In Might, Zooko introduced that ECC had restructured to higher serve the pursuits of Zcash whereas lowering prices and rising sustainability of the group. In that put up, he summarized two classes of our efforts transferring ahead: additional rising Zcash decentralization and focusing ECC. This put up is meant to supply extra element and an replace on our present plans. We welcome the neighborhood’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 may not enhance resilience could be transferring duty to the Zcash Basis (ZF). As a result of ZF manages the Zcash trademark, its Zcash Group Advisory Panel, and the Zcash Group Discussion board, and since they now provide their very own consensus node (Zebra), including extra reliance on ZF wouldn’t make Zcash extra resilient in opposition to single factors of failure.
Transitioning a number of the work ECC owns, or has owned previously, to others in the neighborhood will:
Enhance Zcash sustainability and resilience, by means of a higher distribution of duty
Enhance goodwill and accountability with the neighborhood
Enhance alternatives for others who’ve demonstrated dependable participation within the ecosystem
Free ECC to give attention to 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 features transition easily and safely to trusted members in the neighborhood.
Transitioning some obligations could appear counterintuitive, as ECC’s existence will depend on Zcash neighborhood funding. Nonetheless, it’s exactly as a result of our funding comes from the neighborhood that we’re certain to honor the most effective pursuits of ZEC holders with good stewardship and management.
Focusing ECC
Our mission is to empower all individuals 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 consists of the next goals:
Create a superb person expertise for proof-of-stake ZEC
Construct and help a business pockets — constructed by and for Zcashers — that’s simple to make use of and accessible for anybody
Construct and help a mobile-wallet SDK that’s helpful to different Zcash builders
Guarantee ZEC, self-custody, and staking stay viable within the USA by means of centered coverage work
Timeline and specifics
ECC makes use of an OKR course of for prioritizing and delivering measurable work on four-month cycles. Usually, our phrases are: February – Might (Time period 1), June – September (Time period 2), and October – January (Time period 3). Attributable to ECC’s restructuring and our give attention to exiting emergency mode, we moved the kickoff date of Time period 2 to July 10. Time period 3 will kick off, as normal, 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 speedy focus stays on exiting “emergency mode,” which we anticipate might be potential this month, relying on how shortly wallets are capable of combine with our new SDK.
The brand new ECC SDKs will help pre-sync fund availability.
ECC’s pockets might be introduced and made out there for early testing. This launch might be an expert, however no-frills, primary pockets that may function the inspiration on which to satisfy the precise wants and needs of Zcashers. We’ll drive characteristic improvement based mostly on ZEC person suggestions. Future pockets options would possibly embrace things like ZEC holder polling and staking features, for instance.
Our analysis workforce will publish a top-level roadmap and proposed timeline to maneuver Zcash from proof of labor to a hybrid answer, after which probably 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 properly understood and addresses neighborhood 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 to be able to give attention to decentralization actions. Our OKR planning for the rest of Time period 2 might be centered on:
Clearly defining the precise use instances the place ECC will focus
Figuring out use instances properly suited to decentralization, to enhance resilience and sustainability
Mapping out the transition between ECC help and end-of-support for particular use instances (i.e., Can we cease engaged on these items utterly, wrap them up, and/or transition them to others?)
Meta transition planning the place acceptable, together with the best way to establish and safely transition obligations to different Zcash contributors
Starting the transitions
Some efforts might be comparatively swift, as is the case with ending ECC help for international regulatory relations. Others will take extra time, together with the transition of some features at present supported by ECC in Zcashd (pending closing dedication of which use instances ECC will proceed to help). Others could take important planning and time, on account of complexities and to be able to reduce any disruption.
One such advanced decentralization effort referenced within the restructuring announcement is the administration of digital properties. This consists of the z.money web site, the Zcash Twitter account, Zcash.readthedocs.io, and the Cypherpunk Zero property. Our goal is to empower the neighborhood 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 necessary and sophisticated, so transition efforts will take appreciable time and diligence to execute safely and in a approach that may foster the very best outcomes. In these instances, we consider “meta transition planning” is most acceptable. We have now been finding out this for a lot of months and can present a beneficial method to the neighborhood in a weblog put up subsequent week. We have now requested that the Zcash Basis present ECC with time and house for neighborhood 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 neighborhood 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 capable of wind down and transition work, we’ll flip our consideration again to new analysis and improvement on the ECC outlined focus areas. As beforehand said, 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 said above, we’ll roll out up to date roadmaps and plans based mostly on the funding out there to ECC below the present improvement fund, which ends in November 2024.
The neighborhood is at present discussing the opportunity of a brand new improvement fund and potential buildings. Once we achieve readability on the time and effort wanted to decentralize core capabilities, we intend to supply a proposal to the neighborhood on what we plan to perform and at what stage 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 help of our mission. It is going to lead to 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 in the event you’d wish to discover any of this in additional element.
