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diff --git a/content/en/docs/Intro/_index.md b/content/en/docs/Intro/_index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b936175 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/en/docs/Intro/_index.md @@ -0,0 +1,70 @@ +--- +title: "Welcome to Ouroboros" +linkTitle: "Introduction" +author: "Dimitri Staessens" +date: 2019-12-30 +weight: 5 +description: > + Introduction. +--- + +``` +Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and +education to appreciate it. +And to make matters worse: complexity sells better. + -- Edsger Dijkstra +``` + +This is the portal for the ouroboros networking prototype. Ouroboros +aims to make packet networks simpler, and as a result, more reliable, +secure and private. How? By introducing strong, well-defined +abstractions and hiding internal complexity. A bit like modern +programming languages abstract away details such as pointers. + +The main driver behind the ouroboros prototype is a good ol' personal +itch. I've started my academic research career on optical networking, +and moved up the stack towards software defined networks, learning the +fine details of Ethernet, IP, TCP and what not. But when I came into +contact with John Day and his Recursive InterNetwork Architecture +(RINA), it really struck home how unnecessarily complicated today's +networks are. The core abstractions that RINA moved towards simplify +things a lot. I was fortunate to have a PhD student that understood +the implications of these abstractions, and together we just went on +and digged deeper into the question of how we could make everything as +simple as possible. When something didn't fall into place or felt +awkward, we trace back to why it didn't fit, instead of plough forward +and make it fit. Ouroboros is the current state of affairs in this +quest. + +We often get the question "How is this better than IP"? To which the +only sensible answer that we can give right now is that ouroboros is +way more elegant. It has far fewer abstractions and every concept is +well-defined. It's funny (or maybe not) how many times when we start +explaining Ouroboros to someone, people immediately interrupt and +start explaining how they can do this or that with IP. We know, +they're right, but it's also completely besides our point. + +If you don't care about elegance, this prototype is not (yet) for +you. If you're fine with the quality of engineering in the Internet, +this prototype is not (yet) for you. But, if you're open to the idea +that the TCP/IP network stack is a huge gummed-up mess that's in need +for some serious redesign, do read on. If you are interested in +computer networks in general, if you are eager to learn something new +and exciting without the need to deploy it tomorrow to solve whatever +problem you have right now, and if you are willing to put in the time +and effort to understand how all of this works, by all means: ask +away! + +We're very open to constructive suggestions on how to further improve +the prototype and the documentation, in particular this website. We +know it's hard to understand in places. No matter how simple we made +the architecture, it's still a lot to explain, and writing efficient +and easy-to-understant documentation is a tough trade. So don't +hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. Above all, +stay curious! + +``` +... for the challenge of simplification is so fascinating that, if +we do our job properly, we shall have the greatest fun in the world. + -- Edsger Dijkstra +```
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