Meeting Notes: Development Priorities and Updates

1. SDK Development

• Objective:
  • Build a basic SDK to abstract common functions used across Joystream applications (e.g., Atlas, Pioneer, CLI). This will benefit internal teams and external builders by reducing complexity.
  • The SDK would help keep codebases clean by centralizing shared functionalities.
• Challenges:
  • Determining the core functionalities to include in the v1 will require research.
  • Suggestions were made to extract the most frequently used features from existing apps.
  • There’s value in gathering feedback from builders on what they would find most useful in an SDK, but access to these external builders is limited at the moment.
• Priority and Timeline:
  • This task has been postponed to next quarter (Q1 ‘24) due to the complexity and high effort required.
  • Lezek confirmed that the longer timeframe was based on the assumption that he would be the sole contributor. Adding more developers would speed up the process.

2. Gated Content (CRT/NFT-based)

• Overview:
  • Goal: Implement functionality to allow creators to gate videos behind creator tokens (CRT) or NFTs, ensuring only eligible users can access the content.
  • Users could either buy an NFT or hold specific creator tokens to unlock premium content.
• Challenges:
  • Design Complexity: The UI implementation, especially for Atlas, is challenging due to the need for seamless integration with authentication processes. No current designs are ready for this feature.
  • Performance Considerations: Authentication must be efficient to prevent delays when users try to access gated content.
  • Dependencies: The success of this feature depends heavily on how the authentication mechanism is implemented in the platform.
• Discussion:
  • Lezek noted that simpler alternatives like subscriptions or pay-per-view models might be easier to implement initially.
  • CRT and NFT-based access models are less familiar to users and could cause confusion.
  • Suggestion: Focus first on building a manual subscription or pay-per-view system and explore CRT/NFT-based gating later.

3. Creator Token Issuance Caps

• Problem:
  • Creators currently have no way to limit the total supply of their tokens. New tokens can always be minted via AMM operations, even after an initial supply is set.
  • This lack of control creates uncertainty for creators who wish to manage their token issuance, similar to the capped issuance models used by Bitcoin.
• Proposed Solution:
  • Introduce an issuance cap feature that allows creators to define a maximum supply for their tokens.
  • Even after a public sale, there needs to be a mechanism to prevent new tokens from being minted through AMMs.
• Discussion:
  • Challenge: Implementing issuance caps will require a runtime upgrade, as it is not currently possible to restrict token creation after an AMM is opened.
  • This feature aligns with upcoming public sales on Gleev and could provide creators with better tools for token management.

4. YouTube Sync Feature

• Status:
  • This feature aimed to allow creators to sync their YouTube content with Joystream automatically.
  • However, API access restrictions have made this feature impractical.
• Discussion:
  • Zeesshan reported that public API limitations might make it impossible to implement the feature without using the user authentication API.
  • The issue is not currently a high priority, as creators have not raised concerns about syncing YouTube content or expressed fear of account bans.

5. Storage & Content Distribution Improvements

• Objective:
  • Implement an efficient storage and distribution system for Joystream, ensuring users with valid roles can access the right content without delays.
  • This involves significant updates to various apps and nodes, including Argus, Colossus, Atlas, Orion, and Query Nodes.