Blockchain technology Requires Finishing.
Reflection
Technology blockchain and the number of startups that are born around this innovation is growing at a crazy pace.
There are more and more applications based on decentralized platforms (dApps), more and more new consensus algorithms are being created, creators are outdoing in proving that their blockchain is the fastest, losing memory of the magic triangle of this technology:
The question is - in which direction are we going?
Is any of those present dApps Has it already gained the so-called “mainstream adoption” that everyone is talking about, dreaming about and fighting about?
How many current applications (dApps) are currently used in the mainstream?
Little.
These largest applications have no more than one thousand active users per day (DAU: Daily Active Users) e.g. Idex, Bancor, CryptoKittiesand the vast majority of dApps did not gain 'traction' at all and probably never gain.
While the aforementioned dApps shed light on what is possible in a short time and helped us remove some obstacles on the way to further adoption, they did not manage to go beyond the narrow circle of cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiasts with their solutions. Most of the dApps, if they are used at all, are those who already sit in the world of "crypto".
And this can not be called a real adoption.
It has not yet been created, and it certainly has not gone beyond the world of crypto-enthusiasts, the so-called "Killer App", An application that would gain a serious share in the 'giants' market and perhaps open the eyes of the world to the fact that solutions without central units are also attractive, fast, nice, safe, but most of all opening our eyes to new technological and business opportunities, geopolitical, possibilities of this world that we have not dreamed of yet.
Why is it like that?
There are many problems to be solved on the way to adopting this technology, including:
- Poor user friendliness
- a lot of threats related to data security and stored funds
- speed and scalability of technology
- weak "PR" which blockchain technology, in particular cryptocurrencies, made themselves due to various types of fraud, a series of unsuccessful ICOs and price manipulations on stock exchanges.
What follows all the time we have no scale effect (Network Effect) or the snowball effect. Usually, we set up accounts on portals and use solutions that our friends already use. Hence, among other things, the popularity of various platforms, from Facebook starting, by Google until after Uber. Their popularity is constantly growing, and blockchain dApps they keep germinating in comfort. The examples mentioned are the effect of the scale by which the decentralized world is constantly fighting.
Because what is the point of communication platform, however decentralized and wonderful it would not be, if our friends are not there?
Getting out of this closed loop, in my opinion, no dApps has succeeded yet, this is fairly obvious - but a more difficult question - why?
After all, 10 years have passed. Only 10 years? How much time does it take?
I do not know, but I know that more and more people believe in this technology and develop it.
In this infrastructural, economic and technological chaos, the following are trying to find their way:
- Enthusiastic developers building their latest solutions. Cool!
- Big companies that maybe do not feel what's going on until the end, but they feel that they can make money from it.
- Miners and Investors who jump from value to value, trying to hit the golden deal.
- States and Regulators, suspiciously and with distrust, looking at "the entire crypto world" and trying to regulate, ignore or prohibit it.
- Hackers and cheaters, who are still using the holes in technology immaturity and lack of regulation in their favor and our disadvantage.
It was supposed to be so beautiful:
- Dethroned giants, and hence new, lightest organizational management model.
- Platforms that they give away nam control over our digital identity in our hands.
- Easier and safer, and above all, direct access to our finances, without intermediaries.
Where is the better, new, digital economy?
Born.
In pains.
I am convinced that the best times are still ahead of her. At the same time, it seems to me that we have begun too quickly to build disputes on protocols and platforms that have not been and are not yet ready to adopt such solutions. Probably this step was necessary to test the technology on the battlefield, but probably a few areas of decentralized infrastructure need repair, or maybe even exchange.
Building the current dApsps, it is like we would like to build a house without a solid foundation, or how we would like to develop the state's economy without building roads, air connections and the minimum necessary infrastructure.
How did we get to this point?
1️⃣ First generation blockchain - Bitcoin
Bitcoin was created because after the crisis in 2008r many people asked themselves: Is it possible to create a digital money form that can be passed between two people without intermediaries?
Satoshi Nakamoto he answered these questions by creating Bitcoin.
A decentralized monetary system has been created that allows the transfer of funds, cryptocurrencies between two persons, without the participation of third parties. The initially underestimated technology turned out to be revolutionary. Then on Bitcon, many other solutions were modeled (e.g.. litecoin or Dash)
But there was a problem that affected all first-generation blockchains: they only allowed for simple cash transactions, there was no way to add terms to these transactions, reversing them or partial implementation (Alice could have sent Bob 2 BTC without intermediaries, but no she could have made this transaction dependent on whether Bob had already completed her commission or not.
2️⃣Second generation blockchain - Ethereum
This is how the concept of so-called smart contracts or smart contracts was born. Ethereum, whose originator was Vitalik Buterinis a breakthrough blockchain that opened new possibilities.
2 blockchain generates exchange of tokens or information in a transparent way, using smart-contracts, based on the conditions stipulated in these contracts, and at the same time avoiding intermediaries who would be between Alicja and Bob, that is, preserving the beauty that Bitcoin brought as a X-world blockchain generation, while adding the logic that Bitcoin lacked.
Inspired by Ethereum, new solutions were built on this concept, such as Lisk, Neo or Waves.
In this way, the concept of decentralized applications (dApps) was born that work thanks to the smart-logic logic embedded in them.
However, this generation of solutions also has some problems that need to be repaired before we go further.
⏱️dygresja⏱️
Do you remember the times of BBS? (Bulletin Board System) BBS existed for a good moment before the Internet was born, 70te years, while the first BBS in Poland began to be created at the end of the 80 years.
The "classic" BBS was a "server" waiting to be connected to it via a modem link from one or even more lines of the public telephone network. Knowing the phone number of a given BBS, it was possible to connect to it ("dial") and use its resources - mainly from local e-mail, advertising and discussion groups, shared file database, and in some of the more advanced BBSs it was also possible remote program launch (e.g. database, computer game)
The BBS could be used alone or with other currently connected users, and even with the BBS administrator himself. The most famous BBSs in Poland in the 90s are: Bajtek BBS, Chip BBS, Top Secret BBS.
However, BBSs did not stand the test of time - the Internet replaced this solution. Perhaps it was because BBSs did not communicate with each other, did not provide a user-friendly interface, created fairly closed communities, and were slow and connections unstable.
This is similar to today's blockchain? It reminds me.
Most blockchains of the first or second generation have a unique value to offer, but the fact that they do not communicate with each other means that the further development of these platforms is choked.
⏱️ the end of digression
3️⃣ XNUMXrd generation blockchain - Aion Network
Aion Network it builds on the output of Ethereum, the whole freedom and freedom of creation and communication, which is provided by public blockchains, and at the same time brings to the puzzle experience from the world. "Enterprise", That is from the world of large enterprises, noticing what is currently missing from this technology, so that it can soar to the next level and actually reach a wide range of users, but above all, to open new gates for creators, entrepreneurs and business innovators.
The band around Aion Foundation I will introduce you to the next articles, at this stage it is important to emphasize that this team carries out the values that decentralization of platforms, and at the same time has the know-how of large enterprises.
Part of the team and founders of the Aion Foundation (Matthew Spoke, Jin Tu, Kesem, Frank) previously worked for Deloitte, among others, creating there at the beginning of 2014 the foundations of the R&D department for blockchain (Rubix). In 2016r. they decided to start a startup Nucowho has completed several projects in this technology for corporate clients to eventually evolve into the Aion Foundation and focus 100% on the development of the Aion project.
Well - after this lengthy introduction - if you have made it to this point - you probably would like to know the answer to the question what is Aion Network?
I have postponed the moment when I will introduce you to the solution itself, because it is not the most important here, it was more important to understand beforehand why blockchain and cryptocurrencies, despite being 10 years on the market, still have not gained adequate traction and user base, what are the problems on the road and why the world outside the blockchain industry looks at these trends rather reluctantly. These are the topics that Aion Foundation is looking at and addressed by Aion Network, so having understood these problems - you will also understand what Aion Network is.
Aion, and actually Aion Network 
While many platforms in the blockchain area are outdoing each other in the pursuit of who is faster and better, Matt Spoke of the Aion Foundation, in one interview says that no matter who wins this "race", it is important to address the gaps and gaps in the infrastructure that are holding back this technology before revealing its true potential. I am quoting this short statement, because for me it is the quintessence of the philosophy of the Aion Foundation.
Let me first explain the terms that will systematize the terms throughout the Aion ecosystem:
- Aion Foundation: A foundation that oversees and develops the Aion Network
- Aion Network: proper blockchain and related infrastructure
- AION: cryptocurrency used within the Aion Network
Hereby, the Aion Foundation builds, repairs and connects various areas in the blockchain infrastructure, so that new business solutions can be created on these foundations, which will change the paradigms of the current economy, finances perhaps even in the long term, even virtual societies.
I would share the Aion Network solution with 3's main trends:
- PROTOCOL: in simple words: something basic, the most basic and generic set of pre-programmed rules that allow communication of many units.
- PLATFORM: in other words, a minimal, universal set of technologies and tools that opens up opportunities to build further business solutions on this foundation.
- ECOSYSTEM: in simple words: an integrated community of people, organizations and technological solutions that interact with each other to achieve mutual benefits.
PROTOCOL
source: https://aion.network/developers/#whitepapers
Aion Network provides a generic protocol for data exchange in decentralized networks, and approximates:
- A protocol to communicate any blockchain with any other blockchain.
It is important to emphasize the word here anybecause, just like TCP / IP, it does not impose almost any restrictions on the type, method and senders and recipients of the exchanged data (it only provides a 'box' to which data can be 'put' and a set of rules in which the box will be transported), its protocol also does not impose almost any restrictions on the users of this protocol - the difference with TCP / IP is that Aion Network allows this for decentralized networks.
The structure of the protocol is simple and allows communication of any networks.
source: https://aion.network/developers/#whitepapers
- A protocol that enables the creation of bi-directional,decentralized bridges between different blockchain networks.
It is important to emphasize the word here decentralized bridges, because only such a bridge is compatible with the idea of blockchain technology. Currently, we can see the central units being created (eg cryptocurrency exchanges) which, yes, combine and enable the exchange of values, but I say this: the whole system is as strong as the weakest element of the system, so if we have centralized bridges / connectors in the form for example, exchanges that help communicate decentralized networks, the whole idea of a revolution that potentially carries a blockchain loses meaning and we return to the starting point of centrally managed systems that we know today.
In addition, the exchanges mentioned only exchange values (coins, tokens), they do not exchange logic between individual blockchains, preventing the creation of multi-blockchain application solutions. Aion Network has such functionalities.
- The protocol which is open.
Everyone can use it, x-ray it, build its interface and its solutions based on it. The word is important to emphasize openbecause the open source idea guards the world of blockchains and cryptocurrences from the very beginning of their creation, and today we see more and more closed or pseudo-open solutions created by 'giants' who have slept through the beginnings of this technology and are now trying to catch up.
PLATFORM
The following vision is just an example of the potential use of Aion Network's platform, protocol and functionality.
source: YouTube (KeyNote channel) Matthew Spoke - AION - The North American Bitcoin Conference 2018
At some stage of development, the Aion Network environment may take this type or similar shape, while the applications of this platform and its bridges are much wider:
- A platform that allows you to create decentralized applications that work on many different blockchains.
Yes - dAppsy - we've probably heard it more than once. However, the unique value that Aion Network brings is multi-blockchainowość these dApps. The interoperability of the Aion Network networks allows any dApp built or connected to the Aion Network ecosystem to be able to freely and safely use the functionality and logic of other blockchains that are connected to this ecosystem. Not only does this enable you to build solutions that potentially combine application logic with Ethereum, Icon, Neo or via Hyperledger Fabric, but it also enables scaling dAppsthat can transfer their calculations to networks that are less busy at the moment.
End of Ethereum Performance Problems?
This is a breakthrough that will connect isolated islands like Ethereum, EOS, IOTA, Lisk and a number of others, thus opening new gates for each of these solutions.
source: https://aion.network/developers/#whitepapers
- A platform that allows you to easily create networks in the Hub <> Spoke model.
Aion Foundation has so far created one main blockchain Aion-1 (HUB), any other blockchain can join this node, or you can create your own blockchain, based on the Aion Network (aka SPOKE). Both public (such as Neo, Icon or Ethereum) and private blockchains (such as Hyperledger, R3 Corda or Quorum) can join. Each of the blockchains created on the basis of the Aion Network can also become a point of attachment for any other blockchain. There will be any number of bridges between individual blockchans (everyone can create their own bridge, e.g. on the road between Ethereum and Lisk, even if such a bridge already exists). The open market method applies here.
Each of these bridges may have slightly different economic parameters (e.g. fast but expensive, or slower but cheaper, very secure but slow, etc.). In this way, the Aion Network will create something like a decentralized Internet, in which every 'client' has the possibility choose which path you want to follow with your data (banks may need security and speed at the expense of higher fees, and a public application e.g. a game may choose speed and low costs sacrifice security)
In order to understand the potential of this type of flexible approach of the HUB <> SPOKE model and bridges within the Aion Network, it would also be necessary to delve into the economy of the AION token, but this is a topic for a separate article.
- A platform that opens blockchain to millions of programmers around the world, thanks to the Java environment.
We know that there is no shortage of work on the IT market, so why would a programmer learn programming in some new 'strange' language (eg Solidity for Ethereum) if he already has a good job, eg as a Java developer. Aion Network is currently introducing Aion Virtual Machine, which is built on the basis of Java Virtual Machine.
In short: this means that every IT specialist who has so far considered entering the blockchain world, but has not had the time or the desire to learn a new language (Solidity, Rust), can now deal with blockchain in an accessible way, because the JVM version for Aion is available (Aion Virtual Machine). This opens the door and the influx of IT professionals, and at the same time accelerates the development of the ecosystem around Aion Network and the entire blockchain world.
ECOSYSTEM
In addition to the technological bridges that Aion Network builds between different networks, it's no less important to build an ecosystem, or invite to co-create and co-create the Aion Network network of large enterprises, emerging startups, programmers, miners and units building and maintaining the Aion Network infrastructure.
source: YouTube (KeyNote channel) Matthew Spoke - AION - The North American Bitcoin Conference 2018
Aion Foundation imagines its role as the creator of an open ecosystem that will attract players with several different profiles that will help Aion Network develop for mutual benefit.
So who should be interested in this ecosystem?
- Aion Network for Emerging Startups.
Currently, we are witnessing an explosion of startups, innovators who believe in decentralization, tokenization, the strength and threats of artificial intelligence or IoT, or a revolution in FinTech. Startups often have deep knowledge of their business domain, but are not always oriented in blockchain technology, often using blockchain to try to solve problems that have already been solved, or even problems that should never be solved based on blockchain.
As part of the Aion Network ecosystem, both tools and platforms are available that can be applied to create a new business model.
In order to support and encourage startups to create a new economy and innovative businesses based on the Aion Network environment, the foundation has recently launched a program of grants, funds that you can apply to gain funds for the development of your business. It is available list of solutions sought, but you can also suggest your own ideas.
- Aion Network for Programmers and Creators.
Perhaps you are already an experienced programmer or architect, are you looking for new solutions to your 'portfolio', or maybe you are just at the beginning of your professional development? In both cases, you'll find an environment and a rapidly growing community on the Aion Network platform that thinks about blockchain technology more than just in its narrow section. In addition, you will find there some solutions that you probably already know well (eg Java or Solidity / EVM) so there are several ways to start your Aion Network experience.
Aion Network opens the door:
- for current IT professionals who were considering starting an adventure with blockchain, but had concerns about learning new, commercially uncertain technology.
- for experienced experts familiar with blockchain technology (Solidity / EVM is constantly supported)
Shopping Mall it lowers the threshold of entry into the blockchain world, but it is worth emphasizing that by building on the Aion Network you have access to calls from other connected blockchains, thanks to the interoperability of Aion Network (eng. Interoperability).
The Aion Foundation recognizes a number of problems that must be addressed in the infrastructure of a decentralized world before this technology will rise to the next level (you can find them in this article). Accordingly, they are available grants for daredevils who will help address these technological challenges.
- Aion Network for Large Enterprises or Emerging Enterprise Enterprise Classes.
There is a lot of talk about the improvements that blockchain can bring to Supply Chain, Banking, Payments, Social Media and many other industries or entertainment on which many current enterprises, including giant ones, have built their position. On the one hand, the current Enterprise businesses are already allocating quite large funds to R&D in the area of blockchain, on the other hand, this interest is mainly focused on private / closed blockchain.
Of course, this point of view is understandable, because large enterprises primarily care about the security of their data and the data of their customers. However, doubts, which are also increasingly appearing in these businesses, are whether they can afford to ignore the power that, for example, Ethereum brings in the world of public blockchain.
Is the lack of connection between their closed systems and the possibilities that the public blockchain creates in a while will not eliminate them from the game in favor of newly emerging, less well managed, and thus more innovative enterprises.
Here we come to the important use-case of Aion Network. That is, total public and privite blockchain. Increasingly, enterprises of the Enterprise scale are asking how to safely connect these two worlds into one. Thanks to the know-how gained from the consulting world, Aion Foundation has worked on addressing this challenge. The interoperability of the Aion Network gives you the ability to communicate public and private blocks.
On this occasion, it is worth emphasizing that the founder of Aion Foundation (Matthew Spoke) is a co-founder and is currently also on the board of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, the largest organization gathering a lot of big players, such as: Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Deloitte, Accenture, JP Morgan, ING, RBS and many other (https://entethalliance.org/members-directory/)
- Aion Network for Validators, Miners and Bridge Building Units
With the growth of the Aion Network, more and more people and organizations are needed to secure the entire world of Aion Network.
For now, the Aion Network operates in Proof of Work mode, so "miners" are being deployed to AIon-1, and in a moment we will see more blockchains that have joined this network, so the needs will increase further.
In the next step, Aion Network will transition into a hybrid model of the PoW + dPoS consensus, so the gates will also open for Validators (units that run nodes) as well as Backers (organizations or units that support Validators with their computing power as 'Solvers' or through AION coin, as 'Stakers')
source: https://aion.network/developers/#whitepapers
In addition, the bridges that are created between the connected networks to the Aion Network are also a kind of blockchain in themselves (many nodes verifying the transactions flowing between blockchain X and blockchain Y). Anyone can create such a bridge or join one of the existing bridges. So here too, units are needed that will take care of this infrastructure in the above-mentioned way, while benefiting from it.
If we imagine how many different blockchains can potentially participate in the Aion Network ecosystem, it is not difficult to calculate that the demand for Validators, Miners and Stagers will be very large.
- Aion Network for Innovators looking for their business field,
In decentralized solutions, there is power, not yet subdued and not fully disclosed. History shows that sometimes the most interesting solutions are drawn by people who are not related to the given industry and do not have all the luggage restrictions and often wrong assumptions ('fresh eye approach'). Hence technology such as Aion Network, as well as all similar technologies, perhaps the most interesting use cases will be seen thanks to people outside the 'industry'. Aion Foundation creates a platform that I will mention on the next occasion, where innovative ideas will be able to get support for their implementation.
So what next?
If you are interested in the possibilities that this technology opens up for you, a Polish channel on Telegram. There you will find more details about the technology itself, the solutions it creates, as well as future ambitious plans.
Basic information about the Aion project in Polish can also be found on the channel YouTube.
Daily Dose of Discomfort
Aion Network Polska
Andrzej Winiarski
Źródła:
https://blockgeeks.com/guides/aion-blockchain/
https://blog.aion.network/a-request-for-decentralized-infrastructure-f2af6db52957
https://aion.network/developers/#whitepapers
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_Board_System