Galen Wolfe-Pauly: Urbit – A Digital Republic Reinventing the Internet
Oct 18, 2017
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Galen Wolfe-Pauly, CEO of Tlon, shares insights on Urbit, a groundbreaking project aiming to reinvent the internet through personal servers. He discusses its 15-year evolution and the philosophy that contrasts traditional internet architectures. Key topics include Urbit's unique components—Nock, Hoon, and Arvo—and its governance system likened to a digital republic. Galen envisions a future of decentralized social networks where users regain control over their data, promising a radical shift in how we interact online.
Urbit offers a unique vision of decentralized internet by enabling users to own personal servers, thereby regaining control over data and applications.
The development of Urbit has been methodical, with its components like Nock, Hoon, and Arvo designed for simplicity and efficiency in computing.
Urbit’s hierarchical structure fosters accountability among users, promoting a decentralized governance model that prevents monopolization of internet services.
Deep dives
The Vision Behind Urbit
Urbit is designed to create a decentralized system where individuals can own their own personal servers. This concept allows for a return to an era where users run their own computers on a network, enabling a more open-ended and controlled experience. The project is an extensive rethinking of how computing operates, creating a unique stack that addresses the complexities of current technologies. By building everything from the ground up, Urbit aims to simplify the computing environment, offering a more intuitive user experience.
Historical Context and Development
Urbit's origins trace back to pre-Bitcoin days and has undergone significant development since its inception. The foundation of Urbit relies on the Nock virtual machine, which took years to develop and serves as a minimal and efficient computing platform. Following that, the Hoon programming language and Arvo operating system were created to facilitate its use as a personal networked computer. This history emphasizes a methodical approach to development, prioritizing functionality and simplicity over speed.
Decentralized Personal Servers
The concept of a personal server in Urbit transforms individual control over data and applications, distinguishing it from traditional web architectures. A user's Urbit can act as a personal blockchain, owned and operated uniquely by the user, with the benefit of privacy and control over their information. This framework parallels the functionalities of popular applications, transforming how people interact with technology by making data ownership central to the user experience. The potential to connect personal servers creates a network where users can curate their interactions and experiences, minimizing dependence on centralized platforms.
The Republican Structure of the Network
Urbit's network is designed akin to a republic, fostering accountability and governance among its users. The structure allows users to own their address space, with incentives to maintain good service. This hierarchical model ensures that no individual or entity can monopolize control, promoting a balance of power throughout the network. By allowing users to easily move between administrative nodes, Urbit encourages a system where service quality is maintained through direct accountability.
Opportunities for Future Development
Looking ahead, Urbit is focusing on enhancing user experience and functionality by integrating with blockchain technology to manage address-based ownership. Current efforts include developing interfaces and contractual structures on Ethereum to streamline transactions and ownership of Urbit addresses. The immediate goal is to create a platform robust enough for everyday use while allowing for innovative applications, including potential decentralized social networks. These advancements aim to solidify Urbit's position in the landscape of decentralized technologies while expanding its practical use in the digital ecosystem.
Galen Wolfe-Pauly, CEO of Tlon, the company behind Urbit, joined us to discuss one of the most radical and curious projects to come on the podcast. In development for 15 years already, Urbit aims to unravel the cloud computing paradigm that led to the creation of internet monopolies like Google and Facebook. Instead, in Urbit, each person has a personal server, a kind of digital sovereign entity, where applications are run, which leaves control and data in the hands of users.
Galen joined us to discuss what the philosophy and ideas driving Urbit, how a radically different internet could look like and what our path is to get there.
Topics covered in this episode:
The 15 year long history and evolution of Urbit
Understanding Urbit through the metaphors of a personal server, a personal blockchain, a republic or an operating function
The main Urbit components Nock, Hoon and Arvo
How Galaxies, Stars and Planets create Urbit’s hierarchy
The Urbit namespace and why it has value
How Urbit aims to radically reengineer how the internet works
