Discord Among Developers
The Ethereum All Core Devs call held on March 6 was anything but dull, lasting three hours and leaving attendees scratching their heads more than anything else. The primary focus? The contentious issue of ProgPow, widely viewed as a lightning rod for controversy in the Ethereum community. With a proposed shift towards a new mining algorithm dubbed ‘Ethash 2.0,’ the call was packed with arguments, counterarguments, and more side-eye moments than a soap opera.
Duelling Perspectives
With representatives from both the pro and anti-ProgPow camps, the call featured heavyweights such as Kristy Leigh-Minehan, co-creator of ProgPow, and the ever-energetic BitsBeTrippin on one side. The anti-ProgPow faction consisted of notable voices like Gnosis co-founder Martin Köppelmann and Matt Luongo from Thesis.co, who seemed to have come prepared with a PowerPoint presentation filled with all the reasons not to embrace this algorithm. Ameen Soleimani, the CEO of Spankchain, didn’t hold back either, clearly lighting up the virtual conference room with his critiques.
The Technology Behind the Madness
Most of the discussion focused on the tech aspect, with concerns about vulnerabilities raised by independent auditors. While Minehan argued that these issues could be easily fixed and were mainly theoretical, others highlighted that the very existence of these vulnerabilities after prior audits was a flashing red light for risks associated with changing the mining algorithm.
“It’s like finding a needle in a haystack, then realizing the haystack is made of needles,”
quipped one core developer, summing up the anxiety surrounding ProgPow.
Hashrate Havoc Incoming
One major point of contention was the impending drop in Ethereum’s hashrate, expected as early as April. This is due to the impending obsolescence of older GPUs and Bitmain’s E3 miners. Currently, about 40% of Ethereum’s hashrate comes from Bitmain’s ASICs, which raised alarm bells for both sides of the discussion.
As the conversation swirled around community splits and ASIC resistance—topics that could easily ignite a flame war on Twitter—the core developers weighed in with their concerns. Luongo expressed that forcing through changes without considering dissent could lead to a fracture similar to the infamous Bitcoin Cash debacle. Meanwhile, Köppelmann provided his insights on ASIC operators, questioning whether ASIC resistance is genuinely beneficial.
“If it’s not fundamentally necessary, why rock the boat?”
he implored.
Facing the Future of Ethereum
Even as discussions spiraled, the ‘Ethereum 2.0’ transition loomed large in the minds of developers. Soleimani argued that pushing for changes in a Proof of Work model was futile, considering that Ethereum would eventually shift to Proof of Stake. Yet, developers countered that the immediate functionality of Ethereum 1.x cannot be neglected while waiting for this transition.
“We can’t just let the ship sink, waiting for the new one to arrive,”
said James Hancock, leading the Ethereum 1.x initiative.
Conclusion: The Drama Continues
As the call came to a close, one thing was crystal clear: the Ethereum community remains divided over ProgPow, with some developers advocating for its total rejection while others pressed on for rebranding it to ‘Ethash 2.0’ and moving forward. Amid the drama, Hudson Jameson proposed a new EIP to address the issues found in ProgPow. But will it happen? Only time will tell.
As the curtain fell and the virtual microphones were turned off, Hancock urged everyone to focus on educating the community about the potential pitfalls of Ethash. He ominously warned that the vulnerabilities could lead to ASICs that could potentially disrupt the core stability of Ethereum, suggesting that keeping the community informed was ultimately the best defense.
And just like that, the drama simmered down for now – at least until the next call.
