Maybe you’re interested in checking out the hubbub around crypto and decentralisation and have no idea what it’s all about, beyond the market, hype and the price?

Well, start here… —> State of the dApps

Why?

Because this is where some of the utility in crypto comes in, in the form of the actual (decentralised) applications (Dapps, DApps, dApps – not sure it matters) that are now emerging and make use of crypto network platforms (public blockchains) such as Ethereum, EOS and Steem [recently added]…  Yes, those buzzwords filling the news that have been flying around cafes etc.

[No, you won’t see much mention of Bitcoin, as it wasn’t designed for dapps, but hopefully we’ll see TRON on the site soon. You will also notice POA, which is Ethereum’s Proof-of-Authority side-chain.]

State of the dApps is just a great website with the vital information required to explore or access one (and provides a real, intriguing overview of what’s popular), such as: Current user level and activity (very important), the current Top dApps, rankings, info and related. The latter link provides a real insight into the nature of decentralisation and why it’s starting to provide answers for our various technological needs, eg. security, information, collaboration…etc etc…

Can I try out a Dapp?

Yes. Just click on it. The general idea is that they will work in your browser with the related extension.

Depending on the network they’ve been built for, you just need to download either the MetaMask extension (Ethereum) or Scatter (EOS) extension.

At time of writing, EOS Knights is a game that looks to be doing well, and Firelotto.io on Ethereum is good for a spin, or a weekly lottery ticket. If you’re an investor hodling FUN (FunFair) tokens (ERC token) then you should also check out and actually have a go at the much more well-developed casino website on a spare Saturday. But these are just the tip of the iceberg, as killer dapps or games are surely around the corner, and social media facebook replacements could lead the pack (hence FB’s efforts to adapt).

Why use MetaMask or Scatter? Why use a DApp anyway?

Because when you do, YOU have control over your ID/data and your money/crypto/tokens, when you start interacting with a dApp, avoiding the issue of signing up to any single, centralised server, or experiencing tons of adverts. It’s these browser extensions that will securely allow you to sign transactions, that will be used by them. When you are interacting with a dApp, these extensions will simply pop-up just like any extension.

You retain this independence and control via a mnemonic phrase, password, keys etc…

To be honest, all this is something you’ll just have to experiment with, and you will soon gain confidence with interacting on the networks. It avoids having to enter multiple usernames and passwords to interact with websites. Take a look at this helpful video on MetaMask.

Monetising these browser extensions (MetaMask/Scatter etc) with crypto (or linking them to wallets) involves loading them up. This will probably be ETH (Ether) or one of its ERC tokens which are all compatible, or EOS and its own tokens etc.

Initially, you will have purchased EOS/Ether from some exchange (most likely right now Coinbase), and then sent it to a wallet address that will link to the browser extensions.

In a way it all seems like we should’ve done all this in the 1990s, when the Internet was first rising, and messages in movies like TRON (with the single company+AI entity the MCP) were still sinking in. Now, we have cryptocurrency tech, we can back-peddle and re-invent the internet again.

Growth

One more thing, would you like to see the state of the growth of all these dApps (which may explain some of the hype about crypto?) Then check out this chart here. You will also see the types of dApps in terms of category.

The future is exciting, where developers are now harnessing the power of blockchain or DLT that can carry these secure creations that exist outside the control of single entities.

So, weary traders and early adopters… let’s now get adopting.

Stay tuned to Ade’s Press, and I hope to report on some of these dApp things in more detail… Comments/suggestions welome.