Introducing the EarthBucks Rolling Soft Launch: Test Apps, Genesis Block, and Early Network

EarthBucks will officially launch when the genesis block is mined, which I am targeting sometime in July. From now until then, I will be launching new features into the main product at earthbucks.com including mining test apps and transaction test apps.

This is your notice that mining will begin soon. If you want to mine EarthBucks early, please register now (for free) to get your user number. Mining priority will be based on user number. To learn when the genesis block is being mined, please monitor the blog or other EarthBucks communication channels (links available at earthbucks.com).

Because the actual launch date is impossible to predict, and because I plan to update the software regularly before, during, and after launch, I call this a “rolling soft launch,” and it begins now.

Current Status of EarthBucks

All of the fundamental components of EarthBucks have been finished in prototype form, particularly transaction and block building and verification, except for the peer-to-peer (p2p) network. Most code is open-source can be found at github.com/earthbucks/earthbucks. I am currently working on the main app, also the first mine, at earthbucks.com.

There is still a lot of work to complete the software and grow the network. It will take a very long time (years) to reach the level of maturity I envision. The question is not therefore “when is the software finished,” but rather when it is good enough that users can start mining the genesis block and creating transactions. My goal is to reach that point in July. Users should monitor the main app at earthbucks.com to know when the genesis block is being mined. You can also follow the blog, and other social network channels including X (Twitter), Telegram, and Discord (links available at earthbucks.com).

Test Apps

Leading up to launch and beyond, I plan to release a series of test apps. The first test app, available now at earthbucks.com, is a GPU test app to confirm that your GPU is capable of running the mining algorithm. Other apps I plan to launch include testing the creation of blocks and transactions and social networking features.

Genesis Block

When the software is ready, we will mine the genesis block together. I plan to allow all early users to participate in mining the genesis block, possibly up to a limit of 100 users or more. If there is too much interest, I may need to limit the number for technical reasons. This is why it is important to register now at earthbucks.com to get your user number if you think that you might want to participate in mining the genesis block or other early mining.

Early Network

The first mine will be hosted at earthbucks.com. I have decided to start with one mine at launch out of sheer practicality. As previously mentioned, I personally plan to operate up to six mines early on in order to guarantee the network is technically decentralized around the world. Those mines will be announced sometime after launch when the software is ready.

On “Decentralization”

EarthBucks will be launching with one mine, but that is not the intended configuration long-term. I will be launching up to six mines myself, along with other wallets and apps. This will allow me to test and guarantee the network actually works. After that, I will be opening up the network for other people to run mines, wallets and apps. Note that you can mine without running a mine; see Mines vs. Miners.

There are many ways to measure decentralization. The goal of EarthBucks is to have exactly the right amount of decentralization in order to create electronic cash for a global user base. That means we need nodes that are technically distributed around the world so that all users have optimal latency. It also means we need political decentralization, meaning nodes are operated in different countries, to guarantee political stability. We also need operational decentralization, meaning nodes are operated by many entities so that no one entity is a central point of failure for the network. All of this will happen with time as the software and ecosystem are ready.

Conclusion

I will not be writing a white paper before launch. All information will be shared on the blog and other communication channels. If you want to mine early, please sign up now at earthbucks.com and watch the channels for a notice when test apps launch and when mining begins. This blog post is your announcement that mining will begin soon. The actual date will depend on when the software is ready.