The Skycoin project kicked off 2019 with solid fundamental development and community growth. Progress on the ‘triple mainnet’ (as coined by Synth) of Skywire, CX and Obelisk is on track as per the Skycoin 2019 roadmap.
Skywire
The number of nodes on Skywire tesnet approaches 10,000 and Skywire is now competing with Bitcoin for the largest number of distinct computing nodes running the respective distributed networking software. Joining Skywire at this late stage of testnet is encouraged, as you will still earn network rewards until mainnet bandwidth metering is activated.
A new testnet whitelisting procedure has been established to streamline onboarding of new DIY and Official Skyminers. There are two different websites to access:
- auth.skycoin.net — everyone using the system must first create a user account at this site for account creation, confirmation and password change
- whitelist.skycoin.net — register here to access the Skywire Whitelisting System, i.e. your data
The features of this new system include:
- You can change your Skycoin wallet address at will
- You can change the public keys associated with a Skyminer as it becomes necessary
- You can upgrade whitelisted Skyminers and add more boards to them
- You can review the pictures associated with your Skyminers, and last but not least
- You can submit new applications and review your application status and receive email notifications
Refer to the Skywire Whitelisting System on Github Wiki for the complete instructions and join the Public Service Announcement Skywire Telegram group to receive the latest notifications as they are announced.
CX
The next version of the CX programming language (V0.6) was released in late January, and can be accessed from Github. This release incorporates a host of upgrades, building towards CX integration with the Skycoin blockchain. Blockchain integration will eventually allow Skycoin Fiber chains to run decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and blockchain-based games like online poker, all written in CX.
‘So in the next step of the Sky development, you will be able to store a CX program on a blockchain (a chain on Fiber) and store the state of it also on the chain. The next time the program is started, the state will be read from the chain, and continued from where it left off, run for a while, providing a service of some kind, and then the new state will be put back into a new block. This is similar to what is called a smart contract on other blockchains.’
CX game development progress continues with Github user ‘redcurse’ creating Synth Cat Brick Breaker, where you can break brick walls with SynthCat. Taekwon Douglas, who made the first 2D PacMan implementation in CX, is now working on 3D version of this classic game.
In addition to the CX programming language, there was further development on scripting in Skycoin with the release of PySkycoin. PySkycoin adds a scripting layer on top of the core Skycoin APIs, making it possible to use Python tools to build applications powered by the Skycoin blockchain. PySkycoin augments the development capabilities of CX, allowing the greatest accessibility to developers looking to build on top of Skycoin. Access PySkycoin here.
Obelisk
More details on the function of Obelisk were released this month, and can be read in this article. Currently, Skycoin block minting is performed by a protected masternode, as the network is still in developmental state. Upon the implementation of Skywire mainnet and widespread uptake of the Skyminer, the hardware network will be in place for Skycoin to have the most robustly decentralized cryptocurrency network of hardware nodes.
Wallets
Work has commenced on Skycoin integration for the Ledger Nano brand of cryptocurrency wallets. The public Github repository can be found here. We believe secure coin storage is essential for widespread adoption of Skycoin, and we are working hard to provide hardware wallet storage for your Skycoin on our own Skywallet hardware as well as 3rd-party devices.
Hardware
Hardware store
The launch of the online hardware store was a significant step in rolling-out the physical infrastructure of Skycoin and Skywire.
Official Skyminers
Official Skyminers can now be purchased directly from the store and shipped anywhere in the world. Official Skyminers receive a special network bootstrapping reward of 1/24th the Skyminer cost in price equivalent Skycoin for 2 years. This amount can be claimed for 3 years.
Skywallets
The first Skywallets were shipped to winners of last month’s Find the Cats competition. Many have posted photos and videos of the unboxing.
First competition winners share pictures of their hardware wallets
Skywallets will soon be available for purchase through the hardware store, we are currently putting the final touches on firmware for the devices. We have big plans for Skycoin hardware in 2019, so stay tuned for further updates!
Synth Speaks
Synth did a number of interviews in January. There was an excellent discussion with Larry and Joe, who previously interviewed John McAfee and community leader MacSkyver. They cover all the key components of the project and finish with some thoughts on the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. There was also an interview with one of Skycoin’s strongest Australian supporters, Dave Haslop of CryptoDen, and a short interview with CryptoArmy.
Official Synth Speaks videos were released as well. In Obelisk Consensus Protocol Synth explains why Obelisk is superior to Proof-of-Stake and delegated Proof-of-Stake. In Skywire and the Mesh Network Infrastructure he explains the role of the Skywire Mesh network as the key to unlocking the last mile problem of high speed bandwidth to the premises.
For those who missed Synth’s Telegram voice messages, hear him talk on ICO scammers, Ethereum’s success, and Skycoin’s revenue exceeding its total market capitalization, courtesy of Macskyver. We also saw the first The Synth Tapes, which revealed some of Synth’s raw insights on money, and how it relates to slavery and Empire.
Coin exchange listings
January saw Skycoin listings on on Lbank (SKY/BTC trading pair) and FineBox. Lbank is the 12th largest exchange by adjusted market capitalization on CoinMarketCap. Finebox is offering both SKY/BTC and SKY/DOGE pairs for trading.
Official articles
Obelisk previewed more features of Skycoin’s new consensus algorithm to be deployed when the Skywire mainnet is active and running.
We, the Skyfleet announced the second batch of official Skyminers and the vision of a decentralized, uncensored internet that it aims to facilitate.
‘The Skyminer is a hardware tool for sovereign individuals to defend internet privacy of the people in an age of data leaks, corporate exploitation and government surveillance. Each Skyminer contains 8 computing boards that forward encrypted packets on the new private internet called Skywire.’
In addition, there were official announcements of the hardware store opening and the SKY/BTC trading pair listing on LBank.
There was also the official announcement of PySkycoin release on the Skycoin blog.
Mentions/Reviews
Skycoin continues to infiltrate into many corners of the web. Skycoin’s development progress was recognized with a top 10 position on Coincodecap, which measures Github, analogous to CoinMarketCap. Fox News began inadvertently guerilla marketing Skycoin with this image of John McAfee sitting behind an official Skyminer.
Community videos
Danish Chaudry talked all things Skycoin on Not Another Crypto Podcast. MacSkyver continues to make excellent summaries of the community updates for those who prefer the video format — here’s the latest for December 2018. Cryptomania did a podcast mentioning Skycoin — listen to the excerpt here or the entire podcast here. There were several video reviews of Skycoin from Digital Gold, Digital Assets, Goodmetrics (mention in Top projects of 2019 Part I).
There were written reviews from ‘Do I own a shitcoin? and Pick a Crypto. Cryporaspberry documented their process of setting up Skywire (i.e. single Skyminer node) on a Raspberry Pi — Part I & II.
Community articles
January was a massive month for Skyfleet engagement and this was evidenced by the number of high quality community articles that were released.
ChristianOtt, celebrated the one year anniversary of his first Skycoin article with an open letter to the community and a brand new homepage. Congratulations Christian! The community thanks you for your hard work and high quality content.
Charles Bivins released Top Cryptocurrency projects ready to 100x in 2019, which previews the exciting developments for each component of the Skycoin project. As a proud Nigerian, he also authored How Skycoin is Changing the Lives of Young Africans, an inspirational account of another loyal Skyfleet member, Blenvec Agabagnou. Physical Skycoin Limited Edition Collectible Coins is his great write-up of the Skycoin gold and silver coins now on sale by the community.
CryptoDiscipulus continued to produce high quality fundamental analysis with a comparison piece on the different approaches to hardware manufacturing in Skycoin vs Bitcoin.
Casino is one of the most dedicated and active of the Skyfleet community. He made an excellent writing debut with Why Skycoin is the Most Genuine Blockchain project in the space. Thanks for all your efforts and may this be the start of a long Skycoin writing career!
Juan Pablo wrote two articles this month. A look into the Skycoin hardware incubator outlines the various hardware projects under development. There was also Skycoin community engagement — a fundamental strength which notes the amazing growth in Skycoin engagement across various social media platforms.
MacSkyver released an fantastic 17-minute read, titled Should You Invest in Skycoin? This article is a great overview of the key points of the project and answers many of the questions that newcomers ask. Essential reading!
Skyfleet News
The Skyfleet presence on Twitter is growing daily. Marshalled by Casino and Caribou, you all are doing fantastic work spreading awareness of Skycoin. When replying to tweets, be sure to include a couple of sentences informing the public about Skycoin. Be sure to also include a Skycoin infographic, meme, medium article or Synth speaks clip. Shoutout to NotMacroBusiness and Tzezcozhik for their efforts on this front.
Wiki
We always need eager volunteers to contribute to the Skycoin Wiki. If you have a good understanding of the Skycoin project, go to skycoinwiki.com, apply to become a contributor and begin writing!
In other community news,
- The first brick and mortar shop to accept Skycoin is a ladies clothing boutique in the Netherlands. Thanks to Sofria W for promoting Skycoin as a medium of exchange. Fantastic work, keep it up!
- Physical Skycoins have been restocked by the fantastic folks at Skycoin Collectable Coins. Check out some of the gold and silver Skycoins and other awesome products. Join the telegram group for the latest info.
- The Skyfiber Gazette, which indexes and aggregates Skycoin articles and news, was launched recently.
- Skycoin memes are now available on Instagram for your viewing pleasure @skycoin_memefleet. Tag #skycoinmemes to be featured on the page!
Telegram news
- The Skycoin Sticker Blast Telegram group was created to assist Skyfleet with visual awareness campaigns in their local cities. Thanks to Daken for his hard work. Once you receive your stickers, get busy and post your images here!
- Sudo launched the Skycoin 5000 airdrop competition
- Sudo has opened expressions of interest for Skywire technician positions in the states of New York, Florida, Illinois, Oregon and Southern California in the USA. Skyfleet who are confident with assembly and software setup of Skyminers can contact Sudo on Sudo_tcpdump at protonmail.com
Meetups
There were photos of Skycoin meetups from January including Shenzen, China. If you are interested in hosting a Skycoin meetup, please Join the Meetups WorldWide Skycoin telegram group. There are links to presentation material, and you can discuss ideas with community manager Daken, as well as post photos of your successful meetup. The more Skycoin merchandise the better.
That’s everything from January 2019. The Skyfleet community is doing tremendous work building out the Skycoin ecosystem and raising awareness of the project. If you have been watching on the sidelines, now is a great time to write that Skycoin article, start that CX game or build that DIY Skyminer. Onwards and upwards Skyfleet!
Website: https://www.skycoin.net/
Telegram: https://t.me/Skycoin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Skycoinproject
Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/Skycoin
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzLASufel2No4vSt4rudHSQ
