Cardano News

Cardano’s minimum viable on-chain governance framework outlines the transition towards on-chain governance, starting with an interim period for bootstrapping via formal rules. Key dates for community involvement include May 28 for registration opening, June 10 for closing, and June 13-23 for voting. An interim Constitutional Committee of seven members, including three elected community members, will oversee the initial phase. Community members passionate about governance are encouraged to apply.

On May 23, 2024, Cardano’s SanchoNet achieved a historic milestone by initiating its first hard fork using CIP-1694 governance. Intersect seeks community input for drafting the Cardano Constitution with workshops worldwide. The Cardano Foundation introduced the MACS algorithm for efficient coin selection on UTxO blockchains at the IEEE conference. Other news includes updates from Dr. Lars Brünjes, CNTools, RealFi, leaderlogs, Catalyst Working Group, and SanchoNet.

This week, the ledger team focused on conformance testing, completing tests for CERT and RATIFY rules and improving the constraint-generators framework. They also fixed the stake pool operator stake distribution calculation for voting. The Plutus team developed guardrail scripts for Conway governance actions, fine-tuned the PlutusV3 cost model, and collaborated with MLabs on new bitwise primitives. The Mithril team worked on Cardano transaction certification, scaling proof generation, low-latency certification, and a new explorer page for SPOs. They upgraded the testing network and removed deprecated commands. Work continued on SanchoNet documentation and the DRep Pioneer program with Intersect. Fund12 reached the proposal finalization stage, and development on Hermes and Catalyst voices progressed well. The education team is planning the next Cardano Developer course, advancing the Mastering Cardano series, and preparing an educational video about the constitutional committee.

The Cardano Foundation emphasizes innovation and research in blockchain technology. Their research paper, “MACS: A Multi-Asset Coin Selection Algorithm for UTxO-based Blockchains,” presented at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain, highlights the benefits of the MACS algorithm. MACS optimizes transaction fees, UTxO pool size, and user privacy, improving UTxO-based blockchains. Though tested in simulations, it shows promise for enhancing cost, speed, and privacy in blockchain transactions, with further real-world testing needed.

Blockchain education is evolving with increased mainstream interest and diverse learner backgrounds. Here are five trends:

1. Government Engagement: Governments are integrating blockchain services and creating educational programs for public sector employees.
2. University Courses: Universities are expanding blockchain education to undergraduate and non-technical programs.
3. Corporate Training: Companies are embracing blockchain, offering employee education through corporate programs.
4. Non-Technical Learning: Blockchain courses for non-technical people are growing, focusing on user security and industry practices.
5. Open Education Resources (OER): Universities are issuing blockchain-backed credentials and creating OER, attracting UNESCO’s attention.

Video of the Governance Workshop held in San Diego, focusing on best practices and strategies for effective governance in organizations. Key topics include the importance of transparency, stakeholder engagement, and the implementation of robust governance frameworks. The workshop also covers case studies and real-world examples to illustrate successful governance practices. The session aims to provide actionable insights for enhancing governance in various organizational contexts.

This week, the consensus team released node v.8.11, improving Praos chain order, leader schedule statistics, and node robustness. They also updated on Ouroboros Genesis design and setup a consensus technical working group. The performance team completed UTXO-HD benchmarks, and the Lace team launched Lace v.1.11 with enhanced NFT functionality and Trezor T integration. The Hydra team upgraded node networking, fixed transaction parsing, and experimented with reliability layer changes. The Mithril team released distribution 2418.1, supported broader CPU use, improved memory allocation, and optimized signature generation. Voltaire & SanchoNet added CLI commands for hard forks, adjusted protocol versions, and tested CIP-1694. Catalyst Fund12 received 1,283 proposals, with community review starting May 23. The education team worked on Voltaire explainers and Mastering Cardano content.

The Project Catalyst Fund12 proposal submission phase ended on May 13, 2024, with over 1200 proposals. Cardano Use Cases and Open categories can adjust proposals until May 16, with Community Review until June 6. Cardano Partners category proposals are due by June 6. The Cardano Foundation partnered with the Dubai Blockchain Center to launch a certification program on Cardano’s blockchain technology. Genius Yield’s Developer Blog highlights their Cardano-based DEX project. Other updates include #CardanoGirls, Cardano Builder Fest recap, governance actions, DRep Pioneer Program, and Cardano Summit 2024 early bird tickets.

The first Cardano Buidler Fest was exhilarating and intense, yet enjoyable for attendees. It featured engaging presentations, lively discussions, and joyful dinners. With 102 participants, 53 proposed sessions, and 29 additional sessions, the event was packed with activities. Despite being sold out early, a participant from Peru managed to join. Feedback highlighted the perfect size, great venue, and excellent food, though improvements are needed in diversity and space for coding. Overall, the event fostered positive interactions and valuable insights.

This week, the performance team analyzed Conway era benchmarks with DReps, improved error reporting, and supported the new CLI command for testnet data. Node metrics were expanded, and UTXO scaling benchmarks were completed. The networking team enhanced peer-sharing, worked on Genesis APIs, resolved bootstrap peer issues, and synchronized churn with outbound governor. The Plutus team improved fixed point operators for efficiency. The Hydra team refactored network protocols and made workflow fixes. Voltaire & SanchoNet finalized Conway era features, updated Plutus CostModels, and improved CI setups. Fund12 in Catalyst is ongoing with approaching deadlines. The education team launched the DRep Pioneer Program, published Haskell Bootcamp lesson 19, and continued work on Mastering Cardano.