DAO technology is still in its early stages of adoption and experimentation. One of the challenges faced by DAOs is the immutability of the blockchain, which makes it difficult to adapt and experiment. To address this, many DAOs have resorted to running certain operations off-chain, relying on trusted actors to execute decisions. However, we believe that true unstoppable DAOs must run on blockchains.
To solve this problem, we have developed a new DAO framework called Aragon OSx. This framework is designed to be lean and modular, allowing organizations to easily customize and adapt their governance. By following the Unix philosophy of building simple, composable building blocks, organizations can find the right solution for their needs and change it as their organization evolves.
In simple terms, an operating system is a permission management system that allows programs to run on a computer by granting them permissions. It acts as an intermediary between the hardware and software of a computer. Our operating system for DAOs, Aragon OSx, is built with the Unix philosophy in mind.
The Unix philosophy emphasizes simplicity, modularity, and flexibility. Programs should do one thing well, work together, and be reusable in different contexts. In Aragon OSx, everything is treated as a permission, making it easier to reuse tools and reduce complexity. This approach also standardizes best practices, makes things explicit and auditable, and allows organizations to only pay for the features they use.
Aragon OSx is built on the concept of a DAO core at the center with plugins at the edges. The DAO core acts as the trusted kernel that manages permissions to external programs. Plugins are small, composable building blocks that solve specific problems. They interact with the DAO’s assets through permissions granted by the core. Developers have control over their own plugins, just like they do with apps, and can choose to make them upgradeable or non-upgradeable.
By combining the operating system concept with the Unix philosophy, we have created Aragon OSx to provide a flexible and adaptable framework for DAOs. This framework allows DAOs to run onchain and evolve their governance as they learn and grow. We provide the basic plugins for essential functions, but builders have the freedom to design their own plugins to suit their specific needs.