Starname Tech Roadmap 2021 Q2–3
It’s an exciting time to be part of the Cosmos ecosystem! Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) is enabled on the Cosmos Hub and Starname will soon join the party.
The technical roadmap that follows is divided into two sections: back-end and front-end. The back-end is largely opaque to users but it is what makes the Starname (IOV) blockchain possible.
The front-end is the user interface to the blockchain and includes the Starname App and Big Dipper block explorer. The items in each section are in order of priority with the highest priority being at the top (or on the left, if you are considering the images below).
Back-end
Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC)
- IBC is one of the hallmarks of the Cosmos-SDK and will enable the IOV token to be traded on the Gravity DEX. We are on track to participate on the DEX at its launch.
Stargatenet testnet
- The stargatenet testnet will have IBC enabled and use a snapshot of the current mainnet for its genesis file. The testnet cluster will initially consist of an IOV operated validator, relayer, and block explorer. An IBC transfer to and from the Cosmos Hub testnet will be a huge milestone.
Audit
- A new back-end hire for IOV SAS, the company behind starnames, will scrutinize the code that powers starnames.
Launch of iov-mainnet-ibc
- The launch of the IBC enabled mainnet will happen after the audit and extensive testing on stargatenet. IOV SAS will coordinate with validators to migrate the state of the current mainnet into the genesis file for iov-mainnet-ibc. Note that the unbonding period for tokens will increase from 3 to 21 days in order to adhere to IBC security requirements.
Arbitrary message signing
- One aspect of starnames that makes them special is the ability to attach cryptographically verifiable certificates to them. This feature is particularly valuable to businesses in order to establish trust with their customers. Arbitrary message signing for certificates needs to be ported from the old to the new application binary.
Test Cosmos-SDK upgrade module
- Adding features to a blockchain typically involves migrating or “forking”, which is a high-risk operation. The Cosmos-SDK allows breaking change upgrades to happen in a very slick fashion. The Starname (IOV) blockchain will use the upgrade module to add new features to the blockchain.
Creator starname type
- The first new feature that will be added to the chain is a special starname type for creators. Creators will be able to use it to have their starname signature on every NFT that they create, like blue-sky*aspiring_artist, sunshine-soaked*aspiring_artist, love-song*aspiring_artist, etc. The certificate attached to *aspiring_artist will guarantee that all the works associated with the starname are authentic.
Escrow for swapping IOV tokens and starnames
- IOV SAS envisions an enormous marketplace for starnames and digital art. Empowering starname owners to sell their starnames without an intermediary is a core use case for the blockchain.
Starname metrics collection
- Collection and aggregation of on-chain data into a database is necessary for analysis and user experience. Making starnames searchable while providing suggestions as a user types is an expected feature in general and for a marketplace in particular.
Decentralization of Starname parameters
- In an effort to further decentralize the Starname (IOV) blockchain, starname parameters, like the minimum number of characters in a starname, will transition from control by IOV SAS’s multisig to the on-chain governance that the cosmos ecosystem knows and loves.
Free stuff! Mass adoption is the driving force for IOV SAS. To that end, IOV SAS will be giving away free starnames. A significant amount of work must be done in both the back-end and front-end so that the giveaway system is not abused.
Front-end
Staking for GDrive users
- Noobies will want to earn rewards soon after they are introduced to crypto and staking. We can’t deny them.
Voting for GDrive users
- The Starname (IOV) blockchain has a great community (thanks to Gabriela’s stewardship and admins like POSTHUMAN, JD, and Shop!) and we want GDrive users to feel included by making sure that they can participate in community driven on-chain proposals.
Polish the user interface for both desktop and mobile
- Mass adoption requires a smooth experience for users. Using GDrive for private key management means that the Starname App works on mobile devices — there’s no need to install an app from the app store!
Increase integration tests
- IOV SAS has been working tirelessly to deliver the Starname App. We’ll add more integration tests to our current battery to handle the various combinations of browsers and signing methods.
Signer package for npmjs.com
- The Starname community has had some great ideas for starnames. Some in the community expressed interest in creating websites of their own that interface with the Starname (IOV) blockchain. We can facilitate that by adding a package to npmjs.com that will handle all of the transaction signing whether by Ledger, Keplr, or GDrive.
Internationalization of the Starname App
- The Starname App isn’t just for English speakers! We’ll add additional languages to the app with help from the community.
Pop-up notification of starname expiration
- Starnames need to be renewed on a yearly basis. The Starname App will include a pop-up that informs the starname owner of upcoming expirations.
