IOV does DevCon IV: Five Takeaways
DevCon is a special event for the blockchain space in general and for IOV in particular, being the birthplace of the ideas for the Internet of Values using human readable names.
The fourth DevCon was no different!
Here’s a breakdown of the event and what we learned from it.
1. The Blockchain world is growing while the technology consolidates
Devcon IV was the biggest one yet, with well over 3,000 attendees from all over the world. This growth in population was matched by astounding leaps forward in technology, mainly in the Ethereum ecosystem where Vitalik announced the arrival of ‘Serenity’ (also known as Casper or even Shasper), a major update to Ethereum.
The technology that makes that possible is consolidating around some scaling techniques (EWASM) and Sharding.
2. The Blockchain User Experience is becoming more User Friendly
Several projects presented their solutions to the problems of blockchains being too technical for normal people to use.
Some of these projects, like the Ethereum Name Service, are focused purely on the Ethereum ecosystem, with a good focus on user-experience. Others, such as Universal Login, are looking at making access to blockchains technically easier.
It was great meeting the devs working on these projects and discussing them. IOV is very eager to help all projects and benefit in turn from them.
3. Technical challenges remain ahead for Blockchains
Ethereum still faces some interesting technical challenges. One of them revolves around storage as the blockchain grows longer and more dApps begin to use it.
Solutions to this problem exist, but every solution includes a potential trade-off, either in the immutability of data on-chain or the costs and fees associated with using it.
4. Blockchains are having real social implications
Some fascinating talks in the main stage area showed developments in how blockchains are being implemented and the issues they raise for society as we know it.
One facet of that life is the legal status of blockchains and organisations/organisms running on smart contracts. Blockchain scholar Primera de Fillipi presented on this and the plantoid-artworks that have their ‘soul’ on the chain.
ZCash CEO Zooko Wilcox and writer Cory Doctorow discussed the implications of privacy using cryptography in the real world. Whereas Doctorow was very clear about how much more privacy is needed in today’s world, Zooko showed the bright spots by describing his experience of getting ZCash a cryptocurrency license in New York City.
5. Much more is yet to come.
While growth in the blockchain space is truly astounding, the best is yet to come. This became clear for Ethereum, but for the wider industry as well with the global launch of Blockchains LLC, and various other company announcements.
IOV will have a place in facilitating that growth as we implement registered names and cross chain atomic swaps for everyone. 2019 will be an exciting year!
Check out an interview we did with ETHNews in the event.
