1 On Decentralization

 

This chapter covers:

  • Why decentralization matters
  • Examples of failures due to centralized systems
  • Some of the half-measures used to fix centralization

"Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true."

— Eric Hoffer

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who will watch the watchers?"

— Juvenal

Greetings, dear reader. Our names are Mansoor and Marta, and we’ll be your storytellers. In this book, we will go into the nitty-gritty of permissioned blockchains, also lovingly referred to as Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs). We will analyze the protocols; we will code applications; we will do a fair bit of network administration. All of that is a moot point, however, if you don’t understand why we build applications on top of DLTs in the first place.

1.1   Spectrum of Centralization

1.1.1   Nomenclature of Centralization in Computing

1.1.2   Subtleties of Distribution

1.2   Status Quo in Computing

1.2.1   Why Centralized Architectures Make Sense

1.2.2   What’s wrong with centralization anyway?

1.3   The Importance of Standardization and Open Source

1.3.1   Standards

1.3.2   Open Source

1.4   Duct-taping Our Problems

1.4.1   First Attempts

1.4.2   Mass adoption

1.5   Summary