- The latest weekly development report highlights significant progress in Conway features, Hydra network reliability, and Mithril transaction certification, along with successful educational initiatives.
- Cardano users are encouraged to upgrade to node version 9.1.0 in preparation for the Chang upgrade.
The latest weekly development report brings a wave of advancements and updates across various teams working within the Cardano ecosystem. This week’s focus was on enhancing functionality, improving network reliability, and advancing educational initiatives.
Conway: Progress and Bug Fixes
The ledger team made significant strides in refining Conway features and conformance testing. During this process, they identified and resolved a critical bug that could have impacted Conway’s functionality post-bootstrap phase. Additionally, the team completed the full definition of the Conway Concise Data Definition Language (CDDL) specification in Haskell, ensuring a robust framework for future developments.
Scaling Efforts: Hydra and Mithril
Hydra: The Hydra team dedicated their efforts to improving network reliability by identifying and addressing specific faults. Running the Hydra head on preview confirmed that empty decommits do not pose significant issues. In preparation for the upcoming hard fork, they upgraded the Hydra head for compatibility with the latest Cardano node. To maintain consistency in documentation, the team also introduced a technical writing style guide.
Mithril: The Mithril team released distribution 2430.0, which supports Cardano node version 9.1.0. This release includes the activation of Cardano transaction certification in the release-preprod and pre-release-preview networks, alongside various bug fixes and performance improvements. They continued working on certifying Cardano stake distribution, activated certification in the test networks, and began implementing new routes for the aggregator REST API. Benchmarking the signer’s footprint on the SPO infrastructure and testing edge cases for Cardano transaction certification were also part of their agenda. Furthermore, the team started drafting a Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP) for the diffusion of Mithril signatures throughout the network.
Voltaire and Sanchonet: Preparing for the Chang Upgrade
With the release of node version 9.1.0, all users are encouraged to upgrade to this or a later version to prepare for the Chang upgrade. This proactive step ensures that the network remains secure and efficient during the transition.
Catalyst: Onboarding and Community Feedback
The onboarding process for Fund12 is progressing smoothly, with 91% of onboarding forms and 81% of statements of milestones submitted. Additionally, 36% of statements of milestones have been signed off by reviewers. Town Hall 173, held on July 31, marked the final town hall for Fund12. Future town halls will be retrospective, gathering feedback as the Catalyst community enters a cooldown period. During Town Hall 173, the Catalyst voices user experience review highlighted recent developments and allowed for community engagement.
Education: Empowering Future Developers
The education team celebrated a successful week, completing the CardanoDeveloper course at the National Technological University (UTN) in Buenos Aires. A graduation event was organized for over 20 aspiring smart contract developers who completed the course. The team also updated content for the “Mastering Cardano” course and supported training efforts for the Constitutional Committee.
This comprehensive report showcases the Cardano community’s relentless pursuit of innovation, education, and network reliability, underscoring the ongoing commitment to building a robust and inclusive blockchain ecosystem.
