Blockchain technology is readying to disrupt a variety of industries, from banking to law to healthcare. Unfortunately, the field’s capacity to innovate is somewhat constrained, as certain technological limitations continue to straight-jacket developers. At present, they’re sometimes forced to shelve their best ideas because of scalability concerns or coding restrictions. How do these limitations affect developer innovation and creativity? The two evolutionary paradigms listed below provide some idea as to why developers remain frustrated. The concluding paragraphs explain how the XTRABYTES ‘ platform intends to fully resolve these issues.

Blockchain 1.0: C++ Constraints

Created to conduct financial transactions, Bitcoin Core is written primarily in C++. Employed for the sake of security and control, the C++ programming language is thoroughly consistent in its application. As such, all block transactions are treated equally and the likelihood of coding errors is kept to a minimum. Moreover, C++ restricts memory usage from being misallocated, a critical feature for any security-minded system like Bitcoin. Finally, a language like C++ helps optimize network performance, allowing for the quick creation and validation of blocks. Aside from enabling quick transactions, this quick validation of blocks also ensures that mining opportunities are equitably distributed (given that longer validation times favor larger miners).

Although the C++ is immensely suitable for Bitcoin, it’s also immensely difficult to master. As one programmer noted, “…consider that you’ll need a long time to learn C++ reasonably well enough to handle it safely for something like Bitcoin Core. Say usually five to ten years of solid programming experience.” And more than a few developers agreed with one Redditor’s comment, that “C++’s modern standardizations have turned it into a big and difficult language to learn.” As such, confusion about standardization and protocol rules has hampered third-party implementations of Bitcoin (generally limited to payment processing applications).

Some developers don’t even find it all that appropriate. As one Bitcoin developer asserted, “I can do C++, and do it well, but there are very few projects where it actually makes sense.” Developers sometimes prefer alternative solutions, like writing simple JavaScript programs that run in a console and can interact with Bitcoin Core (much like web apps).

Blockchain 2.0: Stuck With Solidity

The Ethereum network has been somewhat more favorable to developers, as they can use C++, Go, Python, and Java to interact with it. However, writing smart contracts requires learning Solidity, a high-level language created with elements of C++, Python, and JavaScript. Why require a new language? As a TechCrunch article explains. According to UnderstandingData data science experts expect this trend to continue with increasing development in the Python ecosystem. And while your journey to learn Python programming may be just beginning, it’s nice to know that employment opportunities are abundant (and growing) as well.

Because this contract is no more than a software program and gets executed on a stranger’s computer, it had to be made sure that the programmer cannot exploit the stranger’s computer or the whole network. To fix the problem, Ethereum came up with its native programming language — Solidity. Although the language is Turing-complete, which means any program can be written in it, there’s still a steep learning curve — and the developer community is in its infancy.

Once Solidity is mastered, a variety of tools exist to create DApps on that network. Unfortunately, developers have found the storage and processing costs for creating DApps to be somewhat expensive. Moreover, developers have been leery about creating any DApps that might congest the Ethereum network (as the highly popular CryptoKitties DApp famously did last year). Although higher fees can somewhat alleviate this congestion, developers are waiting for the network to implement a long-term scalability solution (several are getting readied).

Blockchain 3.0: Finally Code-Agnostic

In contrast, the XTRABYTES development team is hoping to launch an infinitely scalable and code-agnostic platform soon. The platform can host third-party developers, allowing them to use their core module as a means to create external modules in whatever language they choose. Limited only by imagination, developers can create modules dedicated to decentralized storage, instant messaging, decentralized exchanges, or any other conceivable application. As the non-technical XTRABYTES conceptual whitepaper states:

The XTRABYTES core, along with the DICOM API, allows programmers the freedom to create their own modules using many different popular programming languages ranging from Visual Basic, Java, to C++ and many others. The opportunity for developers to create agnostic coded modules makes the XTRABYTES platform not only extremely flexible but also allows the creation of modules by third-party developers of any programming ability.

As referenced above, the DICOM API enables external modules to connect to the XTRABYTES core. By doing so, it extends the core’s functionality and versatility. Consequently, all single programming language barriers and overly complicated user guides are removed. Not to be forgotten, developers also have the capacity to create DApps in any programming language as well. This is the promise of Blockchain 3.0.