to be PR'd when i find where this all is here: https://github.com/CounterpartyXCP/Documentation
-
These are just changes to the pages already live on the website so far
-
Will add another separate issue post for just pages to add to the 'Basics' section with all info ready to go.
New pages will include things like: What is the History of Counterparty? - What is an Asset/Token/NFT? (new simplified version) - Where can I get help?
-
I see more changes to be made on some of those in the "Advanced" section now and will post changes to those Advanced Docs in a future issue post
General Changes:
- Delete the link "edit this page" (in module footer?) for all pages. yes the community can request to edit, but this link is broken anyway and seems offputting. If you'd like to leave it, it would be best to forward here to the create new issue on website?
https://github.com/CounterpartyXCP/Website/issues/new
Sidebar Changes:
- Move "Running a Counterparty Node" (+ subtabs) to 'Advanced' tab. Most regular 'basic' users wont get this far. They just want to learn the basics (wallets, explorers, nfts, etc)
- Amend (first) then Move "Asset (Tokens/NFT's)" (+ subtabs) to 'Advanced' tab. I will be rewriting this to adhere to more new users, wheras this explanation is much more advanced for node operators / devs to manually do these functions. Basic explanation will be more 'front-end user wallet friendly'
for this page in particular in the subset (for now... will amend other 'Advanced' ones like Enhanced Asset Info later)
Understanding Assets on Counterparty
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/assets/counterparty-assets/
Amend this part:
You can create two different types of assets:
Named: A unique string of 4 to 12 uppercase Latin characters (inclusive) not beginning with ‘A’. Alphabetic tokens carry a one‐time issuance fee of 0.5 XCP to discourage spam and squatting. This fee is burned (permanently taken out of circulation). BTC and XCP are the only three‐character asset names. For more information, see the Assets section in the Counterparty specification.
Numeric (Free): An integer between 26^12 + 1 and 256^8 (inclusive), prefixed with A. Numeric assets only require one Bitcoin transaction fee to be created.
Change to:
You can create three different types of assets:
Named: A unique string of 4 to 12 uppercase Latin characters (inclusive) not beginning with ‘A’ (for example OLGA). Alphabetic tokens carry a one‐time issuance fee of 0.5 XCP to discourage spam and squatting. This fee is burned (permanently taken out of circulation). BTC and XCP are the only three‐character asset names allowed.
Subasset (Free): A unique string between 1 to 256 characters added on to the end of a Named asset (for example BACON.CRISPY). They must be between 1 and 250 upper or lower case letters and can start with the letter "A". Subassets will always start with the main named asset then have a "." between the next subasset name. Subassets only require one Bitcoin transaction fee (no XCP fee) to be created.
Numeric (Free): An integer between 26^12 + 1 and 256^8 (inclusive), prefixed with A. Numeric assets only require one Bitcoin transaction fee (no XCP fee) to be created.
For more information, see the Assets section in the Counterparty specification.
Edits to Current Pages:
What is Counterparty?
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/what-is-counterparty/
Here is a record of a Counterparty transaction where one address is sending 48 SJCX tokens (a custom token used by Storj) to another address.
^ "Here" link is broken, should changed to:
https://horizon.market/explorer/tx/c717d2d205155c2067786c08b7c7e6e6f904a18626969daca0ecb6c3e8bb7b8f
"Does Counterparty have its own blockchain?
Counterparty lives entirely on the Bitcoin blockchain. Such a protocol is sometimes called a metaprotocol or metachain.
Extend to:
Counterparty lives entirely on the Bitcoin blockchain. Such a protocol is sometimes called a metaprotocol or metachain. While the data is within the Bitcoin transactions themselves (as seen on a Bitcoin Block Explorer), the Counterparty data within those is interpreted and shown in an easily readable manner by Counterparty Block Explorers.
To get a deeper understanding of how this works, take the time to look over a Counterparty Block Explorer, or read the in-depth Counterparty Whitepaper written by Co-Founder Adam Krellenstein.
What is XCP?
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/what-is-xcp/
- Reorder page to have 'questions' in this order:
- What is XCP?
- How was XCP created?
- Do all Counterparty transactions require the use of XCP? (Changed to: "What Counterparty Transactions require the use of XCP?")
- How do I acquire XCP?
Since BTC is used in all Counterparty transactions, but cannot be used as an anti-spam mechanism for Counterparty functionality, XCP as a token is used instead as a barrier to add some friction to worthwhile Counterparty features (like the unique one-of-a-kind issuing of Named Tokens). When this XCP is used for these functions below, the XCP used is destroyed, thus reducing the circulating supply:
- Create (Issue) a Named Token: 0.5 XCP Static Fee
- Sweep Address: Dynamic XCP Fee (proportional to number of assets swept)
- Dividends: 0.0002 XCP Per Asset Holder Recieving Dividend
- Attach Asset to UTXO: Dynamic XCP Fee
There are other Counterparty transactions that do not require the use of the XCP token due to their simplicity, most notably straightforward asset transfers and issuances of numeric assets (Counterparty assets without a human-readable identifier), which create a low computational burden for Counterparty nodes. These include:
- Send and Receive (BTC + all XCP Assets / Add Memo Optional)
- Broadcast Data
- Create (Issue) a Numeric Asset or a Subasset
- Issue More Token Supply
- Lock / Reset Token Supply
- Add / Edit Description + Lock Description
- Mint Open Fairmint
- MPMA Multi-Sends
- Create / Cancel XCP DEX Order (Any Pair, New or Existing)
- Open / Close Dispenser
- Buy from Dispenser
- Atomic Swap with UTXOs (BTC / PSBT markets)
- Counterparty Inscriptions (on-chain Taproot)
- Transfer Token Ownership of Asset
- Destroy Asset Supply
- Create Fairminter
- Move Attached Assets to Different UTXO
Add this new question and answer:
How Do I Acquire XCP?
You can acquire XCP a few ways using on-chain Counterparty functionality:
Since the inception of XCP in 2014, XCP has traded on quite a few centralized exchanges such as Poloniex, Bittrex, TuxExchange and others. While many of these exchanges have since been disbanded, a few centralized exchanges still offer XCP trading such as:
Once you have created a Counterparty Wallet address, you can simply send XCP to your Counterparty Wallet Address just like you would BTC.
FAQ
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/faq/
- Change title from FAQ to "General FAQ"
Change order of questions to (and omit a few):
- Is a 51% attack against Counterparty possible?
- What happens if and when OP_RETURN data is auto-pruned?
- Can I secure my XCP and Counterparty tokens in cold storage?
- How are blockchain reorganizations ("reorgs") handled by Counterparty?
- What about support for other blockchains instead of Bitcoin?
- Is it safe to use Counterparty?
- What Counterparty Wallet should I use?
- What happened to Counterwallet?
- What is “Counterparty 2.0”?
- Did Counterparty recently fork?
Remove this question and answer: So can the Counterparty Team rewrite the Counterparty ledger’s history, in an emergency or by decree? How does that compare to the same risks with Bitcoin Core devs?
Remove this question and answer: What is the “origin” functionality that was recently lost?
change response here to be broader:
- Can I secure my XCP and Counterparty tokens in cold storage or a hardware wallet?
Yes.
You can either make a regular Bitcoin paper wallet, store them there and later sweep the funds into a Counterparty wallet, or create a cold Counterparty paper wallet and store that way.
For hardware wallet storage, some Counterparty Wallets support hardware devices like Trezor and Ledger.
change response here to be broader:
- What about support for other blockchains instead of Bitcoin?
Counterparty is built on Bitcoin. That has always been the case and we do not see it changing, ever.
That being said, there are ways to interoperate Counterparty assets to platforms like Ethereum and even Solana. A main and well used example of this would be Emblem Vault, which allow Counterparty users to vault Counterparty assets to sell on places like Ethereum Marketplaces like OpenSea.
Other blockchains also can run similar software, as over the years there have been "forks" of the Counterparty software. Good examples of this would be Dogeparty on Dogecoin, and Monaparty on Monacoin.
change response to be broader:
- Is it safe to use Counterparty?
Yes.
As long as you correctly use the tooling, wallets and infrastructure that supports the latest version of Counterparty, there’s no risk.
Please ensure that the use-case you are aiming for is legal within your jurisdiction, and seek professional advice when acquiring asset, starting a project or issuing an asset using Counterparty.
As a general rule of advice, as is with most Bitcoin and cryptocurrency spaces, do NOT share your passphrase or any private keys with anyone or any website.
change response:
- What happened to Counterwallet?
Counterwallet has unfortunately not been actively maintained in a number of years. The main culprit of made it unmaintained was fixed in Counterparty Core v10.0.0, however—as is often the case—when old software goes down, sometimes it doesn’t come back up.
The community has since spent its energy on the creation of a new generation of wallets such as Counterwallet V2 and XCP Wallet rather than attempt to revive Counterblock and Counterwallet. However, the code is all open-source and anyone is free to work on it.
change response:
- What is “Counterparty 2.0”?
“Counterparty 2.0” represents the protocol changes since the co-founder of Counterparty, Adam Krellenstein, returned to take the position of Lead Developer. A significant amount of his early time was cleaning up the existing code to bring it to contemporary blockchain standards.
Now his team, made up of trusted developers and long-time members pushed to the protocol of a number of long-awaited, major new features such as UTXO Support, Atomic Swaps with Bitcoin, Fair Minting and have their eyes set for future proposed upgrades like AMMs/LPs, Batch Transactions, Token Ownership Trading and more.
“Counterparty 2.0” doesn’t refer to any particular version of Counterparty, but a period of time in which the first Lead Developer of the protocol returned to the project.
change response:
- Did Counterparty recently fork?
Protocol upgrades are a normal part of the evolution of the Counterparty protocol, and there have been dozens throughout its history.
Protocol forks have also been a part of the 10+ year history of Counterparty. With projects such as Dogeparty on Dogecoin and Monaparty on Monacoin.
There is one recent fork known as "Counterparty Classic" in which the developer of Freewallet and Tokenscan has published entirely separate versions of those applications which run on top of an old version of Counterparty (v9.61.3—the last version that he contributed to), rather than the latest version of Counterparty (currently v10.6.1).
Every other node host, current infrastructure provider, and current wallet provider has upgraded to the latest release of Counterparty and offers no support for out-of-date versions such as "Counterparty Classic".
As long as you correctly use the tooling, wallets and infrastructure that supports the latest version of Counterparty, there’s no worry for forks.
to be PR'd when i find where this all is here: https://github.com/CounterpartyXCP/Documentation
These are just changes to the pages already live on the website so far
Will add another separate issue post for just pages to add to the 'Basics' section with all info ready to go.
New pages will include things like: What is the History of Counterparty? - What is an Asset/Token/NFT? (new simplified version) - Where can I get help?
I see more changes to be made on some of those in the "Advanced" section now and will post changes to those Advanced Docs in a future issue post
General Changes:
https://github.com/CounterpartyXCP/Website/issues/new
Sidebar Changes:
for this page in particular in the subset (for now... will amend other 'Advanced' ones like Enhanced Asset Info later)
Understanding Assets on Counterparty
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/assets/counterparty-assets/
Amend this part:
Change to:
You can create three different types of assets:
Named: A unique string of 4 to 12 uppercase Latin characters (inclusive) not beginning with ‘A’ (for example OLGA). Alphabetic tokens carry a one‐time issuance fee of 0.5 XCP to discourage spam and squatting. This fee is burned (permanently taken out of circulation). BTC and XCP are the only three‐character asset names allowed.
Subasset (Free): A unique string between 1 to 256 characters added on to the end of a Named asset (for example BACON.CRISPY). They must be between 1 and 250 upper or lower case letters and can start with the letter "A". Subassets will always start with the main named asset then have a "." between the next subasset name. Subassets only require one Bitcoin transaction fee (no XCP fee) to be created.
Numeric (Free): An integer between 26^12 + 1 and 256^8 (inclusive), prefixed with A. Numeric assets only require one Bitcoin transaction fee (no XCP fee) to be created.
For more information, see the Assets section in the Counterparty specification.
Edits to Current Pages:
What is Counterparty?
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/what-is-counterparty/
^ "Here" link is broken, should changed to:
https://horizon.market/explorer/tx/c717d2d205155c2067786c08b7c7e6e6f904a18626969daca0ecb6c3e8bb7b8f
Extend to:
Counterparty lives entirely on the Bitcoin blockchain. Such a protocol is sometimes called a metaprotocol or metachain. While the data is within the Bitcoin transactions themselves (as seen on a Bitcoin Block Explorer), the Counterparty data within those is interpreted and shown in an easily readable manner by Counterparty Block Explorers.
To get a deeper understanding of how this works, take the time to look over a Counterparty Block Explorer, or read the in-depth Counterparty Whitepaper written by Co-Founder Adam Krellenstein.
What is XCP?
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/what-is-xcp/
Change title of: Do all Counterparty transactions require the use of XCP?
(Changed to: "What Counterparty Transactions Require the Use of XCP?")
Change description to:
Since BTC is used in all Counterparty transactions, but cannot be used as an anti-spam mechanism for Counterparty functionality, XCP as a token is used instead as a barrier to add some friction to worthwhile Counterparty features (like the unique one-of-a-kind issuing of Named Tokens). When this XCP is used for these functions below, the XCP used is destroyed, thus reducing the circulating supply:
There are other Counterparty transactions that do not require the use of the XCP token due to their simplicity, most notably straightforward asset transfers and issuances of numeric assets (Counterparty assets without a human-readable identifier), which create a low computational burden for Counterparty nodes. These include:
Add this new question and answer:
How Do I Acquire XCP?
You can acquire XCP a few ways using on-chain Counterparty functionality:
Since the inception of XCP in 2014, XCP has traded on quite a few centralized exchanges such as Poloniex, Bittrex, TuxExchange and others. While many of these exchanges have since been disbanded, a few centralized exchanges still offer XCP trading such as:
Once you have created a Counterparty Wallet address, you can simply send XCP to your Counterparty Wallet Address just like you would BTC.
FAQ
https://docs.counterparty.io/docs/basics/faq/
Change order of questions to (and omit a few):
Remove this question and answer: So can the Counterparty Team rewrite the Counterparty ledger’s history, in an emergency or by decree? How does that compare to the same risks with Bitcoin Core devs?
Remove this question and answer: What is the “origin” functionality that was recently lost?
change response here to be broader:
Yes.
You can either make a regular Bitcoin paper wallet, store them there and later sweep the funds into a Counterparty wallet, or create a cold Counterparty paper wallet and store that way.
For hardware wallet storage, some Counterparty Wallets support hardware devices like Trezor and Ledger.
change response here to be broader:
Counterparty is built on Bitcoin. That has always been the case and we do not see it changing, ever.
That being said, there are ways to interoperate Counterparty assets to platforms like Ethereum and even Solana. A main and well used example of this would be Emblem Vault, which allow Counterparty users to vault Counterparty assets to sell on places like Ethereum Marketplaces like OpenSea.
Other blockchains also can run similar software, as over the years there have been "forks" of the Counterparty software. Good examples of this would be Dogeparty on Dogecoin, and Monaparty on Monacoin.
change response to be broader:
Yes.
As long as you correctly use the tooling, wallets and infrastructure that supports the latest version of Counterparty, there’s no risk.
Please ensure that the use-case you are aiming for is legal within your jurisdiction, and seek professional advice when acquiring asset, starting a project or issuing an asset using Counterparty.
As a general rule of advice, as is with most Bitcoin and cryptocurrency spaces, do NOT share your passphrase or any private keys with anyone or any website.
change response:
Counterwallet has unfortunately not been actively maintained in a number of years. The main culprit of made it unmaintained was fixed in Counterparty Core v10.0.0, however—as is often the case—when old software goes down, sometimes it doesn’t come back up.
The community has since spent its energy on the creation of a new generation of wallets such as Counterwallet V2 and XCP Wallet rather than attempt to revive Counterblock and Counterwallet. However, the code is all open-source and anyone is free to work on it.
change response:
“Counterparty 2.0” represents the protocol changes since the co-founder of Counterparty, Adam Krellenstein, returned to take the position of Lead Developer. A significant amount of his early time was cleaning up the existing code to bring it to contemporary blockchain standards.
Now his team, made up of trusted developers and long-time members pushed to the protocol of a number of long-awaited, major new features such as UTXO Support, Atomic Swaps with Bitcoin, Fair Minting and have their eyes set for future proposed upgrades like AMMs/LPs, Batch Transactions, Token Ownership Trading and more.
“Counterparty 2.0” doesn’t refer to any particular version of Counterparty, but a period of time in which the first Lead Developer of the protocol returned to the project.
change response:
Protocol upgrades are a normal part of the evolution of the Counterparty protocol, and there have been dozens throughout its history.
Protocol forks have also been a part of the 10+ year history of Counterparty. With projects such as Dogeparty on Dogecoin and Monaparty on Monacoin.
There is one recent fork known as "Counterparty Classic" in which the developer of Freewallet and Tokenscan has published entirely separate versions of those applications which run on top of an old version of Counterparty (v9.61.3—the last version that he contributed to), rather than the latest version of Counterparty (currently v10.6.1).
Every other node host, current infrastructure provider, and current wallet provider has upgraded to the latest release of Counterparty and offers no support for out-of-date versions such as "Counterparty Classic".
As long as you correctly use the tooling, wallets and infrastructure that supports the latest version of Counterparty, there’s no worry for forks.