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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Paid Free
or?
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Owned Subscribed
or?
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Enough More
or?
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Can the web exist…
without giving up our data?
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Can the web exist…
without subscriptions?
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Can the web exist…
without the cloud?
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Web2 (too far off)
is crumbling…
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No matter how crumbling one side is…
most won’t (can’t) jump over that huge gap.
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Web2
needs a bridge…
???
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…but we’ll come back
to that.
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privacy
Web2
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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…
you don’t own that data.
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If they keep charging you for that data…
you don’t own that data.
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If you can’t protect that data…
you don’t own that data.
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privacy
performance
Web2
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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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And the average page size in 2024 is…
~2.7MB, growing ~7% YoY.
https://httparchive.org/reports/page-weight
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While the 90th percentile page size is…
~10.5MB, growing ~8% YoY.
https://httparchive.org/reports/page-weight
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It’s harder than ever for web devs to…
fake zero-install and instant-start.
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Hosting providers increasingly control…
architecture and optimizations.
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privacy
performance
access
Web2
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The web increasingly assumes…
unlimited internet and power*.
*especially with AI.
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2/3 of the world’s population can’t…
enjoy such privileges.
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privacy
performance
access
cost
Web2
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Users not only spend more on access…
but more on devices, just to keep up.
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Not only is the cost to users going up…
but the cost to companies, too.
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“During a gold rush, sell shovels.”
During a shovel rush, sell metal.
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privacy
performance
access
cost
complexity
Web2
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No content
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Programmer job security used to be…
ensured by writing hard to maintain code.
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But the complexity arms race…
now ensures they’ll be replaced by AI.
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Web2 is crumbling…
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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
(or based on
ubiquitous,
agnostic
protocols).
IOW,
Server-Last
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
The cloud is not inherently “The Web”,
it’s an implementation detail.
Web2.5
“The Web” is interconnectedness and
collaboration around our data.
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1. Local Identity
2. Surf To Install
3. Peer-First (Server-Last)
Web2.5 Principles
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▪ Autonomous, user-defined identity
▪ Data ownership
▪ Users mix/share their own data across apps
▪ App ownership
▪ Reduce distinctions between web, apps, and data
Web2.5 Goals