All Things Alt: XC Inc, Next-Gen PoS and More Waiting for MintPal

Given the relatively quiet altcoin market, it's easy to miss the new technologies and interesting applications that are gaining ground.

Today's roundup includes a chat with the developer of XCurrency, a look at I/O's new proof-of-stake concept and an altcoin that is out of this world.

Developer Joel Bosh told CoinDesk that "We are proposing a huge change away from the current PoS inflationary state".

The proposal represents one of the latest efforts to build on existing PoS models, as well as make the technology more resistant to network threats.

The developmental cycle of a digital currency, as demonstrated by both bitcoin and more mature altcoins, sometimes leads to the creation of corporate structures that exist to both promote and grow the project further through product distribution or marketing.

CoinDesk spoke with lead developer and CEO Dan Metcalf, who said that like other existing chains, XC represents a platform on which to build new applications in a decentralized and private environment.

One idea being developed is an initial token offering, or ITO, with each token signifying partial ownership in XC, Inc. This decentralized corporation concept has been explored in the past by other groups, though as Metcalf explained, the initiative seeks to reward existing XC stakeholders.

Prior to the hacking, MintPal was one of the more popular and more established altcoin exchanges.

The altcoin has a 500m max supply limit, which the developers note is "Based on the mass ton of the Borg trans warp ship with a maximum rated speed of 29.968 war factor with advanced warp drive".

Looking ahead, the developers hope to use the altcoin as a payment product for Star Trek-related products and services, stating that real-world "Assimilation" of borgcoin at local merchants are soon to come.