Aeternity: Statechannels team progress, The æternity MDW v0.9.2 (Zumpano) is out, The first Æternity Payment Application Update, SDK JS 4.5.1 for aeternity released, don’t forget that ERC-20 AE token will become non-transferable on September 2, 2019

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Paradigm

13 min readAug 27, 2019

Biweekly update 13th August — 27th August

Love and welcome to all who read this! Are you ready to catch up with all recent Aeternity news? As always, the team has been showing fantastic productivity over the past two weeks. Firstly, let’s look at the development: They are currently building a BATM extension to make aeternity tokens available in ATMs all around the world. The æternity MDW v0.9.1 (Stabilo) and SDK JS 4.5.1 with added support for generalized accounts for aeternity are now out. Aeternity’s state channels team worked on dynamic transaction fee calculation, Initial design of virtual state channels, hard fork detection, and a lot more. AEproject (earlier ForgAE) is now released with version 1.0.0. During weeks 31 and 32 Aeternity teams worked on v0.8.10 and v0.8.11 of the Base æpp, featuring compatibility with middleware restored, internationalization, displaying currency, etc.
A social activity and Aeternity performance, in general, was substantial. In our update, you can find a lot of articles and videos, created by the team and aenthusiasts. Read about “Rethinking Blockchain: Should it Have Been Written In Erlang From The Start?”, watch Vlad and Filip discuss AMPnet, one of the blockchain startups supported by æternity’s Starfleet Incubator and Greenpeace. Besides, Coinfabrik bet on the aeternity’s statechannels for another interesting aepp: they have built a P2P browser Reversi game. AE Ventures is partnering up with Nooor Blockchain — Armenian Blockchain Association. The community is acting lively in chats and social networks. Aeternity team tries their best to involve people in AE processes: lots of meetups and events were arranged and even more are planned. Pay attention to the aeUni next month! By the way, the team wants aeternists to redesign new æternity Stickers and T-shirts. Don’t let Aeternity out of mind — follow the progress with us!

Development

Developer activity (from Aeternity Coinlib.io)

Don’t forget that the æternity ERC-20 AE token will become non-transferable on September 2, 2019

More info via link.

They are currently building a BATM extension to make aeternity tokens available in ATMs all around the world. The extension is using the Java SDK built by kryptokrauts. Follow the progress here.
The æternity MDW v0.9.1 (Stabilo) is out! This release contains minor performance enhancements. Watch GitHub and Docker.
SDK JS 4.5.1 for aeternity is out! Add support for generalized accounts. Install it with pnpm/yarn/npm install aeternity/aepp-sdk. NPM is here. Release is here.
aeternity’s statechannels team have shared a detailed bi-weekly update. Learn what improvements they have implemented and what else remain to be done. Moreover, an initial design of VirtualStateChannels is in review.

Dynamic transaction fee calculation

Implementation: PR #2588 1

The FSM used a hardcoded fee of 30 000 * local gas price (or

33 000) for all transactions. In certain cases this was insufficient and

transactions which should be ok were rejected. This was changes such that the

fee is computed dynamically for each transaction. The only exception is the

channel_mutual_close_tx transaction which requires a hard-coded fee.

2. Updated UML diagram

Implementation: PR #2591, PR #2596

The UML diagram describing the core states of the SC FSM has been updated.

Previously it was part of the source file itself. It has been moved out into its

own file 4 to ease maintenance. The resulting diagram can be viewed in the

wiki 3. The intention is to keep the UML diagram up-to-date with

changes to the source code and easily comprehensible.

3. Websocket client disconnect and reconnect

Design: PR #389

Implementation: PR #2602, PR #2603

Clients can now disconnect from the FSM without the FSM shutting down

immediately. Instead a client may reconnect using the new off-chain

channel_client_reconnect_tx transaction. The tx contains the information

needed to locate the right FSM, including the client’s public key.

It must be signed by the client, proving that it possesses the private key

(or other signing capability) for the account.

4. Improved hard fork detection

Implementation: PR #2608

The detection logic was improved to detect whether a protocol version was active

before.

5. Refactorings and general improvements

Design: PR #381, PR #383

Implementation: PR #2591, PR #2596, PR #2597

The FSM has grown quite large over the last year. Therefore, an ongoing effort

is to refactor parts of the code to make it easier to comprehend and

maintainable. Refactorings are meant to be done is small chunks to keep impact

low and feature development going.

6. Initial design of virtual state channels

Design: PR #382 3

An initial design of VSCs is in review, which is meant to act as a proposal for

further community discussion.

During weeks 31 and 32 they worked on v0.8.10 and v0.8.11 of the Base æpp. Here are the release notes:

v0.8.10

Features

Internationalization: Go to Settings > Language to see the Base æpp in Chinese or Russian
Display currency: Select BTC, Euro, or USD as an additional display in Settings > Display Currency

Updates

Updated the language for the Update Available notification
Updated onboarding background color

v0.8.11

Fixes

Compatibility with Middleware restored
Android Cordova: Restored access to exchange rates API

Æternity Payment Application Update #1. There you can find Payment App Update #1 Commented Video.
The æternity MDW v0.9.2 (Zumpano) is out! This one brings improved fork detection logic. Release and Docker.
aeternity’s cdk ForgAE is now renamed to AEproject. AEproject is now released with version 1.0.0. You can find more information about the topic in the forum. Here is a link to the migration guide.

Social encounters

What is the difference between a blockchain and a distributed ledger? Cointelegraph featured aeternity’s Michal Zajda to weigh in on the level of openness and permissions. Remove any doubts on privacy, security, or scalability here.
Did you know that the latest version of aeternity’s Base aepp allows you to display your AE balance in other currencies? Moreover, you can send AE’s equivalent in EUR, USD or BTC. See Josh demonstrating how it’s done.
The blockchain technology is way too young to guarantee the comfort most businesses need, They enumerate 5 common issues entrepreneurs face when dealing with it in the article.

1) Limited Scalability and Low Performance

2) Lack of Interoperability and Standardization

3) Low Level of Security and Robustness

4) Lack of Methods to Limit Risks of Bugs

5) Lack of Regulatory Clarity

æternity Universe One: big tech minds to collide at æternity Blockchain’s big bang event

Rethinking Blockchain: Should it Have Been Written In Erlang From The Start? “Despite not having the same popularity as other more commonly known programming languages, Tobias Lindahl asserts that Erlang is the perfect programming language — and disciplinary foundation, for building a blockchain.”
Intro to Starfleet’s AMPnet: A Talk With Filip Dujmusic, CTO. In this short talk Vlad and Filip discuss AMPnet, one of the blockchain startups supported by æternity’s Starfleet Incubator and Greenpeace.
Coinfabrik bet on the aeternity’s statechannels for another interesting aepp. They have built a P2P browser Reversi game. Find a step-by-step guide on how to run the game or create one yourself.
Getting detailed insights into Sophia smart contract development on aeternity at BerBlockWeek and a great overview of aeternity.

Nikola Stojanow: There Are A Lot Of Ways To Get A Project Funded In Eastern Europe, But There Is No Consistent Mentoring. Nikola Stojanow is one of the main engines behind the blockchain 3.0 project æternity and is mostly recognized as the CEO of AE Ventures, formerly known as Æternity Ventures — a company that invests in blockchain projects.
Bounty Alert: Design the New æternity Stickers and T-shirts. With the æternity Universe One conference just around the corner, it’s time to redesign the æternity-branded stickers and t-shirts. As always, the best way to do this is by tapping into the creative power of the community.
Here is the recording of the Week #32 call and the recording of week #33 calls.
A few shots from BlockchainWeekBerlin:

Upcoming events:

The official opening of our Liechtenstein office in Vaduz will take place on the 5 September. Together with aeternity, NaegeleLAW and HouseBlockchain, Bitcoin Suisse will be kicking off the presence with a delicious BBQ & cool beer!
September 20–21 — The Æternity Universe conference will take place in the period in Prague, Czech Republic. Meet Pablo Coirolo, CEO & Co-Founder Light47 & CEO Americas aeternity, Nikola Stojanow, CBDO aeternity Blockchain, CEO aeternity Ventures and many others!

Roadmap

æternity Development Roadmap Update

TL;DR

Lima will introduce the Fast æternity Transaction Engine (FATE), æternity’s customized virtual machine. The Fast æternity Transaction Engine uses transactions as its basic operations and operates directly on the state tree of the æternity chain. This enables native integration with first class objects such as oracles, a naming system, and state channels since those are all managed by specific types of transactions described on the protocol level. FATE is a simple-to-use machine language, superior to the more traditional byte-code virtual machines currently used on other platforms. It enables easier, safe coding, faster transactions, and smaller code sizes. It is custom-built to seamlessly integrate with the functional smart contract language Sophia.
The next scheduled hardfork of the æternity protocol will happen in September with the Lima Release.
A governance mechanism based on a Sophia smart contract will be introduced and will make it easier for the community to launch governance votes. Delegated voting and a signalling mechanism for hardfork activation will become available. A governance æpp will be launched.
IMPORTANT: All AE tokens users must migrate their AE tokens to the Mainnet before September 2 when the smart contract that manages all Ethereum AE tokens will expire.
Auctions for renting names in the æternity Naming System (AENS) will be launched with Lima.
A mobile æpp that enables state channel payments will be available during the æternity Universe One conference that will take place in Prague, Bohemia on September 20–21, 2019.
Here is the draft timeline for the Lima Release, token migration and the September hardfork.

Governance

With the goal to enable the æternity community to launch initiatives such as the BRI, the governance mechanisms will be improved with the Lima hardfork. In this respect the developer community will focus on:

Enabling “signaling” that automates the process of hardfork activation. A key header info field will be introduced and contain information that could be set by a miner via a config parameter. That information will signal whether the miner supports a proposed hardfork or not. For example, when 90% of mining power signals support for a hardfork — it is automatically activated after a week.
A Sophia smart contract will be used to enable weighted delegated voting.
Drafting a detailed specification that determines what exactly could be changed by governance on-chain.
A client-facing application for initiating and participating in voting proposals.

State Channels Payment æpp

In order to showcase the most simple functionality of æternity’s state channels, an æpp that can be used to buy various items during the æternity Universe One conference will be developed. It will allow event participants to make payments to multiple points of sale via state channels. To learn more about the first major event dedicated to the æternity ecosystem, visit the Universe One website.

Naming System Auctions

æternity’s protocol-integrated naming system (AENS) enables human-readable names for AE token accounts, including oracles and smart contracts. It is currently possible to associate an account with a test name (.test) and more than 550k names have already been registered for free.

Most valuable names be established, an auction system must be incorporated. The first step will be the drafting of a detailed specification of the auction mechanism and then developing a Sophia smart contract to execute it. It is expected that the AENS auctions will be ready in time for Lima.

Partnerships and team members

AE Ventures is partnering up with nooorblockchain — Armenian Blockchain Association!

Finance

Rumors

No updates.

Social media activity

The graph above shows the dynamics of changes in the number of Aeternity Facebook likes, Reddit subscribers and Twitter followers. The information is taken from coingecko.com.

Here you can find all kinds of resources to get acquainted with aeternity!

Mainnet Launch

Protocol Upgrades

Roadmap