Thai Nhat Minh | Stably:
First of all, can you have a brief introduction about yourself as well as about Chromia? @henrik_hjelte @sergelubkin
Henrik Hjelte:
Hello. My name is Henrik Hjelte. I am Co-Founder and CEO of Chromia.
I have more than 30 years of experience in programming and a degree in Economics from Uppsala University.
BTW economics and computers = blockchain, so finally found a job that fits me.
I was introduced to the blockchain by the leader of the colored-coins project Alex Mizrahi in 2013
Colored coins project was a very influential thing
It was the first way for user created tokens
bolted on to the only blockchain at the time (almost) bitcoin
We started ChromaWay 2014, with Or Perelman too, to explore if the world was interested in "tokens" and those kind of applications
We worked with enterprise blockchain for some time, but now we are focused on Chromia, a new public platform for mainstream decentralized applications using relational blockchain technology.
Ok, maybe I should tell something about Chromia and not myself too.
Chromia is a better blockchain for building decentralized Apps.
better because it follows the "normal worlds" way of managing data.
A little history: I found a text/description to paste:
Chromia is a brainchild of ChromaWay. ChromaWay has a long record of delivering pioneering projects around the world. We issued Euros on the Bitcoin blockchain with LHV bank, allowed investors to invest in startups in a wholly decentralized way with Funderbeam, digitized the title transfer process with the Swedish land registry, and mediated the green bond market. ChromaWay’s core team created the world’s first protocol to issue tokens already in 2012, when blockchain was called “bitcoin 2.0”. Then ChromaWay introduced the relational model to enterprise blockchains with a consortium database called Postchain. Now Postchain is going public as the foundation for Chromia, a better blockchain for building decentralised Apps.
Chromia is a new public blockchain based on the idea of integrating traditional databases, Relational databases with blockchain security. Chromia is a general purpose blockchain with full smart contract capabilities, just that it is a lot easier to code, even complex applications. You code with an easy to learn new programming language that combines the power of SQL and normal languages but makes it secure in a blockchain context. Up to 1/10 the code-lines vs other blockchains.
If you don't believe me, check this blog (later, stay in the chat):
https://blog.chromia.com/reasons-for-rell-compactness/
The aim of Chromia is to combine relational databases, which exist in every kind of organization, with blockchains. We want to provide a platform for our users to develop totally decentralized apps securely. Our goal is for Chromia to be seen as the number one infrastructure for decentralized applications.
Think about it: blockchain is about managing data (in a shared context).
And... What do we use to manage data? A Database!
Serge:
Sure! My name is Serge! And I work in Chromia marketing department. Also, I help coordinate various projects inside the company
My background is in Economics and Marketing
Thai Nhat Minh | Stably:
Question 1️⃣
DApp is currently mainly concentrated in the field of games, and its life cycle is basically short, just like the Crypto Kitty is only hot for a while, how to dig the application of DApp in more fields and how to improve the utilization rate of DApp? @henrik_hjelte @sergelubkin
Serge:
Good one, let me answer
Gaming is quite a challenging target because good UX is expected, it needs to be fast, responsive, etc. If we can do that, then we can also do all sorts of other stuff.
Also, it lets us experiment with things without a lot of hassle, it’s easier to get users, and so on. It’s also a growing niche within blockchain. You can check our latest game, Mines of Dalarnia https://www.minesofdalarnia.com
We also have Enterprise projects already, for example Green Assets Wallet https://greenassetswallet.org/about that already launched on the first Mainnet version called Bootstrap Net,we also have https://capchap.se built on our tech, more projects like non-profit review platform Impactoria, public land registries, medical projects and so on
Also don't forget about our fully decentralized social network/forum that is live already on the testnet https://testnet.chromunity.com.
Thai Nhat Minh | Stably:
Question 2️⃣
How will dapp face the world change after the epidemic? @henrik_hjelte @sergelubkin
Henrik Hjelte:
Nobody can say for sure, but maybe people will tend to be online more than offline, so demand on online products and dapps as well will increase.
I just came in from an internal demo of a secret project we do, and it can be seen as a way to hang out online (a bit cryptic answer)
There are also interesting use cases of dapps in the medical field.
For example, we participated in the world-wide hackathon Hack for Sweden. Where our submission was to create an app on Chromia blockchain that increases the coordination between countries and hospitals especially during the hard time and COVID19.
Chromia wants to help the European Union (and the world, but we saw problems in the EU...) and its citizens to provide transparency over the necessary medical and protective devices and appliances of which we see shortage during this emergency crisis.
You can watch our promo here https://twitter.com/chromaway/status/1247557274337447938?s=20.
For me it was a fun Hackathon too because for once I got the opportunity to code... I told everyone else I will not do any bossing...
We try to continue this path on medical applications a bit.
Thai Nhat Minh | Stably:
Question 3️⃣
DApps are still not directly embedded in mobile phones like Apps at this moment, and DApps have also been flooded with bet content. How can guests increase the use of DApps and lower the threshold for using DApps? @henrik_hjelte @sergelubkin
Serge:
The answer is - better User Experience. We believe that in order for a DApp to be usable and become more widely accepted it has to feel like a normal App. A DApp needs to have quick transactions, scale well & shouldn’t require users to pay for each transaction. This is something that is possible now with using Chromia. It’s an extremely exciting time since we are going to see a new generation of DApps.
On top of that, we think that we might have an ace coming up. We have built a game to demonstrate the powers and possibilities of Chromia. A little bit about the game: In Mines of Dalarnia (https://www.minesofdalarnia.com), players get to explore the vast expanses of interplanetary treasure mines. With an innovative Dalarnia Token system, players can purchase virtual mining plots, and put them up for rent into the community, allowing for real-estate tycoons to earn more Tokens. Mining plots can also undergo their own upgrades, making them more lucrative to explore, as well as a hot property for rental by miners. The game takes advantage of these NFT-based tokens to securely track exchanges, and provide a sense of ownership and wealth to players as they grow their mining and resource empire.
Watch our trailer
Thai Nhat Minh | Stably:
Question 4️⃣
Many practitioners think that the main reason for restricting the development of DApp is "incomplete infrastructure". How effective is the current "cross-chain" and "side-chain" solution? @henrik_hjelte @sergelubkin
Serge:
Our infrastructure resembles Alibaba Cloud, so a DApp developer just goes and deploys his DApp's blockchain into it, it’s easy. Also our language Rell https://rell.chromia.com/en/master/ is more robust than any other blockchain programming language.Or Azure or AWS
Rell combines the following features:
- Relational data modeling and queries similar to SQL. People familiar with SQL should feel at home once they learn the new syntax.
- Normal programming constructs: variables, loops, functions, collections, etc.
- Constructs which specifically target application backends and, in particular, blockchain-style programming including request routing, authorization, etc.
Rell aims to make programming as convenient and simple as possible. It minimizes boilerplate and repetition. At the same time, as a static type system it can detect and prevent many kinds of defects prior to run-time.
Maybe Henrik wants to add something. :)
Henrik Hjelte:
Yes, I can add some thing
Consider again the real /normal world. What made the apps you use every day? Behind the bank app is a relational database. Web 1.0, "shopping on the internet" was a relational database hooked up to a webpage.
web 2.0: Thefacebook was PhP and MySQL hack
again, a relational database.
So, we aim to make it just as easy to do decentralized apps as normal apps.
Also "the cloud" inspiration is more normal. In Chromia, the dapp developer pays for hosting the application (normally). Not the USERS.
No gas,this is a big usability improvement.
Thai Nhat Minh | Stably:
Question 5️⃣
There are many DApp development platforms on the market. What are the competitive advantages of Chromia? It can be explained in terms of development cost and ease of use that everyone is more concerned about. @henrik_hjelte @sergelubkin
Henrik Hjelte:
This what I'm talking about. I think "Ease of use" combined with "Power" is our biggest strength.
Easiness is our core feature thanks to the relational database aspect of our system. Relational databases are run by 85% of the enterprise market at the moment.
And used in 100% of all organizations.
The largest vendor on that market Oracle, has a bigger market cap than bitcoin,
So, this makes it easy for enterprises to integrate our tech stack to their normal systems without the need to redo them, like in most cases where blockchain pilots have failed.
That’s partially why we had success with enterprise customer which are live in the Chromia network.
And: there is a large set of features that relational databases have that alternatives (noSQL) do not have or do not do as well.
And blockchain is very primitive compared to that.
Data indepence, mathematical foundations etc. Large books have been written about it...
On Chromiam It’s very easy for developers to deploy DApps because they already know SQL-style programming. Keep in mind that we worked with customers and developers to build our tech stack while solving problems for them. We didn’t build something unneeded, we had proof of validation from the market.
SQL is top 3rd language in the world (after HTML and javascript).
source: stackoverflow survey 2019, among 90 000 developers...
Top 4 used databases: different flavors of SQL (relational databases)
So, they are used for a reason: Ease of use/programming, power etc.
Also, Rell is our language, is statically typed (means bugs are discovered when programs are written rather than we they run). It is also more compact, up to 1/7 of the code lines of SQL. And have "normal" programming constructs + blockchain programming built in.
Because we require both relational database properties and more security than SQL, currently Rell is the only choice. It is really easy to learn, please go check https://rell.chromia.com/en/master/.
Chromia also provides news to the database developer community....
millions of developers in potential.
OK, bear this in mind when you wonder how we can compete with blockchain X... Blockchain X is a fart in the ocean compare to the SQL world 😊
Bach Tuyet
You have organized many AMA sessions to the international community in general and Vietnam in particular. What do you most want to get after AMA sessions from the community? @henrik_hjelte
Sergey
I’ll take this one:) our goal is to grow the community
- We want people to join our channels such as telegram, twitter, email also our decentralized forum https://testnet.chromunity.com and participate in discussions
- We want people to try our dapps such as Mines of Dalarnia
- We want to get feedback and understand the most important issues people care about Chromia and the blockchain industry in general
- We want to get more developers building on top of Chromia
LBTS:
What was your motivation for creating RELL and not use other languages? What benefits? Why name it RELL also?
Henrik Hjelte:
We have a private/federated relational blockchain called Postchain, and it allows SQL. But that can work in a small environment when you know all parties, and if you are really careful in checking code. But not for a more secure, distributed on the web setup, so we had to make it more secure (Deterministic, statically typed).
In the process, we also took the opportunity to make it cool and nice.
Also: it is simply not possibly to use evm, jvm, or web assembly. We need/want a database in the bottom. Postgresql is our virtual machine. You do not reimplement that.... 10+ years codebase....
Lee:
Being part of the gamer community, I would like to know what you would think about collaborating with a MOBA, RPG or Arcade game or some kind of project?
Henrik Hjelte:
We are already collaborating with some smaller studios. For bigger fish, we want to show them what is completely unique and visionary with Chromia, and we think we need various examples. So, first arcade game MoD (linked above) is one example, it is not the full potential or anything but a start. In this summer, krystopia 2 a puzzle game from Antler Interactive will be released.
What is even cooler is the "demo project" we do together with them, where we will show how a mutliplayer game with real blockchain features will work.
I just saw it an hour ago and was blown away
OH, and there is another studio releasing something very cool. Full logic on chain strategy game. Chain of Alliance.
oyibo pepper:
Do you encourage HACKATHON programs for intending Developers to test their skills and build on RELL
Can you explain more about CHROMIA AMBASSADORS PROGRAM, CAN I BECOME AN AMBASSADOR
Serge:
Yes, you can, but you will need to change your avatar 🤣
Seriously, we are growing our Chromians community if you want to become one please ping our admins in Chromia telegram group.
Also, we are planning virtual hackathons soon, please subscribe to stay updated
Infinite Crypto:
Since the Chromia project is currently working on the Ethereum blockchain ERC20 standard!
But we know that there are a lot of scalability issues with Ethereum, so why would you choose the Ethereum blockchain over other scalable blockchains? Do you have any plans for Mainnet launch of Chromia?
Henrik Hjelte:
ETH is just used in a pre-phase for tokens. We will have our own mainnet tokens interchangable with ETH.
Oyinbo pepper
What's CHROMIA SSO and SDK, how can I get started
Henrik Hjelte
Both are 3 letters. That is what they have in common.
SDK = software development kit, check docs on https://rell.chromia.com
SSO = single sign on. A unique UX improvement. You approve an app in your wallet (vault) with super ease. no need to remember codes
sso: https://blog.chromia.com/chromia-sso-the-whys-and-the-whats/
We have a fundamentally different model from bitcoin and ethereum and the likes. The blockchain is not run by anonymous computers in basement and student dorms across the world. We have more of known identities, so 51% attacks is protected not by PoW/PoS but other consensus. Please see our whitepaper. Note that we are not noobs when it comes to this, our CTO Alex has published papers in academic journals on consensus etc. from 2013, and done several important ideas for blockchain. Sidechains we think he was first with, tokens too.
Sheron Fernando:
Is there any plan to makes partnership with local cryptocurrency developers from each country to make $CHR usage more worldwide?
Serge:
Yes, we are looking for cooperation with more external developers. Send me a message if you are interested in developing something on Chromia.
Stella:
What are the underlying problems in the Dapps today that can be solved with the Chromia protocol?
Serge:
- Scalability - on Chromia your dapp can have unlimited numbers of users thanks to parallel scaling
- Easiness of use - you don’t need external wallets, no need to buy crypto to pay for gas etc
- Cost - in general to deploy the dapp and to use the dapp
Marcel Lagacé:
Why build this platform? What is Chromia mission? What are the most prominent features of the platform? Can you clarify the use case for this feature?
Henrik Hjelte:
We build the platform to fix the problems with blockchains, that we ourselves have experienced since 2014 (before ethereum existed).
LBTS:
Can you tell us about Chromia developers? How motivated and experienced are they to always deliver the best products?
Henrik Hjelte:
I can tell you that we recruit developers that are really good, from all parts of the world. Vietnam has been a hub because we found many good, so in Ukraine.
How can we say "we have so good developers"? First one thing that is a bit different is that we are pretty experienced in leadership team of development. I do not code much anymore since I'm a CEO. But I do have now over 30 years of experience. Got published and was payed when I was 15. First full-time professional developer job at 18. Have released open-source projects used by 10: s of thousand developers.
And Alex, our CTO is Extremely good. That is why I recruited him to my old startup 2006 or so... So: we have experience to sort out good developers from bad.
Marcel Lagacé:
Does Chromia staking model is different from other staking platform??
What are the beneficial advantages of chromia staking system?
Serge:
The main difference is that we have independent Providers, entities that are not connected. These serious players are exchanges, data centres, professional staking companies. They provide a backbone of the ecosystem and host dapps. Like Amazon servers in the cloud. They cannot have stake bigger than the maximum thus they can’t control the network. This is probably the main difference with classic DPoS networks
Nguyen Duy Bao:
A lot of people will want to know what the strength of Chromia is but I want to know the weaknesses and problems Chromia faces ? How do you plan to solve it?
Henrik Hjelte:
A weakness I guess is weak compared to "competition". And there are some blockchain projects that got crazy amount of funding. So how can we compete with that, when they can hire more developers for example? Well here is what experience comes into play: More developers does not always increase productivity a lot, it is diminishing returns. You can see many large projects, with 100 of developers fail miserably with no results.
And actually, sometimes true with marketing spend too. It is generally good with money, but if you are a bit clever you can compete also on marketing with less money than your competition.
Please follow Chromia on Social Media:
Website: https://www.chromia.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chromia
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/teamchromia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chromia
Telegram: https://t.me/hellochromia
Decentralized Social network Chromunity: https://testnet.chromunity.com
Free-to-Play Blockchain Game Mines of Dalarnia: https://www.minesofdalarnia.com