​10 days until the TON DNS auction.

This is a reminder that the decentralized distribution of TON DNS domain names begins on July 30, 2022 where users will be able to obtain a short human-readable .ton name via an auction.

The auction will take place on the dns.ton.org website.

You also have an opportunity to learn more about the process on the testnet, but we want to warn users to be careful and not to send their real Toncoin because they’ll be lost forever.

Below we answer some frequently asked questions:

▪️ As protection against spamming bots that automatically register names, every domain will require a minimum bid. The size of this bid depends on the number of characters and can vary from 10 to 1,000 Toncoin.

▪️ All Toncoin from the sale of domain names will be sent to smart contracts where they’ll be frozen forever and removed from the total supply.

You can find more details and TON DNS auction rules here: https://telegra.ph/TON-DNS-auction-rules-07-21

NFT Calendar has added support for the TON blockchain.

Big news in the TON NFT world: Now, collection creators on TON will be able to post information about future drops on NFT Calendar, one of the most-used NFT news resources.

Every month, over 500,000 crypto enthusiasts looking to find the next exciting event and NFT collection visit the portal.

We’re happy that future TON-based NFT collections will be visible on such an essential platform in the crypto industry.

We’d like to thank the Getgems and TON Doge teams, who were instrumental in adding the TON blockchain to NFT Calendar.

‌‎⚡️This week tonscan.org was updated — now you can see all NFTs belonging to any address as in this example.

We will enhance our cooperation with the Getgems marketplace to improve NFT functionality.

Tonscan is more than just a blockchain explorer — even if it's not always obvious at first sight. Big update coming soon.

Convenient alternative services on TON.

We’ve highlighted numerous times that product development has a special place in The Open Network’s philosophy, with the TON Foundation actively supporting its blockchain developers.

The ecosystem continues to see more convenient services from independent developers, so today, we’re going to tell you about two applications that stand out.

Juston — a noncustodial crypto wallet that enables seamless sign-ins for TON dApps.

What you can do with Juston:

▪️ Create multiple TON-based wallets and switch from one to another in a user-friendly interface.
▪️ Interact with popular TON services using a built-in decentralized browser, which operates like the TON Wallet extension in Google Chrome and allows users to sign in on other sites directly within the mobile app.

The browser already supports an array of services, such as Getgems, Disintar, Scaleton, and Jetton Deployer, and will let users participate in the upcoming TON DNS auction.

Its developers plan on releasing an Android-based app that supports Jettons. You can find more information on the official website or the project’s Telegram channel.

StickerFace — a mobile app to help you create NFT avatars on TON.

With StickerFace, users can generate digital avatars derived from a photograph or create one with the creator kit by manipulating facial features, hair color, and other characteristics.

Users will be able to place their new avatars on the TON blockchain as an NFT and add NFT clothing and accessories.

It’s worth noting that the avatars are full-fledged NFTs: You can store them in wallets, transfer them, and even put them up for sale on NFT marketplaces.

Everything happens within the convenient interface of the mobile app, which you can download on the project’s official website. You can find more information on StickerFace on the service’s Telegram channel.

These two are just the tip of the iceberg; there are many useful and exciting services in the TON Apps suite.

​TON Community Weekly Digest

Here’s a roundup of the ecosystem’s most exciting news from the past seven days.

Network stats update:

▪️ The number of new accounts created on TON from July 17 to 23 grew from 998,112 to 1,029,895 (+3.2%).

News:

▪️ The number of registered accounts on the network surpassed 1 million.

▪️ We published the rules for the upcoming TON DNS auction starting July 30.

▪️ NFT Calendar added support for the TON blockchain.

▪️ NFT marketplace Getgems released three important updates: one for its Telegram NFT bot, another aimed at collection creators, and the latest one was an integration with the Disintar NFT marketplace.

Stay up-to-date with the latest developments brewing in the TON ecosystem by turning on the notifications to this channel. You won’t want to miss a thing!

An AMA with a member of the TON Foundation and TON ecosystem participants.

On July 28, an AMA in written format will be held in the TON Society Telegram chat for creators and developers of TON-based products.

The AMA will cover the TON ecosystem’s grant programs. The speakers will discuss this and other topics:

▪️What criteria do teams of developers need to meet to participate in the grant programs?
▪️How does TON Society analyze services applying for a grant?
▪️How does TON Society plan on making the application process as transparent and public as possible?

The following speakers will be answering questions during the AMA:

▪️Justin Hyun, Head of Incubation at the TON Foundation.
▪️Cyril Malev, a junior partner at FS Labs.
▪️Tal Kol, founder of the Orbs Network blockchain and a TON Society contributor.

The AMA begins at 16:00 (UTC) on July 28 in the TON Society chat: @tonsociety_chat

All users will be able to participate in the AMA by asking questions. Feel free to ask your questions in the comment section. We’ll include them in our list and will try to answer all of them!

Users who cannot join the AMA live will be able to read a text version afterward.

The number of validators on The Open Network surpassed 200 in July.

We’d like to mention that the rate at which new validators joining the network over the past few months has increased exponentially. At the beginning of May, the network was servicing 188 validators, but since then, that number has risen to 226, a +20.2% increase over the last three months.

However, the growth in these numbers at the beginning of the year was more modest. From January to May, the number of nodes rose from 155 to 188, a 21% increase over just five months.

The total validator stake since the beginning of the year has also risen, from 92.3 million Toncoin to 149.5 million (+62%).

Anyone can run a validator node: All you need is professional hardware and a deposit of around 350,000 Toncoin.

You can find instructions, guides, and additional information on becoming a validator on TON’s official website:
https://ton.org/validator

A message for product creators.

To the developers in the TON ecosystem: We’ve launched a special bot that can help you tell us about the functions and updates of your services.

The most significant updates and service functions will be featured on the TON Community Telegram channel.

To tell us about your service, go to the @ton_updates_bot and follow the instructions.

Please do not send news or information on presales, contests, and similar events.

First and foremost, we’re interested in services and initiatives that improve TON and make life easier for its users.

The AMA with TON Foundation starts in one hour.

Here’s a quick reminder that the AMA with a member of the TON Foundation and TON ecosystem participants on grant programs in the TON ecosystem starts in one hour at 16:00 (UTC).

The AMA will be held in the TON Society Telegram chat: @tonsociety_chat

You can find more information on the AMA, its topics, and guests in this post.

Anyone can join the AMA and ask questions.

The Join the community section has been updated on TON’s official website.

There is now a list of all regional TON Community Telegram channels and chats in their available languages.

You can also find links to other TON social media pages and accounts.

The TON DNS auction is right around the corner!

We want to remind everyone that tomorrow, July 30, at 10:00 am London on the dns.ton.org site, the decentralized auction of .ton domain names will kick off, and all users can participate.

You can find all of the auction’s rules here:
https://telegra.ph/TON-DNS-auction-rules-07-21

You can also get acquainted with the auction’s mechanics on the testnet, but do not send your real Toncoin — otherwise, they’ll be lost forever.

So, come one, come all to the long-awaited TON DNS auction!

The TON DNS auction is in full swing!

The .ton domain name auction has already started, and anyone is eligible to participate.

We’ve prepared a guide for you on how to participate:
https://telegra.ph/How-to-participate-in-the-TON-DNS-auction-07-30

You can read the rules here:
https://telegra.ph/TON-DNS-auction-rules-07-21

Good luck to everyone!

​A service based on The Open Network for sports organizations and fans has received $2 million in investments.

Something big happened in the TON ecosystem: A few prominent blockchain investors invested money into the sports Web3 startup Fanzee based on The Open Network.

Lead investors were familiar faces in the TONcoin.Fund (backed by Huobi Incubator and KuCoin Ventures) and venture studio First Stage Labs, but they were assisted by a long list of investors, including MEXC Pioneer, VLG Digital, Orbs.com, 3Commas, and Hexit capital, part of Hemma.

To date, this is the largest investment any TON-based startup has received.

Why is this important?

This investment round for Fanzee is the TONcoin.Fund’s first foray into supporting projects in the TON ecosystem.

Whereas grant programs aim to help projects, investment funds are geared toward eventually making profits from their investments.

We’re happy to know that investors see business opportunities in projects based on The Open Network and are willing to invest large sums of money into the ecosystem.

Fanzee is a Web3 fan-engagement platform powered by the TON blockchain that helps sports and entertainment organizations connect with their fans through immersive fan journeys backed by utility-driven digital assets.

Combining gamification mechanics and blockchain technology, Fanzee is poised to revolutionize how clubs interact with their fans.

To learn more about the platform, you can visit the project’s website or go to its official Telegram channel.

​TON Community Weekly Digest

Here’s a roundup of the ecosystem’s most exciting news from the past seven days.

Network stats update:

▪️ The number of new accounts created on TON from July 24 to 30 grew from 1,035,855 to 1,064,359 (+2.7%).

News:

▪️ The decentralized TON DNS auction kicked off where users can obtain .ton domain names.

▪️ TON Society hosted an AMA with a representative from the TON Foundation, which discussed grants and investments in the TON ecosystem.

▪️ A special bot was launched to help product creators tell us about updates and interesting functions of their projects.

▪️ NFT marketplace Getgems started testing NFT certificates and diplomas based on TON as a move to create a use case to accelerate mass adoption.

▪️ Fanzee, a sports-themed blockchain startup based on TON, attracted $2 million in investments.

▪️ The ton.org site updated its Join the community section.

Stay up-to-date with the latest developments brewing in the TON ecosystem by turning on the notifications to this channel. You won’t want to miss a thing!

​The TON Smart Challenge #2 is to start soon.

The next edition of the TON Smart Challenge contest for programmers is slated to begin on Aug. 4 with a total prize pool of 16,000 Toncoin.

TON Foundation developers have carefully reviewed and considered feedback from participants of the first TON Smart Challenge and will make quality-of-life improvements for the upcoming second part of the competition.

The TON Smart Challenge #2 is aimed at developers just starting their journey of learning FunC, the primary programming language for The Open Network blockchain, and will comprise five simple tasks, which will be checked automatically.

To participate, you must register by going to this website.

You can find more details and news on the competition on the TON Contests Telegram channel.

You can prepare for the competition by studying the documentation section and creating a developer’s environment.

What happens to the Toncoin from TON DNS auction sales?

The hype surrounding the TON DNS is still going strong. There are 3,787 open auctions for domain names, and the TON DNS auction’s total has surpassed a staggering 340,000 Toncoin.

Today, we want to answer one of the most-asked questions:

Who receives the Toncoin when someone buys a domain name?

Answer: These tokens are removed from circulation and frozen forever. You can see for yourselves by reading the TON DNS smart contract source code.

The TON DNS auction has a single mission: to distribute .ton domain names in a decentralized and fair manner for all participants.

NFT auctions on Getgems.

NFT marketplace Getgems has added a new functionality: Now, users of the platform can put their NFTs up for auction and engage in bidding for other NFTs.

Any NFT owner can open their asset for bidding by indicating the minimum and maximum bid prices, the duration of bidding, and a few other parameters.

Users can also connect their Telegram accounts to their Getgems portfolios to receive notifications about new bids.

You can find more details on NFT auctions on the official Getgems Telegram channel.

​Why are TON DNS domains needed?

Today, we’d like to review some of the more practical use cases of .ton domain names.

A substitute for long crypto addresses.

The TON DNS component assigns a short human-readable name to absolutely any blockchain node, from a regular crypto wallet to a service’s smart contract.

Shortly, users are already going to start replacing long crypto wallet addresses with .ton names, and product developers will simplify client interactions by using domain names.

Now you can send Toncoin by entering a short name — e.g., user.ton — instead of a long address.

TON Sites and TON Proxy.

TON Sites and TON Proxy are technologies that cater to decentralized sites, the most important components of the Web3 internet, which will appear later this quarter.

TON DNS domains can be connected to sites based on The Open Network.

This will allow users to visit websites, such as site.ton, and reap the benefits of the decentralized internet. Moreover, surfing TON-based Web3 internet will be as easy and convenient as surfing the internet today.

TON DNS are NFTs.

Every .ton domain name is a real NFT. This means that domains can be stored in crypto wallets, bought and sold on marketplaces, and even put up for auction.

It’s worth noting that the TON blockchain is among the first to combine domain names with NFT technology.

The TON DNS auction is being held here:
https://dns.ton.org/

You can also get acquainted with our guide on how to buy a domain name and the auction’s rules.

​Fees for storing domain names and confirmation of ownership rights.

To store any NFT on The Open Network, users must pay an annual storage fee of 0.05 Toncoin. Because TON DNS names are NFTs, this rule also applies to them.

The fees are insignificant; however, failing to pay them may result in adverse technical consequences.

With users’ interests in mind, the TON Foundation made the decision to leave 1 Toncoin in each domain name’s smart contract to take care of the storage fee. This sum will suffice for the next 20 years.

Having received a TON DNS at auction, you won’t have to think about fees for the foreseeable future, but after 20 years, you’ll have to replenish the smart contract.

However, domain name owners are required to make a transaction to extend ownership rights.

Owners must send a small amount of Toncoin of their choice to the domain’s smart contract — e.g., 0.000000001 Toncoin — to extend ownership rights by 365 days.

This mechanism is in place so that domains whose owners have lost access to or interest in them can be put up for auction and transferred to a new owner.

The TON DNS auction is still underway, and it is open to anyone who wants to participate:
https://dns.ton.org

Introducing Connecton, a VPN service based on Wireguard that accepts Toncoin as the exclusive means of payments.

Connecton is a VPN service that allows you to protect your privacy on the internet and surf the web with speed and safety.

With this VPN, you can encrypt the data you send or receive over the internet and hide your IP to protect yourself from people trying to intercept your connection.

And you get all of this by simply paying in Toncoin through a bot in Telegram.

With various locations around the world, you can stay safe and surf the internet in total freedom and anonymity.

Stay connected, stay safe, stay free.

TON Smart Challenge #2 has begun!

Today, the TON Smart Challenge #2 kicked off. The competition is for programmers and has a total prize pool of 16,000 Toncoin.

Contest participants are to solve five simple tasks.

The competition will run until Aug. 11, but it’s still accepting late registrations. The TON Foundation invites all programming specialists to compete at the TON Smart Challenge #2.

You can find all the necessary information here and on the TON Contests Telegram channel.

Good luck to all participants!