Ethereum: Blockchains, Digital Assets, Smart Contracts, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
As IBM´s official liaison to the Ethereum core developers I gave talks on blockchain topics pretty much around the world. After one keynote I was asked for a non-technical guide to understand blockchains. This is it. The book aims to help you get your head around blockchains in general and around Ethereum specifically. Since Ethereum is currently the pre-imminent blockchain, it makes sense as reference point. The essential stuff is the same for any blockchain.
In this short book, we will learn how to create the smart contract that can be deployed on the Ethereum blockchain using Solidity and following the TDD methodology. Then, we will be looking at building a front-end for this contract using React in Next.js.
This text was written for people with a fast grasp, who are not programmers. Reading this should give you the basics to cut through the hype and to identify blockchain opportunities in your professional domain. There are tiny bits of code, which can be admired and skipped. We´ll look at Ethereum´s benefits first, how it is used and what can be done with it; then explain blockchain machinery, visiting the terms that you´ll be confronted with in every discussion about its application. Exactly what you need to tell the signal from the noise in the echo chamber of honest misunderstandings and desperate marketing. We take a good hard look at limitations, throw in some history and names and give a realistic outlook.
