(2022-08-19) Brander Noosphere A Protocol For Thought

Gordon Brander: Noosphere, a protocol for thought. So, the post where we explored a redecentralized hypertext protocol? Well, we’re actually building it.

subconsciousnetwork/noosphere
License: Apache/MIT
Status: in-development

Noosphere is a protocol for thought. A worldwide knowledge graph on top of IPFS.

Our dream is for Noosphere to become a user-owned medium for thinking together. A little bit like… Xanadu

Noosphere is a permissionless protocol, like HTTP or IMAP.

We’re going to use Noosphere to power Subconscious’ multiplayer and sync features. We hope other apps find it useful too.

Nodes in the Noosphere graph are called memos. They’re IPLD metadata envelopes

What can you put into a memo? Anything you want!

not just notes

If you’re thinking this looks a bit like HTTP, you’re right! The memo format is lindy. Like HTTP, email, or packets, Noosphere uses headers as a mechanism to enable open-ended evolution.

Noosphere is a massively multiplayer knowledge graph made up of smaller public and private sub-graphs. Each of these sub-graphs is owned by an author, who signs it with a cryptographic key. We call these sub-graphs spheres.

You can think of a sphere as being like a personal address book. Your sphere also functions as your data backpack and a self-sovereign social graph

Spheres also power a petname linking system

Sphere Server: your personal IPFS gateway

Sphere servers are superpeers, personal IPFS gateways that live in the cloud and do a handful of useful things.

Sphere servers are basically boring web2 servers with a little IPFS sprinkled on top.

Mobile clients can just talk to the server over HTTP.