Add Collections as a dimension to NIL

[friedger]

What is the problem you are seeing? Please describe. An apps using collections should get a higher score than the same app using a proprietary schema.

What is the explicit recommendation you’re looking to propose? As soon as blockstack.js contains API for collections in a stable version a new dimension is added to NIL score: 0 - not reading or writing to a collection 1 - reading a collection 4 - writing to a collection

Describe your long term considerations in proposing this change. Please include the ways you can predict this recommendation could go wrong and possible ways mitigate. This NIL dimension encourage app developers to move their data to collections. This is an extra dimension (and not part of gaia score) to highlight the importance of collections and data ownership. Apps with 4 points in collections will also have at least 1 point in the auth dimension and at least 2 points in the gaia dimension.

Apps could use a collection that is unrelated to the main app actions (like writing to the calendar collection from a paint app). However, asking the user for non-sense permissions should result in lower scores in TMUI.

An app could create a collection schema that is only used by this one app. However, defining and sharing the schema publicly (a requirement for a collection) is already good enough for this dimension.

Additional context

• Mentioned in #143 and probably needs a separate discussion
• Having all meaningful data in collections is a long-term goal of the Blockstack project (TODO add reference)
• Rewarding the definition of new meaningful collection schema that are used by more than one app is a separate issue.

[friedger]

As soon as blockstack.js contains API for collections in a stable version

Is this condition enough? Fair? What about the mobile SDKs, desktop SDKs?

[sdsantos]

Incentivising collections is a great idea, but it should only be evaluated if there is a collection available under the scope of the app. For example, if there's only a Contacts collection, only apps that save contact data should be included in that dimension.

[friedger]

It is possible for all developers to publish their collection schema.

[sdsantos]

@friedger damn, I missed that in the docs. I need to investigate further then.

[stackatron]

@larrysalibra care to comment? @friedger any thought on apps just adding all collections just for the score and not because it adds value?

[friedger]

At least they understood how to use them ..

[larrysalibra]

This is something we can & should do in the future. We’d need to build the tools to make sure collections are in fact being used. I think we should give some time to let collections be tried out by devs before make make that move. My understanding is that they’re in pre-release now.

I share @jeffdomke ’s concern about devs adding it just to game the score. We see a lot of that with auth and gaia already.

[njordhov]

thought on apps just adding all collections just for the score and not because it adds value?

Consider adding a score that measure the extent to which using collections adds value.