
Remembering the LAN - zdw
https://crawshaw.io/blog/remembering-the-lan
======
dmitrygr
I am afraid that just like computers that one mind could completely
understand, networks that one mind can completely understand are a thing of
the past. This is quite sad, because, as the author noted, they were a great
way to learn

------
rakoo
> The result is a system with properties that work with today's internet to
> give us the pleasant, simple programming environment of the '90s LAN:

> -Use the global internet identity system of your choice for authentication,
> and do cryptographic authorization at the IP level.

>\- Keys are generated and rotated for you automatically.

>\- People map directly to unspoofable IP addresses.

>\- Run custom servers on your network and access is limited to only those
people on the network.

>\- Your data is protected by the simple yet powerful social dynamics of small
groups.

This is exactly what libp2p ([https://docs.libp2p.io/introduction/what-is-
libp2p/](https://docs.libp2p.io/introduction/what-is-libp2p/)) is trying to
be: The network isn't defined by IPs but by cryptographic identities, routing
is done directly through those identities, end-to-end security is built-in and
communication is independent from transport, which can be absolutely anything.

~~~
ChickenTicklerz
How long until a network like libp2p gains critical mass do you think?

~~~
rakoo
My guess is a few decades, if it can hold until then. libp2p is a huge stack
that redefines a lot of what we're doing today, and reimplementing the whole
thing is a monstrous task. But if it could become mainstream that would be a
very good thing.

