Steemit Restores Full Functionality Following Curation Rewards Bug

Steemit is Back in Business!

After a tumultuous weekend and some anxious moments for its community, Steemit has bounced back like a rubber ball! Announcing proudly on Twitter, the popular blogging and social networking platform confirmed that all its functions are operational once again, after a hiccup in the curation reward curve. So, if you were looking for that sweet, sweet STEEM, you’re in luck!

The Curation Rewards Curve Conundrum

According to a detailed exploration in their latest blog post dated September 3rd, the misadventure stemmed from a bug in the curation reward curve. Sounds technical? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. The issue was serious enough to pause all Steem applications that depend on their API, prompting a much-anticipated comeback.

A Quick Fix that Kept It Together

The Steemit development team acted swiftly, rolling out a patch that miraculously avoided the dreaded hard fork. Instead, they conducted a replay of the nodes that serve steemit.com and its affiliated applications like Steem Monsters. As dramatic as it sounds, no one had to pull the emergency brake on operations. Talk about a smooth save!

The Glitch Explained

So, what went awry in the curation reward curve? Well, here comes the geeky part: the bug allowed votes to carry a bizarre curation reward weight of -1. When this dubious number was processed in an unsigned field, it ballooned into a computed value of an astoundingly high 2^64 – 1. That meant votes were suddenly vying for trillions in STEEM. No wonder steemit.com looked like it had gone off the rails!

Looking Forward: Lessons Learned

In their wrap-up, the Steemit team graciously apologized for the chaos caused by the glitch. They added that a retrospective review is in the works, the juicy details of which will soon be shared on their website. So, stay tuned for that! Maybe they’ll throw in some behind-the-scenes drama and a few Lorax quotes for effect.

Bug Bounty Bonanza Elsewhere

In a slightly tangential news flash, the Libra Association recently unveiled their bug bounty program, aiming to iron out any kinks before their 2020 launch. With their head honcho, Michael Engle, inviting researchers to help sweep their platform clean of pesky bugs, one has to wonder—could this be the new trend? So keep your eyes peeled; the era of bug bounty programs is upon us!