It should be noted at the outset of this review that many of the coins, nearly 400 of them, are no longer in operation. Thus, when we review these new crypto currencies, we ask you keep in mind that many of them may be a result of online scams or as speculative coins, not worth your time or money. It should also be noted that Bitcoin and Ethereum are the two top crypto currencies, with Bitcoin holding a wider lead. Lisk was created in 2016 and according to experts, has the biggest market gap. This is a new altcoin, but unlike others, it is a modular cryptocurrency. It touts itself as using sidechains as opposed to blockchains. It has been defined as: “a system whereby it allows anyone to use its ‘designing blocks’ to construct their own decentralized apps. The language of choice for Lisk for individual app construction is Javascript, one of the most popular programming languages.” Another positive aspect to Lisk is that because it utilizes sidechains, it cannot become bloated as blockchains which would eventually slow down the network. Sidechains, in theory, can be explained in this way: “Sidechains are additions to the main blockchain. It is akin to a Post-It note that is applied on book pages. You can add more value yet not clutter the main text. Sidechains can be attached to independent blockchains and serve as a place to put all the high-volume transactions without interfering with the main blockchain. As a result, this will ensure a fast network all day, every day.” The importance of Lisk can be described from this direct source: “There is no public cryptocurrency platform which allows developers to easily deploy their own blockchain and build a JavaScript blockchain app on it… This will give millions of developers the ability to create their own sidechains, particularly around consumer applications, including games, social networks and the Internet of Things, but the same core functionality can also be used to develop and scale business applications.”
