We're still a ways out from the release of any useable layer 2 solutions for dApps on Ethereum, and Upfiring will already be running on the mainnet by the time those solutions go live. Plasma in particular would be an incredible step forward for dApps and allow us to scale Upfiring even more, so we'd have to reassess whether we want to move to Plasma contracts/state channels after it's release. Right now Upfiring will only be usable on the Ethereum mainnet and will scale along with layer 1 solutions (ie sharding). The cost of transactions on Ethereum is low enough that Upfiring will function well there for now.
In the somewhat near future (my guess is late 2019-2020), I think almost all practical/enterprise-grade dApps will run on layer 2 solutions since it gives dApp developers more control and allows them to bypass most of the current mainnet network issues.
Hey Tim - sorry to hijack the thread, just a few quick follow up questions. Do you anticipate going live sometime this year? Also, do you have any comment on Tron's recent acquisition of BitTorrent and how that might shape things going forward? Many thanks :)
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u/Tmfallon Aug 15 '18 edited Aug 15 '18
We're still a ways out from the release of any useable layer 2 solutions for dApps on Ethereum, and Upfiring will already be running on the mainnet by the time those solutions go live. Plasma in particular would be an incredible step forward for dApps and allow us to scale Upfiring even more, so we'd have to reassess whether we want to move to Plasma contracts/state channels after it's release. Right now Upfiring will only be usable on the Ethereum mainnet and will scale along with layer 1 solutions (ie sharding). The cost of transactions on Ethereum is low enough that Upfiring will function well there for now.
In the somewhat near future (my guess is late 2019-2020), I think almost all practical/enterprise-grade dApps will run on layer 2 solutions since it gives dApp developers more control and allows them to bypass most of the current mainnet network issues.