Lethean AMA Summary — Reddit — 26 April 2019

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Lethean

8 min readApr 28, 2019

Here is the summary of our AMA session on Reddit a few days ago. We’ve received some really good questions. A few minor adjustments in spelling & grammar were made. Content has not changed. Here is the Q&A session on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lethean/comments/bghy42/lethean_ama_26_april_100_pm_utcgmt_ask_questions/

We’ve answered questions related to adoption, technical development, marketing, exchanges and more! Enjoy the read!

System requirements for running an exit node?

Hardware requirements to operate an exit node are quite low comparatively. We have had users open and operate exit nodes on a raspberry pi. Software is the current bottleneck requirement as exit nodes are only supported on Linux at the present time, although a docker image does exist for the adventurous folks looking to pioneer other platforms. You can use your own computer or make use of a VPS. To operate an exit node, the absolute least you will need is 1 Gb RAM, 1 CPU core, and a 30 Gb HDD for a non-local for a local blockchain or 60 Gb HDD for a local blockchain. Right now we only support Linux Exit Nodes installation, but we deliver a Windows Docker version very soon.

How will Lethean team can ensure that exit node owners can distance themselves from any activity the users are undertaking, while using their exit node? Examples: IP baning, different country Laws, Law enforcement issues, etc?

As a team, we recommend that you review your local laws and regulations to ensure that you are complying. We also recommend reviewing the exit node information from Tor, as they do a good job explaining the implications of operating as an exit node. Keep in mind that you are also capable of stopping people from connecting to specific content through the exit node as well. Ronny, one of our exit node owners, has done a very good job of showcasing this. We are not lawyers and we do not have the legal expertise and this comment should not be taken as legal advice.

How will mining compare to leasing exit node service?

We cannot say for certain how mining will compare to operating as an exit node owner at this time. We are working on putting together a document that will show any interested parties a potential ROI for operating an exit node. This question depends on the number of miners in the network, the amount of traffic with our VPN services, and the amount of push you choose to make on your own exit node as an exit node operator.

My question is whether you can guarantee that the final VPN payments will be done only in LTHN (LTHN for VPN; Fiat for LTHN for VPN; BTC for LTHN for VPN) or are you already considering the option of VPN payments in other crypto coins?

We completely agree that for the price action to increase over time the demand will need to rise. This demand should come from users adopting our VPN services. At this time, we do not plan on implementing any other payment mechanisms. We have some users that have discussed implementing swaps for LTHN, which will increase accessibility and any time that we have discussed accepting another payment method, it is generally gone back to using that payment method to gather Lethean, then use the exit node. Finding the easiest way for users to get Lethean is still on our to-do list. We will let you know of any further developments we make on this front. Technically speaking there is no way to use the VPN services without paying using LTHN in the end, as an LTHN transaction with an LTHN specific payment ID is used to authorize the connection. So the major use case we have for our currency is the utility of payments on the blockchain for VPN services. We are one of just a very few Blockchain projects with a real use rather than just being a transfer of value.

what are the advisers roles? do they have active participation or they just help when the Lethean team needs them?

Advisers are contacted at least once monthly. Previously, we were holding a monthly call with our advisers to discuss any major events, upcoming events, and ask any questions that we may have over the course of the month. We also contacted them periodically if we had any questions, and got advice and opinions when needed. As of today, we have opted to speak with them monthly through email rather than holding a call with them all. The call became cumbersome with some advisers being spread all over the world and having other obligations.

What do you think of doing a masternode style for exit nodes?

We have discussed making exit nodes more like master nodes. As of this time, we are going to maintain a PoW model. The closest thing to PoS that has been discussed and has a moderate chance of implementation is ‘supernodes’; designed to compensate users that provide a number of services for Lethean. These services would include running a full blockchain node and daemon with public RPC (eg. Allowing other users to utilize it as a remote node), running a Zabbix monitoring agent, and offering VPN services. The contribution to the network created by supernodes is significant. Full design and specifications for this notion are yet to be considered as we are focusing on other priorities initially.

Are there any planned on reducing the supply?

We have had discussions about reducing the supply of LTHN a few times. At this time, we are not looking to reduce the supply. However, that is not completely off the table. If you have any ideas, please feel free to let us know. We would love to hear your ideas.

The dreaded question exchange question:)

Exchanges are the most challenging obstacle that I personally have faced. Exchanges are continuing to request very large fees that at this time are simply too much for us to consider at this time. Beyond exorbitant upfront initial listing fees, the vast majority of exchanges also require substantial periodic payments for market making services. Exchange listing, especially on non-top tier exchanges, does not guarantee any increase in our price or volume. That does not mean that we are not continuing to look. It simply means that we are still working on getting the best exchange that fits our needs as a business and the needs of our community as well. We are aware that there are some certain exchanges out there that do not require a listing fee for us to get listed there. Rest assured, we are actively making sure to not skip them!

Are we on track for the full vpn wallet? how about mobile?

Full VPN wallet for Windows has been released (version 4.0 — download from our website). We are still working on Linux and MacOS. We are also working on making creating and operating an exit node much more easy.

Are there any more plans on advertising this project to more people?

We have a few advertising plans that we are working on. The main focus of our advertisement will be centered around social media and tasks to increase awareness as well to give the community and everyone interested a chance to engage daily is these tasks in combination with a competition kind of style. These tasks should generate new interest in the project and increase awareness while being effective at creating conversions. We are currently finalizing this long-term campaign which we are ready to present & promote in early May. At the end of the day, marketing to increase awareness is great. However, our goal is to increase conversions. We will not be just marketing to market. We will be marketing to garner the most attention and create the most conversions and long term engagement possible.

What are the current plans for getting more exposure on bigger exchanges (getting listed, things which need to be done, help that could be needed?)

Thanks for this question. Of course, we are always eager to list on bigger exchanges. We are aware that there are certain exchanges that do not require a listing fee to list Lethean, and rest assured, we are actively making sure to not skip them! Things, where the community could help, is to support Lethean on social media, especially via Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Bitcointalk. Additionally, we encourage spreading our updates and unique features across Crypto-land, especially to privacy-related communities (where appropriate!). It’s important for exchanges to see an active community. Showing consistent action by the Team and Community gives us more advantages to be selected at the end.

What are the plans for making setup of exit nodes easier and when will it be ready?

We are working on Linux packages (Debian based systems to start) and much better documentation. We also plan a Docker image that should make the running of a VPN end node very easy. Currently, the Debian packages are in the final stages of testing.

I think it’s important to provide end users with a possibility to buy LTHN for fiat or with a credit card, any plans on that?

This is related to exchanges question as well. However, we also plan a partnership with a London based crypto broker company where individual people can offer to sell/buy crypto assets (including LTHN) for fiat

Just one question because I am too curious (thank you Valiant!): when will we have more information about this “major TV network”? :)

We will have an update for you in our next monthly update. Stay tuned!

What do you think about providing an vm image for exit nodes. Also an iso live image with preinstalled browser and vpn?

The VM image for exit nodes is something that we will be exploring in the next 4–6 weeks. We want to make sure that the code is completely stable and that the deployment and packaging is practical for the end user before we release something like this to the community.
It is possible to deliver Vmware, Hyper-V, and some other virtualization pre-installed images to a fast and easy deploy of an exit node.

The browser and VPN: This is an interesting idea. For the client side, I don’t see the ISO getting enough attention and demand for us to expend the resources on it at this time. In terms of the proxy, we could do something to detect the browser type and automatically, this will fit the new UX development features. Since we have discussed larger deployment options, we could have an installer run automatically, which would download the wallet and VPN together without downloading different pieces, we will make fully automated packages for all operating systems. This would be ideally be done through places like the Windows store, Apple store, and other major applications marketplaces.

Will you communicate more on this fact: a user can mine LTHN on his machine and the use the VPN “for free” (except energy price but even one core of a recent I7 can mine enough LTHN to daily use the VPN)? To attract people who use “free” VPN (we know these free VPN are very bad… data sold or very poor performance…) and even people who pay their VPN.

Any user can effectively use their computer to mine Lethean and use the mined Lethean for exit node services. This would make it “free” in the sense that you are only using electricity to pay for your VPN services. You can see exactly how much Lethean you would receive from one day of mining by visiting https://whattomine.com/coins/296-lthn-cryptonightr.

Lethean AMA Summary — Reddit — 26 April 2019

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