From fork-admin@xent.com Tue Oct 8 14:40:22 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: zzzz@localhost.example.com Received: from localhost (jalapeno [127.0.0.1]) by example.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id A524E16F16 for ; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 14:39:44 +0100 (IST) Received: from jalapeno [127.0.0.1] by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0) for zzzz@localhost (single-drop); Tue, 08 Oct 2002 14:39:44 +0100 (IST) Received: from xent.com ([64.161.22.236]) by dogma.slashnull.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g98DIUK16967 for ; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 14:18:30 +0100 Received: from lair.xent.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by xent.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 99D1A2940DA; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 06:18:03 -0700 (PDT) Delivered-To: fork@example.com Received: from mta6.snfc21.pbi.net (mta6.snfc21.pbi.net [206.13.28.240]) by xent.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 46C832940D1 for ; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 06:17:30 -0700 (PDT) Received: from endeavors.com ([66.126.120.174]) by mta6.snfc21.pbi.net (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.1 (built May 7 2001)) with ESMTP id <0H3N006X7ZLZ03@mta6.snfc21.pbi.net> for fork@xent.com; Tue, 08 Oct 2002 06:17:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Gregory Alan Bolcer Subject: Re: why is decentralization worth worrying about? To: Rohit Khare Cc: fork@example.com Reply-To: gbolcer@endeavors.com Message-Id: <3DA2D8B5.19DD480D@endeavors.com> Organization: Endeavors Technology, Inc. MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en] (X11; U; IRIX 6.5 IP32) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Accept-Language: en, pdf References: <2583F1FA-DA52-11D6-B1B1-000393A46DEA@alumni.caltech.edu> Sender: fork-admin@xent.com Errors-To: fork-admin@xent.com X-Beenthere: fork@example.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Friends of Rohit Khare List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Date: Tue, 08 Oct 2002 06:08:05 -0700 Rohit Khare wrote: > > Why am I so passionate about decentralization? Because I believe some of > today?s most profound problems with networked applications are caused by > centralization. > > Generically, a centralized political or economic system permits only one > answer to a question, while decentralization permits many separate > agents to hold different opinions of the same matter. In the specific > context of software, centralized variables can only contain one valid > value at a time. That limits us to only representing information A) > according to the beliefs of a single agency, and B) that changes more > slowly than it takes to propagate. Nevertheless, centralization is the > basis for today?s most popular architectural style for developing > network applications: client-server interaction using request-response > communication protocols. I think the ability to maintain an inconsistent database is key to decentralization. Databases enforce consistenty with every transaction. Bounded transactions, like an ATM, enforce consistency by have some play with time and value Most people keep inconsistent data in their heads, it's called congnitive dissonance theory Most businesses keep inconsistent data, documents, tationale and ideas to support their work activities, it's called real life. I don't think it matters so much where it's located, i.e. decentralization. I think that decentralization is the workaround from technical limitations. The fallout being that the only way inconsistent information spaces can be maintained is by protecting them through a set of trust barriers and boundaries. The local information when combined with the technical troubles of providing "just enough" forced synchronization to remote information provide workable data consistenty, i.e. enforcing local constraints or ignoring global ones when concerns are more immedidate. Tolerating temporary, irreconcilable deviations is how people cope, otherwise you'd be like Nick Gatsby unnecessarily pre-occupied with a spot of shaving cream on McKee's neck who thinks that if he can just wipe that spot off that the whole world would be a little more perfect and everything, including his pre-occupation with Daisy, would consistently be in its proper place. Greg