"answer":"<p>Decentralized computing has these attributes:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Personal keys for a digital life</strong>. Users will have keys that unlock all their software interactions, email, subscriptions, and social. These keys are in users’ hands and under their control similar to physical keys (in some cases they are physical). Corporations no longer create or manage these keys.</li> <li><strong>Security is a first-class concern</strong>. Users want systems that protect both their identity and the data associated with that identity — health, application, and relationships.</li> <li><strong>Convenient and auditable.</strong> Applications will be readily available as cloud applications are today but will be written with open protocols and code that allow them to be audited.</li> <li><strong>Innovation focused.</strong> The code and data in a decentralized computing lacks corporate and other boundaries as a result a global workforce can easily contribute and benefit from them.</li> </ul> <p>Blockstack technology is a shift in how people use software, create it, and benefit from the internet. It puts people back in control of the computing systems that manage today’s world.</p>"
"answer":"<p>Decentralized computing has these attributes:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Personal keys for a digital life</strong>. Users will have keys that unlock all their software interactions, email, subscriptions, and social. These keys are in users’ hands and under their control similar to physical keys (in some cases they are physical). Corporations no longer create or manage these keys.</li> <li><strong>Security is a first-class concern</strong>. Users want systems that protect both their identity and the data associated with that identity — health, application, and relationships.</li> <li><strong>Convenient and auditable.</strong> Applications will be readily available as cloud applications are today but will be written with open protocols and code that allow them to be audited.</li> <li><strong>Innovation focused.</strong> The code and data in a decentralized computing lacks corporate and other boundaries, as a result, a global workforce can easily contribute and benefit from them.</li> </ul> <p>Blockstack technology is a shift in how people use software, create it, and benefit from the internet. It puts people back in control of the computing systems that manage today’s world.</p>"
},
{
"category":"general",
"question":"What is the Blockstack Ecosystem?",
"answer":"<p>The Blockstack Ecosystem is the legal entities and community structures that support the Blockstack technology, the apps that rely on it, and the people that work with it. The ecosystem’s mission is to foster an open and decentralized Internet that establishes and protects privacy, security and freedom for all users.</p> <p>There are multiple business entities that have been created to focus on advancing the ecosystem, <a href='https://blog.blockstack.org/a-path-to-decentralization/'>with plans for further decentralization</a>:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Blockstack PBC</strong> is a Public Benefit Corp that drives the development of the core Blockstack protocol and developer tools. Blockstack PBC was founded in 2013 by Princeton computer scientists and after 4+ years of R&D, launched the Blockstack Platform alpha in early 2017. The Blockstack Platform is the easiest way to start building decentralized, blockchain-based applications. It provides a complete decentralized application stack, powered by the Stacks blockchain, and maintained by a open-source community.</li> <li><strong>Blockstack Token LLC</strong> is the entity responsible for developing and commercializing the Stacks tokens in a manner that is approved by the SEC. Blockstack Token LLC works on regulatory filings and compliancs for the Stacks token. The LLC conducted the 2017 token offering to accredited investors. Stacks tokens created by Blockstack Token LLC were distributed in the genesis block of the Stacks blockchain in Fall 2018.</li> <li><strong>Blockstack Signature Fund</strong> <strong>I</strong> is a fund comprised of multiple VCs representing $25 million in funding that makes opportunistic investments in the ecosystem &emdash; whether it be Blockstack applications or into tools and platforms that accelerate the growth of the ecosystem. Learn more about <a href='https://signature.vc/'>the Signature Fund</a>.</li> <li><strong>Non-profit Foundation</strong> Blockstack PBC intends to assist in the formation of a non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting fundamental digital rights and ensuring that core internet infrastructure remains decentralized. In the future it may support people and projects with funding, research grants, or other. </li> <li><strong>New Internet Labs</strong> is an independent company headquartered in Hong Kong and founded by Larry Salibra, an early employee of Blockstack PBC and long-time Blockstack contributor. New Internet Labs serves as an App Reviewer as part of the <a href='https://app.co/mining'>App Mining</a> program and working to develop a browser for the decentralized internet. Learn more about <a href='https://www.newinternetlabs.com/'>their efforts here</a>.</li> </ul> <p>Any person or organization working with the Blockstack technology in the open-source ecosystem is considered a part of it. Other than the above entities there are 80+ independent organization and apps built by teams of developers that are part of the Blockstack Ecosystem.</p>"
"answer":"<p>The Blockstack Ecosystem is the legal entities and community structures that support the Blockstack technology, the apps that rely on it, and the people that work with it. The ecosystem’s mission is to foster an open and decentralized Internet that establishes and protects privacy, security, and freedom for all users.</p> <p>There are multiple business entities that have been created to focus on advancing the ecosystem, <a href='https://blog.blockstack.org/a-path-to-decentralization/'>with plans for further decentralization</a>:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Blockstack PBC</strong> is a Public Benefit Corp that drives the development of the core Blockstack protocol and developer tools. Blockstack PBC was founded in 2013 by Princeton computer scientists and after 4+ years of R&D, launched the Blockstack Platform alpha in early 2017. The Blockstack Platform is the easiest way to start building decentralized, blockchain-based applications. It provides a complete decentralized application stack, powered by the Stacks blockchain, and maintained by a open-source community.</li> <li><strong>Blockstack Token LLC</strong> is the entity responsible for developing and commercializing the Stacks tokens in a manner that is approved by the SEC. Blockstack Token LLC works on regulatory filings and compliance for the Stacks token. The LLC conducted the 2017 token offering to accredited investors. Stacks tokens created by Blockstack Token LLC were distributed in the genesis block of the Stacks blockchain in Fall 2018.</li> <li><strong>Blockstack Signature Fund</strong> <strong>I</strong> is a fund comprised of multiple VCs representing $25 million in funding that makes opportunistic investments in the ecosystem &emdash; whether it be Blockstack applications or into tools and platforms that accelerate the growth of the ecosystem. Learn more about <a href='https://signature.vc/'>the Signature Fund</a>.</li> <li><strong>Non-profit Foundation</strong> Blockstack PBC intends to assist in the formation of a non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting fundamental digital rights and ensuring that core internet infrastructure remains decentralized. In the future, it may support people and projects with funding, research grants, or other. </li> <li><strong>New Internet Labs</strong> is an independent company headquartered in Hong Kong and founded by Larry Salibra, an early employee of Blockstack PBC and long-time Blockstack contributor. New Internet Labs serves as an App Reviewer as part of the <a href='https://app.co/mining'>App Mining</a> program and working to develop a browser for the decentralized internet. Learn more about <a href='https://www.newinternetlabs.com/'>their efforts here</a>.</li> </ul> <p>Any person or organization working with the Blockstack technology in the open-source ecosystem is considered a part of it. Other than the above entities there are 80+ independent organization and apps built by teams of developers that are part of the Blockstack Ecosystem.</p>"
},
{
"category":"general",
@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
{
"category":"general",
"question":"What problems do Blockstack DApps solve for me as a user?",
"answer":"<p>Applications developed with Blockstack’s technology run like the traditional, web applications you know. Unlike traditional, web applications, DApps avoid abusing users by adhering to the following principles:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Users control their data, not the application developer.</strong> If you stop using an application, the application cannot access your data. When you leave the application, you take your data with you.</li> <li><strong>Users determine where to store their data.</strong> You can store your data on your computer. Alternatively, you can choose highly-available commercial storage providers you trust. The providers can only host your data; it is encrypted so they cannot “unlock” it to view.</li> <li><strong>Users control which applications and which third parties can access their data.</strong> Applications ask your permission to read your data and you can withdraw those same permissions at any time. Applications cannot sell or mine your data on behalf of a third party you are unaware of.</li> </ul>"
"answer":"<p>Applications developed with Blockstack’s technology run like the traditional, web applications you know. Unlike traditional, web applications, DApps avoid abusing users by adhering to the following principles:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Users control their data, not the application developer.</strong> If you stop using an application, the application cannot access your data. When you leave the application, you take your data with you.</li> <li><strong>Users determine where to store their data.</strong> You can store your data on your computer. Alternatively, you can choose highly-available commercial storage providers you trust. The providers can only host your data; it is encrypted so they cannot “unlock” it to view.</li> <li><strong>Users control which applications and which third parties can access their data.</strong> Applications ask your permission to read your data, and you can withdraw those same permissions at any time. Applications cannot sell or mine your data on behalf of a third party you are unaware of.</li> </ul>"
},
{
"category":"general",
@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
{
"category":"general",
"question":"Who started Blockstack?",
"answer":"<p>Blockstack was founded by two engineers from Princeton University, Muneeb Ali and Ryan Shea. They met at the Computer Science department at Princeton, where Muneeb was finishing his Ph.D. and Ryan was running the entrepreneurship club. In 2013, frustrated by the walled-gardens and security problems of the current internet they started working on a decentralized internet secured by blockchains. Blockstack is an open source project, you can <a href='https://github.com/blockstack'>find the code on GitHub</a>.</p>"
"answer":"<p>Blockstack was founded by two engineers from Princeton University, Muneeb Ali and Ryan Shea. They met at the Computer Science department at Princeton, where Muneeb was finishing his Ph.D. and Ryan was running the entrepreneurship club. In 2013, frustrated by the walled-gardens and security problems of the current internet they started working on a decentralized internet secured by blockchains. Blockstack is an open source project, and you can <a href='https://github.com/blockstack'>find the code on GitHub</a>.</p>"
},
{
"category":"appusers",
@ -113,7 +113,7 @@
{
"category":"appusers",
"question":"What is the Blockstack Browser?",
"answer":"<p>The Blockstack Browser is a DApp used to create and manage Blockstack identities. To a user, it looks just like another tab in a standard browser. From the Blockstack Browser tab you can find DApps to try, update settings related to your identity and storage – and much more. </p> <p>Developers use the Blockstack Browser to handle login requests from DApps. From a Blockstack DApp, a user chooses the Log In with Blockstack button. Clicking this button sends users to a Blockstack Browser dialog. This dialog asks users to allow the DApp to access their data. </p>"
"answer":"<p>The Blockstack Browser is a DApp used to create and manage Blockstack identities. To a user, it looks just like another tab in a standard browser. From the Blockstack Browser tab, you can find DApps to try, update settings related to your identity and storage – and much more. </p> <p>Developers use the Blockstack Browser to handle login requests from DApps. From a Blockstack DApp, a user chooses the Log In with Blockstack button. Clicking this button sends users to a Blockstack Browser dialog. This dialog asks users to allow the DApp to access their data. </p>"
},
{
"category":"appusers",
@ -178,7 +178,7 @@
{
"category":"dappdevs",
"question":"Do I need to learn any new languages or frameworks?",
"answer":"<p>No. Blockstack applications are built using existing web frameworks and programming The only new thing you need to learn is either <a href='https://blockstack.github.io/blockstack.js/'>blockstack.js</a> or the <a href='https://core.blockstack.org'>Blockstack RESTful API</a>.</p> "
"answer":"<p>No. Blockstack applications are built using existing web frameworks and programming. The only new thing you need to learn is either <a href='https://blockstack.github.io/blockstack.js/'>blockstack.js</a> or the <a href='https://core.blockstack.org'>Blockstack RESTful API</a>.</p> "
},
{
"category":"dappdevs",
@ -188,7 +188,7 @@
{
"category":"dappdevs",
"question":"What is a “serverless” app?",
"answer":"<p>The application should not run application-specific functionality on a server. All of its functionality should run on end-points. Serverless can also mean applications where the application developer still writes some amount of server-side logic, but unlike traditional architectures this logic is run in stateless compute containers that are event-triggered and ephemeral (may only last for one invocation).</p> <p>However, applications may use some servers with the caveat that they must not be part of the application’s trusted computing base. The Gaia Storage System is part of most DApps’ computing base, but because user data is signed and verified end-to-end, the storage systems are not trusted to always serve correct data.</p>"
"answer":"<p>The application should not run application-specific functionality on a server. All of its functionality should run on end-points. Serverless can also mean applications where the application developer still writes some amount of server-side logic, but unlike traditional architectures, this logic is run in stateless compute containers that are event-triggered and ephemeral (may only last for one invocation).</p> <p>However, applications may use some servers with the caveat that they must not be part of the application’s trusted computing base. The Gaia Storage System is part of most DApps’ computing base, but because user data is signed and verified end-to-end, the storage systems are not trusted to always serve correct data.</p>"
},
{
"category":"dappdevs",
@ -258,7 +258,7 @@
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"What is the App Mining timeline?",
"answer":"<h5>On the first of every month (or as listed on the calendar): </h5> <ul> <li>Registration is closed for that months ranking.</li> <li>Blockstack team sends the complete list of apps to our app reviewer partners. App miners do not need to reach out to Product Hunt, Democracy Earth, or TryMyUI. </li> <li>Blockstack <strong>emails</strong> app miners are emailed about Product Hunt Hunting process. App miners can choose to hunt their app independently or can request to be featured by the Product Hunt the team. <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/mining_intro.html' target='_blank'>Read more</a>.</li> <li>App miners <strong>debate</strong> on their app in Democracy Earth. <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/vote-blockstack.html' target='_blank'>Read more</a>.</li><li>Registered stack holders <strong>are alerted</strong> about new apps and prompted to vote. <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/vote-blockstack.html' target='_blank'>Read more</a>.</li></ul><h5>Over the next two weeks:</h5> <ul> <li>TryMyUI Tests are happening. Please don’t perform upgrades that might break the app.</li> <li>Voters participate on <a href='https://vote.blockstack.org' target='_blank'>vote.blockstack.org</a>. </li> <li>Products are launched on Product Hunt. Product Hunt team performs internal review.</li> </ul> <h5>On the last day of ranking at 11:59pm ET: </h5> <p>App mining results are sent to Blockstack by app reviewer partners.</p> <h5>On the 15th (or as listed on the calendar):</h5> <p>Blockstack team performs App Mining algorithm as referenced <a href='https://blog.app.co/how-app-minings-ranking-algorithm-works/' target='_blank'>here</a>.</p> <h5>On the following weekday:</h5> <ul> <li>App miners are emailed login info to access their TryMyUI tests</li> <li>Full App Mining results are published</li> </ul>"
"answer":"<h5>On the first of every month (or as listed on the calendar): </h5> <ul> <li>Registration is closed for that months ranking.</li> <li>Blockstack team sends the complete list of apps to our app reviewer partners. App miners do not need to reach out to Product Hunt, Democracy Earth, or TryMyUI. </li> <li>Blockstack <strong>emails</strong> app miners are emailed about Product Hunt Hunting process. App miners can choose to hunt their app independently or can request to be featured by the Product Hunt team. <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/mining_intro.html' target='_blank'>Read more</a>.</li> <li>App miners <strong>debate</strong> on their app in Democracy Earth. <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/vote-blockstack.html' target='_blank'>Read more</a>.</li><li>Registered stack holders <strong>are alerted</strong> about new apps and prompted to vote. <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/vote-blockstack.html' target='_blank'>Read more</a>.</li></ul><h5>Over the next two weeks:</h5> <ul> <li>TryMyUI Tests are happening. Please don’t perform upgrades that might break the app.</li> <li>Voters participate on <a href='https://vote.blockstack.org' target='_blank'>vote.blockstack.org</a>. </li> <li>Products are launched on Product Hunt. Product Hunt team performs internal review.</li> </ul> <h5>On the last day of ranking at 11:59pm ET: </h5> <p>App mining results are sent to Blockstack by app reviewer partners.</p> <h5>On the 15th (or as listed on the calendar):</h5> <p>Blockstack team performs App Mining algorithm as referenced <a href='https://blog.app.co/how-app-minings-ranking-algorithm-works/' target='_blank'>here</a>.</p> <h5>On the following weekday:</h5> <ul> <li>App miners are emailed login info to access their TryMyUI tests</li> <li>Full App Mining results are published</li> </ul>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
@ -278,7 +278,7 @@
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"What qualifies my app to compete in App Mining?",
"answer":"<p>Your app should integrate Blockstack authentication for logging into your app. Your finished app should be available to the public for use. In the future, App Mining may reward apps that have taken steps to further decentralize, such as utilizing Gaia storage or the publishing your app to the Blockstack Naming System. Test flight apps, hello-world apps and apps created through blockstack tutorials (e.g. animal kingdom apps) do not qualify.</p>"
"answer":"<p>Your app should integrate Blockstack authentication for logging into your app. Your finished app should be available to the public for use. In the future, App Mining may reward apps that have taken steps to further decentralize, such as utilizing Gaia storage or the publishing your app to the Blockstack Naming System. Test flight apps, hello-world apps and apps created through blockstack tutorials (e.g., animal kingdom apps) do not qualify.</p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
@ -313,12 +313,12 @@
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"Is Blockstack Auth difficult to integrate?",
"answer":"<p>If you’re already building your app with JavaScript, adding Blockstack authentication is easy! We have docs, tutorials, and thorough API references for you to learn from. Vist the <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/zero_to_dapp_1.html'> Zero-to-Dapp tutorial</a> for end-to-end training. Or <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/auth_provider.html'>use this short example</a>.</p> <p>If you’re developing a traditional server-side application, you can still take advantage of Blockstack authentication. For an example, check out <a href='https://github.com/blockstack/blockstack-ruby'>our Ruby on Rails gem</a>.</p>"
"answer":"<p>If you’re already building your app with JavaScript, adding Blockstack authentication is easy! We have docs, tutorials, and thorough API references for you to learn from. Visit the <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/zero_to_dapp_1.html'> Zero-to-Dapp tutorial</a> for end-to-end training. Or <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/auth_provider.html'>use this short example</a>.</p> <p>If you’re developing a traditional server-side application, you can still take advantage of Blockstack authentication. For an example, check out <a href='https://github.com/blockstack/blockstack-ruby'>our Ruby on Rails gem</a>.</p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"Who are the app reviewers?",
"answer":"<p>App reviewers are currently selected by Blockstack PBC. Reviewers are entities that have a proprietary methodology that helps them make objective judgements for why a certain app might be better than others. We strive to engage a diverse coalition of app reviewers with the goal of making application ranking objective and resilient to abuse. </p> <p>As of January 2019, the reviewers were: Product Hunt, Try My UI and Democracy Earth (who uses software to collect votes by Stacks token holders). See <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/mining_intro.html#how-apps-are-reviewed'>here</a> for more details about each reviewer. Future reviewers could expand to community election. Please see our <a href='https://github.com/blockstack/app-mining'>github repository</a> to raise issues or make suggestions for App Mining. </p>"
"answer":"<p>App reviewers are currently selected by Blockstack PBC. Reviewers are entities that have a proprietary methodology that helps them make objective judgements for why a certain app might be better than others. We strive to engage a diverse coalition of app reviewers with the goal of making application ranking objective and resilient to abuse. </p> <p>As of January 2019, the reviewers were: Product Hunt, Try My UI and Democracy Earth (who uses software to collect votes by Stacks token holders). See <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/mining_intro.html#how-apps-are-reviewed'>here</a> for more details about each reviewer. Future reviewers could expand to community election. Please see our <a href='https://github.com/blockstack/app-mining'>GitHub repository</a> to raise issues or make suggestions for App Mining. </p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
@ -328,12 +328,12 @@
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"Do I have to Hunt my app on Product Hunt?",
"answer":"<p>As part of the ranking process, there is an assessment by App Reviewer Product Hunt via their community vote and their internal team vote. More info on the algorithm, <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/mining_intro.html'>here</a>. The Hunt launch will have an impact on your final ranking, as you can see in the algorithm breakdown. Here is <a href='https://blog.producthunt.com/how-to-launch-on-product-hunt-7c1843e06399'>more info</a> on Product Hunt launch best practices. In general, sharing and responsiveness to questions are encouraged and it might help your community reception if you choose to hunt the app yourself. If not, Product Hunt can hunt your App as well.</p><p>Apps will be hunted every 6 months, so if you hunted your app in a past month, as long as you are in the 6 month time window you will not have to Hunt the app. </p>"
"answer":"<p>As part of the ranking process, there is an assessment by App Reviewer Product Hunt via their community vote and their internal team vote. More info on the algorithm, <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/mining_intro.html'>here</a>. The Hunt launch will have an impact on your final ranking, as you can see in the algorithm breakdown. Here is <a href='https://blog.producthunt.com/how-to-launch-on-product-hunt-7c1843e06399'>more info</a> on Product Hunt launch best practices. In general, sharing and responsiveness to questions are encouraged, and it might help your community reception if you choose to hunt the app yourself. If not, Product Hunt can hunt your App as well.</p><p>Apps will be hunted every 6 months, so if you hunted your app in a past month, as long as you are in the 6 month time window, you will not have to Hunt the app. </p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"Can developers engage with voters on Democracy Earth?",
"answer":"<p>Yes, they can. App miners can and should create an account on Democracy Earth. From this account they can engage with voters through the debate feature. Learn more <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/vote-blockstack.html' target='_blank'>in the documentation</a>.</p>"
"answer":"<p>Yes, they can. App miners can and should create an account on Democracy Earth. From this account, they can engage with voters through the debate feature. Learn more <a href='https://docs.blockstack.org/develop/vote-blockstack.html' target='_blank'>in the documentation</a>.</p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
@ -348,27 +348,27 @@
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"What are examples of any quantitative metrics that may be shared with app reviewers?",
"answer":"<p>Qualitative metrics are metrics that evaluate elements such as engagement, DAU/MAU ratios etc from the reviewed apps. Blockstack plans to incorporate metrics based ranking. However, before we do, any mechanism must thoughtfully incorporate the digital privacy rights of Blockstack users, and provide information in a way that cannot be gamed.</p> "
"answer":"<p>Qualitative metrics are metrics that evaluate elements such as engagement, DAU/MAU ratios, etc. from the reviewed apps. Blockstack plans to incorporate metrics based ranking. However, before we do, any mechanism must thoughtfully incorporate the digital privacy rights of Blockstack users, and provide information in a way that cannot be gamed.</p> "
},
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"Is App Mining Decentralized?",
"answer":"<p>Given the pioneering nature of the program, we are being careful and starting in a somewhat centralized fashion that allows for necessary diligence in the early stages, for example, the current pilot phase. We don’t want to bake in assumptions that have not been validated. The downside of this protection is some level of centralization, which we are taking steps to reduce over time. The pilot is the just the first step in creating a fair system that can be relied upon by founders and contribute to the growth of the Blockstack ecosystem. </p> <p>Blockstack plans to move along a path to decentralization and App Mining will too. It is important to highlight that initially App Mining will purposely have a few points of centralization highlighted below, which can become decentralized over time (all plans are subject to change, legal approval, and applicable law). </p> <h5>Electing app reviewers:</h5> <p>Currently, Blockstack PBC elects app reviewers. In the future, we anticipate gradually transitioning to community elections of App Reviewers. </p> <h5>Registering apps:</h5> <p>Currently, registering apps is regulated by Blockstack PBC through app.co/mining. In the future, we anticipate transitioning to publishing on designated Blockstack namespaces via our public blockchain. </p> <h5>Collecting votes:</h5> <p>Currently, votes are aggregated by Blockstack PBC and administered via App.co. In the future, we expect that votes will be collected through the protocol itself. </p> <h5>Issuing money:</h5> <p>Currently, payouts are issued by Blockstack PBC. In the future, we expect that payouts will over time be generated and deployed on an automated basis. </p>"
"answer":"<p>Given the pioneering nature of the program, we are being careful and starting in a somewhat centralized fashion that allows for necessary diligence in the early stages, for example, the current pilot phase. We don’t want to bake in assumptions that have not been validated. The downside of this protection is some level of centralization, which we are taking steps to reduce over time. The pilot is the just the first step in creating a fair system that can be relied upon by founders and contribute to the growth of the Blockstack ecosystem. </p> <p>Blockstack plans to move along a path to decentralization and App Mining will too. It is important to highlight that initially, App Mining will purposely have a few points of centralization highlighted below, which can become decentralized over time (all plans are subject to change, legal approval, and applicable law). </p> <h5>Electing app reviewers:</h5> <p>Currently, Blockstack PBC elects app reviewers. In the future, we anticipate gradually transitioning to community elections of App Reviewers. </p> <h5>Registering apps:</h5> <p>Currently, registering apps is regulated by Blockstack PBC through app.co/mining. In the future, we anticipate transitioning to publishing on designated Blockstack namespaces via our public blockchain. </p> <h5>Collecting votes:</h5> <p>Currently, votes are aggregated by Blockstack PBC and administered via App.co. In the future, we expect that votes will be collected through the protocol itself. </p> <h5>Issuing money:</h5> <p>Currently, payouts are issued by Blockstack PBC. In the future, we expect that payouts will over time be generated and deployed on an automated basis. </p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"How is App Mining protected against bribery, collusion, or gaming?",
"answer":"<p>We are taking potential threats very seriously and hope to create a fair system that continuously reinforces trust within our community for the long term. </p> <p>We are currently consulting with a team of 3 Ph.D. Game Theorist professors from Princeton University and New York University to determine thoughtful methods to protect App Mining from being attacked and/or abused. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, but App Reviewers may reserve the right to keep some secrets in their formula to avoid bribes and gaming, and the algorithm that combines all of these score may be tuned in the future to account for new learnings. </p> <p>The Game Theorists are working with us to create a technical paper and broader documents like blogs explaining the overall mechanism</p>"
"answer":"<p>We are taking potential threats very seriously and hope to create a fair system that continuously reinforces trust within our community for the long term. </p> <p>We are currently consulting with a team of 3 Ph.D. Game Theorist professors from Princeton University and New York University to determine thoughtful methods to protect App Mining from being attacked and/or abused. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, but App Reviewers may reserve the right to keep some secrets in their formula to avoid bribes and gaming, and the algorithm that combines all of these score may be tuned in the future to account for new learnings. </p> <p>The Game Theorists are working with us to create a technical paper and broader documents like blogs explaining the overall mechanism.</p>"
},
{
"category":"appminers",
"question":"App Mining Disclaimer",
"answer":"<p><i>The App Minig FAQs contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Blockstack PBC’s plans for its App Mining program. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties that could change our actual results include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the failure of App Mining Program to successfully incentivize the development of applications for the Blockstack network; risks associated with attacks designed to influence the App Reviewers or game their methodologies; technical difficulties in the transition from a centralized to a decentralized administration of the program. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Blockstack PBC disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. </i></p> <p><i>Any decisions that may be made through the App Mining Program regarding rewards provided to app developers are not recommendations as to the quality of any investments that individuals may make in a company that receives rewards. If you are considering an investment in any of these companies, you should make your own decision regarding that investment and not rely in any way on the results of the App Mining program. </i></p>"
"answer":"<p><i>The App Mining FAQs contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Blockstack PBC’s plans for its App Mining program. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties that could change our actual results include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the failure of App Mining Program to successfully incentivize the development of applications for the Blockstack network; risks associated with attacks designed to influence the App Reviewers or game their methodologies; technical difficulties in the transition from a centralized to a decentralized administration of the program. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Blockstack PBC disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. </i></p> <p><i>Any decisions that may be made through the App Mining Program regarding rewards provided to app developers are not recommendations as to the quality of any investments that individuals may make in a company that receives rewards. If you are considering an investment in any of these companies, you should make your own decision regarding that investment and not rely in any way on the results of the App Mining program. </i></p>"
},
{
"category":"coredevs",
"question":"What is Blockstack Core?",
"answer":"<p>Blockstack Core is the reference implementation of the Blockstack protocol described in our white paper. Today, it consists of these components:</p> <ul><li>Blockstack Core: A Python backend service which reads transactiosn from the Stacks blockchain. This blockchain enables the Stacks Token (STX) and Blockstack Naming service.</li> <li>Atlas: A peer network for communicating data about the Blockstack Naming System (BNS).</li> <li>Blockstack API: A service for indexing the data stored by Blockstack Core and making it available in a performant way.</li> </ul><p>The next version of the Stacks Blockchain is under active development in the Rust programming language, and employs our Tunable Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm and a unique scaling solution that enable individual apps to create </p>"
"answer":"<p>Blockstack Core is the reference implementation of the Blockstack protocol described in our white paper. Today, it consists of these components:</p> <ul><li>Blockstack Core: A Python backend service which reads transactions from the Stacks blockchain. This blockchain enables the Stacks Token (STX) and Blockstack Naming service.</li> <li>Atlas: A peer network for communicating data about the Blockstack Naming System (BNS).</li> <li>Blockstack API: A service for indexing the data stored by Blockstack Core and making it available in a performant way.</li> </ul><p>The next version of the Stacks Blockchain is under active development in the Rust programming language and employs our Tunable Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm and a unique scaling solution that enable individual apps to create </p>"
},
{
"category":"coredevs",
@ -408,7 +408,7 @@
{
"category":"coredevs",
"question":"Why should I trust the information, like name ownership or public key mappings, read from Blockstack?",
"answer":"<p>Blockstack records are tough to tamper with. The difficulty comes from the fact that the bindings for name ownership (names on Blockstack are owned by public keys) are announced on the Stacks blockchain. To change these bindings, an attacker must initiate a winning fork of the Stacks blockchain that is longer than the true chain, but with a different history. The longer your name binding exists on the correct chain, the harder this task becomes.</p>"
"answer":"<p>Blockstack records are tough to tamper with. The difficulty comes from the fact that the bindings for name ownership (names on Blockstack are owned by public keys) are announced on the Stacks blockchain. To change these bindings, an attacker must initiate a winning fork of the Stacks blockchain that is longer than the true chain but with a different history. The longer your name binding exists on the correct chain, the harder this task becomes.</p>"
},
{
"category":"coredevs",
@ -453,7 +453,7 @@
{
"category":"coredevs",
"question":"Can I programmatically register Blockstack IDs?",
"answer":"<p>Blockstack applications do not currently have have access to the user’s wallet. Users are expected to register Blockstack IDs themselves.</p> <p>However, if you feel particularly ambitious, you can do one of the following:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Set up a <code>blockstack api</code> endpoint (see the project <a href='https://github.com/blockstack/blockstack-core/blob/master/README.md'>README</a>) and write a program to automatically register names. Also, see the <a href='https://core.blockstack.org//#managing-names-register-a-name'>API documentation</a> for registering names on this endpoint.</p> </li> <li> <p>Write a <code>node.js</code> program that uses blockstack.js to register names. This is currently in development.</p> </li> </ul>"
"answer":"<p>Blockstack applications do not currently have access to the user’s wallet. Users are expected to register Blockstack IDs themselves.</p> <p>However, if you feel particularly ambitious, you can do one of the following:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Set up a <code>blockstack api</code> endpoint (see the project <a href='https://github.com/blockstack/blockstack-core/blob/master/README.md'>README</a>) and write a program to automatically register names. Also, see the <a href='https://core.blockstack.org//#managing-names-register-a-name'>API documentation</a> for registering names on this endpoint.</p> </li> <li> <p>Write a <code>node.js</code> program that uses blockstack.js to register names. This is currently in development.</p> </li> </ul>"
},
{
"category":"coredevs",
@ -503,7 +503,7 @@
{
"category":"wallet",
"question":"What is a seed phrase?",
"answer":"<p>When you create a wallet address, you also create a seed phrase. With one significant exception, a seed phrase is similar to a banking pin in that it gives you access to your wallet and your token allocation. Unlike a pin, if you lose your seed phrase <strong>you can never access your wallet or your token allocation ever again</strong>.</p> <p class='uk-alert-danger' ><strong>Warning</strong>: Losing a seed phrase is final and destructive. Blockstack does not keep a copy of your seed. Blockstack cannot give you a new seed, get your access to your wallet, or return your tokens if you lose your seed phrase.</p> <p>Keep your seed phrase secret. Just as with a banking pin, anyone that knows or steals your seed phrase can access your allocation.</p> <p>You should write your seed phrase down and store the paper you write on in at least two secure locations. A safe or lock box is a good location. You can also store it online in an encrypted password manager such as 1Password. You should <em>never</em> simply store a seed phrase in Apple Cloud or Dropbox.</p>"
"answer":"<p>When you create a wallet address, you also create a seed phrase. With one significant exception, a seed phrase is similar to a banking pin in that it gives you access to your wallet and your token allocation. Unlike a pin, if you lose your seed phrase, <strong>you can never access your wallet or your token allocation ever again</strong>.</p> <p class='uk-alert-danger' ><strong>Warning</strong>: Losing a seed phrase is final and destructive. Blockstack does not keep a copy of your seed. Blockstack cannot give you a new seed, get your access to your wallet, or return your tokens if you lose your seed phrase.</p> <p>Keep your seed phrase secret. Just as with a banking pin, anyone that knows or steals your seed phrase can access your allocation.</p> <p>You should write your seed phrase down and store the paper you write on in at least two secure locations. A safe or lock box is a good location. You can also store it online in an encrypted password manager such as 1Password. You should <em>never</em> simply store a seed phrase in Apple Cloud or Dropbox.</p>"
Mary Anthony
6 years ago