Qortal Newsletter Update January 2023 Edition
Happy New Years Qortians! 2022 was a year full of complex developmental achievements that prepared us for the new year. Network performance, combating self-sponsorship, and base layers for an ever-evolving platform are just a few areas in which Qortal has advanced. We’ve experienced all sorts of challenges that were not easy to resolve, but with passionate care, we continue to make large strides in the right direction!
Self Sponsorship Algorithm
The self-sponsorship algorithm was implemented in December. This area of development took several months to conceive and code, with tedious care. The algorithm uses data points to identify and then penalize accounts deemed to be ‘self-sponsored’ accounts (literally individuals sponsoring multiple accounts for their own personal gain). These accounts are given a ‘-5 Million blocksMinted Penalty’ which discredits each account’s blocks minted count by 5 million. Thereafter making the account revert back to below level 0, unable to mint, and unable to sponsor (if the account was level 5+). Most if not all subsequent accounts under the self sponsor are also given the same penalty, while also using data points to avoid penalizing what appear to be ‘normal users’ who were sponsored by the account being penalized. As you see, this is a rather complex design based on data points that was not easy to produce. Of course no system is perfect, and Qortal’s Minting and Sponsorship Systems will never be entirely fool-proof, but hopefully this historic implementation will help deter more of those attempting to self sponsor and ensure a more fair system for all Minters. Please note: the self-sponsorship algo is not continual, meaning it is a one-time sweep each time it is run. There will be a second sweep at a later time, after more data can be reviewed and collected, as well as allocating development time to this unfortunate issue. The Qortal Wiki will soon have a page with a more in-depth explanation of the Blocks Minted Penalty!
Q-Chat Update
We also encountered a unique Q-Chat issue due to a spammer in the General Chat (creating a new account for each new message so users cannot simply block a single spam account). This event bogged down the performance of nodes connecting to the network (causing much more MemPoW verification processing with each message), and led to the recent update where level zero accounts must now hold a minimum of 4.2 QORT in their wallets in order to grant faster chat capacities. Further work and investigation will be done in regard to this pragmatic issue.
Qortal UI Block Explorer
The UI now has its own built-in block explorer! Simply type in a QORT address or registered name in the search bar at top of the UI, and a pop-up will appear with the account’s information (including trades on all markets). Eventually we’ll have a mobile solution (lite nodes) so users can access their accounts and Qortal Network info without having to do so on their full nodes. Stay tuned!
Auto-Buy
Qortal’s Trade Portal now offers ‘Auto-Buy’. This feature lets users select the amount of coin they are willing to trade at a value set by the user. This ‘buy order’ is then set to automatically buy every order within the set parameters (and is only viewable to the user setting the buy order). The Auto-Buy is designed to select the lowest priced orders in the market, and buy as many of them up to the set rate the user has selected. For example, a user could set the Auto-Buy for 5000 QORT at 0.01 and the trade bot will buy as many of the sell orders under 0.01 up to a total of 5000 QORT. If an order is refunded, it will not attempt to buy from that sell order again. Please note: the UI must be left open if an Auto-Buy order is in place, and the user must stay signed into the account with the Auto-Buy. You can use the other plugins within the UI such as Websites or Q-Chat, but the UI must be left open.
Price Charts Coming Soon!
The long awaited price charts within the UI are nearly ready! Users will be able to view the history of each market over various time frames. Stay tuned!
More Development News
Development is picking up speed in other areas: the first iteration of Q-Apps nears, data transmission enhancements with QDN, while Q-Chat is evolving with a protocol instead of unconfirmed transactions (making it much faster and more efficient, and with less or no ‘missed’ messages), Q-Chat will also have new features such as picture and file messaging, edits, replies, formatting, and ability to store messages as long as the user would like (locally)! Another important area of development is the Voting System – where our votes will be weighted based on blocks minted and make decisions on certain aspects of the project’s direction. Coming soon!
Q-Apps will provide the Qortal Network with a variety of different functionality, including but not limited to: payment processing, cross-name linking, individual file downloads, code repository solution (GitHub replacement), video hosting and streaming (YouTube replacement), and evolving Qortal into a platform where apps can be built freely (without the Qortal developers being required). We will also have both ‘default’ and ‘external’ UI ‘plugins’ (applications that can be installed to run directly in the UI like the current plugins on the left sidebar) and will have eventually a location to acquire these plugins hosted on QDN. Read more about Q-Apps here: https://wiki.qortal.org/doku.php?id=q-apps
AT Lottery System
Enter our fully decentralized automated lottery! Your chances of winning are completely random! Nobody handles any aspect of this manually. For the moment, this is an AT-Powered Lottery System, so in order to buy a ‘ticket’, you must send your QORT to a specific address (the AT’s address), and you can only buy one ticket per Qortal Account. The system will then select a winning ‘ticket’ at a predetermined block arrival. (This is one of many alternate use cases for the AT system of Qortal.) The AT address will be different for each lottery issued. In the future, the ability to create these lottery ATs and many other types of ATs will be built into the Qortal UI,
Ticket price: 10 QORT
The Qortal ‘AT’ system (or Automated Transactions) allows for multiple types of transaction automation to take place. Currently we utilize it primarily for the peer-to-peer Cross-Chain Trades (or the ACCT AT) within the Trade Portal. There is a lot of other functionality that can take place utilizing ATs, such as ‘automated escrow’, ‘automated decentralized lotteries’, ‘automatic payments’ on a schedule, ‘funds holding and distribution’, and much more. As time goes on, many more ATs will be built for Qortal, and able to be utilized. But it takes time to develop and test, and the UI components must be built as well, in order to allow other users to make use of the created ATs, deploy them, etc. The first Lottery AT test on Qortal is LIVE! Read more about the Lottery System here: https://wiki.qortal.org/doku.php?id=lottery_system
Crisis Event
Be sure to catch Qortal’s co-founder, Crowetic, when he meets with a number of freedom fighters during February 6–10 with the goal of releasing revolutionary knowledge and their passions so that we may create a sane, liberated, and empowered community.
Anyone who feels led to speak is welcome to do so; the event is free and open to everybody. Find more details here: https://piratechain.com/events
Join their hangout hub headquarters on the open Guilded server: https://www.guilded.gg/r/zzyjKrQ0qE?i=d3737Nkd
Crowetic Hardware Development “CHD”
CHD was founded as a third party service provider to the Qortal Project – providing pre-built computers to operate as nodes on the Qortal Network! From laptops and QORTectors, to custom Qortal merch, CHD is a totally optional service for those interested. Get the easiest, fastest and more efficient device to run your Qortal node with this winter’s sale! Custom laptops include updated storage to SSD, a deactivated Intel management engine, and visual and performance tweaks for full functionality, including the battery and power adapter. QORTectors include custom kernels (software) to provide optimized cryptographic and security functions for a reasonably priced 5W dedicated minting machine! https://crowetic.com
Social Media
Crypto Rich
True decentralization is defined by Crowetic in this interview with Crypto Rich. His persona being just another contributor to the creation of Qortal’s infrastructure is the first of Qortal’s guiding principles. He continues by outlining the current state of Qortal and its primary objective of developing into a peer-to-peer, decentralized, free, and private internet supported by a mesh network data service alternative, all done and controlled by the user.
The reason for community-driven birth, Qortal partnerships, the process of minting QORT coin, sponsorship, and the system’s ability to offer each person full control are all explained by Crowetic!
Rice Crypto Show
In this interview, Crowetic goes on to shed some light on how the base-level infrastructure combined with decentralization offers infinite use cases on the alternative internet Qortal is building. Crowetic points out Etherium’s failure to achieve true decentralization in the financial world and Qortal’s goal to succeed in it as well as other fields, including Qortal’s focus on the average user to take part in minting without the need to compete with the use of computational power but rather only by time contributed to the network.
The memory-based Proof of Work (memPoW), which aims to limit multiple minting accounts per node, prevents system-feeding whales that are overly voracious. The self-sponsorship algorithm’s recent inception and functioning are thoroughly discussed here, along with many other gems like the forthcoming mesh network and free ISP! Don’t miss this insightful discussion!
CryptoMindsetReset – crowetic Talks Qortal @ Virtual CryptoMindsetReset Event December 14th 2022
Qortal co-founder and current dev team facilitator @crowetic speaks on the TRUE crypto RESET with Qortal.
CryptoMindsetReset
Crowetic is interviewed by RiceTV on this talk, where he shares a bit about his passions and his personal journey on the search for the perfect decentralized solution, all while clearly introducing RiceTV to the decentralized roadmap Qortal is destined to achieve. He comes to tell us the Internet has been captured by some entities, and the obedience to their rule by all paying for a website in a slave matter is a game we can avoid with Qortal. The Internet will be unrestricted and free on the Qortal Network. In this session, our co-founder goes into great depth about how this will be done, the game of minting, potential future ideas, and much more. Tune in this is good stuff!
Declare Your Independence
Ernest Hancock is conducting an interview with Crowetic, one of Qortal’s co-founders. While Crowetic instructs Mr. Hancock on the fundamentals of Qortal and the history of the project, Mr. Hancock shares his perspective and a spot-on clarification on actual and old censorship techniques that we desperately need to solve with decentralized, P2P systems. The conversation is in-depth and covers a wide range of crypto-verse issues.
Information on how Qortal safeguards your data via DNS and IPFS, as well as information on Qortal’s long-term objective of doing away with the need for ISPs (internet service providers). This is boldly shared here, along with a great deal more: https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Media/336392-2022-11-29-2022-11-29-ernest-interviews-jason-crowe-qortal.htm
Wiki Qortal
New How-To Guide made for How To Reduce Bandwidth:
https://wiki.qortal.org/doku.php?id=how_to_reduce_bandwidth
New Ubuntu 22.04 Installation Guide:
https://wiki.qortal.org/doku.php?id=ubuntu_22.04_with_cinnamon_desktop_setup_guide
Final Words
Numerous additional developments are also being diligently and thoroughly developed. For us, Qortal is more than just a project; it has evolved into a symbol of freedom and a distinct economic system for the future that needs our undivided attention. Qortal’s whole theme and focus is on peer-to-peer solutions (P2P). From becoming a Minter and trading coin, to web hosting and data distribution, the Qortal Project will continue to develop P2P solutions that remove counter party risk and ensure each user is completely in control over their account, its balances, its data, its sovereignty! 2023 will be a year full of feature-rich development. Cheers!
‘’Is not what your family/community can do for you, but what you can do for your family/community’’.
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Telegram (tech support): https://t.me/qortalchat