(From Bitcoin replicas to an entire programmable digital economy)

After Bitcoin, early developers attempted to improve specific limitations of BTC. These first altcoins were not revolutionary — but they marked the beginning of diversification.

• Litecoin (2011):
  Introduced Scrypt mining, faster block times, and aimed for quicker, cheaper transactions.

• Namecoin (2011):
  Experimented with decentralized DNS — one of the first attempts to use blockchain for non-monetary applications.

• Ripple (2012):
  Focused on fast, low-cost cross-border payments with a more centralized consensus model.

This was the era of “copy + modify” — crypto was still seen mainly as digital money with minor improvements around speed, fees, or mining.

No true breakthrough yet.
Most projects competed with Bitcoin rather than expanding the concept of blockchain.

🌱 Phase 1: The First Altcoins — Expanding the “Bitcoin Blueprint” (2011–2013)Key Projects:Significance:Limitation: