Kyle Simpson
Upgrading
Love/Hate:
to Web2.5
with
Local-
First
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Many “Great Divide”s
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Web
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Native
vs
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https://css-tricks.com/the-great-divide/
vs
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vs
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Front-
End
Back-
End
vs
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Love! Hate!
vs
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Dichotomy
Pick Sides!
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Privacy Convenience
or?
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Security Performance
or?
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Owned Subscribed
or?
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Cloud
Centralized
De-
Centralized
or?
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(too far off)
Web2
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You may be questioning…
why do we need another web?
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privacy
Web2
is crumbling…
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In the digital space…
you are what you do.
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Either you own that data…
or others own the data that defines you.
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If you don’t have custody of that data…
you don’t own that data.
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If they can block you from that data…
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If they keep charging you for that data…
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If you can’t protect that data…
you don’t own that data.
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Data ownership is a…
universal human right.
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privacy
performance
Web2
is crumbling…
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The web is supposedly “zero install”…
but also promises “instant start” UX.
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But far from actually “zero install”…
the web is, in practice, install every visit.
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It’s harder than ever for web devs to…
fake zero-install and instant-start.
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privacy
performance
access
Web2
is crumbling…
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The web increasingly assumes…
unlimited internet and power*.
*especially with AI.
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privacy
performance
access
cost
Web2
is crumbling…
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Users not only spend more on access…
but more on devices, just to keep up.
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privacy
performance
access
cost
complexity
Web2
is crumbling…
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Hosting providers increasingly control…
architecture and optimizations.
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is crumbling…
Web2
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but…
there is a bridge!
Local-First
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Local-First
1. No spinners: your
work at your
fingertips
2. Your work is not
trapped on one
device
3. The network is
optional
Seamless
collaboration with
your colleagues
The Long Now
Security and
privacy by default
You retain ultimate
ownership and
control
https://www.inkandswitch.com/local-first/
https://localfirstweb.dev/
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Local-First Data must
default to
primary
storage on
the user’s
device.
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Local-First Servers must
be optional
IOW,
Server-Last
(or based on
ubiquitous,
agnostic
protocols).
Local-First
Obsidian
Ledger
Linear
Trello
(some or all of
the local-first
principles)
Spotify
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Local-First
What about
identity…
…without
any servers?
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1. Your public-key is your identity
2. Local data protection (encryption at
rest, E2E transmission)
3. Keys protected by biometric passkeys
Zero-Server Identity
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Web2.5
Local-First
Web2
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1. Local Identity
2. Surf To Install (PWA, IWA, etc)
3. Peer-First / Server-Last
(Direct Sockets, LP2P, etc)
Web2.5 Steps
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▪ Autonomous, user-defined identity
▪ Data ownership
▪ Users locally mix/share their own data across apps
▪ App ownership
▪ Reduce distinctions between web, apps, and data
Web2.5 Principles