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diff --git a/content/en/docs/Intro/_index.md b/content/en/docs/Intro/_index.md deleted file mode 100644 index 7ca8160..0000000 --- a/content/en/docs/Intro/_index.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,67 +0,0 @@ ---- -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. - -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, 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 -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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