I’m Andrew Levine, the CEO of Koinos Group, and below you will find our first episode of the Koinos Group podcast. We’ll be using this podcast to explore a wide range of topics because as a decentralized application development platform with no barriers to entry, we expect the Koinos blockchain to touch every corner of the technology space. We'll share information about the project, interview members of the team, and interview people from other projects, not just in the blockchain space but in the tech space more generally because we’re building Koinos to add value to any project not just projects that want to bill themselves as decentralized or blockchain-powered.
Building great applications takes both decentralized and centralized databases, and so Koinos is being designed to enable developers to integrate a decentralized database into their stack regardless of how much or how little they want to rely on that database.
In this episode I interview one of my co-founders, Michael Vandeberg, who is also one of the architects of the Koinos Blockchain. He starts out by telling us briefly about his background and experience, and then we go on to talk about Graphene, the blockchain technology that powers a number of blockchains like Bitshares, Steem and Hive.
Audio version
Graphene
Even though Koinos doesn't use Graphene, I wanted to have this conversation because I think it provides important historical context for Koinos and insight into the very nature of smart contracts. Graphene came out around the same time as Ethereum and was intended as an alternative method for developing and executing smart contracts that achieved superior performance by foregoing the need for a virtual machine.
I’ve been in this space a long time, so I’ve been thinking about smart contracts basically since they were invented. Not only that, but I used to be a lawyer so I also have a decent understanding of legal contracts which were actually the inspiration for smart contracts, and yet even I struggle with the concept. So I know how hard it can be to wrap your mind around smart contracts.
The Ethereum Bias
Part of what makes it so challenging is that it’s almost impossible to even think of smart contracts outside of Ethereum’s implementation, which involves writing code in a dedicated programming language, Solidity, and having that code run in a virtual machine which, if you’re not familiar, is kind of like a computer running inside of another computer. While this is a very powerful approach which Koinos will employ, I think that the additional perspective that I and the rest of the team have gotten, by understanding how Graphene implements smart contracts was actually key to inspiring the innovations that will set Koinos apart and enable it to provide incredible value to developers and their end users.
I hope you enjoy the episode and if you have any suggestions for topics we should cover in future episodes, please leave those in the comments.
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Can't wait to watch the next episode 🙂
I'm really excited by this project, although I wish we could see/read more about what's happening at Koinos. (status of the project, more infos on how this blockchain will work, on how the smart contracts will work, etc...)
More info coming soon! Thanks for the feedback!
Excellent explanation.
Great podcast! Oh well, I watched the video version, so I have to say: Great VodCast :)
For the first time I learned in simple enough words what the downsides of Graphene is. And with this explanation I fully understand why a blockchain based on Graphene may not be the best way forward. Certainly not for a more or less general purpose blockchain. Somehow its a bit unfortunate Smart Contract platforms like Ethereum won over Graphene, but in my mind, business logic shall be build outside the blockchain, and the blockchain itself shall be made in such ways it can do its only tasks, store content. I suppose this is what KOINOS has in mind for its chain.
Though I realise you guys are very busy getting the chain developed, but I'm pretty sure when releasing these type of VodCast frequently, it'll not only help understanding the KOINOS community what you guys are going for, and why it can be a game changer, but it'll support building the brand, as well as showcasing the knowledge you guys have which further supports establishing the brand. As you probbaly realise yourselves, brand awareness is super important. Brilliant tech, stays unused when not marketed well.
Very much looking forward to the next VodCast. Let them come to us on a weekly bases {not intending to push you guys LOL}
Thanks for the feedback. I absolutely agree that brand building is super important. Hoping to put out lots more content while making sure product always comes first. Thanks again!