
Blockstack: Decentralized DNS for blockchain applications - taylorwc
https://github.com/blockstack/blockstack
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droffel
Oh fantastic, it took me a while to understand how this works, but its pretty
simple (Blockstack is not an altcoin):

Blockstack nodes simultaneously run the Bitcoin daemon, and when they see a
transaction on the blockchain with particular data in OP_RETURN, they add that
data to the Blockstack meta-chain. Blockstack nodes have an incentive to mine
the Blockstack meta-chain, because they get paid for registration of names.

What I'm interested to know, is whether the Blockstack chain allows for
arbitrary key/value pairings, or whether it is intended to be just for DNS
resolution. I can see a lot of utility emerging from a decentralized KVP-
storage blockchain, where a user can (for example) register a username as a
key, and a Bitcoin address as the value.

If something like that is possible, we could finally have a system that solves
Zooko's Triangle. Decentralized and Secure are taken care of, and this allows
for a user to send funds to a Human-Meaningful address (via a lookup in the
KVP chain).

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jp_rider
How does this compare to Namecoin? It seems pretty similar.

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aakilfernandes
Name coin is is a seperate blockchain, this exists on the bitcoin blockchain.

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aakilfernandes
I believe decentralized DNS and PKIs need to happen, but using Bitcoin's
blockchain was the wrong way to go here. Ethereum is much better suited for
this.

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CyberDildonics
You should probably give some concrete reasons as so far I've seen nothing but
hype for two years combined with being spammed with fake private messages on
reddit.

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aakilfernandes
Its a bit like asking "why should I use javascript instead of php". Different
computer languages are better for different things, like different blockchains
are better for different things.

Ethereum comes with a built in state tracking machine and smart contracting
language. It already has 98% of the protocol built... there's no need to start
from 0 for blockstack. If the DNS/PKIs were on Ethereum, anyone could build
applications that interact with it without altering the fundamental protocol.
For example, a developer could build a decentralized auction or escrow system
for domain names. They could do that without having to alter/adjust the
existing blockstack protocol.

Here is namecoin in 8 lines of serpent

[https://github.com/ethereum/serpent/blob/master/examples/nam...](https://github.com/ethereum/serpent/blob/master/examples/namecoin.se)

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CyberDildonics
Is ethereum even released and working?

