The Stellar Development Foundation undertook a unique initiative by enabling its entire workforce to engage directly with the process of writing, deploying, and invoking smart contracts using its Soroban platform. This effort aimed to deepen understanding and facilitate hands-on experience with the foundation’s latest smart contract protocol.
According to a report by Stellar Developers, the centerpiece of this initiative was a web-based platform named Okashi, tailored specifically for Soroban. It played a vital role in demystifying the smart contract process for participants of all skill levels. Okashi introduced “The Okashi Cakewalk,” a game designed to guide users through smart contract creation and deployment in an accessible and engaging manner. The game’s goal was to simplify the concept of smart contracts, making them approachable for everyone, irrespective of their coding prowess.
However, motivating employees to adopt the perspective of end-users, a practice known as dogfooding, posed challenges. This approach demands a mindset shift, especially for those involved in development, and presents a steep learning curve for those less acquainted with coding or smart contracts. Despite these hurdles, the benefits of such an immersive experience are undeniable, particularly for a technology as intricate as Soroban.
The experiment’s approach, centered on fun and learning, required participants to craft NFT artwork using ASCII characters within a 5×5 grid. This creative endeavor led to the production of more than 170 Cakewalk NFTs on Futurenet, reflecting high engagement and collaborative spirit across the organization. Notably, this exercise not only enriched non-technical staff’s understanding of smart contracts but also offered seasoned Soroban developers a fresh perspective through a user-friendly interface.
This initiative is poised to have a profound impact on the Stellar ecosystem. As SDF employees gain a deeper comprehension and practical experience with the Stellar Soroban smart contract platform, it is anticipated that this will spark a wave of innovation within the Stellar network. The introduction of new Decentralized Applications (DApps) is expected to leverage the unique capabilities of the XLM network, potentially increasing demand for the cryptocurrency.
Looking at Stellar’s native token market performance, XLM’s upward trajectory has been cut short as bears outshine the bulls. XLM has been trading in the positive region in most of today’s session despite facing a decline to $0.1370, a mere decrease of 0.30%. Despite the decline in market cap at $3.9 billion, the trading volume has seen a significant increase of 50%, with a value of $132 million, suggesting a rise in buying pressure.
