FAQ Content Blockchain Testnet
Here are some FAQ about the backgrounds of the Content Blockchain testnet for techies and crypto enthusiasts.
The new Content Blockchain testnet will be based on MultiChain.
Why MultiChain?
The decision to build our Content Blockchain based on the MultiChain platform is the outcome of a long-term evaluation. You can find more detailed information about the evaluations here. These are the main factors that informed our decision for MultiChain:
1) Within the scope of our project using a public, established chain like Bitcoin proved to be too costly. Furthermore, Bitcoin is simply not suitable for our use cases, that require structured storage and indexing of metadata.
2) We discarded the idea of using the Ethereum chain because its design has a tendency to make simple bugs cause rather serious consequences, like the DAO Hack and recently the MultiSig disaster.
3) Besides Bitcoin and Ethereum we evaluated various other blockchains and finally opted for MultiChain. It already provides several features that meet our requirements, e.g. data streams and a build in governance model, while the protocol is still very similar to Bitcoin. Additionally, the upcoming new features promise to be very useful for our needs, e.g. support of multiple keys in streams which is very well suited for our ISCC.
What do I need to interact with the Content Blockchain?
To start you need a wallet software. The wallet options for MultiChain are currently limited. Basically there is only a command line client for full nodes which is rather unhandy to use on a regular basis. So we decided to code our own wallet. Actually, it’s simply a nice setup wizard and desktop interface that communicates with the blockchain node instead of the existing command line client. Now it’s actually quite easy to use. So everyone should be able to get the wallet running.
It works on Windows, Linux and MacOs. We even succeeded to compile it on a Raspberry Pi.
If you want to have your node online all the time and don’t want to keep your PC powered on, you can also “split” the wallet; put the full node backend on a raspberry and only use the GUI-software on your PC or Laptop.
You can download the sources and the binaries from github. As soon as we have clean builds for the core platforms we will also link the downloads on our site.
If you need any help, just contact us.
Is there also a mobile app / thin wallet / SPV client available?
Currently there is only the full node (desktop) client. But there will be an SPV client soon. The MultiChain protocol is very similar to Bitcoin so hopefully we will shortly be able to provide a mobile wallet.
Where do I get more (technical) information?
One of the best sources for technical information about our project is to look at our github repository. If you have questions, please feel free to also ask us directly by email or via Telegram at https://t.me/ContentBlockchainBeta.
Besides that we’re presently creating several articles to explain the possibilities, the parameters and the roadmap of the new chain in more detail.
Where do I get coins?
For every transaction on the blockchain you need coins. Validator privileges, which allow you to mine coins, will be granted to anyone applying personally during our test phase. Once you are a validator it will take only a couple of minutes to mine some coins for testing. If you want your test coins instantly without applying for validator privileges, just click the “get-coins-now” button in the setup wizard or register on our site and we will send you some coins straightaway (we’re still working to automate this procedure).
When do you launch the public Content Blockchain?
This depends on many factors and especially on the results, bugs and experiences on the testnet. We will keep you posted and invite you to sign up to our newsletter.
