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tags: newineth2
description: The latest update on Ethereum 2.0 development
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# What's New in Eth2 - 20 Dec 2019

 Ben Edgington ([PegaSys](https://pegasys.tech/), [ConsenSys](https://consensys.net/) — but views expressed are all my own)

Edition 32 at [eth2.news](https://eth2.news/)

## Top picks

Welcome to the last edition of WNIE2 of 2019. Happy holidays, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year to everybody! :christmas_tree:

As ever, this week's essential read is Danny Ryan's [eth2 quick update no. 6](https://blog.ethereum.org/2019/12/19/eth2-quick-update-no-6/) on the Ethereum Foundation blog. Lots in there; these updates are starting to become not-so-quick.

## Phase 0: The Beacon Chain implementation

We've had two spec updates since the last issue.

[v0.9.3](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/releases/tag/v0.9.3) has breaking changes. The major improvement is removing the `signing_root` from the protocol - see the [rationale](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/issues/1487). There's also a bunch of minor updates to the fork choice rule, and some other small fixes. Looking through the PRs, it's clear that [Linus's Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus%27s_law) is in operation: "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow". This is a wonderful thing.

[v0.9.4](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/releases/tag/v0.9.4) is non-breaking, and concerns some minor networking enhancements, plus a couple of fixes to tests.

The core spec is expected to be stable now until the [BLS specification updates](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/pull/1532) are released. There is expected to be a v0.10.0 release during January, which will be subject to security audit by [Least Authority](https://leastauthority.com/).

Justin Drake caused a minor stir by proposing a hard [go-live date of July 30th](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/pull/1524) for the beacon chain, which got pretty firmly sat on by the developers. (Justin [has prior form](https://twitter.com/benjaminion_xyz/status/1144262568892125185) on this, and we're not going there again :joy:) It's ready when it's ready, which may well be sooner. This prompts the question, what does "ready" mean? Justin followed up with a [Twitter poll](https://twitter.com/drakefjustin/status/1207056610415333378), resulting in a clear win for 3 clients running for 3 months in a stable joint testnet. Note that if we do this, it takes us well into Q2/2020.

### Testnet news

It's been busy on the testnets! Danny was able to [participate in three at once ](https://twitter.com/dannyryan/status/1204518958621233153) from his laptop 🤓

Lighthouse [announced their testnet](https://lighthouse.sigmaprime.io/update-19.html) on the 8th. This one takes us to the next level: all previous test networks (including Prysm's Sapphire testnet, and the Interop work) ran with stripped-back parameters: [minimal](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/88e954a9c73dff63436350b9cd530c8c9f44a94b/configs/minimal.yaml) configuration, vs. the eventual goal of [mainnet](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/88e954a9c73dff63436350b9cd530c8c9f44a94b/configs/mainnet.yaml) configuration. The minimal config has fewer, smaller committees, less shuffling, 6s rather than 12s slots, 8-slot rather than 64-slot epochs, and so on. It's a lot easier on beacon nodes.

The Lighthouse mainnet config testnet launched with sixteen thousand validators attached to four beacon nodes and was able to make fine progress for quite some time. Unfortunately, it [eventually seized up](https://lighthouse.sigmaprime.io/update-20.html) and the network was taken down after a week. The plan is to relaunch with fixes and improvements in the next couple of weeks. Get familar with the [joining instructions](https://lighthouse-book.sigmaprime.io/become-a-validator.html) so that you are ready to go when the time comes!

Prysmatic Labs is working towards a reboot of their network. On the Implementers' call, they reported being able to run a mainnet configuration with 16k validators attached to a single beacon node, so I'm wondering if their new network will also be a mainnet configuration.

The [Status testnet](https://github.com/status-im/nim-beacon-chain#connecting-to-testnets) continues, with weekly reboots as planned. Here's Jacek's great [tweetstorm](https://twitter.com/jcksie/status/1202883953381773312). I believe Status were actually [the first](https://our.status.im/the-nimbus-mvp-testnet-is-here/) to make a public testnet available. I might be wrong about this; if only WNIE2 were searchable...

As a reminder, both [Etherscan](https://beacon.etherscan.io/) and [EtherChain](https://beaconcha.in/) have produced Eth2 block explorers connected to Prysmatic Labs' testnet. Now, EtherChain's explorer [can also show](https://twitter.com/etherchain_org/status/1207278115954810884) the [Lighthouse](https://lighthouse.beaconcha.in/) testnet. As for Eth2 network explorers, Status has [built a tool](https://twitter.com/jcksie/status/1206882743663185923) for diving deep into the network traffic and metadata. For those who prefer slightly less detail, Alethio [has committed](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-pm/issues/116#issuecomment-567838386) to producing an Eth2Stats dashboard analogue of its Eth1 [Ethstats](https://ethstats.io/) dashboard.

## Regular Calls

There are now five somewhat regular calls relating to aspects of Eth2.

### Implementers

Call #30 took place on the 19th of December.

* [Agenda](https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-pm/issues/112)
* [Video](https://youtu.be/LYLiqpj-wiE?t=89) (It wasn't really 3.5 hours long! Just 70 action-packed minutes.)
* My [quick notes](https://hackmd.io/@benjaminion/rJOaJZFRH), and [from Mamy](https://gist.github.com/mratsim/4a07ca7e1ec48188bbb78c8f397a506b).

### Networking

We met on December the 18th for the second networking working group call (call #1). It continues to be well attended and productive. Notes are [here](/@benjaminion/SJ3W0qwAH). Notes from the first call (#0) are [here](/@benjaminion/BJ3YqrSTr).

### Phase 2

Next call will be in mid-January. Calls are announced on the Eth2 Phase&nbsp;2 [Telegram channel](https://t.me/eth2quilt).

### Light clients

The December 4th Light Client Task Force meeting video landed just too late for the early edition of the last WNIE2. You can find it [here](https://github.com/ChainSafe/lodestar/issues/555), with a detailed transcript and notes [here](https://medium.com/chainsafe-systems/light-client-task-force-call-2-bdb3d24d2b2b). The next call will likely be in the week of January 20th.

### Eth 1.x

This is currently focusing on designing a stateless client model for Ethereum&nbsp;1. I'm not tracking this in detail as Eth2 is not explicitly in scope. Nonetheless, to quote Vitalik from the Telegram channel, "This is also highly relevant to eth2 btw". The most recent call was this week on the 17th, and there is [a write-up](https://blog.ethereum.org/2019/12/20/eth1x-files-digest-no-1/). Coordination for this work takes place on [ethresear.ch](https://ethresear.ch/c/eth1x-research).

## Research

Indulge me with an update about our PegaSys R&D operation. Our Artemis Eth2 client codebase has been handed over to the product side of PegaSys in preparation for launch. This has given us the opportunity to expand our Ethereum&nbsp;2.0 R&D by joining efforts with the Harmony team, in a combined [team called TXRX](https://twitter.com/josephdelong/status/1206667471756939271). (The mystery fifth member of the advisory panel turns out to be Vitalik :tada:.) Follow the "official" [TXRX team Twitter](https://twitter.com/TXRXResearch) for updates - not for the faint of heart, I suspect 🙄

On [ethresear.ch](https://ethresear.ch/):
- [Moving ETH between shards: the problem statement](https://ethresear.ch/t/moving-eth-between-shards-the-problem-statement/6597?u=benjaminion). As per this week's implementers' call, this is one of the two main things Vitalik is currently working on.
- [A meta-execution environment for cross-shard ETH transfers](https://ethresear.ch/t/a-meta-execution-environment-for-cross-shard-eth-transfers/6656?u=benjaminion). An approach to solving the above.
- [FRI as erasure code fraud proof](https://ethresear.ch/t/fri-as-erasure-code-fraud-proof/6610?u=benjaminion). Short-term data availability is the other big thing Vitalik is working on.
- [An alternative low-degreeness proof using polynomial commitment schemes](https://ethresear.ch/t/an-alternative-low-degreeness-proof-using-polynomial-commitment-schemes/6649?u=benjaminion). Dankrad is also working on data availability.
- Discussion [continues](https://ethresear.ch/t/remaining-questions-on-state-providers-and-stateless-networks-in-eth2/6585/4?u=benjaminion) on the [Remaining Questions on State Providers and Stateless Networks in Eth2](https://ethresear.ch/t/remaining-questions-on-state-providers-and-stateless-networks-in-eth2/6585?u=benjaminion).
- Shout-out to the PegaSys Eth2 Applied Research team (a different R&D team from TXRX introduced above: yes we have two!) for an [Account-Based Anonymous Rollup](https://ethresear.ch/t/account-based-anonymous-rollup/6657?u=benjaminion) proposal out today. Although not stated, doing this as an execution environment in Eth2 is in view.

## Shower thought

The following may be obvious to many, but hit me with clarity this week (actually, while shaving, but never mind).

For a number of reasons, there has been discussion about implementing a [2-way bridge](https://ethresear.ch/t/two-way-bridges-between-eth1-and-eth2/6286?u=benjaminion) between the current Eth1 chain and the new Eth2 chain - staking on its own forms only a 1-way bridge.

My realisation was that a 2-way bridge is absolutely the *only* thing that truly makes Eth2 Ethereum. Sure, Eth2 is being built by Ethereum people, bootstrapped with Ether, planning to fold in the Eth1 chain and all that good stuff. But any other team could also do all these things and call it Ethereum&nbsp;2.0. The only thing that truly makes a chain Ethereum&nbsp;2.0 is the fact of being tied back into the existing Eth1 chain in the form of the bridge.

I thought it was interesting, anyway.

## In other news

- A month ago I reported here that the Ethereum Foundation was [looking for a technical writer](https://twitter.com/dannyryan/status/1197968986979237889) for Eth2. Well, [now they have one](https://twitter.com/har00ga/status/1206069313540628481) :tada: :tada: :tada:
- Client team updates from [Lighthouse](https://lighthouse.sigmaprime.io/update-20.html) (essentially a retro on the testnet), and plenty going on at [Prysmatic Labs](https://medium.com/prysmatic-labs/ethereum-2-0-development-update-41-prysmatic-labs-856851a1bd28) as ever.
- Parity is [suspending](https://www.parity.io/parity-ethereum-openethereum-dao/) its "official paid mandate as a Serenity development team... continuing in an unofficial _laissez-faire_ capacity only."
- A couple of staking-related articles from Jim McDonald:
- [Understanding Ethereum staking deposits](https://www.attestant.io/posts/understanding-ethereum-staking-deposits/)
- [Exploring Staking Keys](https://www.attestant.io/posts/exploring-staking-keys/)
- A nice exploration and explainer of [cross-shard communications](https://www.adiasg.me/2019/12/14/exploring-cross-shard-communication-in-eth2-0.html).
- Protolambda is [looking for ideas](https://twitter.com/protolambda/status/1205287760367685632) on how to visualise the attestation activity of large numbers of validators.
- Is centralisation in staking inevitable? A couple of interesting takes on this:
- [The DETH of Ethereum](https://medium.com/ideo-colab/the-deth-of-ethereum-98553866e81b) - argues that derivatives based on staked Ether will inevitably lead to the centralisation of staking.
- And a thoughful [tweetstorm](https://twitter.com/AriannaSimpson/status/1207708826415353856), with some [comments](https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1207779040435695617) from Vitalik.

Also, [Sight](https://sight.pm/) (from Gnosis) is planning some [prediction markets](https://twitter.com/koeppelmann/status/1205158597224738817) on the launch of Eth2. The [first one](https://sight.pm/0xfd477cfd09b499c85afbd7aa25e8cdaad67db00823e5f20eca341c8efe38bc35/#/) is up: "Will the deposit smart contract that prepares for the launch of Ethereum 2.0 be deployed and have equal to or greater than 20,000 ETH in it by 31 March 2020 08:00:00 UTC?" It is currently running about 50/50 :sweat_smile:

## And finally...

A few weeks ago I wrote an Op-Ed piece for Coindesk, and I'm told it will be appearing this weekend. It's a lively defence of Eth2's open development model.

I don't actually read Coindesk at all any more, and I suggest you do likewise^[Apparently I'm happy to write for them :joy:]. Here's the [original submission](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rh6syJHYd7g63KyQKrIB_Tu5xa8dEAE0KxMRfLD9kss/edit?usp=sharing) if you'd rather look at that. I hope you like it.

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