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  • Author Author: rscasny
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Poll: Blockchain is Hot, but I Haven't Gotten Much Interest in the BlockChain Kit Roadtest. Any Ideas Why?

If you quickly search through the web, it's clear that blockchain technology is considered as one of the hot new technologies that will find application in a wide number of industries. Some people call it a game changer, which I personally am reluctant to declare. But it definitely is something worth learning more about and understanding how it works. So, when I was approached by a sponsor to launch a roadtest on its new blockchain kit: Infineon Blockchain Starter Kit I thought it was a great idea to roadtest this kit. Now, I will admit I roadtested this a few months ago and I didn't get much interest. I had 5 more kits so I am trying again. I still am not getting much interest. My poll here is to take a sense of why people don't find it interesting. Thanks.

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  • I agonised over submitting an application for the first RoadTest of this product. On reading the reviews after it was completed, I believe I made the right choice. There were comments on the documentation and getting a card reader to work.

     

    I have limited knowledge on the product but security related technology has a strong appeal to me. I need to feel confident I can successfully complete the RoadTest before applying.   Experiment with Blockchain Tech was where I would have focused.

     

    Looking at the review I know I would not have had the technology to read the card and I strongly suspect the documentation would not have lead me to find a solution. I don't know what I don't know. I may have muddled my way to some success but that is a big risk.

     

    I looked again when you posted this review and thought maybe this time. I would consider following along in a tutorial to get me legs under me but going it alone I feel is an assured failure.

  • in reply to colporteur

    Sean, blockchain is more about "traceability of a series of events - and the fact that it's hard to change them / meddle with them once submitted" than security like in access or encryption.

    The phone app that supports the kit shows this. There's not a lot of ready-to-consume documentation though.

     

    Standard, the data on a blockchain is not a secret. Data can be viewed by anyone in the know. Getting data on it requires the right secure access though. Changing it after the facts (something you're not supposed to do) is ultra-hard.

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  • in reply to colporteur

    Sean, blockchain is more about "traceability of a series of events - and the fact that it's hard to change them / meddle with them once submitted" than security like in access or encryption.

    The phone app that supports the kit shows this. There's not a lot of ready-to-consume documentation though.

     

    Standard, the data on a blockchain is not a secret. Data can be viewed by anyone in the know. Getting data on it requires the right secure access though. Changing it after the facts (something you're not supposed to do) is ultra-hard.

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  • in reply to Jan Cumps

    I'd be very interested in your views once you've finished your road test Jan: not so much in relation to the security cards, but in respect to the comments in this thread about Blockchain and appropriate applications.  I think you are going about this the right way, installing and using an actual Blockchain implementation, so it would be good to hear what you think about the wider technology.  A lot has probably changed since I last looked into it.

  • in reply to Jan Cumps

    My choice of words demonstrates my ignorance.  When ever I think security I think confidentiality, Integrity and availability. I realized after reading your comments the better word would have been integrity of the data.

     

    Your post got me to reflecting on my career. I recall when public key infrastructure (PKI) was in its infancy. I was trying to establish access to the system for our technical group in a small company. We were a computer systems team outside the IT shop and considered to be rogue by some.  Later, I worked on a team to implement PKI for digital television. Our company was eventually bought and towards the twilight of my career I moved the a whole bought company PKI infrastructure to a public certificate authority that serviced the corporation that purchased us.

    To complete the move I established the process and procedures for the subsidiary company to request certificates. My team could reply to a public key certificate request in hours where in the past it could take weeks.

     

    The reason for spilling this story to a post ,is to show some parallels of the lack of knowledge and good documentation. OHHH PKI is scary! It involves encryption and keys you don't want to mess with that. It is difficult to establish and maintain. I recall the frustration of not knowing and not having someone that could help me know. Much later, after I did come to know, I hosted workshops for technical teams to help them use and implement public key certificates in server operating systems and move away from the multitude of systems using self generated certificates.

     

    I would rather enjoy doing some development in blockchain. I just don't have the career obligation coupled with a motivation to uncover all the bits and pieces not documented to make it work. It implementation seems in its infancy. You never know, I might take Randall up on an RoadTest offer sometime.