At www.bitcoinference.com autumn 2015, Aron van Ammers showed five decentralized apps with working versions available today, to give an impression of what is and isn't possible in the current state of decentralized development. From "decentralized money" to "decentralized everything", Bitcoin has inspired a revolution in application development. Blockchain technology like Ethereum enables a wide range of possibilities far beyond currency. Decentralized apps (DApps) are applications that don't require a central party or server to function, typically backed by a blockchain. Aron van Ammers gave a showcase of five DApps currently available or being developed and highlighted their challenges and possibilities.

1. DApps all around
The state of decentralized
development
Aron van Ammers
Blockstars.io

2. DApps?

3. DApps = decentralized applications
Like any app, but:
● No central server
● No central control
● Backed by blockchains
● Backed by other decentralized technologies (IPFS,
peer to peer protocols, ...)

4. My background
● Background: 15 years "traditional" IT, mainly
medical and financial
● Now: building blockchain businesses

5. My background
Outlier Ventures
blockchain incubator and seed fund
Blockstars.io
blockchain production studio and
center of excellence
Aron van Ammers
Seasoned information technologist and manager. 10 years in
building and consulting on SaaS solutions for healthcare and
finance. Now a recognized blockchain technology expert with
applied experience from early 2014.
Jamie Burke
Ran digital divisions for WPP looking after strategic
planning and partnerships for many of JWT’s brands
and went on to found 9010 Group a multi-million
pound digital innovation & change consultancy. Has
since then setup a number of dot com start-ups.

6. Tech
that DApps are built on

7. From decentralized currency to
decentralized apps

8. From decentralized currency to
decentralized apps

9. DApps
that you can use (or see) today

10. Augur
Problem solved:
accurate prediction of any event

11. Augur

12. Ujo Music
Problem solved:
rewarding artists for music

13. Ujo Music

14. MoneyCircles
Problem solved:
fair and ethical saving and lending

15. MoneyCircles

16. Etheria
Problem solved:
virtual world with true ownership

17. Etheria

18. Slock.it
Problem solved:
renting and selling physical objects

19. Slock.it

20. Common challenges
and how to overcome them

21. Giving users access
Not this:

22. Giving users access
But this:

23. Giving users access
Somewhere in the future, maybe never:
● Have users install a node or web browser
● Have users install a custom browser plugin
Now:
● Make it accessible with a normal web browser for simple usage
(Augur, Ujo Music), download for power users
● Make it visible with a normal web browser
● Mobile app fully interacting (a lot to be done there!)

24. Stable token of value

25. Stable token of value
● Use oracles for exchange rate USD/ETH (Ujo)
● Stick with the blockchain token (Augur, Slock.it)
● Use a centralized (but transparent) alternative for now
(MoneyCircles)
● Use a Bitcoin bridge (but Bitcoin is not very stable
either)
● Wait for decentralized alternatives to stabilize, for
example Maker DAO.

26. Competing with centralized solutions

27. Competing with centralized solutions
● Warm and fuzzy won't work for large-scale adoption
– A better world!
– Be free!
– Stand up against big evil corporations!
● Focus on the unique advantages for users that
decentralization has over centralized solutions for the users
– Genuinely new possibilities
– Empowerment and autonomy
– Cost?

29. Keep in touch
@aronvanammers
@blockstarsio
Slides will be on:
http://www.slideshare.net/Blockstarsio