FIPS Makes Personal Computers Internet Participants
FIPS gives computers direct, secure addresses so their files and services can be reached without first moving them into the cloud.
Developed from a conversation between Pete Winn and Andy David
Most personal computers act as windows onto the internet rather than participants in it. Their browsers can reach public servers, but the files and applications on the machines themselves aren’t normally accessible from elsewhere without configuring domains, tunnels and hosting services. FIPS changes that by giving a computer or application its own address and finding a route to it through a self-organising peer network.
That makes an everyday frustration much easier to solve. Instead of uploading a file to Google Drive before leaving home, a user could open a browser on their phone and retrieve the file directly from the computer where it already lives. The same model can bring files from several machines into one view, while access can be restricted to approved devices rather than exposing each computer openly to the internet.
The larger shift is that software can treat a user’s hardware as part of its architecture. A local app can be shared by sending its FIPS address, and an agent can use programs, data and computing power on the owner’s machine without requiring a separately provisioned cloud computer. The user’s computer stops being a glorified browser and becomes a resource that can securely serve files, run work and support other devices.