The problem OCS-Discoveries (Onchain Summer Discoveries) solves

The Problem OCS-Discoveries Solves

Discoverability in a Rapidly Expanding Ecosystem

The BASE ecosystem is growing rapidly, posing a critical challenge: how can users effectively discover and navigate the increasing number of applications being developed?

Key Issues:

• Information Overload: With more apps joining, users struggle to find relevant ones.
• Unequal Visibility: Traditional listings favor certain apps, creating an uneven playing field.

The OCS-Discoveries Solution

OCS-Discoveries addresses these challenges using graph representations and Fleek's infrastructure:

1. Enhanced Discoverability

• Graph Visualization: Intuitive, interactive, and unique representation of apps.
• Relationship Mapping: Shows connections between graph nodes, revealing ecosystem structure.

2. Equitable Representation

• Non-linear Display: Moves away from biased list-based rankings.
• Multi-dimensional View: Discovers apps based on various viewpoints.

3. Scalable Infrastructure

• Fleek-powered Backend: Ensures fast, reliable data retrieval.
• Decentralized Approach: Uses IPFS for resilient data storage.

4. Improved User Experience

• Interactive Exploration: Visually navigates the ecosystem.
• Contextual Information: Provides insights into each app's category and connections.

5. Future-proofing

• Extensible: Integrates on-chain attestations, user behavior data, and AI-powered search.
• Metaverse Compatibility: Prepares for emerging interface paradigms with 3D representation like head-mounted displays and AR glasses.

OCS-Discoveries transforms the rapidly-growing ecosystem into intuitive exploration.

Challenges I ran into

While developing OCS-Discoveries, I encountered a major challenge with WebGL context losses causing application crashes, especially on certain smartphones. This issue significantly impacted the stability of the 3D graph representation of the BASE ecosystem.

In addition, input and output were particularly problematic given my focus on providing a smooth, interactive visualization. Unlike ordinary web UI, appearance cannot be changed by CSS, leading to significant time consumption.

Serverless infrastructure requires specific knowledge for leveraging the system, which sometimes results in additional effort to handle specifications.

To address this, I took several steps:

1. Investigated Root Causes: I thoroughly investigated the root causes of WebGL context losses and their specific impact on the Three.js implementation.
2. Researched and Tested Solutions: I'm actively researching and testing various solutions to improve the application's resilience against context losses. This includes implementing more robust error recovery mechanisms and exploring ways to gracefully restart the WebGL context when necessary.
3. Balanced Processing: Architecturally, I'm carefully balancing client-side and server-side processing. By leveraging ReactJS and Fleek functions, I aim to offload some intensive computations to Fleek functions.
4. Serverless Functions: I've focused on using serverless functions from the start. This approach ensures OCS-Discoveries can handle the increased load if it suddenly gains popularity and access.

These steps have significantly improved the stability of OCS-Discoveries, although I'm still working on a complete solution for all device types. I'm continuing to refine the approach, always keeping in mind the goal of providing a smooth, interactive experience for users exploring the BASE ecosystem through the graph representation.