Bitcoin Has Company on Cryptocurrency Stage

By Sean Michael Kerner

Litecoin Is Second Most Valuable Cryptocurrency

While the value of all Bitcoins currently in existence hovers above $12 billion US, Litecoin’s current value hovers around $700 million. Litecoin developers claim that faster transaction confirmations can be achieved with a Litecoin than with a Bitcoin.

Peercoin Makes Mining More Energy Efficient

Peercoin (PPC), which was created in August 2012, is built on top of the same concepts as Bitcoin. A key distinguishing feature of PPC is the claim that mining is more energy efficient, since PPC creation requires a less hardware- and compute-intensive computation.

Namecoin Aims to Build a New Domain Name System

Namecoin (NMC) was created in April of 2011 and has a hard limit of 21 million NMC that can be created. In addition to being a currency, NMC is being developed as the basis for a Domain Name System (DNS) known as dot-bit.

Quark Coin Emphasizes Security

Quark Coin (QRK) is among the most recent cryptocurrencies, first publicly announced on July 21, 2013. QRK offers the promise of super-secure hashing, leveraging six different hashing functions.

Megacoin Is Limited to 42 Million Coins

Megacoin (MEC) is another recent addition to the cryptocurrency landscape, first debuting in 2013. There is a global limit of 42 million MEC that can ever exist. The number 42 is a nod to the fictional Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which identifies 42 as the “Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.”

Feathercoin Has an Active Marketplace for Goods

Feathercoin (FTC) has a limit of 336 million coins, of which only 25 million have been mined (as of Dec. 2, 2013). In an effort to bolster liquidity and value, the Feathercoin community hosts a market that lets users buy and sell goods with FTC.

WorldCoin

WorldCoin (WDC) was officially launched on May 14, 2013, and offers the promise of transaction confirmations of 60 seconds or less.

Primecoin Mines Prime Number Chains

Primecoin (XPM) miners perform a search for a special type of prime number chain. According to XPM developers, “The innovative prime proof-of-work in Primecoin not only provides security and minting to the network, but also generates a special form of prime number chains of interest to mathematical research.”