(IJCH) Understanding the Different Colored Blockchain/Cryptocurrency Project Papers - A short Description of The White, Yellow, Mauve, Polkadot, Green, Blue, and Red Papers
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I am JaiChai.
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Understanding the Different Colored Blockchain/Cryptocurrency Project Papers - A short Description of The White, Yellow, Mauve, Polkadot, Green, Blue, and Red Papers
Don't always expect a "Colored Paper" to physically look like its namesake's tint.
Just because a Paper is designated as being a certain color does not mean it is always printed on paper of that color (or typeset in that colored ink).
For example, White Papers are not always white in color.
"Colored Papers" are often named after the Paper's purpose, theme, subject or industry topic.
The Basic White Paper
If you haven't seen a White Paper before, think of it as a "Sales Pitch" with a sprinkle of a few technical details.
Granted, some early White Paper creators went heavy on the technical details, but most modern White Papers reserve in-depth technical details for their other "Colored Papers".
A White Paper is simply an informational document, put out by its creator or company to promote its product (e.g., new cryptocurrency, token ecosystem, smart contract platform, consensus mechanism, etc.).
It puts emphasis on its "unique" or "revolutionary" solution(s) to a current problem or how it will affect legacy market landscapes.
Sadly, in many White Papers, a few unscrupulous Project Creators promote a product that is neither "unique", nor "revolutionary" - just a clone of another company's blockchain or tech.
Can you say, "SCAM?"
So remember, a White Paper is not intended to be a user manual or a detailed technical document.
A good example is The Ethereum White Paper which was originally published by Vitalik towards the end of 2013.
Here's the Download Link for The Ethereum White Paper:
https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/White-Paper
The Yellow Paper
The Yellow Paper is the place where you'll find the in-depth technical details of a company's product or project.
For example, The Ethereum Yellow paper (a technical specification) was written by Ethereum CTO Gavin Wood in April 2014 and covers - in a granular way - the technical mechanisms, protocols, and other platform capabilities of Ethereum.
Download Links for The Ethereum Yellow paper:
https://ethereum.github.io/yellowpaper/paper.pdf
The Mauve Paper
The Mauve Paper was published in September 2016 by Vitalik Buterin.
This paper is actually printed on pink/purple paper.
This is the document that proposes a solution to the problems of PoW and scalability within the Ethereum Platform by using a combination of PoS (Proof of Stake) and sharding.
Here's the Download Link for The Ethereum Mauve paper:
https://cdn.hackaday.io/files/10879465447136/Mauve%20Paper%20Vitalik.pdf
The Polkadot Paper
With its pink background and white dots, The Polkadot Paper was published in November of 2016 by Gavin Wood.
It's a technical vision paper for the Polkadot network protocol, a heterogeneous extensible multi-chain that allows more communication and pooled security; while still possessing an entirely arbitrary state-transition functions.
download Link for The Polkadot Paper:
https://polkadot.network/PolkaDotPaper.pdf
The Green Paper
The Ethereum Green Paper has the technical details for solving the energy problems of the Platform.
Currently, it's, a work in progress, establishes a road map for initiating legislation.
The main purpose is to discuss - in an open forum - policy proposals without setting it to stone; mostly a system for a structured, formalized debate.
Each proposed Green Paper will have one or more alternatives/solutions for discussion before a final decision is reached.
The Blue Paper and The Red Paper
Two more "Purposed, Colored Papers" in progress are The Blue Paper and The Red Paper.
The Blue Paper will deal with business integration (interoperability).
The Red Paper will put forth Ethereum's approach towards the future smart contract space.
Summary
The White Paper is an overview, with few technical details, and mainly a marketing tool.
The Yellow Paper contains the technical specifications, protocols, and other in-house mechanisms.
Specific Topic, Colored Papers (e.g., The Mauve Paper, The Polkadot Paper, etc.) deal with proposed future technology or innovations to current tech.
The Ethereum Green Paper discusses the "Green Issue" (Platform's energy requirements) and sets up a debate among Stakeholders and the public about proposals for solutions.
The Blue Paper: interoperability.
The Red Paper: Future Smart Contracts.
By JaiChai
Mighty Kind of You for stopping by.
Truly hope to see you again!
About the Author
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, longtime girlfriend and three dogs.
