EPF4: UPDATE 2
I finally got into active development this week, getting into Ephemery, nodes and clients.

I wrote a little [blog](https://hackmd.io/raMCTmcJSeql0D8OF3wVsQ) on my experience with running a node for the first time..

I also started studying the code behind the two repos on Ephemery, [genesis](https://github.com/ephemery-testnet/ephemery-genesis) & [scipts](https://github.com/ephemery-testnet/ephemery-scripts)

I'm likely going to spend a lot of time studying and understanding because like i said in my [notes](https://github.com/eth-protocol-fellows/cohort-four/blob/master/notes/adedamolaxl.md), this all new to me.

I also think the fact am working permissionessly reduces the pressure :)

Some other things i learnt are here:
### Links
* [Paths out the Goerli mess](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/testnet-workgroup-paths-out-of-the-goerli-supply-mess/11453/33)
* [Ephemeral networks and chain ids](https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/ephemeral-networks-and-chain-ids/7674/7)
* [Initial notes on ephemery](https://twitter.com/remy_roy/status/1588613245321072643)
* [Nodes and clients workshop by](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rMVv-2z2sK1l8Ll_U56stTifgUYljZln/view)
* [Private network fundamentals on geth](https://geth.ethereum.org/docs/fundamentals/private-network)
* [Running a private network](https://tech-isid-co-jp.translate.goog/entry/2021/12/03/Geth%28%E3%82%B2%E3%82%B9%29%E3%81%AF%E3%81%98%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en)

### WIL
The most important thing i learnt this week is how Ephemery came to be; the goerli supply mess has been going for about a year+ now, and as an application developer i can very much relate to it. In the forum discussions, i have come to understand the apparent value driving goerli scarcity. It just so happens that because goerli is important to developers, some folks were betting on it being something they can profit from if they HODL.

Cue, some few months ago, when ZKSync bridging required goerli to burn NFTs on its network. This further excaberated the goerli problem, as it pushed demand up. Right now (at least last time i checked), goerli is being sold OTC and there are actually some proponets behind this, who believe [there is nothing like a free testnet token](https://twitter.com/tomiwa1a/status/1628505768562683904) because we pay for it one way or the other. Personally i think the 'price' reffered to here is a small price to pay for developers and like the writer said it's definetely an unpopular opinion!

Some of the major contests against this opinion are that:
* It will increase farming; which is happening right now.. those who got goerli for free are now selling it for a price.
* Another one is, since goerli has value, you will have to do KYC to get it off exchanges where it will be traded.

Testnet tokens are public goods and should really stay that away. Putting a value on it is also an unneccessary obstacle for new developers entering into ethereum for the first time! So if you have excess goerli, give it out for free!

The goerli problem is a bit of lost battle though, since ethereum basically operates on the principle of free markets, if the market decides to attach a value to it, there is really nothing to be done except appeal to people's idealism :)

Which is where i think the idea of ephemeral testnets became really attractive, reading those discussions made me realize, that the way we approach testnets has to change, some of the value attached to goerli comes from the fact that testnet are expected to be long-lived. If we made testnets ephemeral and communicated that all testnets will be resetted at a specific time (prefferably not too far in the future) and your tokens will be gone, it changes the way people look at testnet tokens and use it.

> "It fundamentally communicates that its value is ephemeral and it's better to use it now, instead of hodling because of a projected increase in value"

Ephemery is one of the testnet solutions currently working on this. It takes the idea further by reseting the network every one week(this will be extended to one month in future), which effectively makes hodling its token terribly redundant.

Ephemery is targetted at validators, which ironically is what goerli was intended to be. Sepolia was supposed to be used by application developers. I just learnt this and i have been using the damn thing for a year :)