The main developers of the Ethereum team are proposing plans for a hard fork, following Dencun after the proposed date is mid-March 2024. The main controversy is whether it would be better to concentrate on a limited set of features or prioritize the major protocol upgrade, Verkle Trees.
Verkle Trees are very important for addressing Ethereum’s long-term state bloat problem because of the huge advantages listed above in terms of data storage and verification speed. Implementing them, however, is a complicated process that may need 18 months or longer.
For instance, Guillaume Ballet of the Ethereum Foundation is arguing for Verkle Trees to be included in Prague-Electra (Pralectra), which should become an exclusive upgrade focus. Others, such as Lukasz Rozmej of Nethermind, suggest focusing on a feature-rich fork first to avoid delays.
Some of the potential features that were discussed include EVM Object Format (EOF) and Execution layer triggerable exits EIP-7002. 7002 fixes a significant bug related to staking, and EOF could be implemented by a less large team without distracting from Verkle Trees development.
Although no agreement emerged on the precise method for Pralectra, this call stood as a significant debate that will define Ethereum’s future.
The decentralized quality of the project means that progress can seem slow and chaotic at times, but in the end, the community will decide where to head next.
Also Read: Ethereum Upgrade: Dencun Testing on Goerli by January 17
