WTF is MFT (Mainframe)
Freedom, privacy and data ownership are kind of a big deal.
The Decentralized Web is a new approach to Web development and encompasses technologies aimed at providing an alternative to current centralized solutions.
Decentralized apps (Dapps) are apps that run on a decentralized peer-to-peer network. The immediate advantage is that they cannot be shut down by a central authority. But although Dapps are attracting more and more attention, we are yet to see mass adoption of such Dapps by the public.
Why is that, and how could Mainframe help?
Mainframe is a fully loaded platform to build and use secure privacy-driven decentralized applications. More, Mainframe is actually an operating system that allows both developers and users to leverage underlying Web3 protocols and blockchains smoothly.
What can you do with Mainframe?
1. If you are a developer
You can build and publish Dapps very easily, leveraging all the infrastructure built into Mainframe.
At launch, MainframeOS will include several Dapps illustrating the possibilities of the platform, such as Notes, Payments, and possibly Messenger, and Game.
Those Dapps are only scratching the surface though, and after the launch, developers will be able to publish their own Dapps to make them available to all MainframeOS users, and even devise their own monetization systems to reap the rewards of the systems they build.
This will considerably simplify the process of creating a Dapp, since so much of the work can be leveraged from the OS.
2. If you are a user
Let's face it, using a Dapp in a browser based user interface does not feel intuitive, or secure, to a lot of people. With Mainframe, you can finally use Dapps from an environment where the user experience was prioritized.
The idea is to abstract specifics about different blockchains (identity, wallet, transactions and SDK functions) from the users so that they are virtually invisible to them.
Most importantly, the OS offers granular control over which data is shared, so you can use the Dapps in a way that cannot be stopped, limited or tracked in any way.
The search for the killer Dapp
Decentralized apps built on the blockchain are about transparency, control, and privacy.
What Mainframe is creating is a platform that will allow more Dapps to be created and to shine, creating a vibrant ecosystem leveraging new incentive models, around the common ideals of freedom, censorship resistance and privacy.
We do not know where the killer Dapp will come from.
All we know is that making it easier for developers and users to take an interest in that exciting search will take us one step closer to finding it.
And maybe, by facilitating such discovery, Mainframe will turn out to be a killer app of its own.
FAQ
1. What is MFT?
MFT is the token used on the Mainframe decentralized network.
It is used to:
- Pay for Dapps usage,
- Submit and publish Dapps,
- Stake,
- Pay for storage and relay of data…
More broadly, as the Mainframe network grows, developers will keep adding use cases and incentives around the MFT token to capture the value created.
2. When MainNet?
Mainframe is an operating system for the blockchain. It provides crucial tools for developers and a convenient user interface for users. The public release of the OS is due in April 2019.
There will be no TestNet or MainNet.
Mainframe currently runs on the Ethereum network but really is a beast of its own, since a Mainframe ID will eventually allow users to use Dapps built not only on Ethereum but also on RSK or Tezos, for example.
3. How will the OS evolve?
The Mainframe network is meant to support interoperability. Once there are additional chains integrated, there could be multiple default addresses (default Ethereum address, default Tezos address, etc) for each user.
The Dapps can then indicate which type of wallet they require and Mainframe can ensure the user has that set up before being able to run the Dapp.
MainframeOS will then turn into a hub that makes using any Dapp easy and user friendly.
4. Devs on Mainframe?
The main challenge for Mainframe will be to get developers onboard and adding high quality Dapps on top of Mainframe, so that Mainframe truly become the App Store for Dapps.
Mainframe currently offers bounties to developers. The team also organized the Dapp Awards in Prague last year, gathering key players of the Ethereum ecosystem during Devcon4.
Very few teams have shown such a strong commitment to the emerging Decentralized Web and Dapps ecosystem, and for that reason it will be exciting to see the project deliver on its promises during the year.
Additional resources
This article is a simplified explanation of what Mainframe (MFT) is.
If you would like to dig deeper, here are some great resources:
- Dawn of the Dapps video
- Mainframe Developer Documentation
- Development roadmap
- MainframeHQ Github
- MainframeHQ Gitter
