
6.S974 Decentralized Applications, Fall 2018 - harshgupta
http://nil.lcs.mit.edu/6.S974/
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megaman8
I would take this, if i were in school.

This project assignment is good: "Build an ambitious multi-user decentralized
application on top of some existing infrastructure, or on your own new
infrastructure."

If decentralization is going to have a chance, it either needs to integrate
with existing services or offer some niche where it provides x10 the value.

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aratno
I’d enroll in this class in an instant if I could.

Fun fact: the instructor, Robert Morris, co-founded YC and was one of the
first people to be indicted for a computer crime.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tappan_Morris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tappan_Morris)

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ArtWomb
Really good historical background on one of the most interesting topics in CS
right now. The mission statement up front seems to imply that decentralization
of data is a direct check against the concentration of power.

A few more subjects I'd like to see covered: rare digital art, fintech
exchanges such as Stox, aggregating data science on platforms like Numerai,
fractional ownership of real estate, voting systems, and peer-to-peer lending.

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bigblind
Will they make video lectures available as open courseware?

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harshgupta
Not sure. The attached readings and class notes are great resources though.

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xrd
Yes, a well curated list of the vital papers for blockchain competency:

[http://nil.lcs.mit.edu/6.S974/papers.html](http://nil.lcs.mit.edu/6.S974/papers.html)

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myth_buster
> Pre-requisites

>You'll need a 6.033-level understanding of the web, SSL, security, public key
cryptography, and _Bitcoin_

Interesting.

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WalterGR
Are there no-cost courses that cover the same material and have already
completed?

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anon49124
Must read:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homomorphic_encryption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homomorphic_encryption)

I think the future is a community overlay platform like i2p or similar where
people can donate with micropayments or electricity/computing power to
access/offer storage, computing, networking and other higher-level resources
anonymously and privately.

