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I wrote the article named in the title for Nikkei XTECH about DID (Decentralized Identifier), for which W3C issued a Recommendation last week 1. It covers the background of this noteworthy technology, which is related to the much-discussed Web 3.0 / web3 and Web5. I think even most people working on DID will find unfamiliar material and enjoy it, although it appears in the paid latter half.

This article spans parts 2 and 3 of the series “An In-Depth Examination: Will Blockchain Make Humanity Happy?” and is the 1th installment. Page 1 provides an overview of DID, while page 2 discusses and considers the historical background, including precursor technologies that led to it. The essential content from page 2 onward is paid and cannot be viewed without subscribing. I have listed only the contents below. If you have not subscribed, I would be grateful if you did so and read it 2.

  • Introduction
  • What Is DID? (free)
    • DID Format
    • Verifiable Registry
    • DID Document
    • DID Controller
    • Relationships among These Elements
  • The DID Concept Actually Existed More Than 20 Years Ago—the History of XRI (paid)
    • History Surrounding XRI
    • XRI Format
    • XRI Registry
    • XRDS Document
    • Relationships among These Elements
  • What XRI Has That DID Does Not (paid)
  • What DID Has That XRI Does Not (paid)
  • Dictatorship vs. Ancient Republic vs. Modern Democracy (paid)

While I was writing, the article easily grew to about 4 times its present length. I shortened it by cutting episodes and peripheral history. The full version includes an assassination 3 and may be thrilling, so I hope I can write it somewhere someday.

The latter half of the article will be published next week. It will also cover the historical background and philosophy of OpenID, so please look forward to it. Those who say Web 2.0 is centralized will find material that forces them to reconsider.

I really wish this series could also be published in English in near real time.

Please enjoy.

日経XTECH: W3Cが分散IDの規格を標準化、そこに至るまでの歴史を振り返る
Nikkei XTECH: W3C Standardizes Decentralized Identifiers: Looking Back at the History That Led There (Part 1)

Footnotes

  1. published July 27, 2022: https://xtech.nikkei.com/atcl/nxt/column/18/02132/072200002/
  2. I receive no financial benefit when you subscribe
  3. although it is a side story

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