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diff --git a/docs/intro.md b/docs/intro.md index bcf78ff..7810a69 100644 --- a/docs/intro.md +++ b/docs/intro.md @@ -1,47 +1,33 @@ -# Welcome to Dat Docs! +# Welcome to Dat -Dat is the distributed data tool. +Ever tried moving large files and folders to other computers? Usually this involves one of a few strategies: being in the same location (usb stick), using a cloud service (Dropbox), or using old but reliable technical tools (rsync). None of these easily store, track, and share your data securely over time. People often are stuck choosing between security, speed, or ease of use. Dat provides all three by using a state of the art technical foundation and user friendly tools for fast and secure file sharing that you control. -Dat's open source applications offer a new experience in advanced file syncing and publishing. Wherever your data goes, Dat uses innovative *in place archiving* to link files from many locations together. Share data with anyone over a distributed network using encrypted connections. Dat brings a new ease to public data management with automatic version history, persistent links, and dynamic storage. +Dat is free software built for the public by Code for Science & Society, a nonprofit. Researchers, analysts, libraries, and universities are [already using dat](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/science/donald-trump-data-rescue-science.html) to archive and distribute scientific data. Developers are building applications on Dat for [browsing peer-to-peer websites](beakerbrowser.com) and [offline editable maps](https://www.digital-democracy.org/blog/update-from-the-ecuadorian-amazon/). Anyone can use Dat to backup files or share those cute cat pictures with a friend. Install and get started today by using the desktop application, command line, or JavaScript library. -Use Dat to distribute scientific data, browse remote files on demand, or run continuous file archiving. Integrate into your existing work flow with flexible storage options and http publishing. Dat connects existing web infrastructure with a modern technological foundation. Built on a decentralized network, Dat creates new opportunities for existing data publishing tools. Put data preservation at your finger tips, like never before, with user-first applications. **Secure**, **distributed**, **fast**. +Ready to try it? [Head over to Installation to get started.](/install) -<a href="https://datproject.org/install#desktop" target="_blank" title="Install Dat Desktop"><img src="/assets/install_desktop.png" alt="Install Dat Desktop" style="width:250px;"/></a> -<a href="https://datproject.org/install#terminal" target="_blank" title="Install dat command line"><img src="/assets/install_cli.png" alt="Install dat command line" style="width:250px;"/></a> +## Why Dat? -**Built for the Public Good** +When sharing files, current tools have tradeoffs: lower costs and ease of use, or security and speed. Cloud services, such as Dropbox or GitHub, force users to store data on places outside of their control. Until now, it has been very difficult to avoid centralized servers without major sacrifices. Dat's unique distributed network allows users to store data where they want. By decentralizing storage, Dat also increases speeds by downloading from many sources at the same time. -Dat's distributed team builds Dat openly and compassionately. All software is open source and freely available to use. The [Dat project](http://datproject.org) is led by [Code for Science & Society](http://codeforscience.org) (CSS), a U.S. nonprofit. The mission of CSS is to work with public institutions to produce open source infrastructure for researchers, civic hackers, and journalists. We want to improve data access and long-term preservation. We actively welcome outside contributors and use cases beyond our mission. +Having a history of how files have changed is essential for effective collaboration and reproducibility. Git has been promoted as a solution for history, but it becomes slow with large files and a high learning curve. Git is designed for editing source code, while Dat is designed for sharing files. With a few simple commands, you can version files of any size. People can instantly get the latest files or download previous versions. -Code for Science & Society hosts other open science initiatives including [Science Fair](https://github.com/codeforscience/sciencefair/), a desktop science library like nothing before, and [Stencila](https://github.com/stencila), the office suite for reproducible research. Science Fair uses Dat to distribute scientific literature. In the future, Stencila will use Dat for reproducible data analysis. +In sum, we've taken the best parts of Git, BitTorrent, and Dropbox to design Dat. Learn more about how it all works by learning our [key concepts](/concepts) or get more technical by reading [the Dat whitepaper](https://github.com/datproject/docs/blob/master/papers/dat-paper.pdf). -**Get in touch:** +#### Distributed Network -* [github.com/datproject](http://github.com/datproject) -* [@dat_project](http://twitter.com/dat_project) -* Chat in [#dat on IRC](http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=dat) or via [gitter](https://gitter.im/datproject/discussions) +Dat works on a distributed network unlike cloud services, such as Dropbox or Google Drive. This means Dat transfers files peer to peer, skipping centralized servers. Dat's network makes file transfers faster and more secure. You can even use Dat on local networks for offline file sharing or local backups. Dat reduces bandwidth costs on popular files, as downloads are *distributed* across all available computers, rather than centralized on a single host. -## Getting Started +#### Data History -If you are new to Dat, welcome! You can learn more about Dat concepts in [the overview](overview). Becoming familiar with core Dat concepts will help you when using Dat and reading our documentation. +Dat makes it easy for you to save old versions of files. With every file update, Dat automatically tracks your changes. You can even direct these backups to be stored efficiently on an external hard drive or a cloud server by using [our archiver](/on-a-server). -If you are ready to get started, pick a Dat client and install! +#### Security -## Features +Dat transfers files over an encrypted connection using state-of-the-art cryptography. Only users with your unique link can access your files. Your dat link allows users to download and re-share your files. To write updates to a dat, users must have the secret key. Dat also verifies the hashes of files on download so no malicious content can be added. -* **Secure** - Dat encrypts data transfers and verifies content on arrival. Dat prevents third-party access to metadata and content. [Learn more](faq#security-and-privacy) about security & privacy. -* **Distributed** - Connect directly to other users sharing or downloading common datasets. Any device can share files without need for centralized servers. [Read more](terms#distributed-web) about the distributed web. -* **Fast** - Share files instantly with in-place archiving. Download only the files you want. Quickly sync updates by only downloading new data, saving time and bandwidth. -* **Transparent** - A complete version history improves transparency and auditability. Changes are written in append-only logs and uniformly shared throughout the network. -* **Future-proof** - Persistent links identify and verify content. These unique ids allow users to host copies, boosting long-term availability without sacrificing provenance. +## Who we are -## Installation +Dat is funded by [Code for Science & Society](https://codeforscience.org), a nonprofit supporting open source tools that benefit science and society. Dat also has a vibrant global community of developers building apps on the Dat protocol. - View the [installation guide](http://datproject.org/install) or pick your favorite client application: - -<a href="https://datproject.org/install#desktop" target="_blank" title="Install Dat Desktop"><img src="/assets/install_desktop.png" alt="Install Dat Desktop" style="width:250px;"/></a> -<a href="https://datproject.org/install#terminal" target="_blank" title="Install dat command line"><img src="/assets/install_cli.png" alt="Install dat command line" style="width:250px;"/></a> - -* [Beaker Browser](http://beakerbrowser.com) - An experimental p2p browser with built-in support for the Dat protocol. -* [Dat Protocol](https://www.datprotocol.com) - Build your own application on the Decentralized Archive Transport (Dat) protocol. -* [require('dat')](http://github.com/datproject/dat-node) - Node.js library for downloading and sharing Dat archives. +Enough reading, more doing? [Head over to Installation to get started.](/install) |