webπ , or written approximately as web3.14159, is a continuation and a course correction, and just like π it's an infinite, living version.
webπ is not an attempt at a clean slate. Modelled after iterative versioning in software, webπ seeks to address the damage done and solutions abandoned from the previous versions of the web. It aims to address a sense of accountability and honesty rather than reconstruct the whole of the web into a "new" environment that becomes yet more unbalanced and isolated into walled gardens.
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Lingering questions?
Is this a cryptocurrency?
No.
Is this an NFT?
Absolutely not.
Then what IS webπ?
It's a project, that hopes to be a movement. It's a path for the web that takes an honest look at the mistakes made and people and solutions sidelined for $$$ and engagement at all costs.
It's a possibility.
It's a reexamination of all the layers of the web; from design philosophy, to software frameworks, to abuse mitigation, to standards bodies, and beyond. webπ isn't defined by one singular technology, but instead moored by a hope that the web is a garden to be cared for, not a resource to be exploited.
What's with the name?
web1 began on day one.
web2 was a marketing buzzword that kinda encapsulates a period of the web that people will likely attribute to having very shiny buttons and a lot of skeuomorphism.
web3 likely began in the summer of 2013, and ushered in (among other things) a push towards "flat design" as a core aesthetic.
webπ is not an attempt at throwing out all that has happened and starting over, and therefore does not seek to be web4. Instead, it is a pathway that seeks to shape the web into a space that learns from the damage of the past, and doesn't seek to reconstitute more power into the hands of an increasingly shrinking list of corporations and individuals.
How many people are behind webπ?
At the moment, just one. But a core tenet of webπ is that the web should be a space where just one or two people can make an impact.
If you want to join efforts to help, routes for that will be explored in future newsletters.
So what from here?
For now, updates, observations, and anything worth mentioning will roll out in the newsletter and on this site as it grows to accommodate more content.
note: this site and this project are still very much a work in progress.
Roadmap
- Finish second draft of pillars, add to site
- Expand site to include a bit of history and some arguments as to why web3 likely began in 2013
- Build out a section on the site to highlight projects and individuals already operating in alignment with webπ
- Setup the blog