Flare Networks’ Canary Network, Songbird, has moved one step forward after successfully exiting an initial 10-day observation mode, moving smart contracts on the XRP Ledger and other blockchains one step closer to reality.
According to a press release shared with CryptoGlobe, Songbird was launched on September 16 and will follow three phases as it proceeds to be used to test the underlying protocols that will comprise the Flare Network itself.
The first of these three phases, the “Observation Mode,” concluded on September 27 and was essential for deploying and testing the underlying network and the Flare Time Series Oracle (FTSO), the first of three protocols that will be used by Flare to enable Ethereum Virtual Machine based smart contracts on the XRP Ledger and other networks.
The other two protocols, State-connector and the F-asset contracts, will be deployed on Songbird in the near future. The protocols will allow tokens without smart contracts to “directly access and be scalably used on Flare in decentralized applications.”
Songbird was deployed and passed its Observation Stage with no unforeseen issues. It saw over 340 validators and over 40 data providers apply for whitelisting. Notably, Polkadot saw a similar number of applications when launching its own canary network, Kusama.
Like Kusama, Songbird is set to be used to test new features before they are deployed to the Flare Network, including testing governance-based updates. Songbird has a native token, $SGB, which could be used by holders to move the blockchain in a different direction in the future.
Hugo Philion, co-founder of Flare Networks, was quoted saying:
Songbird marks a key step for the entire industry in enabling tokens on networks without smart contracts to be used trustlessly and in a non-custodial manner for the first time with scalable smart contracts.
Philion added a reminder to the community that a canary network such as Songbird is a “mainnet designed for live testing and experimentation,” and as such it is possible that “some level of disruption & potential risk of funds could occur.”
The next stage will see Songbird test the State-connector protocol, after which it will gradually remove the whitelisting requirements and hand over the network’s consensus to external validators. The evolution of Songbird will be in the hands of the $SGB community.
As CryptoGlobe reported, Flare will airdrop Spark (FLR) tokens to XRP holders. Once the network goes live, each eligible holder will immediately receive 15% of their claimable FLR tokens, while being able to claim an average of 3% per month thereafter.
The airdrop will carry on for a minimum of 25 months and a maximum of 34 months to eligible XRP holders. The slow rollout is reportedly meant to avoid users from selling their FLR tokens on the market as soon as they receive them so the price doesn’t plummet right away.
Spark tokens are to be used for governance on the Flare network through voting mechanisms, and token holders will be able to earn a return on their holdings by committing Spark tokens as collateral to secure the trustless issuance and redemption of FXRP, a protocol built to “safely enable the trustless issuance, usage, and redemption, of XRP on Flare.”
The Flare network itself will bring Ethereum-based smart contracts to non-Etheruem Virtual Machine compatible networks like the XRP Ledger. It will also support XLM, LTC, and DOGE.
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