I just started exploring Ethereum with the hope of learning more about decentralized application development.
dApps and Web3.0
A lot of people have heard the word dApp before, but what are they? In order to answer this a little background is needed. Going forward Ethereum is trying to pioneer the so-called "Web3.0". This is basically a decentralized version of the internet running on a blockchain. When people create and use apps for Web3.0, they will be able to directly communicate with the blockchain. Since these apps will be running on a blockchain instead of a server (like today's current IT model) they are considered dApps. In a nutshell, dApps are basically web apps for Web3.0. By using dApps and Web3.0 anyone in the world can have access to the blockchain.
So how you connect to Ethereums Web3.0? One way is to use Mist. Mist is like a web browser for Ethereum and can give access to the dApps on the Ethereum network. It works by connecting to an Ethereum node which allows for interaction with the blockchain. Mist will start a node in the background and either connect to the public blockchain (what is being used for Ether transactions right now) or to a private blockchain for developing purposes. You can start your own private blockchain by using Ethereum node software like Geth or Parity.
Mist
Mist allows users to take control of there own identity by using there private keys to sign all interactions they may have with the web. This is analogous to how the users of steemit need to enter there private key to submit a post.
If you don't want to go through the struggle of running an Ethereum node and Mist you can use a Chrome extension called MetaMask as an alternative. This lets you run Ethereum dApps right in your Chrome browser. I haven't tried this yet, but It seem much more convenient for the average user.
How does this compare to other blockchain projects?
This looks quite different from blockchains like Steem. Steem dApps like Steemit and DTube have been built which do not require users to run nodes or install browser plugins. They also run seamlessly without the taxing computing power that comes from running a node.
To my knowledge EOS will not be a public blockchain. EOS developers will be free to create there own blockchains as well as any applications they want on top. How these blockchains will interact with each other I do not know yet.
To me EOS and Ethereum are going down very different paths. Eventually I will dive into EOS development as well. Again this has just been day 1 and I am still learning. I am very excited to see where this is taking us.!
JD3
Download Mist Here: https://github.com/ethereum/mist/releases