I think this decentralization and federation is what web3 is all about, without all the corporations calling everything to do with monkey pixel art that costs a million dollars “web3”
I think this decentralization and federation is what web3 is all about, without all the corporations calling everything to do with monkey pixel art that costs a million dollars “web3”
It’s so exciting to have another paradigm shift afoot. I feel a little regretful (not sure that’s the right word here) that I wasn’t born early enough to grow up with the rise of internet forums. It’s not all bad because I also would not grown up during this great time of queer development, but it would’ve been neat. So now I get to live through and experience a similar time with web3 type stuff. The whole concept makes my little CS heart smile.
It’s definitely an “everything old is new” situation. It’s kind of fascinating how the technology has both become ubiquitous, and been monetized like perhaps nothing before it, but is still able to find a way to serve interests beyond capitalism. It’s a pitiful bar, but I still think it’s neat.
It’s also very nice to know that I get a choice. Like, if I enjoy an instance, I can give them a $5-$10 donation and that will be worth tons more than any ads I wasn’t going to watch anyway. Once I get a bit more used to these instances, since I’m fortunate enough to be able to, I fully intend to pay some part to help them run. I get there are people who would rather watch ads, but this feels so much better to me.
All this gets me a bit hopeful that we will go full circle and end up using the internet like the old days, even though it is kind of impossible now.
I remember fidonet…
It technically still exists. And even had some sort of resurgence post-2014, apparently.
It was…interesting, LOL. A wild west frontier.
I miss that era. And the age of instant messengers. So many fond memories of MSN Messenger!
I remember two kids in my school literally getting into a fight over MSN vs Yahoo Messengers. Good times. I used Trillian.
Ah I had forgotten about Trillian!
I just looked it up - it’s still around!
I also wasn’t born early enough to experience the rise of Internet forums. I was a late Reddit adopter, only jumping on in 2020. It is fascinating and exciting to be experiencing this in real time. Even if this isn’t an instant and drastic shift, it’s still a part of Internet history in the making.