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Comment Companies to host nodes exist and have incentives. (Score 1) 128

More or less everyone connects to the internet through an ISP. Besides basic internet connectivity, most ISPs also offer webmail, POP3 mail, and some free web space, which most people never use. These ISPs are the ideal type of companies to host nodes of the Decentralized Social Network (DSN): they can thus provide more value to their customers, they get to route a decent amount of traffic internally, (many people's friends are on the same ISP,) they gain revenues from advertising, and they get the chance to advertise their services to their own customers and to their social network friends. (It is kind of funny how, once you have signed up with an ISP, you hardly ever interact with them in any way other than paying the bills. When was the last time you saw your ISP's home page? I am sure your ISP would like the opportunity to interact with you every once in a while.)

Many people would sign up with a DSN out of sheer detestation towards facebook and Zuck's annoying face. I, for one, would. Of course, in order to be successful, a DSN would have to integrate with facebook, meaning that my updates should be automatically cross-posted to facebook, and I should be able to view my friends' updates from within my DSN account. With a bit of luck, over time, facebook would turn into nothing but just one of the nodes of the DSN.

Comment No such thing as "Computer Science" to begin with (Score 1) 641

I am surprised that so far nobody has quoted Edsger Dijkstra who is said to have said "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes." In other words, the term "Computer Science" is exactly as absurd as it would be to call Astronomy the "Telescope Science". So, dead? certainly not. In need of another name? I am afraid, yes. "Information Science" sounds good to me, as it nicely complements the "Information Technology" that another chap mentioned.

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