NEAR Is The BOS

“With over 23 million accounts and thousands of projects on the platform, NEAR’s move to becoming the Blockchain Operating System (BOS) will bring millions more accounts and enable the onboarding of billions of users to Web3. This is because NEAR is building up the Web3 stack to integrate experiences from across the open web and streamline the discovery and onboarding experience for users and developers alike.” - CoinDesk

Primer on Operating Systems

An operating system (OS) is a critical piece of system software that acts as an intermediary between the computer's hardware and its software applications. It's the core software that manages computer resources, facilitates hardware-software communication, and provides various services for software applications. Without an operating system, most computers would be difficult to manage and nearly impossible for the average person to use effectively.

The global operating systems market, which is expected to grow from $45.17 billion in 2022 to $49.10 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 1.7%, features several major players. Among the leading companies are traditional tech giants Microsoft, Apple, and Google. Microsoft, with its widely used Windows operating system, has a significant presence in the desktop, tablet, and console OS market. Apple is prominent in both the mobile and desktop sectors with its iOS and macOS operating systems, respectively. Google, on the other hand, is the creator of Android, the most widely used mobile operating system in the world, and Chrome OS, which is primarily designed for laptops and desktop computers.

The Need for an Operating System in Crypto

Decentralization, while serving as one of crypto’s principal attractions, ironically presents a substantial obstacle in the sector. The intricacies associated with developing in the Web3 environment - navigating complex languages, binding projects to a specific blockchain with no guarantee of discovery, access issues, security vulnerabilities, composability concerns, and poor user experiences - have imposed substantial barriers to entry for developers.

These issues slow down the growth of crypto and keep more developers and users from getting involved. As a result, most people are still not using crypto because fewer practical applications are being built.

Introduction to the Blockchain Operating System (BOS)

In response to the challenges faced by developers and users, NEAR introduced the Blockchain Operating System (BOS) on March 2, 2023. The BOS is an open-source platform that gives developers the ability to build on any blockchain using familiar languages and a broad set of components. Simultaneously, it provides users the opportunity to connect with various communities and applications while maintaining their data's privacy, all without the requirement of owning crypto at the start, thus vastly improving the onboarding process.

By offering a unified, interoperable platform, the BOS addresses the complexities often associated with Web3 and the limitations of centralization seen in Web2. The platform enables seamless interaction across various blockchains, thereby eliminating the complexities associated with token swaps, exchanges, and the management of multiple identities. Its design emphasizes user accessibility, offering straightforward onboarding processes and improved app discoverability.

Composition of the BOS

The BOS represents a comprehensive blockchain stack, functioning as a holistic framework for developers and users alike. Central to its design is the concept of decentralized, composable front ends, a layer that was previously absent in the crypto ecosystem. These front ends, stored on the blockchain rather than centralized data servers, enable highly composable and censorship-resistant applications. Developers can fork these front ends wholly or partially to create their applications, akin to Google's Material Design for React but with much broader connectivity and functionality.

A significant advantage of the BOS lies in its potential to break down the tribalism prevalent in crypto today. By facilitating the construction of consistent experiences across multiple blockchains using easily composable and forkable components, the BOS opens the door to future developers of the open web. Developers can freely access the latest Web3 components from anywhere in the world, enabling them to create new projects, launch DAOs for community-based projects, and explore a myriad of other possibilities with NEAR. In essence, what smart contracts did for services, Discovery within the BOS is doing for front ends.

The BOS is also defined by its Gateway feature, providing a means to access the BOS functionalities from any point. While NEAR.org currently acts as a primary gateway, numerous others are being developed and integrated with the BOS. In essence, the BOS serves as a two-sided platform, catering to both developers and users, leveraging the advantages of decentralization while mitigating potential drawbacks through its innovative composition.

Key Features of the BOS

NEAR’s BOS introduces innovative and robust elements. It aims to enhance the accessibility, discoverability, and functionality of applications in crypto while maintaining a user-friendly experience.

• FastAuth: Streamlines user onboarding to Web3 applications by providing a familiar Web2-style experience. Users can quickly create a free account using biometrics and email, without the need for passwords or acquiring crypto. It leverages NEAR’s Meta Transactions and Zero Balance Accounts for cost-free user registration and sponsored initial interactions. Future enhancements include extending relayers and FastAuth to other gateways, further decentralization, multichain compatibility, and two-factor authentication​.
• Developer Enablement: The BOS provides a set of tools and capabilities that streamline the development process, allowing developers to quickly create and deploy applications. This not only enables rapid prototyping and deployment but also fosters a more inclusive environment for developers beyond the traditional Web3 space. Developers can code in JavaScript, thus allowing developers to build in Web3 without having to learn new languages.
• Universal Search: The BOS incorporates a comprehensive search function, enabling users to quickly find applications, components, and connections within the ecosystem. This feature boosts discoverability and usability in the BOS, effectively improving the overall user experience.
• Gateways: Gateways serve as access points to Web3 applications that pull front-end code directly from the NEAR blockchain. Gateways facilitate the addition of new functionalities to applications, making the BOS a more versatile and user-friendly platform. By creating more entry points for apps, gateways enhance their discoverability and usability.
• Trust and Safety Content Moderation: A scalable, open-source content moderation system. It offers users a platform for self-governance in the context of content moderation, thereby promoting a healthier online environment. This decentralization of control ensures compliance with legal requirements while upholding the ethos of Web3 platforms.
• NEAR Tasks: A gig-economy platform that allows users to earn NEAR by completing tasks. This feature adds another layer of user engagement, promoting the understanding and adoption of crypto.

Target Audiences and Impact

The BOS aims to serve three core audiences:

• Developers: BOS offers developers a gateway to a secure, highly distributed Web3. It simplifies the process of building decentralized applications by providing pre-existing components and a familiar coding environment with the optionality to use traditional languages like JavaScript. This reduces the entry barrier, allowing for rapid application development and deployment across multiple chains, and facilitating easy user onboarding and discovery.
• Enterprises: For enterprises, BOS opens the door to innovative technological capabilities and business models. It allows for the creation and rollout of products and experiences that enhance user engagement, potentially driving new revenue streams.
• End-users: End-users gain an easy entry point into an improved digital world. BOS offers simple onboarding without the need for crypto, a robust ecosystem of applications, and a growing community. It maintains the expected user experiences while providing privacy, control over personal data, and direct connectivity with other individuals and communities.

Development and Adoption Metrics

NEAR Social is a decentralized social network built on the NEAR blockchain, serving as the social layer of the BOS. It offers a peer-to-peer network for social interactions, content creation, and distribution. Users own their data, developers can access public data to create apps, and customizable widgets foster innovation. Today, NEAR Social is the central hub of activity on the BOS, so we will delve into its development and adoption metrics.

NEAR Social, since its inception on March 2, 2023, at ETHDenver through NEAR.org, has shown a positive trajectory in user adoption and activity. The platform has averaged 720 active accounts weekly, culminating in a total of 15,000 accounts. An account is classified as 'active' if, within a certain period, it either signs at least one transaction with social.near or delegates at least one action to a relayer account.

NEAR places a strategic emphasis on creating a developer-friendly ecosystem, as reflected in NEAR Quarterly reports. To incentivize developers, NEAR tokens are automatically distributed to developers with 30% of total transaction fees given to the contract from which the transaction originates. Moreover, NEAR launched a JavaScript SDK that allows developers to build using JavaScript, in addition to Rust, AssemblyScript, and Solidity. NEAR Social's developer base has increased across all segments since early March.

In addition to the growing developer base, NEAR's metrics also indicate a healthy surge in the volume of code written and widgets created. Widgets are the building blocks of the Near Social framework. They are reusable open-source components that can be used to build applications on top of the SocialDB contract. A widget can be a small component, like a button, or a large component, like a profile page, or even a whole application like a social network.

Future Plans and Ecosystem Components

The BOS will persist in receiving significant attention and development resources. NEAR Foundation, Pagoda, and other key developers remain dedicated to its continued growth. However, the BOS does not operate in isolation. It forms part of a broader ecosystem, within which several NEAR components are already live and others are under active development. These elements further enhance the capabilities of the BOS:

• Nightshade: Nightshade is a key part of NEAR's ecosystem, enabling horizontal scalability via a sharding design. Phase 0 initiated this process by introducing four data shards. With Phase 1's recent launch, the network's validator capacity was enhanced through the introduction of chunk-only producers. The upcoming phases aim to introduce full data and processing sharding and dynamic resharding.
• Decentralized Funding: The NEAR Foundation is progressing towards a more decentralized capital allocation model by vesting decision-making powers in community DAOs. Each DAO serves a specific purpose and mandate:
  • Marketing DAO: Streamlines fund allocation for marketing-centric initiatives, concentrating on content creation and social media, while welcoming relevant proposals.
  • Developer Governance DAO: Aims to decentralize the NEAR developer ecosystem, fostering widespread innovation. It's currently escalating its activities and considering proposals for technical ecosystem projects.
  • Creatives DAO: Empowers artists and creators by offering a collaborative platform along with necessary resources for monetization and audience engagement. It is actively soliciting funding proposals
• NEAR Digital Collective: The NEAR Digital Collective is a developing governance entity, established to democratize decision-making within the network. The NDC is composed of five main elements: a Voting Body consisting of every active NEAR account, a House of Merit representing the community during voting and decision-making, a Council of Advisors to guide the House of Merit, a Transparency Commission to enforce checks and balances, and a Community Treasury to fund grassroots initiatives in support of the NEAR blockchain.
• NEAR Horizon: NEAR Horizon is a Web3 startup accelerator. It provides a platform for founders to connect with resources and support for scaling their projects. The accelerator includes a vast network of mentors, service providers, and backers, establishing a streamlined pathway for startup growth and development.

Closing Summary

In summary, NEAR's Blockchain Operating System (BOS) has the potential to revolutionize Web3 by simplifying decentralized development and user adoption. The BOS offers a familiar coding environment and a wide range of components, making it easier for developers to build. It enhances user accessibility, discoverability, and privacy, improving the onboarding experience.

Although the BOS is still in its early stages, it has gained traction with developers, users, and projects. NEAR's focus on developer enablement has attracted a growing developer base and increased code volume. NEAR Social, the decentralized social network on NEAR, has shown positive adoption metrics with active accounts and user engagement. Future plans include scalability improvements, decentralized funding through community DAOs, multichain functionality, and more. NEAR is the BOS.

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