Tezos Commons :: My TezDev 2024 Highlights.
July 22, 2024A look into the key moments of my TezDev 2024 experience.
This month, we witnessed the largest Tezos event of the year: TezDev 2024. This annual flagship conference for Tezos, brings together developers, enthusiasts, project founders, and various members of the Tezos ecosystem to discuss, showcase, and learn about the latest updates. Most importantly, it provides an opportunity to connect in a vibrant environment filled with passionate Tezos enthusiasts.
Having had the privilege to attend this event, I am eager to share some of the highlights from my experience. Let’s explore some of the most exciting moments at the conference.
Arthur’s Keynote speech
One of the most anticipated sessions of TezDev 2024 was the keynote speech by Arthur Breitman, co-founder of Tezos. Arthur’s speech provided a comprehensive overview of the newly announced Tezos X vision, detailing how it aims to tackle the current limitations of the blockchain space. He articulated how Tezos X is designed to enhance adoption by appealing to institutions, developers, and users beyond just the traditional blockchain community.
Tezos X’s key deliveries in performance, interoperability, and composability will extend the benefits of blockchain beyond just censorship-resistance, which has been the main benefit so far. With capabilities like millions of transactions per second (TPS) at very low fees, elimination of fragmentation, and sustained decentralization, Tezos X will allow industries such as finance, gaming, and arts & culture to flourish even more with features and experiences that weren’t possible until now due to blockchain limitations.
I highly recommend watching the entire speech on YouTube, as Arthur’s insights are invaluable for anyone interested in the future of blockchain technology.
Jstz (“Justice”) rollup — Presentation and demo by Beata Lipska
One of the pivotal milestones on the journey to TezosX is the recently announced Jstz (pronounced “Justice”) rollup. This innovative development enables programmers to build using JavaScript. A highlight of the event, in my view, was the incredibly fun presentation and demonstration of this rollup by Trilitech’s amazing Developer Advocate, Beata Lipska.
Beata discussed the immense power and widespread popularity of JavaScript, emphasizing how Jstz could serve as an entry point to blockchain technology for the 23+ million active JavaScript developers worldwide. She provided an update on the current progress of Jstz and conducted a live demonstration showcasing its functionality and interaction capabilities using the local sandbox, which is accessible for anyone interested in experimenting with it.
Beata concluded her presentation with a call to action, urging developers to explore the available tools and provide feedback, as it is crucial for the project’s success. If you are a JavaScript developer or know someone who is, be sure to check out the documentation and join the “Justice League” of TezosX!
Tezos X — An in-depth look by Yann Régis-Gianas
While Arthur’s keynote speech focused on the vision and implications of TezosX, we were also treated to an in-depth exploration of its design and technical aspects by Yann Régis-Gianas, the Head of Engineering at Nomadic Labs.
Yann discussed the ongoing changes, such as the new RISC-V engine that is being actively worked on by the core developers, which will serve as an alternative Proof-Generating Virtual Machine (PVM), explaining why these developments are necessary. He broke down each component of the final design, illustrating how everything fits together. Yann emphasized that this is not merely a roadmap in its early stages but one where many milestones have already been achieved, bringing us closer to realizing the vision of TezosX.
For example, key elements like Smart Rollups, the Data Availability Layer (DAL), Etherlink, and Jstz are all crucial stepping stones on this roadmap that are well past the “to-do” phase. TezosX is coming, and I couldn’t be more hyped about it.
Networking
In a physical Tezos event, I couldn’t overlook the exceptional networking opportunities. This year at TezDev, over 400 attendees gathered, including developers, artists, members from various Tezos teams, project founders, and enthusiasts, all eager to learn and connect with the community.
The venue had an excellent layout, making it easy for attendees to take breaks and mingle with fellow Tezonians who share the same passion. The event’s schedule was notably better planned compared to last year, with plenty of breaks for networking without missing key speeches and presentations.
During the lunch break and the afterparty, I personally met and connected with over 40 people I had interacted with online for a long time. These face-to-face connections provided me with a deeper understanding of the people in our community as people get to open up more when they get to know you better.
Side Events
Adding to the networking opportunities, it’s worth mentioning that besides the main TezDev event, there were several Tezos-related side events organized in the days leading up to TezDev. I personally attended two of these: Art on Tezos x Artcrush and Degen Night Market.
Art on Tezos x Artcrush, hosted by Trilitech and the Artcrush gallery, showcased artworks from 20 different Tezos artists. Attendees enjoyed drinks and engaged in discussions with fellow art enthusiasts.
Degen Night Market was more of a party event, co-hosted by Etherlink and Baanx alongside 1inch and Hexens. This event provided a fun atmosphere and an excellent opportunity to connect with people outside our “crypto bubble.”
Both events were packed and, in my opinion, served as great warm-ups for the main event.
Final Thoughts
TezDev 2024 has truly exceeded all my expectations, leaving me even more hyped up and optimistic about the future of Tezos than I already was. The energy, innovation, and collaboration I witnessed have reaffirmed my belief in the tremendous potential of Tezos. The keynote speeches, especially from Arthur Breitman and Yann Régis-Gianas, have painted a clear and exciting picture of what lies ahead with Tezos X.
I am eagerly anticipating the recorded sessions to be uploaded, and I strongly encourage everyone to watch them. The insights shared are invaluable and will undoubtedly fuel your enthusiasm for Tezos.
The passion and dedication of the community are unparalleled, and the networking opportunities alone made the event worth attending. There is something truly special about meeting fellow Tezonians in person, sharing ideas, and forging connections that can only happen in a physical setting.
If you couldn’t make it to TezDev 2024, I highly recommend trying to attend future physical Tezos events whenever that’s possible. They provide an unmatched platform to learn, connect, and grow within the ecosystem. Let’s continue to support and build this vibrant community together. See you all next year!
My TezDev 2024 Highlights. was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
