What function if any at all will DSNP have with EPUB? I comprehend that DSNP is a protocol, a rule set , and epub is a file format, a structure for data, a duplicatable structure for data. so Epub is a an object above the application layer while DSNP is designed to be a replacement for at least the application layer protocols and , I guess, at most the internet layer of protocols.
But I ponder can dsnp be accessed in an epub. I know an epub can utilize application layer protocols to connect to the larger internet and utilize data.
Is it possible for DSNP to be utilized through an epub, conceptually at least?
I admit in my mind I figure DSNP with its individual markers may not be usable through an epub as an epub has duplicate structure.
But I want to pick the brains of any project liberty developers who see this
Hi Richard,
I’m definitely not an EPUB expert but it’s a really interesting question.
One of the things DSNP is generally useful for is ensuring authenticity and immutability of content through specific file hashes. So one simple way that EPUB could intersect with DSNP is to allow an EPUB document to be an attachment to a DSNP post (broadcast or reply). In this case DSNP serves the role of ensuring the precise version of an EPUB can be reliably referenced (if you don’t care about precise versions, you can also use the link type in DSNP).
Secondly, at Project Liberty one of the core principles that guide our work is that technology should enable people to participate in the economics of platforms and their content, while maintaining agency and control over their identity and creations. One way this could intersect with EPUB is in the area of digital rights management, that is, restricting access to content based on authorization. While most DRM schemes for EPUB operate in a centralized fashion today (Adobe ADEPT, Amazon, etc.), building a DRM scheme that incorporates DSNP identity for authorization could help create decentralized solutions where authors are not reliant on a third party gateway in order to control and benefit from distribution of their intellectual property. (In actuality, you probably need some combination of user identifier and device identifier, to maintain accountability in a scenario where one account is shared. I’m not proposing a specific scheme here, but there are definitely possibilities.)
As far as accessing DSNP content through an EPUB, I’m not sure what this would look like. Since an EPUB is, in effect, a snapshot of a website, you could take any set of DSNP content and turn it into an EPUB (perhaps for a “daily digest” on a certain topic). There would need to be a service that did this data aggregation and transformation, but it would certainly be possible with DSNP much more easily than with “walled garden” social networks that restrict access to content and APIs.
Hope this helps and perhaps gets some further ideas flowing.
Best,
Wes
Thank you Wes for the reply,
For the first suggestion you made
I saw the broadcast and Reply
Broadcast - DSNP Specification
for the broadcast, it seems you can have activity content types
which has audio/video/image/link
So i assume the link will be to an epub. then? It isn’t a physical attachment as much as a linked attachment. am I correct?
For the second+third suggestion you made , you confirmed what I felt in the back of my head. That an entire service will need to be built to make this possible.
You have helped me 100% I will try something and see.
So i assume the link will be to an epub. then? It isn’t a physical attachment as much as a linked attachment. am I correct?
Yes; as you mention, the spec for the Activity Content Note lets you include the attachment array; attachments can be links to any document. We don’t currently specify the hash property for links, though (to allow for data integrity assertions as is possible with audio/video/image attachments). This could be considered for addition if there’s a strong use case.