There’s More Than One Way Into the Internet
In my first article, “What Does It Mean to Own the Dot?”, I explored what ownership can mean when it comes to the names we use online.
But that leads to another question.
Is there only one way to find our way around the internet?
For most of us, using the internet is simple.
We open a browser, type an address such as .com, .org or .au, and expect the website to appear.
We’ve been doing it this way for so long that we rarely think about what happens behind the scenes.
It simply feels like the internet.
But what if there was another way?
Another Way Exists
There is another way.
Handshake is an alternative naming system for the internet.
You don’t need to understand the technology behind it to understand the basic idea.
When you type a website address into your browser, something has to help your browser find where you want to go.
Handshake provides another way of doing that using a naming system that isn’t controlled from one central place.
It doesn’t replace the internet.
It gives us another way to navigate it.
This Website Is an Example
Own The Dot can demonstrate this in a very simple way.
You may be reading this article at:
OwnTheDot.com
That’s the familiar way most people access websites today.
But Own The Dot can also be accessed through Handshake at:
own.the/dot/
Same website.
Same internet.
A different way of finding it.
Why Does This Matter?
Because most of us have never considered that another naming system could exist.
Handshake shows that it can.
You don’t need to understand the technology behind it. For now, simply knowing there is another way is enough.
And if you’re curious, the next question is obvious:
How do I experience it?
Erwin Groen ⚪️
#OwnTheDot