Aug 28, 2019
Recapping TQuorum: Berlin
Last week, with Web3 Summit fresh in everyone’s mind and Berlin Blockchain Week in full swing, we hosted TQuorum: Berlin. The second event in our TQuorum series, the Berlin edition had a strong focus on development, technology, and building on Tezos.
Over 100 community members from around the globe gathered in Berlin’s Estrel Hotel for a day of workshops and live demonstrations around some of the newest tech in the Tezos ecosystem.
Some key takeaways:
- Building on Tezos using Python is becoming more accessible
- We’re close to implementing ZCash’s Sapling for network privacy
- Security tokens on Tezos remain an area of growth
- There’s a strong emphasis on core development within the Tezos ecosystem
The workshops:
Security token ecosystem
Ryan Lackey, board member of the Tezos Foundation, walked us through the challenges and opportunities security tokens are facing in the current landscape. Ryan highlighted on-chain governance and smart contracts as two key features of Tezos that make the protocol attractive for security tokens.
Core Protocol Development: How to make blockchains work
Presented by Adrian Brink, founder of Cryptium Labs, this workshop introduced the audience to the deeper world of core protocol development. Adrian made a compelling case for emphasizing core development alongside the application layer as essential for Tezos to continue to grow.
Learn from the Best: Integrating ZCash Sapling
Marco Stronati from Nomadic Labs presented his work in implementing the Sapling protocol, widely regarded as the standard for transaction privacy, on Tezos. Nomadic Labs is aiming for proposal 006 for integrating Sapling into Michelson (Tezos’ smart contract language).
“Privacy is not the cherry on the cake, it’s the tray you serve the cake on.” — Marco Stronati, Nomadic Labs
The State of Proof-of-Stake
Awa Sun Yin, founder of Cryptium Labs, presented the latest in the state of proof-of-stake protocols, breaking down key features like consensus algorithms and incentive mechanisms.
Blockchain development for the Apathetic
True to form, Mike Radin from Cryptonomic delivered the cynic’s view of blockchain development and the value of lazy (straightforward) solutions. Mike shared how Cryptonomic is building tools to create the shortest path for developers to start building.
A beginner’s guide to smart contracts with LIGO
Matej from Stove Labs had us buying tacos via smart contract in his digital taco shop. Written using LIGO, Matej’s taco shop provided the perfect example of how to implement, deploy, and interact with smart contracts on Tezos.
Cortez wallet security using Michelson
Nicolas Fillion and Charles Dehlinger from Nomadic Labs shared the security features their team is working on for the Cortez wallet, including using smart contracts to set daily spending limits.
Introduction to SmartPy
Covering Tezos development using Python, a popular topic, Roland Zumkeller walked us through SmartPy, the language and library that enables smart contract development with Python.
Creating an app with PyTezos & ConseilPy
Representing the best dressed team at TQuorum: Berlin, Michael Zaikin from Baking Bad showed us just how simple it can be to build a Python application that interacts with a smart contract, tracks transactions, and even makes money.
Deep dive on signatures and security
Polychain Labs has run the largest baker on the Tezos network since launch, and Rob Witoff walked us through what they’ve learned about protecting funds and keys.
Connect to Tezos through Pocket on iOS
CEO of Pocket Network Michael O’Rourke walked us through how Pocket is tackling making connecting to the Tezos network so easy his mother could do it.
SNARKs, STARKs, and SHARKs
Christopher Goes, researcher with Cryptium Labs, Cosmos, and Tendermint, brought us up to speed on the most popular flavors of zero-knowledge proofs and demonstrated how, and why, they could be implemented on Tezos.
Development tools for Michelson
Ilya Peresadin and Roman Melnikov from Serokell presented the latest updates to Morley, a suite of developer tools for the Michelson Language.
Browser based wallet interaction
Alessandro de Carli from Papers & AirGap demonstrated how a Tezos app developer can integrate a secure signing solution without having to develop a new wallet from scratch.
A year of Tezos: the panel
The last presentation took place on the TQuorum Main Stage: a panel moderated by TQ Tezos President & Co-Founder, Alison Mangiero. Panel members included Tezos Foundation President Ryan Jesperson, Tezos Foundation board member Ryan Lackey, TQ Tezos Co-Founder Jacob Arluck, Cryptium Labs Founder Adrian Brink, and Nomadic Labs R&D Engineer Vincent Botbol.
While TQuorum: Paris and community events around the world took the opportunity to reflect on how the ecosystem had grown, in Berlin Alison asked the panel to look towards the future and talk about what has them excited and what they expect.
As reflected in workshops throughout the day, there is a strong focus on growth within the Tezos developer community.
Ryan Jesperson wrapped up the panel by announcing a new partnership with Satoshi’s Treasure to launch a Tezos-based treasure hunt — with a prize pool of one million XTZ.
Relive TQuorum: Berlin
Graphic recording artist Ashton Rodenhiser rendered some of the workshops as vivid posters (digital versions will be available):
All of the workshops and the keynote panel were recorded, and the video will be available soon on our YouTube channel.
Highlights from the day:
Join us in New York City
We’ll be hosting the TQuorum: Global Summit in New York City at the end of September. The three-day conference will be the largest TQuorum yet and features developer workshops, panel discussions, workshops, ecosystem updates, and more.
