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> Decentralized email [can be built on Locutus] I don't understand this particular one. I've hosted my own email for the last 20+ years, every single componen

> Decentralized email [can be built on Locutus] I don't understand this particular one. I've hosted my own email for the last 20+ years, every single component of the stack is open-source, all you need is your favourite Linux distro, a bit of patience and a [virtual] server with a static IP. Isn't email decentralized the moment you stop using Gmail or Office365 - or, $deity forbid, your ISP's webmail...?

sanity31415 5y ago
In theory[1] you can run a mail server on your home computer, but even then you must depend on the centralized domain name system to host your MX record, so I would say it's more "federated" than decentralized. [1] In practice, spam mitigation measures will make it very difficult to get other mail servers to trust your home IP address.
- mountainriver 5y ago
  Yeah but the whole promise of putting dns on the blockchain hasn’t really ones out either
  - sanity31415 5y ago
    The blockchain is a terrible place to put a system like DNS.
    - hanniabu 5y ago
      Why is that?
      - tirpen 5y ago
        The blockchain is a terrible place to put anything that contains arbitrary human readable text, like URLs in this case. The append only aspect of blockchains means that if someone posts URLs that contains information that is legally required to be removable in some circumstances, the entire blockchain could become illegal to reproduce in some jurisdictions. For instance, if someone registers www.emanuel-macrons-personal-phoneno-is-888-8888888.xyz that could be a GDPR violation and thus that URL would need to be removable by EU regulations. And it's just not GDPR, that's just the most obvious example.
- logifail 5y ago
  > even then you must depend on the centralized domain name system to host your MX record I've been running my own DNS servers for 20+ years too. Don't we typically describe the DNS system as "hierarchical and decentralized"[0]? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System
zeckalpha 5y ago
You are reliant on the receiver’s mail infrastructure. There have been past proposals to flip this around, such as https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Mail_2000 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Mail_2000

sanity31415 5y ago

In theory[1] you can run a mail server on your home computer, but even then you must depend on the centralized domain name system to host your MX record, so I would say it's more "federated" than decentralized. [1] In practice, spam mitigation measures will make it very difficult to get other mail servers to trust your home IP address.

mountainriver 5y ago
Yeah but the whole promise of putting dns on the blockchain hasn’t really ones out either
- sanity31415 5y ago
  The blockchain is a terrible place to put a system like DNS.
  - hanniabu 5y ago
    Why is that?
    - tirpen 5y ago
      The blockchain is a terrible place to put anything that contains arbitrary human readable text, like URLs in this case. The append only aspect of blockchains means that if someone posts URLs that contains information that is legally required to be removable in some circumstances, the entire blockchain could become illegal to reproduce in some jurisdictions. For instance, if someone registers www.emanuel-macrons-personal-phoneno-is-888-8888888.xyz that could be a GDPR violation and thus that URL would need to be removable by EU regulations. And it's just not GDPR, that's just the most obvious example.
logifail 5y ago
> even then you must depend on the centralized domain name system to host your MX record I've been running my own DNS servers for 20+ years too. Don't we typically describe the DNS system as "hierarchical and decentralized"[0]? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System

zeckalpha 5y ago

You are reliant on the receiver’s mail infrastructure. There have been past proposals to flip this around, such as https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Mail_2000 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Mail_2000