This week was used to prepare for demos of LNPlay in two different locations: the bitcoin++ conference in Buenos Aires, as well as the Rocket City Bitcoin (RCB) Meetup in Huntsville, AL.
LNPlay Buenos Aires
On February 22, 2024, Farscapian presented LNPlay to a group of 20-25 individuals at bitcoin++ in Buenos Aires, a conference focused on improving Bitcoin payments. This group was comprised of both experienced developers and beginners dedicated to building on sound money.
The slides to this presentation can be downloaded below.
Two days before the demonstration, we provisioned 200 instances of CLN nodes in the AWS Sao Paulo data center, in an attempt to minimize latency for conference attendees. We created LNPlay cards and affixed QR codes on the back which, upon scanning with a smartphone camera, automatically connects to a hosted regtest Core Lightning Node and provides that participant with 100,000,000 test sats.
Following a presentation by Farscapian explaining the basics of LNPlay- the project's goals, how it works, and future use cases- the group moved into the foyer and began experimenting firsthand.
The demonstration involved 24 total participants, most were first-time users of LNPlay. Attendees immediately began creating channels with one another and sending/receiving payments using both BOLT11 and BOLT12. For many, this was their first experience using BOLT12.
However, generating regtest nodes and processing payments was quite seamless. Payments were first made to direct channel counterparties to create balanced channels. Then, payments were attempted with those without direct channels to demonstrate payment forwarding.
Below is a channel graph from this demonstration:
Overall, this demonstration contained:
- 24 participants/regtest CLN nodes used having AT LEAST ONE channel.
- Approximately 38 payment channels were created.
- Millions of test sats successfully sent and received.
LNPlay Rocket City
The other major demonstration of the LNPlay was on February 21st, 2024, at the Rocket City Bitcoin Meetup in Huntsville, AL, by Justin Rocket. QR codes were handed out to participants, who then followed these steps.
It was a great experience, and there was insightful feedback shared by some participants with a software engineering background, many offering to provide testing and validation assistance! RCB meetup plans on running another demonstration soon.
Conclusion
Based on these experiences, we believe LNPlay will make Lightning Network easier and more accessible to a general, non-technical audience, such as a bitcoin meetup or conference.
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