Dear DREP community members:
The online developer community AMA event jointly held by DREP and the University of Sydney has successfully concluded. Thank you very much every developer and community member for your participation!
In this AMA event, DREP co-founder Xu Xiaolong , DREP blockchain engineer Edward and President of the University of Sydney Blockchain Association Hill shared their views on the community with the community members of the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney The application of blockchain technology and the current industry hotspots such as Facebook's proposal to issue stablecoins also playfully revealed the daily life of blockchain engineers. In addition, Lianchuang Xiaolong gave a detailed introduction to the members of the community on the development process and competitive advantages of DREP. Watching members online responded positively.
Part 1: My blockchain story
Q: How did you get connected with the blockchain?
Xiaolong: Before co-founding the DREP Foundation, I was the chief engineer at Quantum Chain (QTUM), witnessing and participating in the growth process of quantum chain from 0 to 1. After graduating from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I joined Tencent Tianmei Studio as a game development engineer. In the past few years on the blockchain, I have also served as a project consultant for several blockchain accelerator projects, and I have often been invited to share with various universities.
Edward: I work as a backend development engineer at DREP. Joining the DREP blockchain engineer team has a great working experience. The development of Yiwu will discuss the DREP public chain, block browser, wallet APP development, consensus algorithm and other issues, and try to create a blockchain product with a better user experience through various channels. In 2013, when I was an undergraduate, I learned about Bitcoin through my tutor. At that time, I bought 40 bitcoins for $ 105, and then sold them for $ 1077 in December of that year. The tuition for one semester was paid. This experience inspired me a lot, and inspired me to further study the principles of Bitcoin and opened the door to a new world. Especially the concept of decentralization makes me yearn very much.
After graduating from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, I joined the blockchain developer community. There, I further learned about the technology behind the blockchain, which includes some well-known technologies: encryption technology, P2P technology and so on. I am looking forward to the day when blockchain technology is widely adopted by the public, and I hope that I can bring more value to the society as a blockchain engineer.
Hill: I learned about blockchain through bitcoin transactions. After recognizing the technology behind the blockchain, I decided to further develop this industry and joined a blockchain startup in Sydney. A year after entering the blockchain industry, I have accumulated some contacts. While accumulating experience, I think it is important to share the experience with the juniors, so that they will not miss this opportunity at the beginning that may witness the changes of the times.
Part II: DREP's development history and competitive advantages
Q: Where is the development history and competitive advantage of DREP?
Xiaolong: Since I entered the blockchain industry, I have been committed to improving the breakthrough of existing bottlenecks in blockchain technology, so that all developers and enterprises can more easily use these technologies. At present, the projects on the market are complicated, but these projects are relatively closed-loop, and their focus is only on building their own ecosystem. In this way, when enterprises use blockchain technology, they will face the problem of which chain to choose. Even if this problem is solved, users still have to consider how to develop applications on different platforms, which seriously restricts the commercialization process of the blockchain.
This is why DREP's vision is to become a "connector" and "toolbox" on the blockchain, connecting everything and providing low-threshold solutions.
Q: How does DREP improve the feasibility of blockchain solutions and user experience?
Edward: The user experience is easy to understand. It is easy to use. For example, most users who have used cryptocurrency have used imToken, which is a blockchain product with a very good user experience. Therefore, in the development process, we will continue to optimize our products and conduct tests so as to be suitable for novices. There are no shortcuts to make good products, we can only iterate.
Xiaolong: Yes, in fact, ordinary users don't need to know the technical details of the blockchain at all. For them, enjoying decentralized services is enough. Just like we are using the Internet.
Simple and easy to use is the most critical! In fact, for users who want to enter the cryptocurrency circle, the learning threshold is still relatively high, and there are too many terms. How to solve it? For example, our development team added Alias function in DREP testnet 3.0. This feature allows users to log in to the account only by remembering a simple nickname instead of a complicated address. So, if you want to build a product that is easy to use, these details are crucial.
Q: Have you seen the application of blockchain technology in real life? Or do you think this day is too early?
Edward: Actually, I think some blockchain applications have appeared in the business scene. For example, the Chinese technology giant Alibaba, they have developed their own blockchain products-AntChain. Using blockchain technology, AntChain can trace the source of welfare funds, and it is convenient for personal credit file management and asset borrowing records. The use of data irreversibility and security has opened a new round of innovation and made the widespread application of blockchain technology possible.
Xiaolong: I agree with Edward on this point. I once talked with Aaron, Tencent's blockchain manager, about the widespread use of blockchain. We agree that although China currently has strict policy restrictions on 1C0 and cryptocurrencies, it still supports the application of this technology. In Shenzhen, Wal-Mart has begun to issue blockchain invoices using the underlying blockchain technology developed by Tencent.
DREP is also helping real estate, O2O and other companies from Australia, China and the Middle East to join the blockchain technology on the basis of the existing technical architecture as a technical service provider to achieve "blockchain +".
Although the commercialization of blockchain is slow, the trend is clear. We greatly admire the builders who are determined to advance this process and use this as an example.
Part 3: The current hot topic of blockchain
Q: Facebook has frequently dominated the headlines recently. The reason is that Facebook plans to issue its own cryptocurrency, Libra, and claims that it will "change the global economic landscape." What are your thoughts on Facebook's launch of Libra?
Xiaolong: I personally think this is a great plan.
First of all, Facebook's plan does get more attention from blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Relevant data shows that there are only 40 million holders of global cryptocurrencies. The WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook communities together have 2.7 billion active users worldwide, which has given the blockchain industry unprecedented attention. I believe it will also help inflow of new money in the future.
However, in terms of technology, Facebook does not have much innovation. Its advantage lies in gathering the resources and influence of the financial and technology industry. In terms of regulation, Facebook still has a long way to go. But even if Facebook's core concept cannot cross the technical threshold and regulatory framework, this is still a big step forward for the industry because it creates a new industry paradigm for global currencies.
So far, no currency can be used as a global currency, not even the US dollar. So if Libra succeeds, we are likely to witness the establishment of a new international financial system. This is still worth looking forward to.
Edward: Actually I think the technology behind Libra is underestimated. It is commercially feasible to select major financial institutions such as venture capital and banks to become blockchain network nodes, and this idea is relatively mature, because it can help increase the speed of operation to a certain extent. Secondly, Libra's technological advantage can be said to be built on the research and experimental results of ICT, Fintech and DeFi (decentralized finance) over the past 30 years, plus the development and innovation of blockchain technology in recent years.
We have reason to believe that Libra's infrastructure will overcome many existing bottlenecks.
Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the blockchain industry?
Xiaolong: In my opinion, blockchain participants face two major difficulties: one is the landing application, and the other is the regulatory issue.
In order to regulate the development of the blockchain industry, the government and other financial institutions will successively introduce some regulatory measures. Therefore, participants need to always pay attention to work accordingly under these regulatory frameworks.
Edward: From a technical point of view, the blockchain platform does not seem to be able to balance scalability, security and decentralization. We can often see the blockage of existing blockchain networks. However, some new platforms have already made innovations and improvements on this point, such as the use of the Delegated Proof of Stake (DPOS) mechanism, although in the end it is still not possible to achieve decentralization. In addition, the European Union has also promulgated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires that data must be erasable. Considering that blockchain transactions cannot be tampered with, blockchain participants need to innovate in this regard.
Part IV: Living in the blockchain industry
Q: Can you talk to us about the daily life of blockchain engineers?
Edward: As a co-founder, Xiaolong has many other matters to consider. Therefore, I am more suitable to answer this question for programmers.
The job of a blockchain engineer is interesting. Every day we will type a lot of code, run a variety of data, the computer is basically off, the next day when I feel like the draw, I can see the test results of the previous day, which makes me very excited (but at the same time It also means that you need to constantly fix previous bugs).
At lunch, our programmers will communicate their problems encountered at work. Because the programming languages and technical frameworks used by everyone have their own characteristics, they can benefit from sharing different views.
Q .: What do you think are the necessary qualities of blockchain engineers?
Edward: There is a "T-shape person" expression in English. To put it simply, blockchain engineers not only need to have blockchain technology, that is, the vertical direction of "T". In addition, it also needs to have interdisciplinary literacy, that is, the horizontal direction of "T", which includes Design Thinking, Agile Software Development, DevOps (software development + IT operation and maintenance), and continuous delivery capabilities ( Continuous Delivery). In short, blockchain engineers need to understand the data structure, algorithm basis, and popular encryption consensus algorithms. That is, you need to be very proficient in your field.
Xiaolong: In addition to professional knowledge, we are interested in whether the candidate is down-to-earth, whether he understands the real needs of the enterprise rather than working behind closed doors, and whether he has the ability to find corresponding solutions. In addition, the candidate's keen grasp of existing algorithms and technologies, and the relentless pursuit of developing practical and novel products are also crucial. Because in the final analysis, the significance of blockchain technology is not just to pursue high throughput, but to eliminate the bottleneck of blockchain applications, so that individuals, enterprises and blockchain services are seamlessly connected. This is the direction that DREP has always been heading.
question Time
After sharing, the Q & A session was also very lively. The audience raised questions about blockchain supervision, blockchain application and consensus algorithms. Xiaolong and Edward gave meticulous and comprehensive answers to every question of community members. Their proficiency in blockchain technology and in-depth thinking of the blockchain industry have been unanimously recognized by community members. In the praise, the online Q & A ended successfully.
The development of the blockchain industry is changing rapidly, and for the participants, the alliance with universities is of strategic significance. DREP knows the importance of it, and will continue to keep pace, continue to cooperate with colleges and universities, and continue to develop the developer community!
In the future, DREP developers will hold similar online meetings and sharing sessions from time to time. Please pay more attention to DREP developments.
To learn more about DREP or join the community, please add DREP official WeChat: DREP_Foundation or DREP_service
