[Freedombox-discuss] Freedombox-discuss Digest, Vol 64, Issue 18

Nick B-T nick at lan-den.co.uk
Sun Nov 15 14:32:13 UTC 2015



On 15/11/15 12:00, freedombox-discuss-request at lists.alioth.debian.org
wrote:
> Ethereum is a fascinating project, however, what exactly do you
> mean by "it is likely to be an indispensable element of
> FreedomBox"?

I mean that ethereum will do so much of the heavy lifting that
Freedombox set out to do that Ethereum will be the "killer app"


> Yes, your FreedomBox could be running an Ethereum node. And/or a
> Bitcoin full node. There's another project called Bitseed
> <https://bitseed.org/> which is already doing that.

The thing is that Ethereum is a world computer.
It is not about mining in the bitcoin sense.
It is about decentralised and distributed trusted computing.
Nodes do not need to mine hashes (or wont once things are ironed out)
but if every instance enhances the system as a whole.

> Unlike everything else on FreedomBox, running a blockchain full
> node doesn't have any immediate benefit for an average user!
See above
> It's true and a quite cool thought that you're helping the project,
> and you can be part of the blockchain network by doing this, yes. 
> OTOH, running a blockchain node on a tiny box is pretty much
> irrelevant for the larger network, given the existence of huge
> mining pools.

In deed the Bitcoin architecture is repulsive from a distributed
decentralization point of view (as mining pools and ASICs illustrate)
but the Ethereum project is not about cryptographic scarcity it is
about computational abundance.

I could not hope to describe the project better than this talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34RfEodTn_w&feature=youtu.be&t=1h27m24s at
DevCon1 (the speaker is not charismatic like Eben Moglen but) if you
are like me the message will give you goose bumps of joy.
The talk is a high level overview of the future of distributed everything.

> Another option (either as an alternative to running a full node, or
> in addition to running a full node), is to run blockchain-based
> apps on FreedomBox. E.g. you can have a Bitcoin wallet on the
> FreedomBox, or you can install what Ethereum calls "Dapps".
> 
> +1 to adding Bitcoin and/or Ethereum to FreedomBox, just make sure
> you understand what it means.

If I understand evolution and game theory at all Ethereum is
unstoppable and is exactly aligned with what Freedombox wants to be.
It may well be that the Ethereum devs outflank Freedombox entirely but
you have done so much cool work that could cross over.

At the very least the FreedomBox foundation should consider becoming a
DAO (Distributed Autonomous Organization) in partnership with the
Ethereum community.  Sorry I've come over all evangelistic but I love
the Freedombox project and I want to see it blossom, just depends
where the seed lands I suppose..




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