Blockchain is a decentralized database that is shared and synchronized among the nodes of a computer network and operates without the need for a central authority.
The network must be open, publicly accessible to multiple users and transparent, and its content must be at hand for validation at all times with the help of reliable mathematical calculations.
Instead of being locked within a single database, as is the case with centralized systems, files and information are diversified across the blockchain and made available to as many computers connected to a common peer-to-peer network as needed.
The blockchain ensures that the data stored there is virtually immutable and properly verified. Once saved, the data can no longer be changed or deleted.
#Potential issues
Blockchain performance is often directly correlated with the number of active computers (nodes) within the network and the number of validated blocks that hold sets of information.
The more blocks, the better the data is protected, because more blocks are harder to forge.
This solution may seem stable and sustainable, but it is far from perfect, mainly for the following reasons:
Inadequate mathematical methods are used to validate transactions, which unnecessarily burden the entire blockchain system and make it more complex and expensive than it should be.
The validation process is inevitably accompanied by a number of topics open for discussion, such as high costs, inability to record large amounts of data, environmental challenges, huge energy consumption, vulnerability to illegal distribution and sale, and more.
Any network failure could potentially compromise the security and integrity of the data stored in the blockchain, while the credibility of the blockchain itself would be irreparably damaged.
Let's confront the facts head on and try to find a solution accordingly.
We will start with a simple example that illustrates the analogy between blockchain performance and the physical world.
#Illustration of different approaches to utilizing blockchain technology
Three neighbors are returning home and want to enter their houses.
The first neighbor has the key he brought with him, unlocks the door and enters the house normally.
The second neighbor does not carry the key with him, but finds it under the mat, unlocks the door and enters the house.
The third neighbor has no key at all and cannot unlock the door. He calls for the help of a locksmith, who breaks the lock and the neighbor can now enter the house.
#Conclusions to draw
It is obvious that the first neighbor acts the most prudently, because he has the key that he carries with him.
Another neighbor risks leaving the key under the mat, which someone else could find (say, see if he takes the key and where he takes it from) and enter the house.
The third neighbor is behaving strangely and irrationally. Not only does he break the lock to enter his house, but he also invites any malevolent people watching him to do the same.
#An analogy with blockchain and the issue of data protection in the digital world
The "house" we want to enter is the data we want to access, and the way we enter the house is the way we protect the data.
The "key" we use to enter the house is the app we use to access the data.
If we have the key and carry it with us, it means we can use the app to access the data on our own device.
If the digital key, which we use to unlock the door and simultaneously digitally lock the data inside the files, could somehow be inserted into the file itself and made available on demand through the same application, that would be a perfect solution.
If we have the key, but we don't carry it with us, we'll have to store it elsewhere. In this present case, it will be stored in the blockchain.
This is a good solution, but not as good and sustainable as the previous one.
If we don't have the key at all, we'll have to "break the lock". In other words, we will have to access data in a much more difficult way.
This is the worst case scenario.
This leads to an increase in investment costs, introduces uncertainty and mistrust and significantly reduces the chances of making a profit, because the costs are too high.
#How to protect blockchain data from unauthorized access
Just as we need to know how to access data, we also need to know how to protect data from unauthorized access.
Even when it comes to data that does not require anonymity, it is necessary to disable changes to the files and preserve the authenticity and integrity of the content.
This is, for example, what it takes to create and mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
It makes sense to use software that embeds and cryptographically "locks" data in a file, including security-related data, and that can also retrieve that data and log any changes to the file.
And if we don't use the right software, it's like guarding a house that we can't lock (because we don't have the key).
We would have to install video surveillance, install multi-layered armored doors, hire security consisting of several tens, hundreds, thousands of guards...
In the digital world, the "gatekeepers" would be computers connected to a shared network.
#Simplicity is the Virtue
With all of the above known, it remains unclear why blockchain technology relies heavily on the latter, far worse solution.
Instead of using a single, simple application to store, secure, and authenticate data, files, and information, most blockchain networks are based on the principle of "the more complex, the more expensive, the better."
Higher prices, however, are no guarantee of success, while complexity rarely improves quality.
The complexity of the algorithms used in blockchain technology is not a reflection of the mathematical functions underlying these algorithms.
It's a fairly simple formula of computing/validating hash values of all transactions in the blockchain, and most developers are familiar with it (a cryptographic hash represents an encrypted fixed-length value that identifies a given amount of data).
Complexity arises as a consequence of overexploitation of these calculations.
Due to the lack of a suitable software solution, the path of least resistance is chosen and the use of inadequate substitutes is insisted upon.
As a result, the effectiveness of algorithms is drastically reduced due to the fact that they are unnecessarily burdened with numerous, still unsolved issues (as mentioned in the first chapter).
It is incomprehensible that engineers persistently try to force a solution within one and the same working environment, although it is crystal clear that a disparate concept must be added instead.
#A blockchain solution with no more than three computers in the network
Telinov8 Network is a simple and reliable blockchain solution with up to three nodes connected to a common peer-to-peer (P2P) computer network and sharing broadcast data with each other.
The data that is transmitted and shared throughout the blockchain is referred to as a digital telegram.
Some other solutions may involve multiple nodes in the chain (e.g. voting systems, supply chains, video streaming services, etc.), but this technology is primarily adapted to deal with NFTs (non-fungible tokens) or any other digital assets including, but not limited to images, photos, animated GIFs, songs, movies or e-books.
The first node in the queue is the one that initiates a digital telegram transaction (e.g. a cryptocurrency transaction, a non-fungible token validation etc.).
The transaction data is pre-stored in a file that represents a digital telegram. So this is not a virtual transaction, but an real file that can be sent, received, stored, shared and viewed.
On other occasions, the second node would be considered the "central authority", but in this case it is only one of the nodes in the common network.
In a way, this node can still play the role of supervisor and mediator. For example, it can host, even temporarily, a non-fungible token or a message supposed to be transmitted to the end user.
It also serves as a remote database server, providing information about completed transactions at any time through a web application and cloud-based software running in the background.
The third node is the receiver of the digital telegram. For example, the recipient can be a non-fungible token (NFT) buyer, a cryptocurrency trader, and so on.
#How to achieve a consensus mechanism that all nodes in the blockchain agree on
A digital telegram transaction is considered final after all three computers in the network have validated the data contained in the digital telegram.
Using the same data verification software, all three computers make decisions completely independently of each other and inform each other of the outcome of the verification.
If the transaction is correct, a block of transaction data is formed and automatically stored in all three computers.
The transaction data matches the information stored in the digital telegram when the transaction was initiated and this is a significant advantage over other blockchain solutions.
It enables Telinov8 Network to verify the authenticity and integrity of data independently of external sources and regardless of external changes that may occur in the meantime.
Even if the transaction data from any of the three computers becomes unavailable for any reason, temporarily or permanently, no harm can be done, as this data is permanently stored in the digital telegram and will exist and be available as long as the digital telegram exists.
Blockchain is just another, additional confirmation of the validity of a transaction, while the actual data is embedded in a non-fungible token, cryptocurrency, online shared document, bank payment or any other file that makes up a digital telegram.
#Set out for the future of creating authentic digital assets
#Telinov8 Network is a simple and reliable blockchain solution with up to three nodes connected to a common peer-to-peer (P2P) computer network that operates without the need for a central authority.
The data that is transmitted and shared throughout the blockchain is referred to as a digital telegram.
This technology is primarily adapted to deal with NFTs (non-fungible tokens) or any other digital assets including, but not limited to images, photos, animated GIFs, songs, movies or e-books.