The implementation of the ProgPow algorithm in Ethereum has been postponed; it was supposed to reduce the efficiency of Bitmain's ASIC miners when mining cryptocurrency (ETH), which, in turn, would have made graphics processors more competitive. This decision was made by the Ethereum developers during a conference call this Friday. The conference was attended by such well-known developers as Hudson Jameson, Lane Rettig, Afri Schoedon, Martin Swende, Danno Ferrin and Greg Colvin.
As a result of the discussion, it was decided to conduct additional audits that would confirm that integrating ProgPow would lead to an increase in the number of miners and thereby reduce the centralization of hashing power. This decision was justified by some discussion participants on the grounds that additional audits could provide answers to a number of questions the community has regarding the update. «Before we make any decision, we must first of all answer the question of why this will work or, on the contrary, why integrating ProgPow will not solve these problems. If at the stage of additional audits we do not identify any problems, then we will be able to make a decision with greater confidence», – noted Hudson Jameson, head of external relations at the Ethereum Foundation.
Developer Danno Ferrin supported him on this issue, noting that additional audits would allow gathering data that would make it clear what impact ProgPow would have on the Ethereum network in the future. The audits are expected to be completed in March or early April. «We are all very tired of this. I would be glad to make a decision today, but I am not an expert. We must wait for the audit results so that people do not have questions about whether they should continue this endeavor and invest additional funds in equipment», – said Greg Colvin.
The developers also decided to find out the Ethereum community's opinion on this issue. Among other things, miners will be invited to signal in support of the update, and if they vote «for», this will be a clear sign of support; however, if the majority of votes turns out to be «against», this will not necessarily affect the final decision.
