In Could, Zooko introduced that ECC had restructured to higher serve the pursuits of Zcash whereas lowering prices and rising sustainability of the group. In that submit, he summarized two classes of our efforts shifting ahead: additional rising Zcash decentralization and focusing ECC. This submit is meant to supply extra element and an replace on our present plans. We welcome the group’s suggestions.
Rising Zcash decentralization
Our goal within the additional decentralization of Zcash is to meaningfully enhance Zcash’s resilience with out unduly rising centralization danger. An instance of a change that will not enhance resilience can be transferring accountability to the Zcash Basis (ZF). As a result of ZF manages the Zcash trademark, its Zcash Neighborhood Advisory Panel, and the Zcash Neighborhood Discussion board, and since they now supply their very own consensus node (Zebra), including extra reliance on ZF wouldn’t make Zcash extra resilient towards single factors of failure.
Transitioning a few of the work ECC owns, or has owned up to now, to others in the neighborhood will:
- Improve Zcash sustainability and resilience, via a better distribution of accountability
- Improve goodwill and accountability with the group
- Improve alternatives for others who’ve demonstrated dependable participation within the ecosystem
- Free ECC to concentrate on enhancements to the venture that we’re uniquely certified to ship
This course of will take time, as ECC develops and rolls out mechanisms to make sure capabilities transition easily and safely to trusted members in the neighborhood.
Transitioning some duties could appear counterintuitive, as ECC’s existence is determined by Zcash group funding. Nonetheless, it’s exactly as a result of our funding comes from the group that we’re sure to honor the very best pursuits of ZEC holders with good stewardship and management.
Focusing ECC
Our mission is to empower all folks with financial freedom, and our “North Star” is delivering a world class UX for ZEC. Within the close to to mid time period, as introduced, we’re centered on empowering ZEC holders and giving them a voice.
This particularly contains the next goals:
- Create a wonderful person expertise for proof-of-stake ZEC
- Construct and assist a business pockets — constructed by and for Zcashers — that’s simple to make use of and accessible for anybody
- Construct and assist a mobile-wallet SDK that’s helpful to different Zcash builders
- Guarantee ZEC, self-custody, and staking stay viable within the USA via centered coverage work
Timeline and specifics
ECC makes use of an OKR course of for prioritizing and delivering measurable work on four-month cycles. Sometimes, our phrases are: February – Could (Time period 1), June – September (Time period 2), and October – January (Time period 3). As a consequence of ECC’s restructuring and our concentrate on exiting emergency mode, we moved the kickoff date of Time period 2 to July 10. Time period 3 will kick off, as ordinary, in October.
Time period 2, 2023
The priorities set for the rest of Time period 2 are:
Earlier than the top of July
- Exit emergency mode
- Launch the Z.money web site, model 3.0 (accomplished)
- Launch the brand new ECC SDKs (iOS and Android), model 1.0
- Launch the brand new ECC business pockets, model 1.0
- Launch model 0.1 of our proof-of-stake design suggestions
The lionshare of our fast focus stays on exiting “emergency mode,” which we anticipate can be potential this month, relying on how shortly wallets are in a position to combine with our new SDK.
The brand new ECC SDKs will assist pre-sync fund availability.
ECC’s pockets can be introduced and made out there for early testing. This launch can be knowledgeable, however no-frills, primary pockets that can function the inspiration on which to fulfill the particular wants and needs of Zcashers. We are going to drive characteristic improvement primarily based on ZEC person suggestions. Future pockets options would possibly embody things like ZEC holder polling and staking capabilities, for instance.
Our analysis group will publish a top-level roadmap and proposed timeline to maneuver Zcash from proof of labor to a hybrid resolution, after which doubtlessly pure proof of stake. We’ll publish this info this month after which host a workshop at Zcon4 to proceed the dialogue. This model 0.1 proposal is an early step within the design course of, printed particularly to garner suggestions and collaboration throughout the Zcash ecosystem, and to make sure this important transition proposal is nicely understood and addresses group wants.
August – September (The rest of Time period 2)
We intend to pause new improvement efforts on PoS analysis and business pockets and SDK improvement with the intention to concentrate on decentralization actions. Our OKR planning for the rest of Time period 2 can be centered on:
- Clearly defining the particular use circumstances the place ECC will focus
- Figuring out use circumstances nicely fitted to decentralization, to enhance resilience and sustainability
- Mapping out the transition between ECC assist and end-of-support for particular use circumstances (i.e., Will we cease engaged on these items fully, wrap them up, and/or transition them to others?)
- Meta transition planning the place acceptable, together with the way to establish and safely transition duties to different Zcash contributors
- Starting the transitions
Some efforts can be comparatively swift, as is the case with ending ECC assist for world regulatory relations. Others will take extra time, together with the transition of some capabilities presently supported by ECC in Zcashd (pending last dedication of which use circumstances ECC will proceed to assist). Others could take important planning and time, because of complexities and with the intention to reduce any disruption.
One such complicated decentralization effort referenced within the restructuring announcement is the administration of digital properties. This contains the z.money web site, the Zcash Twitter account, Zcash.readthedocs.io, and the Cypherpunk Zero property. Our goal is to empower the group to contribute to, assist steward, and higher make the most of these property over time.
The stewardship of those digital properties, platforms, and property are extremely essential and complicated, so transition efforts will take appreciable time and diligence to execute safely and in a manner that can foster the very best outcomes. In these circumstances, we imagine “meta transition planning” is most acceptable. We have now been learning this for a lot of months and can present a beneficial method to the group in a weblog submit subsequent week. We have now requested that the Zcash Basis present ECC with time and house for group engagement on this subject at Zcon4, with an intent to start method and planning efforts in August. We stay up for working with certified members of the group on this effort and can present extra element quickly.
October – January (Time period 3, 2023/24)
A lot of the decentralization efforts, formalized in Time period 2, will happen throughout these months. As we’re in a position to wind down and transition work, we’ll flip our consideration again to new analysis and improvement on the ECC outlined focus areas. As beforehand acknowledged, some transitions could also be fast, and a few could require months to years.
February and past (Time period 1, 2024 – )
Whereas we focus our analysis and improvement efforts as acknowledged above, we’ll roll out up to date roadmaps and plans primarily based on the funding out there to ECC underneath the present improvement fund, which ends in November 2024.
The group is presently discussing the potential for a brand new improvement fund and potential buildings. After we acquire readability on the time and effort wanted to decentralize core capabilities, we intend to supply a proposal to the group on what we plan to perform and at what degree of funding over one other time period.
Additional decentralizing Zcash by focusing ECC’s efforts on fewer issues is a significant contribution to the venture and ZEC holders in assist of our mission. It can end in a extra various group of contributors and arrange ECC to iterate on new innovation, extra shortly and fewer expensively, by specializing in these areas we’re uniquely certified to ship.
I stay up for seeing you at Zcon4! Please seize me for a while there should you’d wish to discover any of this in additional element.