Hey Straightedge

Straightedge is a high-performance smart-contract platform that executes on the original vision of the Edgeware project by providing an involved system of governance for the people, a fair token-distribution model, and a community-driven roadmap.

A zero-day fork is an implementation of a project that launches simultaneously alongside another release. The distribution of the Straightedge blockchain will only allocate genesis tokens to participants of the Edgeware Lockdrop that either locked ETH or signaled from externally owned accounts. No tokens will be allocated based on signals from contract accounts. This wider distribution to the average Lockdrop participant makes for a more decentralized ecosystem.

Let’s get started.

i. involved governance

Let’s cut to the chase: We’re all about true decentralization.

Prominent and legitimate blockchain projects operate in as distributed of an environment as possible and feature open systems of governance whether off or on chain.

Straightedge is built to live within that ethos.

Our genesis block will come to life on September 15th shepherded by technology provided by Commonwealth Labs, but by this time we aim to have graduated in terms of both community-control and a unique-direction.

ii. fraternal, not identical from birth

A zero-day fork is something new. Straightedge will share neither the history of a single block nor a validator set with Edgeware, but the technology will launch from the same point.

The Edgeware project began as a platform for experimentation in blockchain governance. One of the most fascinating governance mechanisms that blockchains have given us is the ability to fork. With Straightedge, we hope to create a “social science” experiment, a zero-day fork, that we as a community can all learn from. Edgeware is the “control”, and Straightedge will be the same at launch, except for the previously mentioned differences in initial token distribution. There exists an opportunity for us to learn together, and not compete, but to help the entire ecosystem to learn valuable lessons about distribution, governance and best practices moving forward.

By ensuring that Lockdrop and signal participants were in control of their own keys and removing generalized locks, Straightedge ensures a balanced and inclusive token model, which will be used for:

• User-driven votes on further distribution such as to Parity Multisig Bug victims
• Selecting and launching a genesis block with unlocked signal-tokens & more
• Activating token transferability
• Whatever else the community chooses to propose and decide

iii. on the subjectivity of fairness, and the objectivity of a wider distribution

Participants in open systems of governance deserve an impactful say, and when rules are changed to provide select parties with powerful voting shares, systems become less open.

In the case of Edgeware, the potential for an open future was impeded prior to launch by a late-stage change to the token distribution model that aimed to provide favor to a small, select group through what was labeled a “generalized lock”. This change alone allowed for up to 20% of all network-tokens to be awarded to any party not in control of signaled funds.

Should an initial token distribution favor a powerful few, dominant voting groups and blocks will continue to increase their power through votes and distribution over time, pre-shaping the future of any such ecosystem.

Fairness is subjective; recognizing the work of founding or supporting organizations isn’t wrong or unethical, but it may not be the most healthy path to take towards a decentralized ecosystem.

Wider token-distribution models help to maintain the decentralization of permissionless blockchain protocols, diverse development teams bring new insight and direction, and experimentation with new paths should be welcome in a new and evolving space.

iv. a meme, but not a joke.

Straightedge was born from a backlash, but the intent of the project is to carry the mantle originally envisioned by Edgeware: It’s an alternative model that will head in an independent direction, and not a protest, troll or joke. We look forward to earning the support of doers and developers including Edgeware’s founding team and early supporters.

In the coming weeks, we will move forward with launching the Straightedge testnet, finalizing and communicating the precise details of the genesis token distribution, and we invite you to participate. Whether you’re a potential validator-operator, a Straightedge core-developer, a maker, a creator, a connector, a user or just here to watch the fun, you’re invited to get involved.

And finally, we would like to thank the Edgeware team for their efforts in developing their project, and in publishing the code in an open-source manner, allowing parallel experiments in open and permissionless blockchain governance.

Join us on Discord, Telegram, on Twitter and at Straighted.ge for more, and stay tuned for news and updates in the coming weeks as we approach launch.

You can learn more details about the specific changes and justifications in the Straightedge initial distribution on our FAQ page.

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Straightedge Team