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Main => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stan on September 28, 2015, 11:59:49 pm

Title: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: Stan on September 28, 2015, 11:59:49 pm
I could use some quality input on the following topic for another article that I'm planning:

What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?

(http://iliketowastemytime.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_image/draugen_platform_oil_rig_3.jpg)

In a clear cryptomegatrend, a number of leading chains are beginning to be marketed more as a platform than a currency or asset.

1.  What are the minimum essential characteristics to qualify as a "platform"?
2.  Which of the top chains are explicitly making that claim?
3.  Which other chains would also qualify as a platform if they thought about it, and why?
4.  Which of the top chains do not qualify as a platform, and why?
5.  What characteristics/metrics should be used in selecting a platform for a new project?
6.  What links have you seen to any existing articles on this topic?

Don't feel you need to answer all of these questions.  I'll take any profound insights I can get.

Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: alt on September 29, 2015, 12:20:57 am
efficiency, stability, scalability, and good feature
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: carpet ride on September 29, 2015, 01:34:54 am
Overall, I'd say convenient APIs and good service.

http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/Platform-as-a-Service-PaaS

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/smart-securities-issuer-symbiont-fires-shots-private-blockchain-arms-race-1521449

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-asset-holdings-delivers-first-of-its-kind-technology-to-bridge-the-gap-between-crypto-and-mainstream-assets-300048767.html
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: Method-X on September 29, 2015, 03:03:04 am
This is a great question Stan and I'm glad you're asking it. I think we can further extend the question to: "What constitutes a good platform as a blockchain". The latter part of that question is obviously the tough part because it's uncharted territory. In my opinion, a platform is essentially just code being built on top of other code. I think the best thing to do at this point is look at past "platforms" to see if we can determine commonalities.

First you've got operating system type platforms.
And then you've got social platforms.
In the case of an OS platform, it's obvious the key to their success is in extensibility. Network effect follows the OS with the most apps/add-ons/extensions (whatever word you use it's all the same thing). As for social platforms, success has more to do with getting word of mouth than actual utility (at first). I believe a blockchain would most easily fit into the former category, not the latter. In fact, social platforms would eventually be built on top of a blockchain platform.

One great recent example worth studying is the Wordpress CMS. It has a lot in common with how I originally envisioned DPOS chains playing out. It's an open source CMS that anyone can use to create separate websites and maintains its network effect because so many 3rd party developers have created extensions for it. Forking the code would break all of its extensibility (and thus its utility). It seems to me developers want to take blockchains in the same direction as websites. Everyone wants their own.

I'm still torn on the one blockchain to rule them all versus the decentralized "website" approach but I think once you get past the "blockchain = currency" line of thinking, a fragmented approach similar to Wordpress makes the most sense. Cryptonomix could really take blockchain tech mainstream if you went in this direction. Completely open source Graphene and provide consultation services to businesses who can benefit from using a private chain. You guys seem to already be going in this direction so that's good.

How could this benefit BTS? There would be a lot of 3rd party development going into Graphene and in my opinion that's the most important part.

My 0.02 BTS.
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: Thom on September 29, 2015, 03:28:29 am
Quote from: Method-X on September 29, 2015, 03:03:04 am
This is a great question Stan and I'm glad you're asking it. I think we can further extend the question to: "What constitutes a good platform as a blockchain".

...

I'm still torn on the one blockchain to rule them all versus the decentralized "website" approach but I think once you get past the "blockchain = currency" line of thinking, a fragmented approach similar to Wordpress makes the most sense. Cryptonomix could really take blockchain tech mainstream if you went in this direction. Completely open source Graphene and provide consultation services to businesses who can benefit from using a private chain. You guys seem to already be going in this direction so that's good.

+5% on your response and the OP.

As someone who is familiar with all 3 of the CMS platforms I can tell you they all have their strengths & weaknesses. The right choice depends on what you need the platform to do.

All 3 have a good measure of success. I like Joomla b/c I consider it a Swiss Army knife platform, able to do almost anything. Drupal is very capable, but requires even more of a learning curve to master than does Joomla, and the payoff for that additional investment of time is mediocre.

If you just need a website, no specialized or detailed application logic Wordpress is your best choice. TONs of templates and add ons, quick learning curve and extremely extensible.

So the question is, what type of platform do you want graphene to be? Who is your target audience, the primary purchasers you want to make graphene customers? Why are they your target?
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: Method-X on September 29, 2015, 03:49:04 am
Quote from: Thom on September 29, 2015, 03:28:29 am
So the question is, what type of platform do you want graphene to be? Who is your target audience, the primary purchasers you want to make graphene customers? Why are they your target?

That's a really difficult question because the utility a blockchain offers is still mostly unknown. The best you can do is open Graphene up to creative capital and let it fly free. Eventually someone will figure that question out by process of trial and error. I think most developers in this space (cough ethereum) are trapped in a fantasy that they will create the blockchain that takes over the world and become trillionaires. I doubt it's going to play out like that for anyone. Similar to how the founders of Wordpress have not benefited from the millions of people creating individual websites. Many of those people are probably much wealthier than the core developers.
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: Thom on September 29, 2015, 04:30:30 am
Quote from: Method-X on September 29, 2015, 03:49:04 am
Quote from: Thom on September 29, 2015, 03:28:29 am
So the question is, what type of platform do you want graphene to be? Who is your target audience, the primary purchasers you want to make graphene customers? Why are they your target?

That's a really difficult question because the utility a blockchain offers is still mostly unknown. The best you can do is open Graphene up to creative capital and let it fly free. Eventually someone will figure that question out and it's not going to be me.

I think most developers in this space (cough ethereum) are trapped in a fantasy that they will create THE blockchain that takes over the world and become trillionaires. I doubt it's going to play out like that for anyone.

I disagree that "the utility a blockchain offers is still mostly unknown". Bitcoin is the obvious example of practical utility. Look at it from any angle, as a medium of exchange, as a store of value, as an investment vehicle just to name 3 aspects. Some it really sucks at. Yet there is over half a decade of history to examine, and in today's world that's a lot of marketing data to analyze. There is no lack of investors that have taken that task on. Why? b/c they smell opportunity that's why.

Yes, it IS a difficult question. Isn't that why good marketers get paid the big bucks that they do? Isn't that one of the key reasons for market research, to characterize and quantify a target market and tweak products to fit it?

The most successful business ventures are those which answer those difficult questions, either intentionally or by intuition (and sometimes just by shear luck, tho rarely; perhaps they are the developers you gagged to mention).

It seems that very few entrepreneurs put very much effort into marketing research. Their tunnel vision focus is on the product and not so much on the needs that product will satisfy, and hardly ever the emotional context of buyers whose needs drive sales. 

Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: BunkerChainLabs-DataSecurityNode on September 29, 2015, 05:41:18 am
A platform is simply something upon which something else can be built.

I wish I could say something epic about the rest of the questions, however the comparison stops dead when it comes to governance.

There is the human blockchain, and there is the mathamatical blockchain; DPOS vs. POW/POS etc.

All the various blockchains can be considered a 'platform' in some way or another if someone chooses to build something that relies on them.. but where things fall apart is when you start to look at governance and begin to consider just who or what are you building your empire with/on?

Are you going to use a platform that is run by a single group of devs who will decide everything that happens? If so, can you trust that?

Will you put your security to an anonymous pool of miners?

From a business perspective, this all sounds nuts to me. I think that's part of why it hasn't been considered or been adopted at length as a 'platform'.

I think up till now, Bitcoin has been the 'platform' blockchain that 99% of everything was built on in this sector. Now investors are waking up to understanding the difference between the blockchain and bitcoin, and now they are finding out they don't need to deal with all the crazy that comes with using Bitcoin, and can just take the innovation out of it.

In terms of metrics.. performance, robustness, resilience, and governance I would say are the factors to consider when selecting a platform.. and I think this is where the stark difference between DPOS and POW/POS offerings start to show.

I think it is also important to note that blockchain and decentralization are a different beast from just blockchain. The magic begins to happen when you add decentralization in most instances.. however as we have seen, there is a keen interest in centralized blockchain also. I think what you want to consider for a platform will influence this as well.

I have no links to offer.. links to brain thought map locations will be available in 2050. (disclaimer.. I just made that up, don't freak out about that :) )
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: tbone on September 29, 2015, 06:36:54 am
I think in the stricter sense, all blockchains are platforms since you can build functionality and even entire businesses on top of them.  But when people refer to blockchain platforms, I believe they are describing a new breed of blockchains that are more feature-rich.   So on one hand you have the simple cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and litecoin which are tradeable assets, stores of value, mediums of exchange, not to mention protocols that can be built upon.  But then you also have the blockchain platforms such as Bitshares, NXT, Qora, NEM, HZ, IOC, etc.  In addition to what the simple cryptocurrencies offer, these platforms offer a rich set of features which may include some combination of: decentralized exchange, smartcoins, multi-sig, governance, chat, forums, storage, etc.  Then you have Ethereum and the lesser known Crypti.  These are also platforms, but more akin to a development environment where the tools to build your own features are all integrated. 

That pretty much sums it up from my point of view.
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: julian1 on September 29, 2015, 08:34:31 am
A platform that's fast, reliable, stable, and that returns the POS efficiency dividend back to holders. No lingering confusion as to whether the base asset is a currency for representing transaction fees and network revenue or an equity that can be diluted at will.
Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: Ben Mason on September 29, 2015, 10:23:42 am
A good platform is the foundation to anything built upon, operating within it or reasoned from it....  For example a building needs a solid foundation, water is a universal medium in which biological processes take place and logic is the foundation to thought.  If the platform is sound, you can expect predictable and stable results.  That does not mean that everything coming after will work or be suitable, in fact over time, the platform may become unfit for purpose or present limiting factors. 

A platform might have a highly specific purpose and fulfill that function extremely well but will have no potential for changing it's scope......like a foundation designed for a two-storey building.  If you continue to build upwards, the foundation and building will fail.  The better the understanding of what you are building, the better the platform you are building is likely to be.

Water is a medium in which a plethora of biological processes can occur.  However, the processes have evolved in ways that are perhaps limited by the medium in which they must occur.  The fact that life is amazing speaks to the suitability and flexibility of water as a platform or foundation for building complexity.

BitShares is being consciously built and a great deal of thought has gone into it's design to make sure it is fit for purpose.  What purpose does BitShares attempt to fulfill that would make it a suitable platform?  It is a set of transparent, peer reviewed rules for managing and recording the exchange of digital information.  The nature of information and what we do with it requires us to TRUST that the information can be sent when and to whomever we choose, that the information will be identical between source and recipient and that the record of that information can never be altered.  BitShares, mindful of being an information exchange network that endures, seeks also to remain adaptable.  In order to maintain trust, there are rules for how the rules can be adjusted.  All of these rules ensure that over time, the platform can be trusted to resist changes that interfere with the core expectations of participants.

Other features of BitShares that make it suitable as a digital information exchange and record keeping platform are it's tx speed, ability to scale, software building tools, security, sufficient decentralization, transparency, support of personal privacy, utility as money, contract execution capabilities, ability to fund development.....etc etc.

Any project hoping to be such a platform must have rules and governance that inspire TRUST first, then maximum utility (a broad, scalable feature set) second.

Title: Re: What, exactly, constitutes a good platform?
Post by: liondani on September 29, 2015, 11:45:46 am
A good "platform" must extract "oil", as much as possible ... "day after day... night after night"....

(https://s3-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F_CICLVbCDDlk%2FTN8WjtJD-YI%2FAAAAAAAAABU%2FyifV45vjobI%2Fs1600%2Fmp_main_wide_CNOOCOffshoreRig452.jpg&sp=2d8969ee6da2cf85a0a167f5276eddda)

"A typical oil production platform is self-sufficient in energy and water needs, housing electrical generation, water desalinators and all of the equipment necessary to process oil and gas such that it can be either delivered directly onshore by pipeline or to a floating platform or tanker loading facility, or both. Elements in the oil/gas production process include wellhead, production manifold, production separator, glycol process to dry gas, gas compressors, water injection pumps, oil/gas export metering and main oil line pumps.

Larger platforms assisted by smaller ESVs (emergency support vessels) like the British Iolair that are summoned when something has gone wrong, e.g. when a search and rescue operation is required. During normal operations, PSVs (platform supply vessels) keep the platforms provisioned and supplied, and AHTS vessels can also supply them, as well as tow them to location and serve as standby rescue and firefighting vessels."

...make the analogy and find your answers... ;)