Korea IT Times sat down with Alessandro Ricottone, Ph.D. Head of Research at Lisk, an open-source platform that enables developers to build blockchain applications in JavaScript. Ricottone, who recently held a workshop on interoperability for IEEE International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, is among many within the blockchain industry who view interoperability as the key to mainstream adoption. Interoperability is crucial, as it enables the transfer of assets between blockchain networks, breaking down the barriers associated with large-scale enterprise adoption. Lisk is moving towards full interoperability to further promote blockchain development to mainstream audiences, making the technology easily accessible to budding innovators and entrepreneurs.
The following are interview questions and answers with Ricottone
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Lisk
I am Alessandro Ricottone, Head of Research for the Lisk project. I have a background in theoretical physics, but I have always been interested in computer science in general and blockchain technologies in particular. I started working at Lisk in 2019, and I have witnessed and contributed to quite a lot of exciting improvements to the Lisk protocol.
What problem does Lisk solve for developers?
Lisk was designed to make blockchain accessible for developers. Using the Lisk SDK, they can build a blockchain application in Javascript – the most popular programming language in the world. The Lisk SDK comes with batteries included. The most basic functionalities, like token transfers and the consensus engine, are already provided, so that developers can focus on creating new application modules that make their blockchain unique. What is more, we provide clear documentation and useful tutorials so that they can start coding almost immediately.
The Lisk roadmap includes the implementation of the Lisk Interoperability Solution. Can you tell us what this means?
It is a significant milestone for the whole Lisk team and the community built around the project. The implementation of the Lisk Interoperability Solution will mark the launch of the Lisk Platform – the goal we have aimed for since the beginning of our blockchain journey.
Interoperability will enable people to connect all the applications built using the Lisk SDK together. What is more, Lisk Interoperability will pave the way for connecting the Lisk mainnet to other ecosystems by using Lisk Bridges. Therefore, it will be possible for developers to interoperate with such platforms as Ethereum, Cosmos, or Polkadot. However, the potential ecosystem partners list has not yet been finalized.
What does interoperability mean for the future of blockchains like Lisk?
Lisk's approach to interoperability is to have a network of interconnected chains that can communicate with each other. Each chain can be specialized in a certain functionality: for example, we could have an oracle chain that has a protocol to include off-chain information, a DAO chain with on-chain governance, etc. The glue that keeps all these chains together is the Lisk interoperability protocol. In this sense, besides being the solution to achieve scalability, Lisk's interoperability also means synergy: sidechains can expand their functionalities by talking to each other.
Do you expect interoperability to aid blockchain’s lack of scalability and if so, how?
Interoperability is the solution to the problem of scalability. By having several chains working in parallel, the number of transactions that can be processed is increased. In our model, each chain can work independently and communicate only to exchange information when necessary.
Lisk’s Interoperability Solution will act as an incentive for developers to operate on the platform. What other incentives does Lisk offer?
Lisk Interoperability is indeed a big incentive for developers – same as our accessible Lisk Software Development Kit. However, there are a couple of other initiatives that are aimed at encouraging developers to build on Lisk.
The first is the Lisk Grant Program. By building blockchain applications using the Lisk SDK, developers and entrepreneurs can receive financial support to enable them to create and develop valuable projects. We are looking for all types of blockchain-based applications, including such categories as NFTs, DAOs, bridges, oracles, or DeFi solutions.
We have an incentive for more junior developers as well. In recent months, we organized two editions of the Lisk Hackathon (HackOnLisk) – also aimed at helping coders build applications using Lisk SDK. For this event, the entry barriers were significantly reduced, as we wanted to encourage less-experienced programmers to join not only the Lisk ecosystem but the blockchain space in general.
Finally, we are present at major crypto and blockchain conferences, giving speeches and conducting workshops.
Can you tell us Lisk's vision for supporting blockchain innovation in 2022?
The development and implementation of the Lisk Interoperability Solution will be our main focus for this and next year.
In 2022, we also want to encourage more developers to build blockchain applications using the Lisk SDK. This is why in the second part of the year we will reveal the details of the next iteration of our Grant Program.
What is more, we are currently upgrading our Lisk SDK by implementing a few crucial features:
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A new token module that standardizes the transfer of tokens between all blockchain applications.
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A new consensus algorithm (Proof of Authority) module that provides an alternative validator selection mechanism.
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A new NFT module that provides native NFT support.
Thanks to that we will be able to provide a standard way to integrate very common functionalities, making it even easier for developers to build blockchain applications.
