Developers preparing the highly anticipated Ethereum 2.0 network for takeoff said they recognize the community has a need to embark on “one more public testnet launch before mainnet to run through the motions,” per a blog post.
They stated that in response to demand, they have unveiled the source code for Spadina on the GitHub repository. This, they say, will be a “shortlived dress rehearsal” that will run in parallel to Medalla, the final public Ethereum 2.0 testnet before Phase 0 (the Beacon Chain) of the blockchain is initiated.
As of 12:05 PM UTC today, more than ETH 1.6m (USD 604m) has already been staked on Medalla, per data from beaconcha.in. Stakeholders have forecasted a number of possible launch dates form Phase 0, with some predicting this could happen in November, while others claimed it will not roll out until January 2021 at the earliest.
Ethereum Core Developer Danny Ryan wrote,
“Spadina will be a (primarily) mainnet configuration testnet with a 3 day end-of-life (EOL). The main objective is to give us all another chance to go through one of the more difficult and risky parts of the process – deposits and genesis – before we reach mainnet. If all goes well, it should give us greater peace of mind before we jump into the real deal later this year,”
The developer invited community members to take part in Spadina in a bid to “avoid disrupting Medalla’s momentum” and give the developers “greater peace of mind before we jump into the real deal later this year.”
He added,
“If you want to try the latest and greatest iteration of the Lauchpad, get your hands dirty with key generation and management, and check if you can set up your favorite client from scratch once more, then yes! You should most certainly participate.”
Ryan added that as Spadina has a three-day end-of-life, client teams, block explorers and key infrastructure, providers will not continue to offer testnet users support after the time period was up – although it could remain live for some time afterward.
The Ethereum Foundation is also sponsoring the Medalla Data Challenge, which runs until October 20. The data analysis and visualization event organizers say they are offering USD 15,000 in prize money to individuals who dig into Ethereum data and identify what they identify as the best ways of further developing the blockchain’s final testnet before Phase 0 goes live.
At pixel time (12:07 PM UTC), ETH trades at USD 378 and is up by 2% in a day and almost 13% in a week. The price is down by 10% in a month, trimming its annual gains to 93%.
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