Cosmos and the Era of Community Computers I Ethan Buchman from Costmos at Futurist Conference 2022

Ethan Buchman discusses the evolution of computing power, from centralized mainframes to decentralized community computers, and the role of blockchain and interoperability in building a new, collaborative digital future.

Key takeaways
  • The current mainframes are like the mainframe computers of the past, centralized and not empowering people.
  • The personal computer revolution transformed the relationship between individuals and technology, giving them sovereignty over their computing infrastructure.
  • The internet and interoperability were key to this revolution, allowing computers to connect and communicate with each other.
  • The blockchain revolution can follow a similar path, with blockchains giving communities sovereignty over their applications and infrastructure.
  • Interoperability is crucial for the blockchain revolution, allowing different blockchains to communicate and work together seamlessly.
  • The Cosmos ecosystem is building an “inter-blockchain communication protocol” (IBC) to enable interoperability between blockchains.
  • IBC is a general-purpose communication protocol that allows arbitrary machines (blockchains or individuals) to communicate with each other.
  • The blockchain consensus computer is a new substrate for building a new kind of computing technology, giving communities sovereignty over their computing infrastructure.
  • Mainframes were once thought to be the future of computing, but they have limitations in terms of technical scalability and social sovereignty.
  • The Cosmos ecosystem is building a new kind of computing technology, allowing communities to build their own computers with arbitrary applications and infrastructure.
  • The internet of blockchains is the future, allowing communities to build financial systems that are more collaborative and decentralized.
  • IBC is opening up a new world of composability, enabling general-purpose communication between community computers.
  • Cosmos is building an “inter-blockchain communication protocol” (IBC) to enable interoperability between blockchains.
  • IBC is a standard general-purpose, interoperable communication protocol between arbitrary machines (blockchains or individuals).
  • The blockchain revolution can give communities sovereignty over their applications and infrastructure, just like personal computers gave individuals sovereignty over their computing infrastructure.
  • IBC is the key to building an “internet of blockchains”, allowing different blockchains to communicate and work together seamlessly.