Blockmarket Desktop Release Date
Blockmarket 1.0 for Desktop will be released on September 12, 2017.
Blockmarket Desktop is a replacement for the Syscoin QT wallet. It provides much-improved functionality, design and usability to all Syscoin services (marketplace, messaging, escrow, certificates and more) including drag and drop image uploads, easy wallet lock/unlock, robust identity management, enhanced category selection, improved messaging and more!
Blockmarket Desktop Beta5 (does not reflect final aesthetics)
Security Issue Remediation
The few issues found in the security audit have been closed and we are sending Beta 6 out to Digital Boundary Group for remediation and expect to receive the completed report before the 12th.
Blockmarket FunctionsThe new Blockmarket desktop wallet replaces the Syscoin QT wallet. Some functions currently available in the Syscoin QT wallet are not included in the initial release of Blockmarket, but will be added rapidly in successive releases. These features include things such as Multisig, Safesearch, Feedback, Ratings/Reviews and Bitcoin/Zcash payments. All of these will be implemented via Blockmarket in future releases in the very near-term to reach 1:1 parity with Syscoin QT functionality.
System Requirements:Windows
Intel Pentium 4 processor or later that’s SSE2 capable
Windows 7 or later (32 bit and 64 bit, no ARM support)
2GB of RAM
3GB of available hard-disk space
1024x768 screen resolution
MacOS
An Intel processor that’s 64-bit
Mac OS X v10.9, Mac OS X v10.10, Mac OS X v10.11*, or macOS v10.12
2GB of RAM
3GB of available hard-disk space
1024x768 screen resolution
Linux (not supported for 1.0 but will add support in a future release)
An Intel Pentium 4 processor or later that’s SSE2 capable
Planned Supported Distributions:
Ubuntu 12.04 and later
Fedora 21
Debian 8
Syscoin QT Function RemovalAs it makes up a portion of the core services for Blockmarket, the Syscoin QT wallet will be deprecated but not discontinued. All advanced Syscoin services will be moved from the QT wallet to the Blockmarket wallet to save valuable space. It will retain limited send/receive/storage functionality and have lower system requirements. We will continue to keep the Syscoin Core up-to-date with Bitcoin core development. Trimming Syscoin UI functionality from the QT interface will reduce overhead in keeping up with Bitcoin Core.
TimelineDecentralized IdentityAs announced with our joining Microsoft’s DIF initiative we are committed to working with the larger blockchain community to establish and execute a specification for decentralized identity that in time will be recognized and respected by official regulatory bodies. Although the work within DIF is still nascent and ongoing we’ve already made changes in Blockmarket Desktop and our approach to Syscoin Aliases to pave the way for Aliases to conform to the DIF spec as it matures without the need for major core Syscoin changes. These portable, decentralized identities will be available in the Blockmarket 1.0 release and will continue to evolve in parallel with the DIF’s efforts.
Merchant Pilot ProgramWe intended to begin the Merchant Pilot program in conjunction with Blockmarket Web release. However, a number of merchants with well over 100,000 SKUs each have stepped forward, eager to onramp their offers to the Syscoin blockchain and improve their bottom line. The Merchant Pilot program is an incentivized program for merchants to add their products to the Syscoin Marketplace at no cost, working directly with the Blockchain Foundry technical team to make the process as simple and painless as possible in addition to providing feedback and ways to improve the product as a whole. We will be developing import filters/plugins (and a lot more) with their guidance.
This is a great real-world test for the Syscoin blockchain and we will share more info on these merchants when the time is right. These items will not be on the main Syscoin marketplace at the time of the Blockmarket Desktop release but you will start seeing products being added soon in preparation for BM Web and beyond. Our goal in this regard is to be the largest decentralized marketplace with the most items available for purchase, and making the process for listing and purchasing those items as dead-simple as possible.
The Road ForwardAs you can see we’ve been very busy behind the scenes working on the future of Syscoin and Blockchain Foundry. Having half of the team full-time has greatly benefited our ability to “get ahead” of the next-gen work we’d always planned. Even though we’ve shared a lot with this post, there are many other current initiatives we cannot disclose until the time is right. We are constantly pushing for ways to increase the value of Syscoin itself while also making moves to increase its use/adoption as well. For a complete update on the research and development work going on relative to our next-gen offerings read this comprehensive post on Masternodes and our R&D efforts in that space.
Blockmarket Desktop will be released on September 12th during the afternoon (PM) hours in the US/PST timezone. Join us on our Slack Channel or our Telegram Channel for more information. Get an automatic invitation to our Slack Channel here: join.syscoin.org.