Along with all of the scheduled speakers, Blockstack Berlin has also invited some dApp developers to debut/demonstrate their new and exciting decentralized application(s) at the Blockstack Berlin event. The dApps to be presented at the Blockstack Berlin event have either been built or are being built for use on the Blockstack ecosystem.  We have attached – for your convenience – a list of dApp developers scheduled to present at Blockstack Berlin.

This is the second installment of our series of profiles on the dApps (developers too) to be presented at Blockstack Berlin.  Our second dApp profile is on Coins.

Coins

The first decentralized encrypted cryptocurrency portfolio management tool created on top of Blockstack.

Developer (s):

• Thomas Osmonson (profile picture no. 6) – Independent designer, developer, and street photographer. Does a lot of work for @plotlygraphs, and maker of @usecoins.
  
• Chase Wackerfuss (profile picture no. 6) – Web Developer & UI Designer, Musician & recent new hire at Blockstack
  

Version No. 1 was a joint development (live on Blockstack)

Version No. 2 (coming soon) will be developed solely by Thomas Osmonson  (Note: We heard from Mr. Osmonson that Mr. Wackerfuss has gone to work* with Blockstack – wonderful job to both of you.)

Social:

• @aulneau_ (https://twitter.com/aulneau_)
• @vackerfoos (https://twitter.com/vockerfoos)

Website: Coins (Coins)

Social: @usecoins (Coins)

Other:

Thomas Osmonson (An independent designer, developer, and creative director.) for Ineffable.co.

The purpose of Coins is to allow the user to manage the user’s token or coin portfolio in a secure and decentralized way.

Basically, Coins uses the power of Blockstack to bring us a token and coin management application platform that:

• is decentralized, secure and encrypted
• supports multiple currencies, tokens and coins
• provides a powerful metrics UX (user interface)

Coins is the token/coin portfolio management solution – decentralized, secure and encrypted, supports multiple currencies, tokens and coins with a powerful metrics platform and user interface (UX). 

For more on Coins, please visit this link here. For a more personal and close-up look at Coins, please visit with Mr. Osmonson at Blockstack Berlin – go Blockstack Berlin.

So, when you amass a stack of tokens, don’t reach for the piggy bank, think COINS – the secure environment in which to manage those assets. 

Visit the Blockstack Berlin site here.

The post Blockstack Berlin: dApp Developer Presentations – COINS with Thomas Osmonson appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.

Remember – If you have any questions or comments about getting started with the Blockstack Browser, please feel free to post a comment, contact us and/or contact Blockstack directly via its Forum.  We welcome your engagement in The Stack Cafe^TM.

Blockstack Browser Menu – Home|IDs|Wallet| Settings

Ok, you have installed the Blockstack browser and it is running properly (reach out to us if you need help or go here).  Now, let’s do a quick look inside the browser, in particular the Menu Bar (image below is from the Blockstack Browser running on our personal computer).  Now, lets parse through the home page and some of the features of the Blockstack Browser.  The image below and the featured image for this page is the Menu Bar as it is found on the latest version (0.22.1) of the Blockstack’s Browser home page.

As you see, the browser is loaded on your personal computer and it opens under Localhost:8888 (see image above – address line of the browser – localhost:8888) on your computer.  This is a key aspect of the Blockstack Browser on the blockstack ecosystem.  In other words, the users control their data and apps run on their devices (user computer and not on some other server).  There are no centralized servers, no middlemen, no multiple passwords, no massive data silos to breach, and no services tracking us around the internet.  And, the Browser is also where users can go to discover and use apps using Blockstack – the applications used on blockstack’s browser are server-less and decentralized (you control use, i.d., storage, interaction…).

Menu Bar Tabs

• Home – takes you to the page image you see above.
• IDs – this is the unique identification given out during the Blockstack Browser install/setup process (automatically/randomly assigned by Blockstack) or by purchasing an “.id” identification from the Blockstack Naming System (BNS) for .ids (e.g., blockstack.id, john.id…)
  • On This page (see screenshot below), you have the ability to (in order respectively on the screenshot – some blocked out items):
    • add a profile picture/image
    • add a username
    • see your unique I.D.
    • add some bio information
    • see your verified Social Level and links
      • example of a verified social link – Blue arrow on right side
      • verify e.g., your bitcoin wallet address
      • verify others too – Twitter and others

• Wallet – this is a pre-configured Bitcoin wallet and address that comes with the install/setup of the Blockstack Browser
  • On This page (see screenshot below), you have the ability to (in order respectively on the screenshot – some blocked out items):
    • see your pre-configured bitcoin wallet balance
    • see and use your bitcoin wallet image for ease of use
    • see your bitcoin wallet address

• Settings – this is the page you use to:
  • change your storage providers (see screenshot below for more on this)
  • change your password used with your Blockstack Browser
  • backup your keychain phrase – this allows you to enter the password you used so you can view your keychain phrase … (remember the things you should write down, do not lose and do not disclose to anyone (unless you want to)
  • reset browser allows you erase your keychain and settings so you can create a new one or restore another keychain
  • view the api settings that were setup during the install/setup process of the blockstack browser (the items that are unique to your install (kept by you locally) and are used in the decentralized internet experience (e.g., application programming interface (api), gaia hub connection info (storage), and others…) – probably best not to fiddle with this stuff…

Back to your storage provider selection (you control your data and where it is stored, and the encryption and de-encryption – no one else): in this example, and at this writing, we are using the default storage (free storage hub provided by Blockstack PBC).  As the Blockstack system is updated and additional architecture (software) is added, additional storage options will be brought online and made available to all blockstack users (e.g., self hosted storage, dropbox, IPFS, and many others)

If you have any questions or comments about the Browser home page and tabs, or any other item related to Blockstack, the stack, decentralization, dApps, Web 3.0 or …, please feel free to post a comment and/or contact us.  We welcome your engagement in The Stack Cafe^TM.  Go Experience Internet Freedom (“EIF”) with blockchain, distributed ledger and Blockstack.  Let’s make a new internet The Decentralized Way^TM.

Resources re: Blockstack and dApps

• Blockstack
• @blockstack
  • dApps on Blockstack
    • Graphite
    • @graphite
  • Events about Blockstack

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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A great place to find information about these Blockstack Meetups is by visiting the Blockstack site and clicking on the meetup link at the bottom of the page (middle column, line 4) and/or going directly to the Meetups Blockstack site.  The Blockstack Meetup meetings are happening in various locations, both in the U.S. and other countries.  For example, see the following active Blockstack Meetups:

• Blockstack NYC

• Blockstack SF (San Francisco) (see Screenshot Blockstack Meetup SF)

• Blockstack Berlin

• Blockstack Portland

• Blockstack Chicago

On the links above, you will find information about the various Blockstack Meetups and a sign-up link for that particular Blockstack Meetup.  In addition, an upcoming event will take place in Berlin in March 2018.  Please visit this link for more information – Blockstack Berlin.

Other helpful links for more information on Blockstack include:

Blockstack – the new decentralized application platform and ecosystem for the decentralized/re-decentralized internet (dApp, dApps, and Web 3.0)

Blockstack’s Forum

@Blockstack

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

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The grid above shows the inter-connected nodes or computers connecting to each other to form the decentralized internet network/grid to send/receive information or data in the early 1970’s.  The images below show how computers talk to one another (via the layer or protocol stack and packets). (See – “How The Internet Works?” – published on Stanford University’s website.)

TWO COMPUTERS CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET

PROTOCOL STACKS AND PACKETS

Today, the modern internet (some 20+ years old from the introduction of “www”) is far more complex in its size and implementation.  Presently, some parts of the internet are decentralized (hardware, IP and TCP) while the application layer (stack) – in particular, has become more and more centralized (e.g., more data controlled by fewer and fewer companies – think social media, search, devices, online commerce, walled-gardens…). The current system with all of the good things is not completely fulfilling its original vision – full decentralization (i.e., we should own our data…). And, apparently, some other people and companies believe the same thing.

One company in particular – BlockStack, and the people involved with Blockstack – its team, its investors, its open source community of developers, its users and its open support community – appear to believe in a fully decentralized internet (read the Blockstack documents e.g., white paper…).

Basically, it appears that Blockstack wants to re-decentralize the internet, in particular – the application layer (stack) of the internet (e.g., see – Blockstack and its documents e.g., white paper…). Blockstack’s team and others, are working tirelessly to bring us new tools, infrastructure and applications – with a tie-in to the distributed ledger or blockchain.  And with these new tools, Blockstack enables the user to own his/her/its data and maintain and protect his/her/its privacy and security (e.g., encrypted decentralized storage, authentication & identity).  How is Blockstack doing this?  Well, not to go to far into the stack, Blockstack is developing key tools and infrastructure so that software developers and programmers (coders) can build single-page applications (dApps – (e.g., in javascript) in which the user controls not only his/her identity & authentication (e.g., think encrypted identification) but is also in control where and how his/her information (data) is stored on the decentralized internet.

So one might envision – one universal form of encrypted identification that is unique to the user that allows the user to securely participate in a decentralized internet and control his/her data that is generated from using the decentralized internet (e.g., imagine an internet with no middlemen, no passwords, and no massive centralized data repositories to breach).

Just imagine, if you have control (e.g., identity, data, storage and it is secure) and not the centralized companies, the possibilities appear to go on and on…  And, just like the early days of the network/internet (see above image from 1973), Blockstack is at the early stage of building the re-decentralized internet.

Please go see for yourself – visit Blockstack – and visit here again for updates and information on, among other things, Blockstack’s vision for the re-decentralization of the internet and the stack.

Here is a screenshot of Blockstack’s home page at www.blockstack.org.

Note: If you do not have the Blockstack browser, please see this link (note – to enable the full functionality of any dApp built for the Blockstack ecosystem (e.g., building a new internet, a decentralized internet, re-decentralizing the internet) you need to use the Blockstack browser).

Thanks again for visiting The Stack Cafe^TM and we look forward to hearing from you. Please help us put out the word on Web^3.0 by posting a comment below and signing up for e-mail notifications for future updates (right side-bar). Let’s help build the new internet | The Decentralized Way^TM. A decentralized internet | The Way The Future^TM.

^* Licklider 1960’s

The post The Internet (Centralized and the Decentralized?) appeared first on The Stack Cafe™.