HN's constant unsubstantiated, unimaginative, and irrational hate towards anything crypto related is the reason I almost never frequent this site anymore. If you're going to write a critique, at least put some effort into it.
When the first bullet point of the article is "it's being driven by predatory marketing tactics", it's already clear that this is merely a hit piece with an agenda.
Anytime one is critiquing a futuristic idea that sounds outlandish, they should first stop to ask themselves if they're really given the concept a fair chance. Every major technological revolution was initially considered outlandish and criticized by the mainstream - calculators, computers, the GUI, the internet, cars, planes, remote work, etc.
I'm not saying that web3 is the next evolution of the web. But this article is a very elementary take that suggests the author has no understanding of web3 and hasn't made any effort to.
Not at all, that's just what it is to non-enthusiasts. If you lose interest in HN because HN likes to dump on crypto, that's fair, but that's a you-problem, not an indicator of HN losing quality.
It's pretty simple really: crypto is a solution to a problem we apparently don't really have. If you find the problem it solves, HN won't discredit that, the opposite is the case. Many people here would like to be enthusiastic about crypto, we're just not given any reasons for it.
What HN rightfully discredits is the cryptosphere, because for every thoughtful person driving progress forward, there appear to be hundreds, if not thousands, of scam projects trying to separate idiots from their money. There is nothing respectable about such a space, so don't expect the public, and this includes the hacking scene, to be infinitely open minded about it, if you're not bringing substance to the table. That response isn't hate, or irrational. The planet is burning and crypto enthusiasts are contributing a significant share to that, I feel exactly zero incentive to applaud these efforts.
> crypto is a solution to a problem we apparently don't really have
Crypto allows for decentralized money that one can self-custody and send/receive without going through any centralized government/bank authority or middleman. If you can't even admit this most basic use case of crypto, then either (1) you know nothing about the thing you are criticizing (2) you have an agenda.
> not an indicator of HN losing quality.
You are case in point to HN losing quality.
How about instead of commenting on stuff you know absolutely nothing about, take a second to actually do some research and learn about what you're criticizing. You're at best wasting other peoples' time, at worst spreading misinformation.
I've done my homework on crypto, why are you insinuating otherwise/go ad hominem?
>Crypto allows for decentralized money that one can self-custody and send/receive [...]
I'm very aware of that. Apparently, that's a problem we do not have, or people would actually use crypto as money. Ten years later, that's not happening, or show me the supermarket where I can pay for stuff in btc, or where I'd want to do so given gas fees. Money that can't actually replace "fiat" isn't money, it's an abstract investment.
Look, I'm not playing crypto-expert here, but I definitely know enough about the field to be allowed to answer to your comment, and I find your attitude to be way out of line.
That's quite a strawman. That crypto isn't used for buying groceries doesn't mean crypto isn't being used as money. Crypto technology isn't even good enough yet to allow for these kind of usage (small payments).
The bitcoin whitepaper itself mentions that fiat is good enough for most cases.
You might not have any use case for crypto. Maybe most people in your country don't have. But that doesn't mean it has no use cases, or it's not being used.
If you wanted to send 500 dollars to me (I live in Argentina), the easiest (and probably cheapest) way would be via crypto (USDC, USDT, etc).
>Crypto allows for decentralized money that one can self-custody and send/receive without going through any centralized government/bank authority or middleman. If you can't even admit this most basic use case of crypto, then either (1) you know nothing about the thing you are criticizing (2) you have an agenda.
I can already do that. The question isn't "whether or not there are use cases for cryptocurrency", but rather "what are the use cases for 'Web3'" which you haven't addressed at all.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't hate cryptocurrencies. I just don't have a whole lot of use for them and, at based on the "use cases" of Web3 in this discussion, even less use for such "applications."
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what is a useful application for "Web3"?
I'm not being snarky, I'm just not aware of what, if any, value, "Web3" could provide. Perhaps you could enlighten me?
When the first bullet point of the article is "it's being driven by predatory marketing tactics", it's already clear that this is merely a hit piece with an agenda.
Anytime one is critiquing a futuristic idea that sounds outlandish, they should first stop to ask themselves if they're really given the concept a fair chance. Every major technological revolution was initially considered outlandish and criticized by the mainstream - calculators, computers, the GUI, the internet, cars, planes, remote work, etc.
I'm not saying that web3 is the next evolution of the web. But this article is a very elementary take that suggests the author has no understanding of web3 and hasn't made any effort to.