Twitter's decentralized project Bluesky launches test version of the app, foreign media review: a rudimentary version of Twitter
After nearly four years of anticipation, Bluesky has finally released a beta version of its app on the App Store. However, according to reviews from foreign media, the app has a simple appearance and despite being built on new technology based on the AT protocol, it functions more like a streamlined version of Twitter.
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Bluesky
The Bluesky project, initiated in December 2019 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, aims to develop an open-source, decentralized new standard architecture for social media, as opposed to the centralized structure of existing media.
Twitter is funding a small independent team of up to five open source architects, engineers, and designers to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media. The goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a client of this standard. 🧵
— jack (@jack) December 11, 2019
Years of Slow Development
However, despite Bluesky's initial announcement almost four years ago, its development progress has been slow:
The official Blog only sporadically updates
August 2021: Former Zcash core developer Jay Graber becomes the lead
April 2022: Secured $13 million in funding to ensure independent development
October 2022: The initial ADX protocol is renamed to AT protocol, short for Authenticated Transfer Protocol
Officially announced in October last year, the social application was set to be launched, and a waiting list was opened. Now, the beta version of the app is finally available on the Apple Store.
Bluesky vs. Twitter
According to TechCrunch, Bluesky's interface is quite similar to Twitter and the decentralized alternative Mastodon,
including features such as post replies, retweets, and likes similar to Twitter, but lacking functions like direct messaging and categorized follow lists.
TechCrunch notes that Bluesky's appearance is somewhat plain, and from the list of recommended followers, it can be seen that Bluesky does not attract prominent figures like Mastodon.
Although claiming to be built on the AT protocol-based new technology, it functions more like a streamlined version of Twitter.
Jack Dorsey's posts on Bluesky focus on post density, character limits, remaining screen space, and other details.
It is currently unclear if Bluesky has any direct connection to decentralization in its mechanisms.
Bluesky declined to comment on any further questions, emphasizing their current focus on bug fixes.
