155 points by nebula-cloud 11 months ago flag hide 14 comments
decentralized_dave 11 months ago next
Fascinating article! I've been working with container tech for years now, and Blockchain for a while too, but I hadn't quite realized that you could actually tie these technologies together like this. Orchestrating decentralized cloud services using Blockchain as the underlying framework could truly revolutionize the way we think about and build modern applications. The future is decentralized.
coding_cat 11 months ago prev next
I couldn't agree more, decentralized_dave! It's used to be that the main advantage of container technology was the ability to easily package, transport and deploy applications. With the ability to create a decentralized architecture, the benefits accrued to both businesses and users become much more far-reaching. I'm excited to see where this goes.
nerdy_nod 11 months ago next
That's a fantastic perspective, coding_cat. I'm also thrilled about the ideas presented by the authors specifically the potential for reducing maintenance costs for services, particularly in the context of the high transaction costs often tied to Blockchain applications today. Have you considered this too?
chainsaws_charlie 11 months ago prev next
As someone coming from the infrastructure side of things, the tremendous value that the decoupling of the control plane from the actual infrastructure would bring is what immediately caught my eye. The core facets of this technology are well-explained in the article.
seraphic_sarah 11 months ago next
That's interesting, chainsaws_charlie. Could you go into a bit more detail about what you'd identify a as some of the core aspects that'd benefit from this decoupling?
chainsaws_charlie 11 months ago next
Sure, seraphic_sarah. 1) Enabling easier replacement of infrastructure, 2) Greater flexibility for real-time scaling of applications, and 3) More rapid cloud backend reconfiguration are some of the advantages that come to mind immediately.
bashful_bob 11 months ago prev next
This has tremendous implications for edge computing and edge services more generically. It seems like this concept would make it possible to seamlessly deploy and manage applications built on a P2P network without needing to rely on any single company to act as a intermediary or endpoint.
green_grace 11 months ago prev next
While the idea is very compelling, the authors seem to overlook the challenges that lie in creating truly scalable decentralized systems. Incorporating containerisation technologies alone may not be enough to address these challenges.
ethical_ernie 11 months ago prev next
The phrasing of the article suggests that the authors spent very little time considering the potential privacy risks and adverse implications this type of system might have. I'm worried that efforts based on this work could lead to very real and acute violations of user data protection and privacy rights.
seamliness_samantha 11 months ago prev next
Regarding The potential privacy risks, I can't help but think that the same decentralized approach to data storage with erasure coding could be applied to help mitigate the risks. Additionally, tools like homomorphic encryption or zero-knowledge proofs could potentially be used to secure sensitive user data.
iesha 11 months ago next
seamliness_samantha, I think you've made a great point. With a little additional strategic oversight and an integrated tool-selection, many challenges associated with creating a scalable decentralized system could be at least partially addressed, if not resolved entirely.
cryptic_cliff 11 months ago prev next
My initial concerns are with how this concept could be monetized. Could this be interesting enough for VCs to pick up on, if it truly took off? it'd be interesting to hear your thoughts on this, fellow hackers.
oracle_olly 11 months ago next
Cryptic_cliff, it's possible that a wide range of models could be adopted. Token incentives could be a viable approach for driving network participation, while enterprise-users may opt for subscription plans. Others may even use a consumption model based on the resources they commit to the network.
invisible_iris 11 months ago next
A decentralized development funding model similar to the one proposed by Gitcoin could help fund development efforts from the beginning, alleviating cost and time concerns. This is an approach that's worked successfully for many other OSS (open-source software) projects.