Reaction from Craig Sellars (CTO of Mastercoin Foundation) on the thread:
Hello folks, Craig from Mastercoin here.
While I certainly can admit that our team’s communication with the community can be improved, the talk of forking the protocol likely takes us down the wrong path. If the issue is with JR’s holdings, remember that the bulk of the funds used in development came from JR in the form of BTC during the crowdsale last year. Those are legitimately purchased tokens. The same can be said for large NXT holders, where it appears this is less of an issue (although why large anonymous holders is better, from the community’s perspective, is a mystery to me).
With regards to the progress on the platform and protocol, including new issuers, let me provide some recent news, as it appears the really good news doesn’t get spread (all of our /r/Bitcoin links get deleted shortly after being posted….):
- Integration of Master Core with large partners is increasing rapidly. Bitfinex, Expresscoin, GoCoin, ZenBox, HolyTransactions (among others) have all integrated in the past two weeks. More wallet integrations are coming soon as well.
- The Decentralized Exchange phase II is in testing currently on testnet (sneak peek at testnet.omniwallet.org) with release before the end of the year.
- Master Core QT wallets for Linux, Windows and OS X are also in testing, and we will release a testnet version imminently (which will include DEx Phase II UI).
- Larger issuers such as Tether (of which I am involved), Factom, HopeGold, etc are only a few of the larger, announced issuers taking advantage of the protocol. The feedback we receive from major issuers (most unannounced) are that the Master Protocol (soon to be re-branded Omni), is the preferred platform due to ongoing development to the core protocol and software, and the expertise within the team.
- The move from crowdsale financed development to community sponsorship is taking hold well with these larger issuers (and several of the smaller ones).
- We have contracted with a well-known crypto firm to redesign OmniWallet UI from the ground up, and we’re in final review of this interface. It should be implemented along with the DEx Phase II release before the end of the year.
Some of the other items being discussed are which smart contract technologies to leverage going forward, and how we can coordinate interop with other technologies such as Ethereum, Sidechains, etc. Our focus is not to be an isolated island of functionality, but instead to be a bridge between complimentary technologies. The partnerships we have made are extremely strong, and as they get announced the rest of the community will see the results.
In short, adoption of the platform is growing, but most of it is occuring quietly in the background. Our progress has been dictated by making sure what we release is rock solid, as the possibility of disabling features after release due to problems is unacceptable. This may not happen as quickly as everyone would like, but it’s prudent and I firmly believe that the platform is being adopted by so many third parties because of the quality of the work in each release. We are constantly told how easy it is to complete an integration with Master Core. The same can’t be said for other platforms. As we continue to become integrated with other large partners (again, several of which are unannounced), it should become evident how strong of a platform we have.
Do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.
Craig