From 8c34d810af95fae0ef846f54370a8c88bfab7123 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "netop://ウィビ" Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:24:49 -0700 Subject: initial commit --- memos/WM-051.txt | 181 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 181 insertions(+) create mode 100644 memos/WM-051.txt (limited to 'memos/WM-051.txt') diff --git a/memos/WM-051.txt b/memos/WM-051.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..954faf7 --- /dev/null +++ b/memos/WM-051.txt @@ -0,0 +1,181 @@ + + + + + + + +Document: WM-051 P. Webb +Category: Handshake 2021.05.30 + + Being Brave: a Handshake retrospective + +Abstract + + What a mess + +Body + + Earlier this week (2021.05.27), Michael Michelini of SkyInclude + published[1] a blog post where he laid claim that "Brave is asking + for 3 to 3.5 million USD for a 2 year of having Handshake names to + work on their browser…It seems we can 'bargain' it down to 3 million + US dollars from the 3.5 million." + + This information is not first-hand from Brave but rather "from + multiple sources that are high in the Handshake community." + + The Handshake community is rather flat by nature so I can only + surmise he means 1) a group of people and 2) this group has big + pockets. That only leaves us with dWeb Foundation[2] and HNS Fund[3] + as potential sources. I won't bury the lede here. Over the last + couple days, Michael has continuously refused to answer direct + questions. He has instead relied upon proxies in the form of a link + to a Twitter thread[4] that supports his actions and various + cheerleaders in the Namebase Discord that have "seen + the conversations." + + Those direct questions? + + - Where did you get your information from? + - Who put you up to this? + + From my perspective, if some deal was being discussed between Brave + and some "high" members of the community, why was Michael made privy + to these details? What was the motive of the participants to make + details of the deal public? + + For his part, Brendan Eich (CEO of Brave) has rebuked the story[5] + and asserts the amount claimed was fake news[6]. + + From the Handshake Community[7] page: + + > Every single person is a genuine and authorized Director of The + > Handshake Project. If someone has given you a document or business + > card representing themselves as a Director of The Handshake + > Project, they have full authority to represent as Director of The + > Handshake Project with their own personal viewpoint, So Please + > Treat Them Right. You, the reader, are also a Director of The + > Handshake Project and have equal claim on authority, action, + > and viewpoints. + > + > Any claims made by anyone on what Handshake does (or will do) does + > not necessarily have the agreement of other participants in the + > community and should not be seen as a definite certainty. + + **As a Director of Handshake, I do not condone the actions of Michael + Michelini and I, quite frankly, do not trust him.** In fact, I deem + anything he publishes in the future as tabloid-esque bait to further + his own idealized position in the greater Handshake community. + + To his credit, Michael published an update to the debacle he started + and…well, he didn't take ownership or explain himself. He instead + recapped the situation along with what Brendan shared on Twitter. + I'll take that credit back. + + From his update: + + > But from all of this - Brendan, the co-founder and CEO of Brave has + > made an amazing way to help us all deal with this + > awkward situation. + + I don't like the framing of this. He tried to absolve himself of + responsibility. The situation is awkward because he made it that way. + + His update also had this: + + > There are groups trying to HELP the community - and some are not + > sure when/if/how to communicate that information to the community + > at large. + + More bullshit, IMHO. If I'm actively working to help a protocol gain + traction, what reason would I have to be secretive about it? This + entire situation is just about browser integration. Totally not high + stakes at ALL. *Especially* if I have "fuck you" amounts of money. + + Yesterday he claimed[8] that "so many" have asked him "to step aside + from the HNS community" and that he'd step down if that's what it + took to resolve this situation. What's our favorite + word? **Bullshit**. + + There are three sides to every story: your side, their side, and + the truth. + + Brendan has already shared his side, amidst the digital shit thrown + his way. Michael has abused his goodwill with the community to get a + mini army to do his dirty work. Everyone involved should feel + disrespected. Micahel caused this situation and the community’s trust + in him made us all look like petulant children. What it takes to + resolve this situation is to take accountability but what does he do + instead? Try to garner sympathy, and it actually worked! + + Last bit from Michael's update: + + > Sorry if I divided the community on this. I love Handshake. + + If? IF?! 🤡 + + The amount of sympathy/support Michael is getting in the Namebase + Discord is baffling. Truly, my mind is boggled. It is my belief that + ignoring such behavior only serves to legitimize it and encourage + further breaches of trust. + + Did we get an explicit acknowledge of what needs to be done to get + native Handshake resolution within Brave browser? Sure[9]. Did we + have to harass a CEO to get there? I think not. It is shameful that + someone in our community decided to implement a surreptitious + marketing technique of the far right to get a desired outcome, when a + simple ask would've sufficed. Fake news? Really? + + This post has mostly been a rant but I'm not a fan of complaining + without at least mentioning solutions, so here's where the productive + part of the post comes in. What can we (you) do moving forward? + + - Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Not even this + post. *I* have good intentions but *you* don't know that. Luckily, + I have link sources below. + - Hold people accountable. This is tricky because the Namebase + Discord IS for Namebase, not Handshake directly but I dislike how + people have decided to give Michael a pass. + - Educate yourself. From the comments directed towards Brendan it's + clear to see that non-coders have a warped perspective on what it + takes to build software, much less a browser. Balking at the idea + that a browser maker would want, nay, EXPECT compensation for + ongoing work (and maintenance) to integrate a new protocol is + silly. Software has roadmaps and the one currency we all pay is + time. Be patient and while you're waiting, do some reading to gain + appreciation for the complexity involved. + + Obviously, researching *everything* you read on the Internet is + impractical to do on a regular basis and hindsight is 20/20 but + boy…we'd have a lot less egg on our face. 🕸 + + P.S. Here's proof of various community members (along with myself) + looking for answers and finding nothing[10]. + + Update I: I just saw that after demanding details of the deal from + Brendan, Michael apologized to him and took ownership[11]. This was + my main sticking point. I only found this out by getting a link to + the Handshake DNS Discord. It would've been nice if Michael updated + his blog post with this information. + + Update II: I responded to the apology tweet with a comment stating + Michael should update his blog post with that. In my view, it would + show closure. Apparently, that sent Michael over the deep end and he + refused to update his post for reasons I don't understand. The Imgur + link[10] has been updated with screenshots so you can see for + yourself without my flavor. + +References + + [1] + [2] + [3] + [4] + [5] + [6] + [7] + [8] + [9] + [10] + [11] -- cgit v1.2.3