DEVMOS 2024: Opening Remarks

Summary

In this inaugural devmos event, I shared the origins of our gathering, which took root two years ago at Cosmoverse Medellin when I realized the need for a platform where developers could exchange insights and learnings more efficiently. We emphasized that this conference isn't about product discussions or trends like DeFi and NFTs but instead dives deep into the core stack, covering essential topics such as IBC, Cosmos SDK development, performance, security, and off-chain compute extensions. While the initial goal was to hold the event in Japan, we ended up in the vibrant crypto hub of New York City, home to numerous Cosmos development teams, enhancing our sense of community. I expressed my excitement for the venue, Station 3, a crypto co-working space that embodies the thriving atmosphere of innovation. We are set to explore the interchain developer experience, starting with a high-level overview, and I’m thrilled to see where these discussions lead us.

Key Takeaways

The Devmos conference aims to provide a dedicated space for developers in the Cosmos ecosystem to share insights and learnings, addressing the need for technical rigor in discussions.
The focus of the event is on core development topics, such as IBC, Cosmos SDK, performance, security, and off-chain compute extensions, rather than product-specific discussions like DeFi and NFTs.
New York City is highlighted as a central hub for crypto innovation, hosting numerous Cosmos development teams and events, reinforcing its status as an epicenter for the industry.
The venue, Station 3, serves as a collaborative workspace for crypto companies, emphasizing the importance of community and resources available for developers.
The conference is structured to begin with high-level discussions before delving into deeper, technical topics, catering to a range of developer experiences.

Detailed Analysis

The inaugural devmos event marks a pivotal moment for the Cosmos community, emphasizing the need for a dedicated space where developers can converge to share insights and deepen their understanding of the technology that underpins this ecosystem. The speaker reflects on the origins of this gathering, tracing it back to a conversation that highlighted a gap in technical rigor at previous events. This theme of fostering more meaningful discussions around core development, rather than being sidetracked by product-centric narratives, resonates strongly. It’s a recognition that while product development is crucial, the foundation of any successful project lies in robust technical understanding and collaboration.

In an era where the blockchain space is rife with rapid innovation and often superficial engagement, the focus on core stack discussions at devmos is refreshing. It aligns with broader industry trends pushing for deeper technical literacy and collaboration among developers. As we see the landscape becoming increasingly crowded with various projects and protocols, the ability to share knowledge and streamline learnings can significantly enhance productivity and innovation. This gathering serves as a response to the challenge of siloed work—where developers often replicate efforts instead of building upon each other's insights.

The implications of such an event extend beyond just the immediate benefits of networking and knowledge sharing. By creating a platform for developers to delve into critical topics like inter-blockchain communication (IBC), Cosmos SDK development, and off-chain computations, we are setting the stage for advancements that can propel the entire ecosystem forward. It’s about building a community that values technical excellence and open dialogue, which are essential for tackling the complexities of decentralized systems.

However, while the vision for devmos is ambitious, there are inherent limitations worth considering. The success of this initiative will depend on sustained engagement from the community and the ability to attract a diverse range of voices. The speaker acknowledges this challenge but also points to the vibrant crypto scene in New York City as a potential boon for participation. The venue itself, a co-working space filled with crypto companies, showcases the kind of environment that can facilitate ongoing collaboration, but it remains to be seen how well this community can maintain momentum beyond the initial excitement of the inaugural event.

This video is especially useful for developers and technical enthusiasts within the Cosmos ecosystem who are looking to deepen their understanding of the core technologies that drive decentralized applications. It offers insights not only into the technical aspects of development but also into the collaborative spirit that is essential for innovation. For those who thrive on learning from peers and exchanging ideas, this gathering represents an invaluable opportunity to engage with thought leaders and fellow developers at the forefront of the blockchain space.

Transcript

Speakers: A

**A** (0:00): All right, welcome everyone. Thank you all for coming to the first inaugural devmos. A little bit about the history of how this got incepted. The initial spark started two years ago at Cosmoverse Medellin. The Osmosis and Mars team were having a joint dinner together and Larry was lamenting to me about the lack of technical rigor at the talks of Cosmoverse. And I was explaining to him, like, no, no, the Cosmoverse is like, you know, it has its role, it has its place. You know, it's more about the exciting product developments and like, you know, spreading the gospel of Cosmos to beyond. But Larry, you're right. We do need a venue for developers to show and tell to each other, share insights, share learnings. We're all like off sort of working on our own little silos a lot of the time. And there's a. You know, what I noticed was a lot of times people were just like replicating the same learnings that could just be expedited a lot faster if we just had more opportunity to share our insights that we get. And so that's kind of how this started out. And so it took a while to fruition, like I said, like two years ago, but it's finally happening. And so, yeah, thank you, Larry, for inspiring this. Unfortunately, he's not here, but the talks are recorded, so he will be able to watch them afterwards. So as I mentioned, the goal here is not focused on product stuff, not focused on DeFi and NFTs and all this stuff. Right. It's focused on like the core stack. So, you know, today the topics we're going to be focused a lot on, like IBC related stuff, Cosmos SDK core development, especially when it comes to things like performance security, off chain compute extensions and testing suites. Tomorrow we'll be focused a lot more on indexers, front ends, cosmwasm and consensus protocols. So, you know, like I said, very, very core stack stuff, which is what I'm really excited for. I think this is the first of its kind. Cosmos Conference. You might be wondering why I'm dressed like this. Why this mascot? Well, when we were trying to figure out when the next OSMOCON slash devmos. This kind of replaces devmos for the OSMOCON for the year. We were trying to like, oh, it should be in Japan. Japan is awesome. But then logistics kind of got in the way and we're like, okay, that's a little hard. But we wanted to keep some of our, the Japan theme and stuff. So that's kind of how we ended up with that. But yeah. So instead we decided to pivot to the greatest city on earth. New York City, home of many Cosmos dev teams. Skip stargaze, stride, objective do idx. A lot of teams are here. I think New York is the epicenter of crypto right now. You know, John and I, we work from the Paradigm office in like soho. Like right across the street is like the DYDX office. Right next door is the Uniswap office. It's like crypto is happening in New York. So you know, be here one of the. And you know, especially this venue is really cool. The. For those who don't know Station 3, this is a crypto co working space. The. This whole floor is just filled of crypto companies and they host events here like, like, I think like multiple times a week. Like three or four events here a week. So this is like just a great resource to have here in the New York community. One of the coolest parts about this venue, other than the literal bull market sigil outside is my first gig in Cosmos was on this block. So Jim Yang, I don't know if he's here right now, but he was trying to recruit, poach me from Consensus and he gave me a gig to like AIB was running a hackathon and so I hosted a hackathon meetup at the WeWork right across the street. So that's really cool. Just coming all back for me to start to be back here. Yeah. So I want to give a huge thank you to Amanda. Is she here? I don't think she's here right now, but for helping us procure this venue. Nate from Station 3 for helping us organize this as well as from the Osmosis team, Kristen, Kelsey David for organizing this whole thing. And so I'm really excited to kick this off. Like I said, we're going to go very, very low level deep today, but we'll start off with Ollie starting with a high level approach to the interchain developer experience.