I’ve heard this one many times, but I just don’t get it. Are there good examples where apps built on any kind of blockchain had massive success BECAUSE they are using blockchain?
This is interesting, but I'd still want to know a specific.
Most document authentication works fine with a centralized source of truth. It could be a postal service (the postmark proves a document was mailed at a certain time), Docusign, Google Drive, or just plain email.
> decentralized DNS
DNS is already decentralized. You can choose whom you trust, or you can build your own DNS database and just trust yourself.
Perhaps you meant "decentralized domain registries" (like the way Verisign manages official .com registrations).
That's more interesting, but it would also be terrifying. A bug or 51% attack could kill your entire company if you trusted that registry.
I suspect you would also get some sophisticated attempts at buying up millions or billions of the domain names in order to sell them later at a profit, which essentially centralizes all those names.
> provably fair gambling
Why would you need a blockchain for this? Couldn't you cryptographically sign each round of bets without a blockchain?
> prediction markets
No idea what the application is here, but curious for your explanation.
As proof, I offer the number of domains that have been seized by random <insert 3 letter agency here> censoring authorities over the course of the internet's existence.
You and your DNS provider are free to ignore those seizures if you want. You could have a whole network of people who ignores those kinds of things. Maybe someone could call it the Dark Web, and it could be 20+ years old.