Preface: Why are smart contracts smart?
Recently, it has come to my attention that during a gathering with friends, my fiancé revealed her lack of understanding about my profession. When asked, she replied, “He does Bitcoin things.” As a smart contract developer who doesn’t even own any Bitcoin, I realized there is a significant gap between what people perceive when they hear anything related to blockchain, NFTs, or smart contracts. Taking inspiration from my fiancé’s misunderstanding, I’ve decided to write a short series on all things blockchain-related. My ultimate goal for this series is for my fiancé to confidently explain to her mother what her future husband does for a living and to convince her mother-in-law that I will be able to provide for our family without getting caught up in some pyramid or Ponzi crypto scheme.
Considering my fiancé’s lack of programming background, I have set a rule for myself to avoid referencing any code snippets in my explanations. As a software developer, it’s often an easy way out to rely on code when I struggle to explain something. However, I realize that code doesn’t clarify anything for non-developers; if anything, it confuses them further and distracts them from the message I’m trying to convey. Instead, you can expect relevant, fun, and often ridiculous metaphors as I attempt to explain core blockchain and smart contract concepts while minimizing technical jargon as much as possible. Nevertheless, I must acknowledge that my writing may be biased as a developer, so I rely on you, the reader, to point out any instances where I become too technical or where a metaphor doesn’t make sense at all.
If you’re ready to embark on this journey with me, hold on tight as we explore the weird and wonderful world of blockchains, cryptography, and smart contracts. I will update this preface blog with links to each subsequent blog in the series, so feel free to bookmark this story or follow my profile to stay up to date.
