Homework #0 - dApp Landscape

CS 359B Spring 2018

Deadline: April 4, 2018 11:00 am

To give you some inspiration for your project, for our first short assignment you will spend some time exploring the current landscape of dApps.

Instructions

1. To research the environment of decentralized apps, we are collectively compiling a registry of projects in the space at https://dapps.stanford.edu. As a first step, find two or more dApps that are not already listed in the registry, and add them to the list.

To get started, you might want to check out DappRadar or State of the DApps, which are registries of dApps built upon Ethereum. Some popular dApps have coins/tokens associated with them, so you can also scan CoinMarketCap for ideas. But note that not all tokens are associated with a dApp, so do not blindly select tokens from the list. Note: We recommend installing the MetaMask Chrome extension or the Mist browser.

2. As your peers submit projects to the registry, engage by add your vote (thumbs up/neutral/thumbs down) to projects that you think are interesting, impactful, or strong otherwise. This may help everyone decide on projects to present on in addition to project ideas in the future. Remember to vote on the project, not the submitter!
3. Choose one dApp out of the dApps listed in the CS 359B registry which interests you. Pick the one that feels the most important and impactful to you, and is not already being presented by someone else.
4. Prepare a couple slides on this deck for the dApp you chose. You can follow the template slides as inspiration for the sorts of things you might present about. Your presentation should describe the problem the dApp is attempting to solve, and its proposed solution. You could also discuss the history, motivation, design (front-end and back-end), implementation etc. of dApps, and may also include your own feedback and thoughts on design decisions, technical challenges, etc. This does not necessarily need to be very technical.
5. Finally, be ready to present (2-3 minutes) on your chosen dApp in class on Wednesday, April 4!

Grading

• Your score on the landscape research portion will be based on your submissions. A full score will be awarded for the submission of 2-3 quality dApps.
• Your score on the presentation will be based on the quality of your content, and presentation if you present. Note that we will not have time to present on all dApps, so we will pick a diverse set of impactful projects.

We hope this short warm-up exercise will help you gain familiarity with the exciting projects being worked on in the space and inspire your choice of project!