A historical review of the multi-decade centralization and capture of the email protocol.

Interesting history and analysis of SMTP’s history. How can we prevent fedi and other open protocols from suffering the same fates?

  • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
    213·
    2 months ago

    This isn’t about email or centralization, it’s a Bitcoin promo piece.

      • Kiernian@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        Aside from one (seemingly very out of place at the time) early mention that the author used Bitcoin, there was no hint of it being pro-bitcoin until the very, very end.

        I found it to be a very worthwhile article right up until that point and even slightly intriguing from an academic perspective after that point.

        I despise the endless blind parroting of the typical cryptobro refrains elsewhere on the Internet when crypto is brought up and I still liked the article, so I wouldn’t write it off just because one guy with a cryptohammer inevitably sees the very real SMTP problem as a cryptonail in the end. It’s natural when you have a “solution in search of a problem” situation like we do with crypto (and block chain, and for that matter SharePoint. People with knowledge of a thing often try to use it to solve problems it probably wasn’t meant for.)

    • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
      6·
      2 months ago

      It is an interesting history of email though, it’s only the final 10% that even mentions bitcoin.

  • Quill0@lemmy.digitalfall.netEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Yes there are alot of things on the internet back then. When it was an closed system of trust. But like any system that opens up new people are more then willing to take advantage of trust. Ergo we are in the zero trust era where everyone needs to prove. They are not a malicious actor before they will be listened to.