5 hours ago
- ATProto has the potential to be a base for decentralized applications but is developing in surprising and disappointing ways.
- The author wants to build a suite of review apps that let users own their data and choose between public and private sharing.
- ATProto is currently public-only, and its proposed 'permissioned data' system treats private data as fundamentally different, creating complexity.
- Private and public data are essentially the same data with different access rights; ATProto's approach forces developers to build two separate systems.
- ATProto's Personal Data Server (PDS) is server-based, not like git, requiring custom offline storage and sync, undermining local-first principles.
- Despite flaws, ATProto's identity system is promising; the author hopes for design improvements to make it more developer-friendly.