Proposal: Rename to Verity

[Th0rgal]

Proposal: Rename to Verity

Motivation

The current name "DumbContracts" effectively communicates the core philosophy of simple, auditable specifications. However, as the project matures toward production use, particularly in the context of automated code generation, the name may not adequately convey the mathematical rigor and production-readiness of the framework.

A name that better reflects both the technical foundation and intended use cases would benefit adoption while preserving the core concept of simple, human-verifiable specifications.

Proposed Name: Verity

The name "Verity" (from Latin veritas) conveys:

• Mathematical truth through formal verification
• Trustworthiness through proven correctness
• Clarity through simple specifications

Proposed Messaging

Preserve "dumb contracts" as a design principle while using "Verity" as the framework name:

• Framework: Verity (formal verification framework for smart contracts)
• Design principle: Simple specifications requiring minimal algorithmic knowledge
• Target use case: Automated implementation with human-auditable specifications

Technical Description

Verity (formerly DumbContracts) is a Lean 4 framework enabling developers to write smart contracts in a domain-specific language, formally verify their correctness, and compile them to EVM bytecode.

The framework emphasizes simple, human-auditable specifications while permitting automated or optimized implementations. Formal verification provides mathematical guarantees that implementations conform to specifications.

Key Concepts

Separation of Concerns

• Humans write specifications (simple, auditable)
• Implementations may be automated or hand-optimized
• Mathematical proofs verify correctness

One Specification, Multiple Implementations

-- Human-audited specification:
def transfer_spec : Spec Bool := ...

-- Multiple proven-correct implementations:
def transfer_v1 : Contract Bool := ... // naive implementation
def transfer_v2 : Contract Bool := ... // gas-optimized
def transfer_v3 : Contract Bool := ... // storage-optimized

-- All proven equivalent to specification:
theorem v1_correct : semantics transfer_v1 = transfer_spec
theorem v2_correct : semantics transfer_v2 = transfer_spec
theorem v3_correct : semantics transfer_v3 = transfer_spec

Verification Over Trust

• Traditional approach: Trust implementation after audit
• Verity approach: Verify specification, prove implementation correctness

Implementation Plan

1. Repository rename: dumbcontracts → verity
2. Documentation updates: Add motivation, preserve technical depth
3. Redirect configuration: Ensure old links continue to function
4. Communication: Clear explanation of rationale

Discussion

Questions for consideration:

1. Does this name accurately reflect the technical foundation?
2. Should "DumbContracts" remain as a subtitle during transition?
3. What documentation changes would clarify the value proposition?
4. Are there alternative names that better capture the framework goals?

The current technical documentation is rigorous and clear. The goal is to add context about use cases and design philosophy while maintaining that rigor.