Thread by @brian_armstrong

Really great post by my friend @moxie
moxie.org/2022/01/07/web…

Raises some valid points. However a few notes...

1. For NFTs, some keep their data in IPFS (decentralized file storage) or in the smart contract itself for procedurally generated images. We (as a community) should probably move more to solutions like this over time, since it is indeed more decentralized to build them that way.

2. I agree with the overall point that clients don't behave like full nodes. However, there has been quite a bit of discussion about "light clients" in the crypto community even going back to the early days of Bitcoin/Ethereum, so i wouldn't say it hasn't been an area of focus.

3. I agree there is an overall move toward using platforms. But there is a big difference between using a platform that also owns all the data also (web2) and a platform that is merely a proxy to decentralized data (web3).

If a platform is merely a proxy to data it doesn't own, and it turns evil, people will switch. Not owning the data counts for a lot.

4. There are more options than Infura and Alchemy. Access to simple blockchain data will be relatively commoditized. Which is good for decentralization.

General thoughts: It's still difficult to build things in a decentralized way (nascent tools), so you are seeing various apps/companies revert to using more centralized web2 techniques when they run into a hairy technical problem.

As a result, there are a lot of "hybrid" web2/web3 apps during this phase of web3 development. That doesn't mean the overall trend is bad though. I think it's great that more and more web3/decentralized technologies are being developed.

I do agree that all networks tend toward centralization over time. Great book on this amazon.com/Master-Switch-…

I don't think crypto is anywhere near this end stage though. We are still seeing a lot of new technology and players enter the space. It's not "already centralized" as much as it is "still using some web2 components".

These points aside, the post is great and I basically agree with the overall premise. Thx for posting it @moxie and welcome to web3 (sort of) :) We could def use your help figuring out the client pieces (which Signal has done a great job on) and a bunch of other stuff.

(I linked these badly) thread continues here:

https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1479636928697966593

Also, side note: this is one of the most innovative NFT ideas I've seen in a while: autonomous.graphics :) love it

Reminds me of Reddit's The Place a while back. Or Million Dollar Homepage.