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> As I understand it, a blockchain is a decentralized database which does not require the individual instances to have perfect connectivity and perfect trust al

> As I understand it, a blockchain is a decentralized database which does not require the individual instances to have perfect connectivity and perfect trust all the time. Specifically, perfect trust in the log itself. Blockchain gives you a guard against someone trying to retroactively tamper with the log. It doesn't give you a whole lot of help with the points where data enters the log in the first place. e.g., the blockchain solution to, "there was a network partition when you tried to enter that transaction, and you entered it on the smaller partition" is to declare that that transaction never happened. I can't see how this is an acceptable solution for logistics. With Bitcoin it's easy enough to say that the blockchain is reality, but with supply chain management, it doesn't matter that the blockchain says your kumquats are in a warehouse in LA; if they're on a train bound for Chicago, they're on a train bound for Chicago.

theossuary 8y ago
Actually it does. IBM is spearheading the Hyperledger projects, so I'd suspect they're using Fabric. Fabric allows you to run chaincode on all transactions, which has to succeed for all parties of the secure ledger before the transaction is committed to the log. I think this tech makes a lot of sense for the use case. Plus, I'm excited to see IBM do something new, if it works we all benefit.
Faark 8y ago
I agree. The append-only nature of blocks chained together using hashes can build the most tamper-proof transaction log i can imagine. Even without mining/consensus algorithm and with it only being centrally host (but still published), i can upload a file to e.g. some government agency, see the file hash appear in the block and save the block hash. As long as that same block hash is used to continue the chain, upcoming block hashes would have to change to remove my entry from that chain-log. I would love such cryptographically safe systems actually being used, especially whenever we don't trust the db operator. E.g. for Reddit admins it might lessen the appeal to alter posts again :D
bayesian_horse 8y ago
I believe the case of network partition only matters in case of an attack on the system, i.e. someone entering conflicting information. That would be somewhat obvious, and you'd have to go after that actor. But as long as that doesn't happen, and even if it would happen, most transactions will actually be valid enough to trace the food chain.

theossuary 8y ago

Actually it does. IBM is spearheading the Hyperledger projects, so I'd suspect they're using Fabric. Fabric allows you to run chaincode on all transactions, which has to succeed for all parties of the secure ledger before the transaction is committed to the log. I think this tech makes a lot of sense for the use case. Plus, I'm excited to see IBM do something new, if it works we all benefit.

Faark 8y ago

I agree. The append-only nature of blocks chained together using hashes can build the most tamper-proof transaction log i can imagine. Even without mining/consensus algorithm and with it only being centrally host (but still published), i can upload a file to e.g. some government agency, see the file hash appear in the block and save the block hash. As long as that same block hash is used to continue the chain, upcoming block hashes would have to change to remove my entry from that chain-log. I would love such cryptographically safe systems actually being used, especially whenever we don't trust the db operator. E.g. for Reddit admins it might lessen the appeal to alter posts again :D

bayesian_horse 8y ago

I believe the case of network partition only matters in case of an attack on the system, i.e. someone entering conflicting information. That would be somewhat obvious, and you'd have to go after that actor. But as long as that doesn't happen, and even if it would happen, most transactions will actually be valid enough to trace the food chain.