Interviewing the Architect of its Resurrection
When an nft & blockchain archaeologist began sifting through the first 100,000 Ethereum blocks, he wasn’t expecting much.
Yet there in the bytecode, hidden in plain sight, was an artefact from 2015. Ethereum’s first domain registrar. Patiently waiting, undiscovered, onchain.
Deployed by one known only as Linagee, this contract is a trace of Ethereum’s experimental origins. As of 2022 it was reanimated as the Linagee Name Registrar (LNR) under the .og namespace.
Every blockchain carries its own philosophy, its own cultural DNA. Bitcoin is scarcity-driven, a rebellion against fiat, while Ethereum seeks something else: a shared infrastructure, an open platform for experiments in governance and community. Linagee’s registrar, then, is more than code; it’s a faint but enduring echo of Ethereum’s original promise: a decentralized world computer that empowers its users to create—and define—their future.
Mason Keresty reveals how he found it, & why Linagee’s code still matters today.
Origin
Mason, your discovery is nothing short of remarkable. To frame the conversation, please share what inspired you to go on this journey?
I have always been intrigued about the history and inner workings of everything. Every day I watch videos about topics ranging from historical architectural feats to the rise of the internet. I always wondered what it would be like to explore an ancient artifact but I couldn’t kid myself - I definitely had no time or place to be outside digging! After spending some time looking at some of the oldest websites still running I realized that in web3 everything that was on there is still there, and could be found. Upon realizing that…I was hooked! I spent some time writing a script to parse over every early ethereum block to see what I could find, to see what others had originally envisioned the blockchain to be like, and to try to grasp how exciting it must’ve been at the dawn of web3.
According to Leonidas.og you built AI functionality in mid 2022 to help you, way before the public release of ChatGPT. Can you tell me about that?
ChapGPT is far more amazing than what I would have considered being possible just a few short years ago. For my blockchain scanning I used some libraries that attempted to decompile the byte code of the smart contracts. I primarily used a package called panoramix that is actually part of etherscan now to do this. I’m not exactly sure how it works but I know that it likely uses a language model to match bytecode chunks to bytecode of known words and phrases. The authors of that package are extremely smart!
What led you to uncover LNR? As you explored the contract, what details made you realise that it could be a significant piece of Ethereum's history?
I found the contract quite early on in my search but it wasn’t until I saw that actual transactions were made on it – back in 2017.
After some decoding I quickly realized that it was a name registrar that was interacted with by several people. It’s amazing that just a few days into the existence of ethereum people were already pushing the boundaries of what it could be used for.
Why is it important to you to honor Linagee's early pioneering work?
One of the earliest names on the contract was registered by the deployer, and that name was Linagee. Linagee clearly had a vision for what the blockchain could be used for. The trustless and permanent nature of the registrar really fit with the ethos of ethereum and I believe it’s important for all of us to remember. Additionally, I enjoy the true ownership aspect of the contract, no names require registering or purchasing. This equal playing field is what brought all of the creative minds together to build on ethereum.
Rediscovery of the FIRST functioning NFT contract on Ethereum. On 8th August 2015, just 9 days after the launch of the most popular blockchain to date; Ethereum. On this date an unknown developer by the name of Linagee deployed the contract...a name registrar. The code was actually written by/with Gavin Wood, co-founder of Ethereum. One of the things he did: upload an MP3 onto the blockchain back in 2015.
Technical
From a high level can you explain how the Linagee Name Registrar works under the hood as a naming protocol? How does it differ technically from something like ENS?
The Linagee domains ecosystem is similar to ENS in terms of name resolution and trading, however the big difference is that once you own a Linagee name there is no need to reregister it. This true ownership and onchain nature is the biggest differentiator.
* the rest of this response in the glossary
The unverified nature of the contract undoubtedly presented its challenges. What techniques did you employ to comprehend and reconstruct its capabilities?
Prior to the contract being verified on etherscan it was a black box to me. This required some trial and error of calling functions by name and assigning data types. But after several tests I was able to consistently interact with the contract. The contract not being an src-721 made it challenging to create a solid wrapper for. There are no assumptions you could make and everything had to be tested.
You've highlighted domains as bridges between web2 and web3 identities. How do you envision Linagee playing this role? What does decentralized naming look like in your eyes?
It’s very interesting to see how far we’ve come just since I discovered this contract. In the past there was a firm boundary between web2 and web3. But now it seems like it’s being more normalized (e.g. PayPal crypto payments, bitcoin and eth etfs).
Just like other web3 domain services, a name can be more than just a wallet identifier. It can be your digital identity, the face of your business, or even the access point of your website. Linagee really dug into that by creating fully on chain websites of two flavors (in calldata and fully on chain).
In reference to the calldata websites, this unlocked the ability for people to easily and affordably put websites on chain that can’t be taken down or are subject to control by a third party. This is of extreme importance in today’s landscape.
What's your broader vision for its potential as a naming protocol? You recently built EtherWeb for instance, a protocol that allows anyone to build web apps fully on chain.
There are two main things that Linagee is focused on.
Number one is being adopted into applications and services people already use. That would give extraordinary value to the .og owners and would allow them to further associate themselves with and use those identities. The second is further expanding on the on chain web, in particular, aligning ourselves with erc-4804, which is a growing ethereum standard for web3 url to evm translation.
" The Etherweb is a simple protocol I’ve been working on for putting entire web dapps into calldata on the Ethernet block chain and routing .og names to them. "
Community
When you discovered LNR, you rapidly moved to share and enable community growth, access, and collectibility. What’s your recollection of that period around October 2022 when LNR was launched? If memory serves, there had been some chatter in the NFT Archaeologists discord to begin with with members of the community like Adam Mcbride?
That was one of the most exciting and stressful times of my life. I’m usually more on the developer side and never expected so many people to embrace Linagee, but in the end I’m happy I was able to share it with everyone. I am very grateful for community members like Adam and Leonidas and several more, really helping me along the way.
How has the rediscovery of Linagee been received by different stakeholders?I believe the rediscovery was perceived very well by historical nft enthusiasts. It was amazing to talk to owners of Linagee names registered in 2017!
From very early on we made it clear that Linagee is for everyone, and can be built on by anyone. This has lead to several great tools and applications made by community members such as Chriton and Derp Herpenstein
I’m beyond grateful for the like minded and forward thinking people I’ve met thus far along this journey, and the things we have built together.
You're active across social platforms & spaces. What guides your approach?
Online platforms like Twitter and discord are a great place to learn and interact with others. However it’s very important to have an open mind and treat others with respect. I believe in being genuine with others because everyone has something valuable to offer. It’s important to not be quick to judge or pick sides. I have this same approach with Linagee as well, we love embracing the growth of web3 and rooting for everyone pushing boundaries.
There were only 63 names registered in 2015 (60) and 2016 (3) before the rediscovery in 2022. The first registration "MyFirstCoin“ dates from August 08, 2015. The next 40 registrations happened on August 25, 2015 and also include the first emoji (🐰). The discovery made a big splash in 2022. There are 70k names wrapped and total sales are 696E🔥 The earliest wrapped name is "lottery“ (rank 35), which was briefly listed for 300E.
What are your thoughts on the recent Twitter changes?
Honestly, I am not very active on twitter anymore. There is a lot of negativity and/or focus on points of contention, the same way that the news channels operate.
How do you see the naming service community evolving in the future?
I think fragmentation is one of the biggest hurdles that humans as a whole can face. Look at how often republicans and democrats focus on debating with each other rather than solving problems. In my opinion we should all be rooting for each other, that way we can become the best versions of ourselves and make the best products.
Thank you Mason.
—
Mason, a mechanical engineer by study, now juggles mechanical engineering and software development for a company. He took up web3 as a member of dev teams, quickly learning the ropes. Beyond historical NFTs, he's into on-chain dynamic art and classical art.
Glossary
Blockchain: A decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across many computers securely and immutably.
Domain Name Service (DNS): A system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the network.
Ethereum Name Service (ENS): A distributed, open, and extensible naming system based on the Ethereum blockchain that allows users to register human-readable names for their Ethereum addresses.
NFT (Non-Fungible Token): A unique digital asset verified using blockchain technology, representing ownership or proof of authenticity for a specific item or piece of content.
Smart Contract: A self-executing contract with the terms directly written into code, running on a blockchain.
Bytecode: The low-level code generated from high-level programming languages that can be executed by a virtual machine or computer processor.
On-chain: Referring to data or transactions that are recorded directly on a blockchain.
Calldata: Data sent to a smart contract when executing a function call; it can include parameters needed for that function.
From Mason
Linagee Name Registrar Specifications
The Linagee Name Registrar (LNR) is a comprehensive solution composed of four main components, each playing a vital role in enabling permanent, human-readable domains on the Ethereum blockchain. These components are designed to provide users with control, flexibility, and ease of use:
The Registrar
The registrar is a fundamental contract that facilitates the mapping of registered names to their respective owner's Ethereum addresses. It forms the core of Linagee Name Registrar, ensuring that each name is associated with its owner.
The Resolver
The resolver contract serves as a crucial layer of the Linagee Name Registrar ecosystem. It allows users to link their Linagee names to their primary Ethereum address, providing a user-friendly means of address resolution. Additionally, the resolver contract permits users to delegate name control to another address without relinquishing ownership. Owners can also utilize this contract to set text records, which is particularly valuable for pointing to other on-chain assets. A prime example of this functionality can be observed in the integration of ecdn.og, demonstrating Linagee's capacity to seamlessly point to on-chain assets such as content delivery networks.
The Wrapper Contract
Linagee names predate the ERC-721 standard, and the wrapper contract is introduced to address the need for compatibility and usability. This contract enables users to wrap and unwrap their Linagee names, allowing for straightforward trading and viewing of these unique digital assets. The wrapper contract streamlines the user experience and ensures that Linagee names can be easily managed and exchanged.
The LNR-Web Contract
The LNR-Web contract serves as an innovative addition to the Linagee Name Registrar ecosystem, enhancing the utility and versatility of Linagee names. This contract empowers users to upload data in the form of Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) calldata, enabling the creation of semi-permanent on-chain websites. This functionality is vividly demonstrated by lnrforever.og, highlighting how Linagee names can be used to point to evolving content stored in calldata, opening new possibilities for on-chain website development and content management.
ecdn.og Contract
Ecdn.og is a smart contract that operates as a Content Delivery Network (CDN) within the Ethereum ecosystem. Specifically designed to integrate seamlessly with EthFS, it empowers developers to efficiently utilize libraries stored on EthFS while adhering to the EIP-4804 standard. By doing so, Ecdn.og significantly mitigates the redundancy of data on the blockchain, resulting in cost savings and conservation of valuable chain space. This innovation not only optimizes the economic aspects of on-chain operations but also facilitates streamlined website development. As an increasing number of libraries are uploaded.
Useful Links
🔎 EtherWeb portal: https://web.linagee.vision
🔎 EtherWeb Explorer: https://web.linagee.vision/og/etherweb.og
🔎 On-chain Linagee website: https://web.linagee.vision/og/lnrforever.og
🔎 Analytics by @KingMgugga: https://dune.com/sliceanalytics/lnr-og
🔎 Trading by @Derp Herpenstein: https://www.derpnation.xyz/tradeenr
Connect
- Farcaster @papa — https://warpcast.com/papa
- Lens @papajams — https://lenster.xyz/u/papajams
- Twitter @papajimjams — https://twitter.com/papajimjams
Papa
- Self Custo dy—Relinquishing Echoes of the Feudal System
- ENS — A Conversation With Matt Garcia
- Blockchain — Decentralized Dispute Resolution
- ENS — A Conversation With The Founder Of NameSpace
