---
title: "What is lightnet?"
date: 2005-12-06
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2005"
    url: "/tag/2005.md"
---

# What is lightnet?

Lucas Gonze has been evangelizing a concept called [lightnet](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://gonze.com/weblog/story/lightnet). He coined the term, based on a recent Alex Barnett post entitled [Hypertext and the next 15 years](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://blogs.msdn.com/alexbarn/archive/2005/11/13/492350.aspx). Check out Lucas’ del.icio.us page full of [lightnet links](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://del.icio.us/lucas_gonze/lightnet). So what is lightnet? It took me a bit of clicking around to grok it, but basically it’s the [Two-Way Web](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://www.thetwowayweb.com/about) for rich media.

As [Jon Udell wrote](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/2005/12/06.html#a1348), lightnet is “the antithesis of the walled-garden darknet”. The term [darknet](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://www.darknet.com/) comes from the [JD Lasica](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://www.jdlasica.com/aboutjd.html) book.

Lucas wrote me an email to tell me how lightnet intersects with Web 2.0. I’m sure he won’t mind me quoting this bit:

> “…the benefits of web 2.0 can accrue to audio and video just as much as to web pages and feeds. For example, webjay-ish URL playlists are remixes in the web 2.0 sense…”

I couldn’t agree more and I fully support the opening up of rich media to allow remixes – and other forms of ‘user’ creation.

The Lightnet Tron, c/o [daysofleisure.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20060111051911/http://www.daysofleisure.com/writing/lightnet.html):

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/what_is_lightne.php))*