Difference between revisions of "Kredits"

Latest revision as of 10:57, 19 November 2023

Kredits are a system for tracking contributions to Kosmos projects, enabling the fair and transparent use of project funds, as well as improving project management and governance.

Current status

We are currently experimenting with the system in pre-production and running trials for opensource grant payouts. We have a functioning, usable Web UI up and running, which interacts directly with Rootstock and IPFS nodes, and which you can also use to create your contributor account: https://kredits.kosmos.org

We still use Rootstock testnet as of now, mostly for anchoring data about contributions and expense reimbursements, but all project funds are stored in a bitcoin multi-signature wallet. We are working on deploying the system to mainnet in the not-too-distant future, so that the budget can be managed dynamically by all members of the co-operative in RBTC eventually.

Concept & Architecture

Smart contracts

Kredits are cryptographic tokens, (currently) stored on the Rootstock sidechain, issued and managed via programs called smart contracts.

We use two types of tokens:

A non-fungible ERC721 token, which represents the actual contributions. These are unique, and they cannot be sent or traded with other people. They are earned by contributing to Kosmos projects, and either one of our bots or one of our contributors propose to create them for a contribution.
A fungible ERC20 token, which represents the rough amount and size of contributions. These are not unique, meaning every token represents the same value. They are similar to owning shares of a company. And they can be sent to other addresses using any ERC20-compatible wallet on the Rootstock network.

Every unique contribution token/record contains the amount of ERC20 kredits that can be withdrawn to their own wallet by the contributor. Withdrawal is optional, but the contributor can choose to do it whenever they want.

Data storage

All non-essential data (basically everything except for pure IDs and numbers/amounts) is stored on IPFS. In order to ensure that no data is lost, and all data is available to Kredits users at all times, we run a few Kosmos IPFS nodes, as well as a public IPFS gateway. See Kredits:IPFS for more information.

High-level overview

Software

Kredits Contracts

kredits-contracts contains the smart contracts, written in Solidity, as well as the generated contract ABI for use with the Web3 JavaScript library (e.g. in kredits-web). It can be linked from other programs via npm.

Kosmos Schemas

kosmos-schemas contains the JSON Schema definitions and examples for all data stored in IPFS. They can be used in the kredits-contracts JS wrapper as well as in client apps.

Kredits Web

kredits-web is the Web UI for the public Kredits dashboard and management UI. The app is hosted on 5apps Deploy at kredits.kosmos.org.

Hubot Kredits

hubot-kredits is a Hubot chatbot extension, which can automatically create (unconfirmed) contribution tokens, e.g. based on GitHub contributions, Mediawiki edits, etc.. We also use it to prototype back-end behavior that is potentially needed in `kredits-web`.

Kredits GitHub

kredits-github is a very simple GitHub app, which adds a check to pull requests in org repos, ensuring that they are assigned a kredits label, which is used by hubot-kredits to determine the size of the contribution.

Kredits IPFS Pinner

kredits-ipfs-pinner pins IPFS data of a Kredits organization on an IPFS node. Running this program turns any IPFS node into a live mirror for all Kredits-related documents.

Developing & Contributing

Most documentation currently lives in the README files of the various Git repositories.

We'll also gladly help you get started, and answer any questions, in our development chat rooms. IRC: #kosmos-dev on Libera.Chat. XMPP: kosmos-dev and kredits on kosmos.chat

Democratic governance via Kredits

Kredits have the potential to be used for distributed governance of the Kosmos project and organization. The basic idea is that people can vote on decisions with a vote that carries a weight according to their contributions. In short: the people who do should be the ones who decide. With a limited set of basic rules, this makes for an interesting new and decentralized approach to open-source governance.

Roadmap

In progress

Real-world testing of the existing functionality
Adding missing features for the mainnet launch

Planned

2023

Migrate all existing data to RSK mainnet
...

Ideas

Please note: this list is rather old and only kept here until moved (feel free to help). More up to date ideas and plans can be found in the issues and milestones of the various code repositories on GitHub and Gitea.

~~Leaderboard for contributions/kredits, where people can choose to publish their name or not (based on actual blockchain data)~~ WIP, almost done: https://kredits.kosmos.org/
Some way for new contributors to claim kredits sent to them via email link or similar (Update: current idea is to issue them without the need for an address, then be able to confirm address change via GitHub OAuth and admin action/proposal)
~~IRC bot for small transactions, so people can send each other kredits on Kosmos project channels~~ Turned out to not make sense.
~~Custom wallet, removing all unnecessary features and integrating custom features we'd like to have (like e.g. easy multisig transactions, linked/initiated from a Kosmos chatroom)~~ WIP, almost done: https://github.com/67P/kredits-web/ (tokens can be sent via normal ETH wallets)
Expense management, similar to https://opencollective.com/learn-more (MVP implemented in both contracts and Web UI, but not deployed yet)
Interoperability with other coops/projects/software
- https://docs.opencoopecosystem.net/
- https://www.valueflo.ws/

Similar projects/ideas

cDPOs (commons-oriented decentralised programmed organisations) as frameworks to bootstrap, develop & sustain commons projects
Colony -- "The Colony Beta is for teams who want to create their own “Collaboration Network”—a place to work with, incentivize, and track the contributions of a network of collaborators. It combines task management with “payments” and tracking."
Aragon
ether-camp/virtual accelerator -- "The Virtual Accelerator is a platform that allows for the promotion, testing and funding of ideas. " HackerGold is their token.
boardroom.to -- A blockchain based governance platform.
Lunyr -- "Lunyr is an Ethereum-based decentralized crowdsourced encyclopedia which rewards users with app tokens for peer-reviewing and contributing information."
Singulardtv -- "A Blockchain Entertainment Studio, Smart Contract Rights Management Platform and Video On-Demand Portal"
DAOstack -- "DAOstack is an open source project advancing the technology and adoption of decentralized governance."

Similar code/inspirations/links

Notes

Sideshift is similar to Shapeshift, but without KYC and such. Could be used to donate to the Kredits contract using Bitcoin via LN, as well as via normal chain txs with a variety of currencies.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Kredits are an experimental bonus system for contributors. They are cryptographic tokens, stored on the Ethereum blockchain, issued and managed via smart contracts.
+Kredits are a system for tracking contributions to Kosmos projects, enabling the fair and transparent use of project funds, as well as improving project management and governance.
-Anyone can create an Ethereum wallet via e.g. [https://metamask.io/ metamask.io] and start receiving kredits for contributions of any kind. People can also send their own kredits to each other if and when they like.
+== Current status ==
-For now kredits are just a fun experiment and gaming element, but the long-term idea is that they can be rewarded with dividends, in case the Kosmos project/org will be in a financial position that allows it to reward everybody contributing to its success. There's also a variety of other possible use cases, like e.g. a public offering via kredit sales. (see [[Crypto Equity]])
+We are currently experimenting with the system in pre-production and running trials for opensource grant payouts. We have a functioning, usable Web UI up and running, which interacts directly with Rootstock and IPFS nodes, and which you can also use to create your contributor account: https://kredits.kosmos.org
+We still use Rootstock testnet as of now, mostly for anchoring data about contributions and expense reimbursements, but all project funds are stored in a bitcoin multi-signature wallet. We are working on deploying the system to mainnet in the not-too-distant future, so that the budget can be managed dynamically by all members of the co-operative in RBTC eventually.
+== Concept & Architecture ==
+=== Smart contracts ===
+Kredits are cryptographic tokens, (currently) stored on the [https://rootstock.io/ Rootstock] sidechain, issued and managed via programs called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_contract smart contracts].
+We use two types of tokens:
+# A non-fungible [https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-721 ERC721] token, which represents the actual contributions. These are unique, and they cannot be sent or traded with other people. They are earned by contributing to Kosmos projects, and either one of our bots or one of our contributors propose to create them for a contribution.
+# A fungible [https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-20 ERC20] token, which represents the rough amount and size of contributions. These are not unique, meaning every token represents the same value. They are similar to owning shares of a company. And they can be sent to other addresses using any ERC20-compatible wallet on the Rootstock network.
+Every unique contribution token/record contains the amount of ERC20 kredits that can be withdrawn to their own wallet by the contributor. Withdrawal is optional, but the contributor can choose to do it whenever they want.
+=== Data storage ===
+All non-essential data (basically everything except for pure IDs and numbers/amounts) is stored on [https://ipfs.io/ IPFS]. In order to ensure that no data is lost, and all data is available to Kredits users at all times, we run a few Kosmos IPFS nodes, as well as a public IPFS gateway. See [[Kredits:IPFS]] for more information.
+=== High-level overview ===
+[[File:High-level-architecture.svg|1024px|link=https://wiki.kosmos.org/images/c/c1/High-level-architecture.svg|frameless|caption]]
 == Software ==
@@ Line 9: / Line 32: @@
 === Kredits Contracts ===
-[https://github.com/67P/kredits-contracts/ kredits-contracts] contains the smart contracts, written in Solidity, as well as the generated contract ABI for use with the Web3 JavaScript library (e.g. in kredits-web). It can be linked from other programs via npm.
+[https://gitea.kosmos.org/kredits/contracts kredits-contracts] contains the smart contracts, written in Solidity, as well as the generated contract ABI for use with the Web3 JavaScript library (e.g. in kredits-web). It can be linked from other programs via npm.
+=== Kosmos Schemas ===
+[https://github.com/67P/kosmos-schemas/ kosmos-schemas] contains the JSON Schema definitions and examples for all data stored in IPFS. They can be used in the kredits-contracts JS wrapper as well as in client apps.
 === Kredits Web ===
@@ Line 17: / Line 44: @@
 === Hubot Kredits ===
-[https://github.com/67P/hal8000/blob/feature/hubot-kredits/scripts/hubot-kredts.js hubot-kredits] is a chatbot, which can automatically propose kredit issuance, e.g. based on GitHub contributions, wiki edits, etc.
+[https://github.com/67P/hubot-kredits hubot-kredits] is a Hubot chatbot extension, which can automatically create (unconfirmed) contribution tokens, e.g. based on GitHub contributions, Mediawiki edits, etc.. We also use it to prototype back-end behavior that is potentially needed in `kredits-web`.
+=== Kredits GitHub ===
+[https://github.com/67P/kredits-github kredits-github] is a very simple GitHub app, which adds a check to pull requests in org repos, ensuring that they are assigned a kredits label, which is used by hubot-kredits to determine the size of the contribution.
+=== Kredits IPFS Pinner ===
+[https://gitea.kosmos.org/kosmos/kredits-ipfs-pinner kredits-ipfs-pinner] pins IPFS data of a Kredits organization on an IPFS node. Running this program turns any IPFS node into a live mirror for all Kredits-related documents.
+== Developing & Contributing ==
+Most documentation currently lives in the README files of the various Git repositories.
+We'll also gladly help you get started, and answer any questions, in our development chat rooms. IRC: [https://waves.kosmos.org/logs/freenode/kosmos-dev/today #kosmos-dev] on [https://libera.chat/ Libera.Chat]. XMPP: [xmpp:kosmos-dev@kosmos.chat?join kosmos-dev] and [xmpp:kredits@kosmos.chat?join kredits] on kosmos.chat
 == Democratic governance via Kredits ==
-Kredits have the potential to be used for distributed governance of the Kosmos project and organization. The basic idea is that people can vote on decisions with a vote that carries a weight according to their contributions. In short: the people who do should decide. With a limited set of basic rules, this makes for a revolutionary new approach to decentralized open-source governance.
+Kredits have the potential to be used for distributed governance of the Kosmos project and organization. The basic idea is that people can vote on decisions with a vote that carries a weight according to their contributions. In short: the people who do should be the ones who decide. With a limited set of basic rules, this makes for an interesting new and decentralized approach to open-source governance.
-=== Rules / parameters ===
+== Roadmap ==
-# Voting Kredits are only issued for contributions to the project to the person who contributes.
+=== In progress ===
-# As soon as the person transfers the Kredits to a different entity, the Kredits lose their votes. This way investors and speculators can never acquire voting rights by just buying someone's Kredits.
-# Kredit votes lose weight over time. For example 30% per year. This ensures that people who contributed a lot at a certain time, but then don't contribute for a longer time, cannot influence the project as much as people who are currently contributing/doing. The Kredits still retain their normal value/dividends, but voting weight decreases until the point of having non-voting Kredits after a few years.
+* Real-world testing of the existing functionality
-# Voting Kredit holders can put decisions to a vote at any point in time. Some reasonable rules have to be established to prevent trolling and resource/time waste.
+* Adding missing features for the mainnet launch
+=== Planned ===
+==== 2023 ====
+* Migrate all existing data to RSK mainnet
+* ...
 == Ideas ==
+''Please note: this list is rather old and only kept here until moved (feel free to help). More up to date ideas and plans can be found in the issues and milestones of the various code repositories on GitHub and Gitea.''
 * <del>Leaderboard for contributions/kredits, where people can choose to publish their name or not (based on actual blockchain data)</del> WIP, almost done: https://kredits.kosmos.org/
 * Some way for new contributors to claim kredits sent to them via email link or similar (Update: current idea is to issue them without the need for an address, then be able to confirm address change via GitHub OAuth and admin action/proposal)
 * <del>IRC bot for small transactions, so people can send each other kredits on Kosmos project channels</del> Turned out to not make sense.
-* <del>Custom wallet, removing all unncesseary features and integrating custom features we'd like to have (like e.g. easy multisig transactions, linked/initiated from a Kosmos chatroom)</del> WIP, almost done: https://github.com/67P/kredits-web/ (tokens can be sent via normal ETH wallets)
+* <del>Custom wallet, removing all unnecessary features and integrating custom features we'd like to have (like e.g. easy multisig transactions, linked/initiated from a Kosmos chatroom)</del> WIP, almost done: https://github.com/67P/kredits-web/ (tokens can be sent via normal ETH wallets)
-* [[Contribution Dashboard]] for regular Kredit distribution as well as general project stats
+* Expense management, similar to https://opencollective.com/learn-more (MVP implemented in both contracts and Web UI, but not deployed yet)
-* Expense management, similar to https://opencollective.com/learn-more
+* Interoperability with other coops/projects/software
+** https://docs.opencoopecosystem.net/
+** https://www.valueflo.ws/
 == Similar projects/ideas ==
-* [https://medium.com/@ecsa_team/programmed-decentralised-commons-production-2b1fac7cf9a8 cDPOs (commons-oriented decentralised programmed organisations)] as frameworks to bootstrap, develop & sustain commons projects
+* [https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Commons-Oriented_Decentralised_Programmed_Organisations cDPOs (commons-oriented decentralised programmed organisations)] as frameworks to bootstrap, develop & sustain commons projects
 * [https://blog.colony.io/colony-beta-product-summary-2121a357d61d?mc_cid=b1750a36c8&mc_eid=fb43075dba#.9egmfejax Colony] -- "The Colony Beta is for teams who want to create their own “Collaboration Network”—a place to work with, incentivize, and track the contributions of a network of collaborators. It combines task management with “payments” and tracking."
 * [http://aragon.one/ Aragon]
-* [https://github.com/ether-camp/virtual-accelerator/ ether-camp/virtual asselerator] -- "The Virtual Accelerator is a platform that allows for the promotion, testing and funding of ideas. " HackerGold is their token.
+* [https://github.com/ether-camp/virtual-accelerator/ ether-camp/virtual accelerator] -- "The Virtual Accelerator is a platform that allows for the promotion, testing and funding of ideas. " HackerGold is their token.
 * [http://boardroom.to/ boardroom.to] -- A blockchain based governance platform.
 * [https://lunyr.com/ Lunyr] -- "Lunyr is an Ethereum-based decentralized crowdsourced encyclopedia which rewards users with app tokens for peer-reviewing and contributing information."
 * [https://singulardtv.com/ Singulardtv] -- "A Blockchain Entertainment Studio, Smart Contract Rights Management Platform and Video On-Demand Portal"
+* [https://daostack.io/ DAOstack] -- "DAOstack is an open source project advancing the technology and adoption of decentralized governance."
 see also:
@@ Line 54: / Line 107: @@
 * [https://medium.com/@ConsenSys/tokens-on-ethereum-e9e61dac9b4e#.hfxscd8yx Tokens on Ethereum] about Ethereum based tokens by ConsenSys
 * [https://medium.com/@balajis/thoughts-on-tokens-436109aabcbe Thoughts on Tokens] by Balaji S. Srinivasan and Naval Ravikant
+* [https://www.misthos.io/ Misthos] (multi-sig bitcoin wallet, "designed for project teams, investment partnerships and other ad hoc ventures to manage the divvying up of income (received as bitcoin) among their individual members", based on Blockstack, [https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-wallet-blockstack-decentralized/ Coindesk article])
+* https://sourcecred.io
+* [https://freecoin.dyne.org/ Freecoin]
 == Similar code/inspirations/links ==
@@ Line 61: / Line 117: @@
 * [https://github.com/ConsenSys/gnosis-contracts/blob/master/contracts/solidity/Tokens/StandardToken.sol gnosis-contracts]
 * [https://github.com/melonproject/melon/ melonproject contracts]
+* Paper: [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3243656 "Liberal Radicalism: Formal Rules for a Society Neutral Among Communities"]
+== Notes ==
+* [https://sideshift.ai/ Sideshift] is similar to Shapeshift, but without KYC and such. Could be used to donate to the Kredits contract using Bitcoin via LN, as well as via normal chain txs with a variety of currencies.