Since our last update a month ago we have been hard at work.

Our re-written implementation of the Zen Protocol is now working on an

internal testnet.

While the previous implementation was operational and proved the feasibility of our architecture, we felt it would be better to release a more stable codebase, we will get a test net out soon so you can see the progress.

The main things we have changed are:

Our node has been re written from C# to F#. Implementation of a robust API. It is now easier for the node to communicate with other services, not only does this mean it will be easier for people to work with Zen, but it also means it is easier for us to “separate the concerns” of our codebase.

For instance in our first implementation we wrote the “blockchain code” in C#, and therefore we used GTK+ as a framework to create an interface, since lacking a robust API it is easier for GTK and C# to “work together”.

In our new implementation we can easily use a good mix of technologies, electron for the GUI and F# for the node. The GUI has been rewritten in electron, and now has a better look and feel (check out our previous post for some screenshots). We have almost completed work on V1 of our SDK.

The way we get rid of the gas system is by forcing programmers to prove the costs of their contracts ahead of time. To do this we use a dialect of F*. The code is passed through an elaborator which annotates the costs, and then is formally verified to make sure that the costs are correct.

Normally one would require multiple programs in order to do this. However our SDK is a one stop solution that enables you to extract, build, verify, elaborate, and run contracts. The SDK essentially lowers the barrier to entry for developers to start writing contracts on Zen.

Our current test net has 2 very basic contracts working (faucet and a token contract) and we will be releasing a version of the testnet in March to get the ball rolling.

I am happy to announce that for the first time a team member had a child born while working at Zen — Mazal Tov Doron Somech for your first born son.