Ethereum’s Next Blockchain Upgrade Faces Delay After Testing Failure

Developers are looking forward to January 16th as the date on which Constantinople, ethereum’s upcoming system hard fork, could launch.

The overhaul for the world’s second-biggest blockchain was initially targeted for November, carrying with it a large group of design changes aimed at streamlining the platform’s code in a bid to help boost execution. However, the November launch window was at last because of unforeseen issues with the test release, requiring a more drawn out development period.

While the Jan 16 dates were reached by means of a non-binding verbal agreement, it’s not fixed or final. To be sure, developers on Friday’s bi-weekly call said that Constantinople could be postponed further should additional issues emerge.

“We can just say mid-January, it doesn’t make difference if we decide on a date or not. We can always postpone,” core developer Péter Szilágyi remarked.

Also during the call, developer Lane Rettig shared research in regards to ethereum’s supposed “difficulty bomb.” The difficulty bomb is an algorithm embedded within ethereum’s code that makes squares steadily to mine and was set up to go about as an incentive for urging regular updates to the system.

According to Rettig, the difficulty bomb will be noticeable from January, leading to 30-second block times by April or May of next year.

Constantinople postpones the difficulty bomb for a further year and a half, while additionally decreasing the ethereum mining reward from 3 ETH to 2 ETH per block. Moreover, the redesign highlights different improvements to the underlying ethereum code.

Regardless of whether ProgPoW – a change that would institutionalize ethereum mining to universally use hardware only, blocking particular ASIC miners – will be considered for incorporation, Constantinople was not talked about during the call. In any case, developers revealed issues with respect to its usage, expressing that the formal particular of the code is inadequate.

Regarding that matter particularly, Szilágyi asked that Constantinople programming updates that will actualize the hard fork ought to be released before the end of the year.

“All clients should release a stable version with the baked in block number before Christmas,” Szilágyi said.