Whenever anything is “federated” the easiest comparison is email. Everyone can use different email servers and applications, but they can all still communicate with each other. “Email” is the shared protocol that structures how data is exchanged between servers and clients.
The fediverse instead uses a protocol named “activitypub”, but works similar. Just a bunch of servers that speak the same technical language which enables them to freely exchange information.
Literally everyone who uses email knows that not every email address ends in the same way and that people use different websites and tools to access their emails.
Nah this xkcd really doesnt apply here. If you can can see and have at least the intelligence of a 6 year old then you can see that something is different about email compared to whatsapp or signal. With even the most basic pattern recognition skills you will find that everyone you know uses different apps, sites and addresses. Compare this to normal messengers where literally everyone will have the exact same app, interface and way to contact people.
Its the only widely adopted digitally federated system that exists, where users are aware of the federation aspect. What could be a better technical comparison?
a bunch of forums that talk to each other.
a decentralized collection of independently operated social media platforms that can choose to share information with each other.
Whenever anything is “federated” the easiest comparison is email. Everyone can use different email servers and applications, but they can all still communicate with each other. “Email” is the shared protocol that structures how data is exchanged between servers and clients.
The fediverse instead uses a protocol named “activitypub”, but works similar. Just a bunch of servers that speak the same technical language which enables them to freely exchange information.
Yes, but how many people know how email works? More to the point, how many people, who aren’t looking for the answer on GitHub, know?
Literally everyone who uses email knows that not every email address ends in the same way and that people use different websites and tools to access their emails.
The average person probably only knows the functioning of the DNS and one or two email apps. And quartz, of course.
Nah this xkcd really doesnt apply here. If you can can see and have at least the intelligence of a 6 year old then you can see that something is different about email compared to whatsapp or signal. With even the most basic pattern recognition skills you will find that everyone you know uses different apps, sites and addresses. Compare this to normal messengers where literally everyone will have the exact same app, interface and way to contact people.
Email is a terrible example that people need to stop using.
Its the only widely adopted digitally federated system that exists, where users are aware of the federation aspect. What could be a better technical comparison?
I think it’s a good example
What? Why? That’s exactly how it works.