Hello Moon: Ethereum Developers Launch Lightweight Dapp Browser

Despite the booming token market based on its technology, ethereum isn't deviating from its stated goal of becoming a "world computer."

In a move that showcases developers are still prioritizing the creation of so-called distributed applications (dapps), a new version of Mist, the original browser designed for ethereum apps, made its debut at Devcon today. Demoed at the Cancun conference, Moon, or Mist-light, is a browser-based rewrite of the software meant to perform similar tasks to the desktop version, though in a way that doesn't require downloading.

Much like Mist, Moon isn't only a browser, it provides an interface for dapp development.

Users can visit an app, safely fork or edit the code, and changes are updated real time on the webpage. This development code is hashed, and then it's shareable, and anyone can plug it into their own Moon browser.

Unlike Mist, which runs on Javascript, Moon operates on its own language that acts as a Javascript compiler, one its developers say allows ethereum dapps to be securely accessed and tested without causing risk to the original code. (Present on the interface, which displays the source code for any dapp accessed via the browser, is an icon that allows for editing.)

Speaking to CoinDesk, ethereum developer Alex Van De Sande explained that the concept behind the feature was to help other software developers "learn to love the fork." Hard forks, or software updates, have arguably a bad name in blockchain because they can be complicated to execute safely.

But Van De Sande emphasized that in open-source software design, forks are integral to the overall health of applications, and should be celebrated as part of that diversity.

Hello moon via Alex Van De Sande