DFINITY opens early version of "Internet Computer" to third-party developers

DFINITY has opened its distributed tech stack, dubbed the “Internet Computer,” to third-party developers. This release, codenamed Tungsten, marks the third of five milestones the project has reached on its path to a public launch, which could arrive later this year. As part of the release, DFINITY said its development network is now “running across multiple data centers,” as opposed to its previous public demonstration in January that ran through a single data center.

DFINITY also showcased a decentralized alternative to TikTok, called CanCan, while introducing Tungsten. CanCan and previous demos (such as LinkedIn alternative, LinkedUp) aim to highlight the purported efficiencies afforded by the Internet Computer compared to the Web 2.0 tech stack. For instance, DFINITY says it built CanCan with “less than 1,000 lines of code.” In contrast, CoinDesk reports that social media behemoth Facebook took 62 million lines to construct.

Source: DFINITY Foundation

Why it matters:

• DFINITY is taking a relatively slow but measured approach to its mainnet launch. Today’s release is the first significant project release since January. The next milestone (codenamed Sodium) will introduce DFINITY’s proposed governance system and details on the Internet Computer’s ICP token (formerly DFN). Sodium could launch at some point in September.
• With its early demos, DFINITY appears to be targeting high-profile apps that may have fallen out of favor or come under fire for their data-hoarding ways. It first demoed a decentralized alternative to LinkedIn back in January and now has built a decentralized competitor to TikTok. While toppling these social media giants might prove near-impossible for now, it’s a clear reminder of the value proposition offered by apps built on data structures not owned or controlled ay a single entity.