Re: New iteration of the DID Use Cases document

On Thu, Feb 14, 2019 at 8:01 AM Joe Andrieu <joe@legreq.com> wrote:

> Folks,
>
> Based on the feedback from the call Tuesday, I have updated the DID Use
> Cases document.
>
> https://w3c-ccg.github.io/did-use-cases/
>
> Please take a look and provide feedback. Please use the mailing list for
> general discussion and Github issues for specific places where the  spec
> text could use improvement. Pull requests appreciated if you have
> suggestions for improvements.
>

Joe, this is a big improvement. Thanks for doing this. I have some wording
suggestions but unfortunately will probably not have time until RWOT to
submit them, and they are minor anyway.

One terminology question, however: this is the first doc I've seen using
the term "DID registry". While I get why that term seems attractive—it's
the best analogy to the existing world of registries (especially DNS
registries), I have avoided it all this time because the process of writing
a DID to what the spec used to call a "target system" is SO different than
conventional registries which ALWAYS involve centralization. This is true
for every single target system I'm aware of. That's the whole point
of decentralized systems—they don't involve the same power dynamics as
centralized registries.

So I'm just wondering if the term "DID registries" has become established
or if we can use a better term that reflects the unique nature of DIDs.


>
> The key difference in this iteration is the addition of an extended
> discussion of what you can do with a DID and the 13 DID actions I've
> distilled from our conversations over the last couple of years. Hopefully
> this addition helps both with the big picture and gives concrete
> functionality.
>
> Note that not all DID Actions are supported by all methods and not all
> will be specified in the DID spec. However, these actions have informed the
> design of DIDs and hence represent the aspirations of the eventual system
> based on DIDs.
>

Agreed. I like the section on DID Actions very much, though I do have a few
suggestions to clarify some of them. I'll see if I can get that to you
before RWOT.