Ask HN: Is a decentralized Internet possible?

4 points by absk82 12 years ago | 8 comments

I came across www.redecentralized.org and I wanted to ask the folks here, if it is possible that the online world will ever move to a decentralized internet ? Would you be willing to run a packaged raspberry-like device at your home which will be used to keep all your online data (emails, social metadata, pictures, documents etc) instead of being kept in the servers managed by the cloud companies (google, dropbox, facebook etc), so that you have most of the benefits of the cloud services coupled with the ownership of data, with the downside being that you may have to pay a price for it ?

Stealth- 12 years ago |

I think most people would prefer this, even regular people. The problem is that, at least right now, doing that yourself is an _awful_ lot of work. And it's definitely too much work for your average Joe.

I believe the majority of people would rather "own" their data because the idea of a company owning it makes them uncomfortable, however they don't care enough to learn to run their own and they aren't aware that alternatives are even possible.

To me, the key to a decentralized web is ease of use.

absk82 12 years ago | |

Ease of use is definitely one factor which looks important, but also remember that there is an added cost of the device as well as a possible recurring cost as someone is doing some work to make your device available on the internet. This added cost might be a deterrent for people who are concerned about privacy but still not too concerned. I am just wondering if a mass adoption is at all possible ? I understand that there will be people who understand the system well enough to need such thing.

anywherenotes 12 years ago |

I'd be interested in finding out more, but www.redecentralized.org isn't working for me. Is there a typo? I wouldn't be against having a machine at my home, but I suppose that means single point of failure would erase all data?

What I would really like to know if it would be possible to have internet over wifi, and no backbone - just purely personal wifi - house to house. I don't see a way that I would find my bank's website if any computer can claim to be my bank, but maybe there's a solution.

absk82 12 years ago | |

Regarding you0r 'single point of failure' comment, I think indeed this would be a single point of failure and of course, the data that you own, cannot be protected in a way big corporations can do which is the crux of the argument, that is, do you care about security/reliability of your data more or privacy ? The googles and facebooks are keeping the data secure but we can't know who all have access to our private data. Are privacy concerns a big enough deal for people that they would be willing to move their data from the cloud onto their possession, and in the process, maybe take some hit on the security/reliability ?

absk82 12 years ago | |

Sorry, indeed there was a typo - it is redecentralize.org.

beobab 12 years ago |

You always pay a price. There are just different kinds of prices. You can pay in attention, money, time, privacy..

The list goes on. :)

larosh 12 years ago |

For me decentralized internet is: Netsukuku, Hyperboria, cjdns, Serval Mesh and such kind of projects, or at least darknet's "something-over-ip" approach, like Tor/i2p/Freenet...

But not just "Install dovecot/wu-ftpd on home computer and feel like you fight the system" - this is naive.

infocollector 12 years ago |

I would like to keep the hardware with a company that I can trust. (Perhaps someone local)