  How do I get started in using all this fancy web3 magic?
  - SkyMarshal 5y ago
    Install this browser plugin and start exploring: https://metamask.io/ https://metamask.io/
- masa331 5y ago
  I used to Play EVE online and selling game stuff and even characters for $ was pretty common 15 years ago. And what do you mean trusting dodgy website? You always have to trust somebody or something. I had to trust some rando while buying EVE character back then. Today you still have to trust Metamask, the game developers, the smart contracts behind the trades(or however it works). And not only in a way that they don't want to screw you but also that they didn't make any security mistake and it's not possible to hack the whole thing(which is common right). So what's novel about that?
puranjay 5y ago
Just today I paid for access to a data tool, icy.tools. I simply connected my Metamask wallet, clicked on “Unlock premium”, confirmed the transaction, and it was done. Normally, I’d have to make an account (and doge the obligatory “sign up with Google” button), fill a form, enter my credit card info, confirm my otp on the payment site, check my email for an authentication link before using the product. Along the way, I would have to share my data with multiple third parties - the SaaS tool, my email provider, my credit card company, etc. With this web3 approach, I don’t have to share this data with anyone. I don’t have to fill out forms. In fact, if I got my Ethereum from a P2P source, I can be completely anonymous. At this point in the internet, if you can avoid giving Google et al your data, its an absolute win.
- rchaud 5y ago
  Is this substantially different from a website with a PayPal button? That's 2-3 clicks, max. The only difference seems to be that with PP I pay with real money, and Web3 is with cryptocurrencies only.
  - puranjay 5y ago
    What if I don't want to share my email, phone number, bank account, and credit card data with PayPal? Its really disturbing to me that privacy and data rights get absolutely zero consideration even on HN.
    - s17n 5y ago
      Ok, but a ton of people (like me) don't give a shit about privacy. What's the advantage for us? (I think there are huge advantages, like ownership, but just saying "if you don't care about privacy you are wrong" isn't going to convince anyone)
      - puranjay 5y ago
        No one is forcing you to use it in that case. You can continue giving away your privacy to big corporations. Meanwhile I'll not only keep my privacy but also make wild, wild money speculating on crypto assets. Win-win by all accounts.

angio 5y ago

I can play a game (DarkForest) and sell items to other players in exchange for real money (xDAI) without trusting dodgy websites.

imwillofficial 5y ago
How do I get started in using all this fancy web3 magic?
- SkyMarshal 5y ago
  Install this browser plugin and start exploring: https://metamask.io/ https://metamask.io/
masa331 5y ago
I used to Play EVE online and selling game stuff and even characters for $ was pretty common 15 years ago. And what do you mean trusting dodgy website? You always have to trust somebody or something. I had to trust some rando while buying EVE character back then. Today you still have to trust Metamask, the game developers, the smart contracts behind the trades(or however it works). And not only in a way that they don't want to screw you but also that they didn't make any security mistake and it's not possible to hack the whole thing(which is common right). So what's novel about that?

puranjay 5y ago

Just today I paid for access to a data tool, icy.tools. I simply connected my Metamask wallet, clicked on “Unlock premium”, confirmed the transaction, and it was done. Normally, I’d have to make an account (and doge the obligatory “sign up with Google” button), fill a form, enter my credit card info, confirm my otp on the payment site, check my email for an authentication link before using the product. Along the way, I would have to share my data with multiple third parties - the SaaS tool, my email provider, my credit card company, etc. With this web3 approach, I don’t have to share this data with anyone. I don’t have to fill out forms. In fact, if I got my Ethereum from a P2P source, I can be completely anonymous. At this point in the internet, if you can avoid giving Google et al your data, its an absolute win.

rchaud 5y ago
Is this substantially different from a website with a PayPal button? That's 2-3 clicks, max. The only difference seems to be that with PP I pay with real money, and Web3 is with cryptocurrencies only.
- puranjay 5y ago
  What if I don't want to share my email, phone number, bank account, and credit card data with PayPal? Its really disturbing to me that privacy and data rights get absolutely zero consideration even on HN.
  - s17n 5y ago
    Ok, but a ton of people (like me) don't give a shit about privacy. What's the advantage for us? (I think there are huge advantages, like ownership, but just saying "if you don't care about privacy you are wrong" isn't going to convince anyone)
    - puranjay 5y ago
      No one is forcing you to use it in that case. You can continue giving away your privacy to big corporations. Meanwhile I'll not only keep my privacy but also make wild, wild money speculating on crypto assets. Win-win by all accounts.