The internet is already decentralized. This much is true. It doesn't take a genius to know that the control the Five Eyes have over the internet is bad, or that a system that pumps (literal) tons of CO2 into our air isn't a viable idea. A balence needs to be struck, between a quasi-decentralizatized internet and one that's killing our environment. That's where Zinc steps in.
We aren't a startup with the goal to make money. We are a nonprofit with the goal to help people. Hyping ourselves up on social media and in our marketing materials is not going to help us achieve our goal. In fact, it could actually hurt us. We should focus on telling our story, what we stand for, and what we hope to achieve. We can talk about how we are different from other nonprofits, and how we are making a difference in the world. We avoid making any claims that we can't back up, unlike many other Web3 projects. Most hype themselves up not with the goal to help people but to make money. They aren't filled as nonprofits, and they couldn't care less about the people that they are supposed to be serving. We avoid being like them and stay humble. We are making a difference in the world, and we should be proud of that. But, we should avoid being boastful and instead focus on our mission.Founded by two high school students in 2020, nonprofit Web3 aims to provide equitable, private, and fast access to the internet for all. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to connect with the world, and we are working hard to make that a reality. Based on a cryptographic system, instead of being based on a distributed ledger, our network is faster doesn't have to negotiate ledger versions, and enables the anonymous routing of traffic through multiple nodes in the network.
The internet is a series of tubes, nothing more (Ted Stevens). This is obviously false, and has, ironically, become an internet meme. However, it does hold some truth. The goal of the internet is to transport information to point A to point B. After that, it builds onto it with higher level protocols, and makes it way up through the chain; transport, session, presentation, application (OSI). Current Web3 is suppose to be a replacement for what we have currently, Web2. It is not a series of tubes. Instead, it's a delicate, gold plated series of pipes and valves going every which way, powered by enslaved chipmunks. It's not the future, it's a nightmare. Especially for those poor chipmunks.
To deliver a letter, you don't need to own it, nor do you need to record it on a public ledger. You can determine if it's authentic with cryptography. If someone wants to know if the letter was delivered, they ask, and you tell them. You don't need to bother with a ledger. As you've most likely guessed, the ledger in this analogy is the blockchain, and it's not needed. Instead, Zinc takes the approach of lots and lots of cryptography. It's faster (hopefully), better for the environment, isn't taxing on computers, is easier to adopt, and much more. It's simple.
If only taking into account current Web3's environmental problem, trying to fix it makes the system more centralized. One way that the current Web3 (+ Ethereum) community has tried to solve this problem is with Proof of Stake. In Proof of Stake, if an entity collected enough Ether, they have a larger impact over the blockchain than people with less. Even though the EU's push to ban Proof of Work in favour of Proof of Stake was stopped, something like this could succeed in the future. Web3 becomes more like Web2, only with people's money on the line.
Currently, most Web3 proposals have privacy take a back seat to scalability, but at what point are we trading our fundamental rights for an unfeasible future? Zinc does not prioritize one over the other. We believe that both privacy and scalability are essential for a successful Web3 future. Zinc protocol provides a way for entities to communicate privately, without sacrificing scalability. Our solution is the catnet, which allows for privacy-preserving computations while maintaining the security and integrity of the network.
The web should be simple, open, and fair. The web should be open for everyone to participate in and the benefits of the web should be distributed fairly. We are working to create a web where information is transportable, allowing anyone to participate in building a better future. This cannot be achieved using a complex architecture of token ownership, financial ledgers, and enslaved chipmunks.
The truth matters. Truth applies to both management and information. Zinc will always be truthful and open about our governance and operations, no matter how uncomfortable the truth may be, or how much it may upset some people. The information and how we transport it is the same. Zinc builds protocols that transport information, no matter its content. Zinc is a protocol that enables trust and communication between entities, that's all.
Zinc exists solely for the purpose of providing direction to our open source projects. Its legal members are not dictators, but rather coordinators who help to ensure that the projects maintain a consistent quality and direction. The coordinators are unpaid, and the project is maintained on a volunteer basis. Zinc is an open source project, and our governance is based on the principle of open source governance. This means that our coordinators are elected by the community, and that our decisions are made through a consensus-based decision-making process.
Catnet is a Web3 technology that replaces the network layer and above.
Unlike previous proposals and technologies, it doesn't use a blockchain or any kind of distributed ledger. Instead, it
distributes information and provides routing protocols to access it. This information is cryptographically secure, eliminating
the need for a blockchain. Catnet is also designed to be more efficient and scalable than traditional networks.
A core idea inside Catnet is the idea of distributed hash tables (DHTs). In a DHT, each node is responsible for
a portion of the overall data. This data is distributed across the network and can be accessed by any node. A
DHT is a sort of cache; it's populated on the fly and information is offloaded when not needed. When a node wants
to access data, it queries its own DHT instance for the relevant nodes. If no relevant nodes are found the nature
of this system allows for the traversal of other nodes, querying their DHT instances until all the information is
found. The DHTs contain metadata that allows for tracking other nodes that may have the information.
Catnet is not completely separate from its Web3 peers, as it offers distributed routines that run on multiple nodes of
the network. Because Catnet distributed routines are mutable and do not live in a record (unlike blockchain-based
solutions), they are dynamic entities and can communicate with other distributed routines, as well as mutate state on
the larger network as a whole. This degree of flexibility means that more functionality is possible than with, for
example, Ethereum dApps. For example, a Catnet distributed application could be used to manage a swarm of drones,
allowing for coordinated flight and tasks. Each drone would be a separate application, loaded and unloaded across the
network on the fly, all the while communicating with each other to orchestrate a beautiful light show. When done, a
parent entity that all of the distributed routines run under, called (simply) an application can be destroyed. Each
routine runs inside a sandboxed VM (the kind has yet to be determined).
Catnet is implemented as a set of libraries that can be used by applications, along with some userspace daemons.
The libraries provide implementations of the specification, and the userspace daemons construct and maintain the
more user-facing aspects of the system (browsing of the web). The Zinc libraries and daemons are mainly written
in Rust, to enforce high memory safety and high degrees of parallel processing, but the system is language-agnostic.
The router isn't in development, so we don't know exact details. However, normal IP routers are unable to handle CP
traffic, so the router is a CP capable router.
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We are two students who designed Catnet as a curiosity. Once us, and some others, thought it was actually a good idea, we decided to spin up Zinc, and continue development.
figure 08
Our socials;
and where you can find them.
We sometimes use non-free socials to get the less technologically inclined on board (nessisary to facilitate adoption).