The Lightning Network has been heralded as one of the optimal solutions to issues with cryptocurrency scaling. Some have found it difficult to find examples of progress, but the release of a new Lightning Desktop application by Lightning Labs looks to be a big step in the right direction.
Proponents of the Lightning Network are excited to see a solution that enables fast and cheap transactions, which is why the technology is now being developed for a variety of cryptocurrencies.
Earlier in the month, blockchain payment processor CoinGate announced over 4,000 global merchants were now able to accept Bitcoin payments over Lightning.
In a September 15th report from CoinShares, the firm noted how Litecoin was “supremely placed to benefit from early Lightning implementations.”
However, besides these use cases examples, there have been some who question the overall development and progression of the Lightning Network, especially when it comes to tangible products.
A newly redesigned and released Lightning desktop app seems to suggest development surrounding the Lightning Network is progressing smoothly.
Different From Other Wallets
In a blog post, the Lightning Labs team noted how they previously released a prototype of a desktop application, but pointed out how this release was a “complete rewrite of that code with security, simplicity, and testability in mind.”
The team said the redesigned app is intended to run as a standalone wallet in light client mode on desktop and mobile. Users also have to ability to run their own full nodes.
Focusing on Easy Approachability
The redesign of the desktop app features a minimalist design to convey a sense of approachability while still maintaining security standards.
The team wrote about the “valuable learning experience” to be seen by making Lightning more accessible to novice users to help push the technology past the “enthusiast market segment.”
In the post, the team noted the use of simple English phrases instead of jargon in order to clearly convey messages to users. They also implemented a variety of color and contrast shifts to help people sift through dense information.
Overall, the Lightning Labs team looks to be striking a line between security and usability with their redesigned application. This move seems to be boding well for the progression of the Lightning Network and its usage as a whole.
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