O(1) Labs : Feb 2022 update

O(1) Labs are an integral part of Mina’s genetic make-up and were actually responsible for Mina Protocol’s incubation until the organisation split to incorporate the Mina Foundation back in October 2021.

We’ve come a long way since then, but the driving force of O(1) remains the same. We thought it would be a great idea to give O(1) Labs an open invitation to provide updates (when they are able) to keep the Community informed of their work and progress.

Here is the first one from the team, a special thanks to Regina, Gregor & Jason from O(1) Labs for the help.

The Snapps testnet was originally scheduled to be Q4 2021, and mainnet Q1 2022. These now seem to be too optimistic. I know it’s really difficult to put exact time frames on these things, but could you update the community on the latest ETA for them? 

O(1): Yes, Mina Foundation has published the latest timelines from the Mina Protocol Product Priorities blog post:

“Snapps testing” (formerly Snapps Testnet) is targeted for Q2 2022 & easy snapps programmability and usage on Mina Mainnet is targeted for Q3 2022.

What are the most important technical work and milestones that are left to be done to put snapps on testnet and mainnet, respectively?

O(1): The most important remaining technical work involves ongoing testing of related protocol improvements and feature development of the Snapps SDK (i.e. SnarkyJS & Snapp CLI).

How are the developments on SnarkyJS/SDK going in parallel?

O(1): Improvements to the Snapps SDK (SnarkyJS & Snapp CLI) are going great! They’re proceeding quickly. We just created a milestone on the SnarkyJS Github repo containing issues for features on the roadmap, so the community can follow along or contribute where most helpful: https://github.com/o1-labs/snarkyjs/milestone/1.

There were some ‘TO DO’ errors in the bootcamp, how are they filled up now?

O(1): Most of the “to do” items are resolved! We’ve also implemented a number of improvements to the Snapp CLI and SnarkyJS based on user feedback. 

One cool example is that now all snapp projects contain a custom ES Lint plugin, which provides developers with real-time feedback about code correctness in their smart contract while they’re coding.

There has been some really exciting progress on Kimchi SNARKS, what are the plans to integrate it to the consensus client and snapp proving system?

O(1): As described in the Mina Protocol Product Priorities blog post, Kimchi improvements to the consensus client have been mostly finished and will be included in the upcoming hard fork.

There is ongoing work occurring to integrate Kimchi with the snapp proving system. You can follow this progress on Github: https://github.com/MinaProtocol/mina/projects/32.

Where should developers who want to build snapps go and who should they contact for assistance?

O(1): We recommend checking out the doc, which describe how to get started and contain a SnarkyJS reference page: https://docs.minaprotocol.com/en/snapps. 

You can also watch recordings of the Snapps Bootcamp and Mina’s ZKHack Workshop: https://github.com/o1-labs/snapp-resource-kit. 

If you run into any questions or want to share what you’ve learned, join the #snapps-developers channel on Mina’s Discord. There are lots of awesome folks who have been learning about Snapps for the last months as well as O1 developers who are in the channel.

Are there plans for a developers program to incentivise the building of snapps?

O(1): Currently, we are only focused on the Snapps Builders Program, a 12-week program organized by Mina Foundation and O(1) Labs where 9 teams of developers are building snapps and working closely with the O1 team to make improvements to snapps. More information about this program can be found here.

Other than that, we are exploring ideas with Mina Foundation that will help support and encourage a broader group of developers to build snapps. Right now, the main incentive for early snapp developers is that they will gain a first-mover advantage by having their snapps be among the first to exist in the ecosystem, which is why we’re noticing significant excitement & desire to write snapps.

Are there any more bootcamps scheduled?

O(1): Not yet! However, since we have received great positive feedback from the last bootcamp, we’re looking forward to organizing more opportunities like these soon.

What are you most looking forward to with regards to snapps?

O(1): We’re so excited to see the projects that come out of the Snapps Builders Program (and we would love for the builders to share what they’ve been learning so far).