Charles Hoskinson, Cardano's founder, provided an update on the blockchain's progress and the upcoming Chang hard fork. He spoke from his Wyoming ranch during a live Ask Me Anything session.
Hoskinson reflected on recent challenges. "It's been a very long last few years," he said. The ecosystem faced obstacles, particularly in governance. However, these were overcome.
A key achievement was completing CIP 1694. This took about two years. It's crucial for Cardano's infrastructure advancement.
The Chang hard fork is nearly ready. Node 9.0, essential for the fork, is almost complete. "What's exciting about node 9.0 is, it's the Chang Hard Fork. It's basically there," Hoskinson stated.
The new node follows version 8.2.2. It's been refined for compatibility and stability. Release is expected next week. Hoskinson cautiously added, "Monday or Tuesday the signal for the upgrade will come if nothing gets discovered – knock wood."
The Chang hard fork is pivotal for Cardano. It marks the transition to the Voltaire phase. This phase focuses on governance. A network node density of 70% will trigger the fork.
Hoskinson discussed future complexities. The Basho era concerns network scalability and optimization. It requires substantial community input. Decisions involve balancing on-chain and off-chain data handling.
"Basho is a very multi-dimensional thing," Hoskinson explained. It involves trade-offs between various technical aspects. These include on-chain sharding and transaction processing adjustments.
Future milestones were outlined. These include Plutus V3, Hydra, Leios, and Mithil. They're candidates for the next governance vote. This vote will shape Basho's final state and resource allocation.
Hoskinson celebrated Cardano's progress. "It's been almost 10 years," he reflected. The platform has evolved significantly. It's moved from a static, federated system to a dynamic, decentralized one. The community now has increasing control over the roadmap.
Despite technical difficulties, Hoskinson promised to continue discussions. He plans to address unresolved questions from his office on Monday.