5 sats \ 1 reply \ @orthzar 29 Dec 2022 \ on: Is NOSTR re-inventing USENET? nostr
Definitely not. One of the critical differences is that Nostr relays do not communicate.
Usenet was designed when nobody had their own computer -- everyone had to use one of the few computers on the planet. To access Usenet messages, you had to ask the person in charge of your company's/university's computer to install Usenet node software. To make sure everyone saw all messages, all Usenet relays had to share all messages. The Usenet nodes were also the client software.
Nowadays, computers are so cheap that almost everyone who uses the Internet has their own computer. So, there's no need for a protocol like Usenet. Inter-relay communication is redundant when every user can easily connect to every relay with their own computer.
I should add, Bitcoin has nodes that talk to each other because there is data that has to be shared, namely the blockchain. Nostr-like relays would not work for cryptocurrencies.
If nostr is going to be useful and relavent and censorship-proof and allow anyone anywhere to read what I post, then how can nostr do that if "nostr relays do not communicate" ?
The point of usenet was having servers that communicate, and users that can choose which server they want to use. If the operator of a given server has a bias, performs censorship, then that server will be avoided and other server operators will tend to not peer with it.
If you wanted to have a unique identity on usenet that couldn't be forged, then you sign your posts with your PGP key. None of this logging in or creating an account bullsh1t.
I was heavy into usenet (the newsgroups, not the file-sharing crap that came later) back in 1988 - 1994 at university. The CIA-backed google was so concerned about usenet that they bought dejanews and bastardized it into google-groups. ISP's ran usenet servers up until maybe 2002 - 2005 but corps like disney forced them to stop because of newsgroups like rec.arts.disney.erotica.
usenet is the only real, true workable model of a distributed communication system that is open access and impractical to censor. I've seen sporge floods and they can be managed and they were managed. There are ways to keep bots from flooding usenet so that authentic AND ANONYMOUS humans can post and read each others genuine messages and other content. Everything else (like fecebook and twitter) is and always will be just another attempt to re-create usenet except with a heavy layer of control and censorship.
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