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0 pointstartoran4y ago0 comments

Exactly that is both the strength and the weakness. The strength consists in the inability of any one party to dominate the network. The weakness is the noise and ineffectiveness of communication.

0 comments

bawolff4y ago

I think you miss my point.

Whether or not its possible for one party to dominate the network is one of the potential properties of a "distributed" system that people cannot agree on if its required in the definition.

For example, napster, TOR and IRC are arguably "distributed" systems where there is a central party that controls the network.

em-bee4y ago

there are different definitions for being distributed.

IRC is a distributed system much like a CDN is distributed, that is spread across the network.

what we are actually interested in is distributed ownership.

email is that, as is the web, but IRC is not

lolinder4y ago

This is exactly what OP was referring to: that's what you are actually interested in, but not everyone.

1 more reply

bawolff4y ago

Given the history of efnet, i actually think irc fits really nicely into the author's premise.

1 more reply

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bawolff4y ago

I think you miss my point.

Whether or not its possible for one party to dominate the network is one of the potential properties of a "distributed" system that people cannot agree on if its required in the definition.

For example, napster, TOR and IRC are arguably "distributed" systems where there is a central party that controls the network.

em-bee4y ago

there are different definitions for being distributed.

IRC is a distributed system much like a CDN is distributed, that is spread across the network.

what we are actually interested in is distributed ownership.

email is that, as is the web, but IRC is not

lolinder4y ago

This is exactly what OP was referring to: that's what you are actually interested in, but not everyone.

1 more reply

bawolff4y ago

Given the history of efnet, i actually think irc fits really nicely into the author's premise.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse