Great question! Smart contracts are a great tool that, for example, can equitably reward all the software projects its initial project depends on, so when X conditions are met, X outcomes occur automatically without a need to pay intermediaries. They are more efficient, inexpensive and more secure than traditional systems. Blockgeeks gives a great breakdown. Two interrelated smart contracts govern the Deco.Network ecosystem, and they
will run on the Ethereum blockchain. These are the Curation and Commerce contracts which govern the modules that are listed on the marketplace and the framework for accessing them, respectively. The Curation contract, which is based on token curated registries, enables DCO holders to curate the modules that are listed on the network. The incentive structure established in the Curation contract will motivate token holders to maintain the highest quality and most appropriate supply side. The Curation contract also governs select parameters in both contracts. The Commerce contract is what enables the application developers, aka the consumers, to transact in Ethereum or any approved token, including USD pegged stable coins. Upon receipt of payment, the purchase of a license or exception is written to the blockchain. Check out this article, https://medium.com/deconet/the-new-deal-for-the-open-source-community-92567f68f3a3 for a great overview for the Deconet project, and https://medium.com/deconet/deco-network-alpha-smart-contracts-e6ac31f7ef35 for a deeper dive into how the smart contracts will work on Deconet.

Are there ways to submit requests for certain types of code? For example, if I'm not much of a coder and I need someone to develop something.

That sounds perfect. Also, thanks for your help and being so responsive. I really appreciate that in a team.  

Do you get discounts for using DCO instead of ETH?

Hi! Deconet is part of a movement to make open source a more viable career path. I would recommend taking a look at this latest article that explains very well how/why we want to solve for this problem. https://medium.com/deconet/the-new-deal-for-the-open-source-community-92567f68f3a3. Additionally, this deep dive video interview with one of the co-founders, David Sneider, should give you a great overview as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urq97FQsvDQ

How does your team feel about ETHs big drop (and cryptocurrency in general)? Do you think it's temporary and that people just need to catch up to the tech?

One of the projects that's pretty cool is a mobile DApp browser. It's like an open source version of chipher wallet. I would encourage you to sign up for our alpha testnet and explore all the modules posted so far, or submit a project yourself - we are always looking for more! Vote or let us know on Telegram http://t.me/deco_network which you find most interesting.

Once you purchase some open source code, can you then alter it? I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the details.