Tez/Dev 2024: highlights

Welcome Tezos Community to this week’s edition of the Baking Sheet! Let’s kick off the headlines with highlights from Tez/Dev by Thiago Earp

The week of TezDev 2024 has been Tezos at its finest. The flagship Tezos conference, coupled with a series of side events, has brought together community members, builders, and enthusiasts to learn, network, and showcase the best of Tezos and Web3.

Beyond the main event, two side events and over 1,000 billboards showcasing Tezos artists have taken Brussels by storm during the week-long celebration of Web3.

TezDev 2024 in numbers

TezDev 2024 was a success by any measure, showcasing the growth and enthusiasm within the Tezos community. Held at the prestigious Royal Library of Belgium, this year’s event saw nearly double the attendance compared to 2023 – reflecting increasing participation from the Tezos ecosystem.

The conference was a hub of activity, featuring an array of sessions, booths, and speakers that kept attendees engaged from morning till night:

• 11 hours of bustling activity (from 10 am to 9 pm)

• 11 sessions, including talks, fireside chats, and demos

• 14 booths showcasing ecosystem projects

• 18 speakers including keynote, panels, and presentations

• 420 attendees to the main event

• 270 attendees to the afterparty

Here’s a recap with some of the key highlights from the week.

Tezos X: a proposed roadmap

The grand vision for Tezos X permeated and extended to all corners of the event with a bold and fresh perspective that stirred conversations throughout the week.

On the main stage of the flagship event, Tezos co-founder Arthur Breitman opened the day by presenting a proposed roadmap to Tezos X to hundreds of community members.

Yann Regis-Gianas, head of engineering at Nomadic Labs, followed suit with a deep dive into the roadmap until now and a look at the next two years of technical development of Tezos.

Etherlink’s “Hello, world” moment

Etherlink was a star in its own right, attracting literally hundreds of Ethereum enthusiasts to its EthCC booth. The EVM-compatible L2 has made its mark among dozens of other projects vying for the attention of passers-by.

One of the highlights of the Etherlink presence was Block Reflex: a fun, competitive match-pairs memory game rooted in the Etherlink mainnet. The fun little LoFi game has drawn over 500 players (and a whopping 10k+ attempts!) to try and get their names in the leaderboard.

Etherlink also took to the EthCC stage with Nomadic Labs’ Thomas Letan, who introduced the Tezos/Etherlink scaling model and its journey toward a Stage 2 rollup in front of an Ethereum audience.

Jstz: bringing JavaScript to Tezos

The recent unveiling of the Jstz vision was complemented by a brilliant introduction and humor-laden demonstration of a prototype by Trilitech Developer Advocate Beata Lipska.

Beata took the audience through a journey on the importance of language and developer experience, culminating in a step-by-step walkthrough on building a simple link shortener application using a JavaScript rollup.

Side events

In addition to the main event, Tezos was present in two side events alongside community and ecosystem participants.

On-chain Payment Networking and Drinks

Hosted by Baanx and the Etherlink team, the soiree brought together over 200 attendees at the Warwick Hotel, just a 2-minute walk from the EthCC conference venue, on Tuesday, July 9.

The event explored the latest innovations in non-custodial on-chain payment solutions with experts from CLC/Baanx, Tezos, and Etherlink. And of course, networking – and drinks.

Art on Tezos x Artcrush | Gallery Drinks

Co-hosted by Artcrush Gallery and Trilitech on Wednesday, July 10, the Art on Tezos show brought together over 200 attendees and 20 talented Tezos artists whose works were exhibited on more than 1,000 billboards across Belgium throughout the week.

The show celebrated their upcoming drop on Objkt, and featured an evening of discussion, drinks, and art.

Artists exhibited include: Mina Tahmasb Kazemi, Luciana Guerra, MARYAM, Noortje Stortelder, Edgar Fabian Frias, Vidal Herrera, Eraserhead & Mortezaaa, Simulacro, Hrant Khachatryan, Cozmonika, Quantum Spirit, Anastasia Mihaylova, Kamand Kavand, Lau, Mat Nova, paraxeno daimonio, Henrique Cartaxo - Augurs, Buba Viedma, mim_maryam, Antoine Doré, and was curated by Sendrock and UnknownCollector.

The road ahead

Reflecting on TezDev 2024, one can’t help but feel optimistic about the journey ahead for Tezos. The week’s events showcased the community’s commitment to pushing the envelope in blockchain technology.

From the ambitious Tezos X roadmap to the buzz around Etherlink and Jstz’s innovative JavaScript rollup blueprint, the future looks incredibly bright.

The strength and energy around the Tezos ecosystem are literally and figuratively portrayed by the vibrant arts community and a solid, ever-growing network of builders.

As we move forward, let’s build on the energy and ideas generated at TezDev 2024, continuing to innovate and collaborate. The horizon is vast, and with the Tezos community’s passion and ingenuity, the possibilities are endless. The future of Tezos is not just promising; it’s here, and it’s now.

Tezos Staking Contest: Onboarding More Stakers!

Let’s keep the momentum going from an incredible week in Brussels, this week we are excited to introduce the Tezos Staking Contest — a fantastic opportunity to onboard more stakers and grow the Tezos ecosystem.

Contest Details: Starting July 21 with Cycle 759, every 5 cycles, we will calculate the percentage increase in stake for all bakeries. The bakery with the highest percentage increase will be declared the winner. This contest will run for the next 20 cycles, providing ample opportunity for bakers to shine and attract new stakers to their pools.

Key Dates:

• Start Date: July 21 (Cycle 759)

• First Winner Announcement: August 7 (after Cycle 764 is completed)

Prize: The first winner will receive a custom-made NFT from a member of the Tezos arts community. This unique piece of digital art will be a testament to your success and contribution to the Tezos network.

This contest not only incentivizes bakers to attract more stakers but also highlights the vibrant and supportive Tezos community. Whether you are a seasoned baker or new to the staking game, this is your chance to make a mark and showcase your bakery's growth.

Ready, set, stake!

This Week in the Tezos Ecosystem

Etherlink Mainnet Beta's First Governance-Powered Kernel Upgrade

Exciting news from the Tezos ecosystem: Etherlink's mainnet beta is set to receive its first governance-powered regular kernel upgrade! This milestone marks a significant step forward for the decentralized governance of Etherlink, a layer 2 solution built on Tezos.

We invite all Tezos bakers to participate in this groundbreaking governance mechanism. By interacting with Etherlink's governance smart contracts on Layer 1, bakers can inject, upvote, and eventually promote the new proposed kernel.

To learn more about the new kernel upgrade and how to get involved, check out the latest blog post from Etherlink here.

Etherlink's governance mechanism takes heavy inspiration from Tezos Layer 1's on-chain governance, providing a unique opportunity for Tezos bakers. Not only can bakers govern Etherlink kernel upgrades, but they also have a say in deciding who gets to operate sequencers. This approach ensures a high level of decentralization and community involvement in the development and operation of Etherlink.

For more information on how to participate in Etherlink's governance, follow these links:

• How to Participate in Governance

• Tezos Agora: Overview of Etherlink's Decentralized Governance

Join us in this exciting journey towards a more decentralized future for Tezos and Etherlink!

🔴 Now Streaming: Building on Tezos | Baanx

Baanx is a next-generation service provider for digital asset-friendly financial services, currently co-launching its first Etherlink product within the Tezos ecosystem.

 What's on the Agenda?

• Bringing crypto payments into the mainstream

• Tezos-powered payment cards in development

• Significant partnerships to enhance blockchain-powered payment solutions

• The collaboration between Baanx and Etherlink

Now Streaming on YouTube | X