Purpose
My current focus is the comsat proof of concept simulation, but there are other older threads that remain below related broadly to passkey management.
Garden Ring:
Interlinked
Comsat
Pitch: Revolutionize Communication with "Comsat"
Introduction:
- Problem: In today's fast-paced world, digital communication is instant, efficient, but sometimes overwhelming. People often crave a way to manage the speed and intensity of their interactions. Moreover, we're all familiar with the challenges of remote communication—expectations about response times, misunderstandings, and a lack of context.
- Solution: Enter "Comsat," a groundbreaking communication platform that takes inspiration from the expanse of space to provide a unique, physics-inspired approach to moderating interactions.
Core Concept:
- Virtual Space Proximity: Comsat reimagines digital communication as if users were distant spacecraft navigating the emptiness of space. Every interaction begins with two "spacecraft" at the distance between L4 and L5 Lagrange points (~8.3 lightminutes one way). Each spacecraft has a comsat that they can place that acts as a relay for all communications. Communications travel only via comsats, which can be placed near or far from others.
- Adjustable Light Travel Distance: Users have the power to influence their communication experience by freely adjusting their virtual proximity to the relay. Moving the spacecraft closer to the comsat and the comsat closer to others directly impacts the effective distance that light (in the form of radio waves bearing information) must travel between their comsat and others.
- Variable Communication Delay: This dynamic approach means that closer proximity results in shorter communication delays, akin to real-time conversations. Meanwhile, greater distance introduces longer delays, requiring patience and reflection. The communications are deliberately and variably asynchronous.
Key Features:
- Realistic Simulation: Comsat provides a realistic simulation of the physics of light travel. As users change their proximity settings, the system calculates the adjusted light travel distance, replicating the time it would take for a message to travel.
- Dynamic Adjustments: Users can modify only their own proximity to the relay, allowing for real-time adaptations during conversations and interactions. This flexibility provides the best of both worlds—real-time conversations and thoughtful, deliberate exchanges. Or, the user could become quite unreachable for a time.
Value Proposition:
- Moderation and Reflection: Comsat offers a novel way for users to manage their digital interactions. Whether you prefer immediate responses or thoughtful pauses, Comsat lets you tailor your communication style to suit your mood, needs, or the nature of the conversation.
- Enhanced Understanding: By visualizing the physicality of communication delays, Comsat fosters empathy and understanding between users. It bridges the gap between instant messaging, more deliberate, in-person conversations, emails, and letters.
- Unique Experience: Comsat isn't just another messaging app; it's a new way of connecting with others, even in larger groups. It brings user choice in communication to the forefront, with a simple way to navigate and filter social interactions.
Market Potential:
- Global Reach: Comsat targets a global audience seeking more meaningful and considered digital interactions.
- Diverse Applications: Beyond personal communication, Comsat has applications in remote team collaboration, academia, education, and even mental health support.
- Revenue Model: Comsat's benefactor freemium model offers basic communication features for free, with a premium plan to support access control to the group relay’s relative position to each group member.
Conclusion: Comsat grants users sovereign control over their time by controlling their virtual space. Whether users want to congregate in low Earth orbit or float alone in the expanse, Comsat offers the experience of deliberate, space-inspired messaging.
Architectural Overview:
Front-End UI (Spacecraft Interface):
HTML/CSS: Static HTML serves as the structure of the UI. CSS, potentially preprocessed with tools like SASS for advanced features, is used for styling to ensure a modern and responsive design.
HTMX: HTMX attributes added to HTML elements to handle dynamic content updates without writing JavaScript. Server interactions are managed with HTMX, such as sending and receiving messages, updating UI components, etc.
Back-End (Comsat Operations): Distributed Hash Table (DHT) for Node Discovery: Nodes (comsats) register themselves on the DHT. Comsats query the DHT to discover other nodes and retrieve the necessary connection information.
WebRTC for Peer-to-Peer Communication: Once nodes are discovered, WebRTC establishes a direct, peer-to-peer communication channel between comsats. WebRTC handles the transmission of data (e.g., chat messages, status updates) directly between comsats.
Communications between Front-End and Back-End: HTMX & Server Sent Events (SSE) or WebSockets: For real-time communication from server to client (comsat to spacecraft), use SSE (a unidirectional protocol where the server sends updates) or WebSockets (a bidirectional communication protocol). HTMX can interact with the server to send spacecraft commands and receive updates, which are then displayed to the user.
Architectural Flow:
Spacecraft 1 UI (Client) <--> Comsat 1 (Server/Node)
- User actions on the spacecraft UI are sent to its respective comsat using HTMX.
- Comsat 1 communicates with Spacecraft 1 for real-time updates and commands.
Comsat 1 <--> Comsat 2 (Peer-to-Peer via WebRTC)
- Comsats discover each other using the DHT and communicate directly using WebRTC for data exchange.
Comsat 2 (Server/Node) <--> Spacecraft 2 UI (Client)
- Comsat 2 receives data from Comsat 1 and relays communications to Spacecraft 2's UI using HTMX and SSE/WebSockets.
This architecture supports a decentralized system where each spacecraft-comsat pair operates independently. There's no central server managing the communications; each comsat finds its peers through the DHT and establishes a direct line of communication via WebRTC. HTMX on the front end allows for a responsive user experience with real-time updates from the comsat without relying on any JavaScript frameworks.
