[SOLVED] Turn the Forum into a DApp

[SpongebobFan1994]

I've been hesitant for the last few weeks to make this post because I've been thinking about if this idea is even worth it or not, but some recent thoughts about it made me think it may be, and here's why:

No doubt there are times where the forum has to be taken offline for maintenance reasons

No doubt it sometimes moves at a snail's pace because so many users are trying to access it at once

No doubt being a moderator for the entire forum can sometimes be a headache because of how many assignments you're asked to take care of

While the staff don't data-mine us, no doubt they still harvest our data by keeping a record of it

No doubt many people (myself included) don't like ads collecting our data, and would rather keep the forum alive through donations or buying merchandise the staff might sell (if they do, because I'm not sure)

These reasons and more made me recently think about wanting to improve the forum by making it a DApp which could be downloaded through Software Manager, and run on the users' own servers. Some of you (especially the staff) might be thinking, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and while doing this may cause more challenges to occur, the benefits could outweigh them. I know the moderators would be thinking, "Where do I play a role in this?", and my answer would be in individual subforums because they'd be smaller and easier to manage. The reason I say that is because I can see each subforum acting like a Facebook group where someone creates a subforum, creates their own list of rules, and assigns a small number of moderators to enforce them.

One of the problems of running the forum as a DApp is needing a server that can handle it, and my advice would be get and set up a NAS device. If there's a better way of doing it, let me know.

Another problem would be server costs, which I'm sure would turn off a number of users because they'd see it as an unnecessary expense, when they can use the site free of charge. This in-turn would most-likely lead to higher internet and electricity bills. I honestly wouldn't know how to answer this, because it's something a user would have to do if they don't want to deal with the problems of a centralized site.

If anyone can think of other challenges of doing this, and how to over come them (if possible), let me know.

[absque fenestris]

...what-is-a-dapp?

https://hedgetrade.com/what-is-a-dapp

After about the fourth line, the explanation of what a dapp actually is began to bore me ...
... that means, I don't know yet what a dapp should be ...

[SMG]

A lot of people post to the forum from their phones or Windows computers because they are having issues with their LM install. Or they are posting from low bandwidth or metered usage connections on older computers.

Part of the reason I moved to LM was because I don't have an always-on high speed connection and I'm using an older computer with a limited size drive. My understanding of DApp would mean I would no longer be participating on the forum if it moved to something like that. I think that defeats the purpose of this forum if its format limits who can participate.

[BenTrabetere]

Some of you (especially the staff) might be thinking, "If it ain't, don't fix it"

This.

and while doing this may cause more challenges to occur, the benefits could outweigh them.

I experience more connection issues with my broadband provider, Comcast (spit), than I do with this forum. I do not know what benefits DApp has to offer, but for me it would be a solution looking for a problem.

[Moem]

No doubt being a moderator for the entire forum can sometimes be a headache because of how many assignments you're asked to take care of

That's a solved problem. Not all moderators are moderators for the entire forum; some choose to moderate a specific section of it.

[SpongebobFan1994]

A lot of people post to the forum from their phones or Windows computers because they are having issues with their LM install. Or they are posting from low bandwidth or metered usage connections on older computers.

Part of the reason I moved to LM was because I don't have an always-on high speed connection and I'm using an older computer with a limited size drive. My understanding of DApp would mean I would no longer be participating on the forum if it moved to something like that. I think that defeats the purpose of this forum if its format limits who can participate.

Just like decentralized social networks, like Minds for example, anyone can join it and participate. If you can give an example of what you're talking about, I could understand what you're saying better.

[SpongebobFan1994]

No doubt being a moderator for the entire forum can sometimes be a headache because of how many assignments you're asked to take care of

That's a solved problem. Not all moderators are moderators for the entire forum; some choose to moderate a specific section of it.

If I knew that before you mentioned it, I wouldn't have brought it up

[Moem]

Not all moderators are moderators for the entire forum; some choose to moderate a specific section of it.

If I knew that before you mentioned it, I wouldn't have brought it up

You would have, if you'd looked at the 'The Team' page linked below.

[SpongebobFan1994]

Not all moderators are moderators for the entire forum; some choose to moderate a specific section of it.

If I knew that before you mentioned it, I wouldn't have brought it up

You would have, if you'd looked at the 'The Team' page linked below.

You learn something new everyday

[SMG]

A lot of people post to the forum from their phones or Windows computers because they are having issues with their LM install. Or they are posting from low bandwidth or metered usage connections on older computers.

Part of the reason I moved to LM was because I don't have an always-on high speed connection and I'm using an older computer with a limited size drive. My understanding of DApp would mean I would no longer be participating on the forum if it moved to something like that. I think that defeats the purpose of this forum if its format limits who can participate.

Just like decentralized social networks, like Minds for example, anyone can join it and participate. If you can give an example of what you're talking about, I could understand what you're saying better.

Anyone can join Minds? Someone with a cellphone that is not a smartphone and no internet access at home can join Minds?

The first smartphone I owned measured data usage overage charges in kilobytes. Not Gigabytes as plans are today, nor as megabytes, but kilobytes. One learned quickly to remember to disconnect the data connection from the network real fast because overage bills ran into the hundreds of dollars. I mention this because not everyone is on an unlimited data plan (either on their phone or their internet service). You might be privileged enough not to realize that is even possible in the year 2020, but it is the reality for many, especially in more rural areas.

In a general sense, blockchain technology is you sending me a message of one block and then me adding a block with my reply. The message is now two blocks long when it goes to the next person. It continues to grow which means each subsequent person receiving it needs the data bandwidth and storage space to be able to receive it. All the blocks stay together forever and they keep growing. This technology has become more common because computers and storage costs have come down, but not everyone has the latest equipment. I've seen inxi information showing the person only has a 60GB hard drive on their computer.

Right now when I pull up a thread on this forum I request one page regardless of how many pages long the thread is. Each page is additional bandwidth. In a block-chain scenario, I would have to take all the pages in order to read just one. I would also have to have the hard drive and RAM space to store it to read it after paying for the internet access to receive it.

So by moving to DApp you are raising the technical requirements to participating on the forum which creates limits on who can participate. That was the point I was making.

[SpongebobFan1994]

Thank you to everyone who participated in this discussion.

I realize now that I wasn't thinking clearly when posting this originally, and I thank everyone for making me realize that. I'll use this as a teachable moment for the future.

[vishgaur]