Lookback Window: Analogies

The Security Camera Analogy

Imagine a security camera in a store. It records everything 24/7, but the staff usually reviews only the last few hours. Older footage is archived and can be pulled up if needed — but it doesn’t clutter the live view or slow down day-to-day operations.

The Lookback Window operates on a similar principle: prioritize what’s recent and actionable, while maintaining access to the full history in a more efficient, archived format.

Archived information in an older part of the XYO Layer One Blockchain is accessible, but would likely take longer or cost more to acquire compared to newer information. This system more accurately reflects the work required to gather information on a blockchain and is designed to be a more fluid fit with how humans interact with blockchain.

The Video Game Analogy

Imagine you’re playing a massive open-world video game. The game doesn’t load the entire map at once — that would take up way too much memory and slow everything down. Instead, it only loads the section you’re currently in, while keeping the rest stored in the background. When you want to access a new area, you might wait a bit longer as it loads.

The Lookback Window in XYO works the same way. It keeps the recent and relevant transactions in memory — the “active map” — so nodes can quickly validate and process what’s happening now. Everything else is safely stored, but out of the way.