Nimiq
Finance and crypto
browser-based blockchain
SHOW HN2017
186points
136comments
#189of 2,242 in 2017
Top 9%of 2017 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
20 positive, 58 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 11 critical, out of 91 comments about the project. Thread score +0.07.
Idea: 4 for, 3 againstPerformance: 1 for, 3 againstPrivacy: 1 for, 3 againstExecution: 2 for, 1 againstDesign: 2 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Easy one-click start and mining with no installation
From 3 comments
I have a soft spot for removing barriers and making things accessible so this really resonates with me. With a single click of a button I'm connected to the network and have…
hopfog on HNI like how it starts you up instantly and how simple mining, helping the network and transactions seem to be. Really well done. I found a quick block too and sending/receiving…
postozoan on HNKindly send some here: 295AD9F3C2F4371D0B86E235B3618D06482949B6 This is incredibly easy to get up and running with.
slice_of_life on HN
Simple, clear P2P visualization that helps demystify blockchain
From 2 comments
I have a soft spot for removing barriers and making things accessible so this really resonates with me. With a single click of a button I'm connected to the network and have…
hopfog on HNSo far looks sweet, I have a small bit of advice. I'd double down on the simplicity aspect - for a lot of people cryptocurrency is a weird thing to get into and hard to…
gallerdude on HN
Objections
Proof-of-work uses SHA256 and is unsafe; needs memory-hard PoW
From 2 comments
This is a neat. However, there is nothing explaining fundamental operation I can find except the source code itself, and it seems to me that it suffers from pretty serious scale…
buttershakes on HNLeft this running all day at about 30kh/s and got 200 coins Couple of hints: * Have a way of backing up your private keys! Many people delete browser local storage and this is…
fslkjhjdfhgj4j on HN
Browser mining is inefficient and unlikely to keep participants engaged
From 2 comments
Well, it is not good to do Proof-of-Work in the browser. It's inefficient and people will not keep mining if they have very small chances of getting a block. I don't know how…
fiatjaf on HNThanks, but while ASICs may not be a threat, in general finely tuned beefy machines might be? So that running this in a browser would be as efficient as mining litecoin in a…
bbcbasic on HN
Keys stored in browser local storage are risky and easily lost
From 2 comments
Left this running all day at about 30kh/s and got 200 coins Couple of hints: * Have a way of backing up your private keys! Many people delete browser local storage and this is…
fslkjhjdfhgj4j on HNI like how it starts you up instantly and how simple mining, helping the network and transactions seem to be. Really well done. I found a quick block too and sending/receiving…
postozoan on HN
Documentation is weak and the project is hard to understand
From 2 comments
This is a neat. However, there is nothing explaining fundamental operation I can find except the source code itself, and it seems to me that it suffers from pretty serious scale…
buttershakes on HNYeah I gave it a look. It is really light on details. I think you have to be clear why this is better than Ethereum, the fact that web browsers are nodes and are mining isn't…
buttershakes on HN
Requests
Better key backup and wallet explanation
From 2 comments
Left this running all day at about 30kh/s and got 200 coins Couple of hints: * Have a way of backing up your private keys! Many people delete browser local storage and this is…
fslkjhjdfhgj4j on HNI like how it starts you up instantly and how simple mining, helping the network and transactions seem to be. Really well done. I found a quick block too and sending/receiving…
postozoan on HN
Blockchain explorer and viewer
From 2 comments
If this is an educational product then it would be even better to expose more details to the user. For example, the fundamental steps illustrated in the Blockchain Demo…
asciimo on HNA blockchain viewer (showing most recent blocks) is in the works for the Betanet and should go live soon. Full chain explorer will follow for the feature-complete Testnet.
elionchin on HN
Clearer disclaimer that testnet coins are worthless
From 2 comments
Before anyone gets too excited because the page doenst make this clear, you are all mining on the Test block chain, not the release block chain, the coins are worthless, they are…
Mao_Zedang on HNI dont think it matters, just saying its easy to click through without seeing it, some people might leave it open thinking they are mining for real.
Mao_Zedang on HN
Questions
How does it compare to Bitcoin and Ethereum?
From 1 comment
This seems really interesting! For someone without too much knowledge about blockchain and digital currencies: How does this compare to Bitcoin and Ethereum?
schickling on HN
How does the ledger scale as it grows?
From 2 comments
Ok, you have a roadmap, but I'm left with more questions than answers, e.g.: if a blockchain relies on every node having a ledger of the whole transactions, and bitcoin's ledger…
joantune on HNYou only need the full blockchain to initially verify the proof of work chain, you can then run in pruning mode which requires having the latest blocks and unspent outputs.
Franciscouzo on HN
How do browsers accept incoming WebRTC connections?
From 2 comments
This is interesting - but how can a browser serve incoming connection requests?
wildbunny on HNWebRTC is a web protocol designed for peer to peer connections.
elionchin on HN
Alternatives named
Bitcoin
From 2 comments
How does this compare to BTC with regards to privacy? My thoughts: most regular users don't really care about privacy at the level that BTC promises. If people really cared that…
slice_of_life on HNOk, you have a roadmap, but I'm left with more questions than answers, e.g.: if a blockchain relies on every node having a ledger of the whole transactions, and bitcoin's ledger…
joantune on HN
Ethereum
From 2 comments
Yeah I gave it a look. It is really light on details. I think you have to be clear why this is better than Ethereum, the fact that web browsers are nodes and are mining isn't…
buttershakes on HNThis seems really interesting! For someone without too much knowledge about blockchain and digital currencies: How does this compare to Bitcoin and Ethereum?
schickling on HN
Monero/Bytecoin CryptoNight, Ethash, Momentum as PoW references
From 1 comment
Left this running all day at about 30kh/s and got 200 coins Couple of hints: * Have a way of backing up your private keys! Many people delete browser local storage and this is…
fslkjhjdfhgj4j on HN