Have you ever heard about Florincoin (FLO) and if so.... what about LBRY? The purpose of this article is to explore which one of these cryptocurrencies will win the number one spot for file sharing in the blockchain category.

In a fairly recent article written by Brave New Coin entitled 'Alexandria vs LBRY - Which will be the file sharing application of the next generation?' many interesting points are made that I would like to use in my exploration of this topic.

BitTorrent is starting to show it's age. Not only is it less user-friendly than people have come to expect in a media-consumption application these days, but better network infrastructure like IPFS is starting to become available, which is capable of much faster downloads.

Why do we need IPFS when we already have bittorrent?

According to the statement made above IPFS has a better network infrastructure and is capable of much higher speeds when it comes to downloading. Speed is king when it comes to downloads so clearly there is a real need for IPFS.

Now that cryptocurrencies are in the mix, there's also the added third dimension of publishing to consider. File-sharing systems like BitTorrent always lacked the ability to pay for downloads, up until a recent project called JoyStream. The service was the first of it’s kind, incentivizing torrents with bitcoin. Unfortunately, the project still isn't finished, and it still looks a lot like BitTorrent by dealing with tracker links.

Authors, directors, and artists who would like to use this kind of platform to sell their content will likely find that the potential viewership is no larger than the current viewership available through BitTorrent. They can also make much more money selling their content through iTunes or Amazon, even while paying the listing fees, at least for now.

Cryptocurrencies offer creators of content a new way to get paid for downloads and media. Clearly there needs to be a platform above all others where media is offered in exchange for cryptocurrency. Amazon and Itunes have large fees and this is something to be worked upon as well...

What are the alternatives to mega publishers like Amazon and Itunes?

Alexandria (Florincoin / FLO) and LBRY are building their own platforms in order to tackle this problem and bring a better way to purchase media to the web via blockchain.

The developers behind Alexandria and LBRY are both stepping up and creating their next-generation publishing platforms. Both are fully decentralized applications, that accept bitcoin for content, and make it easier than ever to find the content you're looking for. Both have far higher speeds than the old BitTorrent network, providing instant streaming of even high-definition video, much like Netflix does.

If Alexandria and LBRY are similar services what separates them and their vision?

Alexandria was the first to go public, back in April. Their client application is already working, on multiple operating systems, but there is very little content on it yet, and the upload process is still incomplete.

Alexandria allows all kinds of free and paid content, and paying tiny fractions of a bitcoin for other users to seed the content makes it easily accessible. You can also store (seed) it locally too, for free.

The Alexandria platform looks amazing that based on that fact I've decided to make a moderate investment in their cryptocurrency trading on Bittrex with ticker FLO.

So what about LBRY?

The following is some relevant information I've gleaned about LBRY:

LBRY, pronounced “library,” arrived in September, and the dev team recently released a working client application, although only for Linux users.

The LBRY system is very different from Alexandria and BitTorrent, including the fact that it has its own blockchain to mine. The platform also encrypts all content, letting the publisher hold onto the private key, while the public key allows you to view the content, and can be sold or given away for free.

So what's the difference between the two?

The biggest thing I can see as a difference between the two is the posting dynamics / sale process and the currencies accepted for media/content. Where Florincoin FLO the maker of Alexandria will allow users to purchase contents in BTC their competitor will only allow you to make purchases in their proprietary cryptocurrency LBRY.

Techblogger Wrap Up

Although I think that both of these platforms will be successful, I personally have made my choice on which horse to back. I think FLO (Alexandria) is an obvious choice above LBRY and that's the horse I expect to win the race.

If you have something to add to this comparison, please do so in the comments and feedback section below. What do you think about FLO and LBRY and how do you feel about the IPFS?

Thanks for reading!

Sources:

Alexandria vs LBRY - Which will be the file sharing application of the next generation? - Brave New Coin