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bluesky - Re: Naming via SDSI

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Subject: Global-Scale Distributed Storage Systems

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  • From: hal AT finney.org
  • To: bluesky AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Naming via SDSI
  • Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 15:42:25 -0800


Oskar Sandberg writes:
> On Wed, Mar 07, 2001 at 12:22:53PM -0800, hal AT finney.org wrote:
> > The question is, can we get this level of clarity and security while
> > keeping
> > friendly names for the namespaces.
>
> I don't think so. After all, a multilayered name can be viewed as relative
> path along a graph. In order for two parties to follow such a path and end
> up at the same point, they have to start at the same point. For them to
> start at the same point, then they either need to go by convention, or the
> absolute identity of the starting point has to be given.

Yes, that seems very true.

> Making the absolute value "nice" is (AFAIK) impossible with current PK
> crypto - and probably will remain since a PK algo where the public values
> are chosen and the private values are derived from them is impossible
> (what is to stop a second party from choosing the same PK value). And even
> if it wasn't impossible, it would make the whole layered name thing rather
> pointless. So that leaves convention, and convention unavoidably means
> both centralization of the service "root" and politics.

I agree. Others have proposed alternatives to politics in market-based
mechanisms, but markets have trouble negotiating monopolies. There's an
economic principle called "rent dissipation" in which companies will
expend almost the total value of a rent-producing asset in order to
acquire it. This is wasteful and inefficient.

Hal




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