Applause
Security and privacy
decentralized identity
SHOW HN2021
How HN took it
1 positive, 10 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 9 critical, out of 21 comments about the project. Thread score -0.31.
Idea: 1 for, 2 againstDesign: 0 for, 2 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Interesting tech demo of Handshake-based identity
From 2 comments
could you explain the difference between using Handshake/Bobwallet vs. using ENS/Metamask as login?
yawnxyz on HNYou can either use Bob Wallet [1] or hsd RPC. You'll need a Handshake [2] name as well. There's a PR on the Bob Extension that streamlines this process (think metamask) [3]. [1]…
publiush on HN
Objections
Setup requires a Handshake name and wallet, which is complex
From 2 comments
Sounds way more complex than a traditional sign up? What am I missing?
afro88 on HNMaybe it's not technically a sign up, but the new user flow needs some work. There are boxes for "handshake name" and "signature" but no indication of what you should put there.…
skybrian on HN
Signing does not prove the key holder authored the message
From 2 comments
Sure, but you're ignoring flaws in the security to make a stronger marketing message for your site. Yes, there is nothing you can do about this, it's not under your purview. But…
wyattpeak on HNI don't see goalposts being moved. It seems like your base assumptions are just different from most people. Most discussions about security assume that users are taking care of…
woojoo666 on HN
Unclear what the signature field needs and no help text
From 2 comments
Maybe it's not technically a sign up, but the new user flow needs some work. There are boxes for "handshake name" and "signature" but no indication of what you should put there.…
skybrian on HNWhat am I supposed to enter for the signature? Is there a help page?
ramphastidae on HN
Requests
Clearer onboarding and instructions for the signature step
From 2 comments
Maybe it's not technically a sign up, but the new user flow needs some work. There are boxes for "handshake name" and "signature" but no indication of what you should put there.…
skybrian on HNWhat am I supposed to enter for the signature? Is there a help page?
ramphastidae on HN
Questions
Why Handshake rather than Namecoin or ENS
From 2 comments
So why handshake vs. namecoin, ENS or others? Why would handshake win when many of it's predecessors failed?
novok on HNcould you explain the difference between using Handshake/Bobwallet vs. using ENS/Metamask as login?
yawnxyz on HN
How posts can be useful if there is no way to reply
From 1 comment
So is it just people shouting out to the void, and no way to respond to them? That makes it a neat tech demo, but doesn't seem very useful as-is.
wccrawford on HN
Alternatives named
ENS
From 1 comment
could you explain the difference between using Handshake/Bobwallet vs. using ENS/Metamask as login?
yawnxyz on HN
Namecoin
From 1 comment
From the name I was expecting something like image boards (think 4chan) where you can add a username to your post by specifying a secret, which will set your username to…
wongarsu on HN
Gravatar-style avatars with tripcodes
From 2 comments
> While you're correct that a 4chan-like mechanism would provide a means of authentication, the hash would not be human-recognizable easily (basically, not meaningful) This part…
sombremesa on HNMost tripcodes on 4chan are relatively recognizable, since they are combined with the names: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imageboard
Zababa on HN