Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!
A number of bitcoin copies already exist under different names with slight modifications. The there is those ICO's most of which are written from the ground up. For example PIVX is a fork of DASH with some slight modes, like another flavour of Linux.
Some on my watchlist:
https://status.im - mobile operating system with integrated blockchain
https://digibyte.co/about-digibyte - many things but secure encrypted communications with message that self destruct. GCHQ is just going to love them.
https://www.elastic.pw - decentralised super computer - there is another, https://golem.network, but they've publicly stated no operation for some while. Elastic is also a programming language like C that allows you to write you're own models. Truly fascinating. In fact distributed computing on a global scale really does open doors.
It's not just currency that's becoming decentralised. Information too. In may ways the Governments of the world have brought the wonder of blockchain on themselves by trying to control the internet.