Eth News and Links
Eth1
- Geth v1.9.14 – unindex and save disk space
- OpenEthereum v3. Formerly the Parity client. Support for eth/64, breaking database changes to save disk space. Deprecating light client, auto updater, and private transactions
- cross-client consensus tests v7
- Latest core devs call. Beiko’s notes from the call, largely around EIPs for next hard fork, eg: 2315 (evm subroutines), 2537 (precompile for curve in eth2), 2046 (reduce gas for static calls to precompiles) and 2565 (repricing the 198 precompile)
- EVM+384 bit arithmetic as an alternative to EIP2537’s precompile
- Discussion of a second method for resource accounting alongside gas: oil from Suhabe Bugrara, separately formulated as karma from Martin Swende. Or a counterproposal from Vitalik: per account gas limits
- The case for Eth-collateralized tokenized gas at the protocol level
Eth2
- Latest what’s new in eth2, featuring Ben’s thoughts on timelines
- Latest eth2 implementer call. Notes from Ben and Mamy, targeting June for the multi-client testnet
- Schlesi testnet: Teku is fully participating and Nimbus is almost fully syncing, though there was a chain split this weekend
- Proof of custody through occasional checks and slashing
- Stethoscope: networking test suite
- Idea from Justin Drake on putting price feed oracles in eth2 via validators, and a counter-proposal from Vitalik Buterin
Layer2
- What are the true finality guarantees of state channels? Depends on liveness of layer 1 chain
This newsletter is made possible by Trail of Bits!
Trail of Bits recently reported and fixed 12 security issues in projects across Ethereum, some of them critical. Read more about what they were and how they found them in Bug Hunting with Crytic.
Stuff for developers
- Solidity v0.6.8, some important bugfixes
- Using immutables in Solidity v0.6.xx
- Austin Griffith tutorial: build smart contract wallet with social recovery using React
- If you haven’t watched Austin’s wtf is eth.build video, you should. It’s under 3 minutes, funny, and informative.
- Running the Incubed light client with Python
- OpenZeppelin Contracts v3, but modified to be safe for upgrades
- Mainnet testing with your own node using Brownie
- headlong: ABI v2 and RLP for the JVM
- EthPM v3 – spec for v3 of Eth package manager is in last call
- 12 bugs found by Trail of Bits’ Crytic tool using 90+ detectors
- Verifiable randomness on-chain using the Chainlink VRF
Ecosystem
- Tornado.cash finished the largest trusted setup ceremony to date, operator soon to be set to null
- Some interesting findings in ConsenSys’s eth2 staking survey
- A guide to building with MACI – an anti-collusion demo using SNARKs
Enterprise
- Visa patent shows they are building on Ethereum
- Where to use the Baseline protocol: sharing business process automation with counterparties
- Brave releases Mjolnir tool for easy deploying and benchmarking permissioned Eth chains
Application layer
- Building on ethtrader’s DONUT, Reddit unveils community points for r/fortniteBR and r/cryptocurrency subreddits. At the moment, 9000 wallets created for fortnite and just 2100 for r/cryptocurrency. Currently on Rinkeby testnet with plans to move to mainnet.
- Dfinity’s first Swiss employee Robert Lauko now working on Liquity stablecoin, low collateralization with algorithmic liquidation via stability pool
- “Augur v2 core contracts are finalized and in a code-freeze state, and the trading UI is undergoing performance testing”
- Aave changes its interest rate model. Inflection point in the curve now 8% and 90% usage.
- Kyber hit 1 billion USD worth of trades
- Brave at 14m MAU/5m DAU
- Sai successfully shut down on May 12 and now is redeemable for ETH
- Hasu: the future of cryptomoney is central banking. An analysis of Maker’s options and decisions
- Utah County (Provo) in Utah offering marriage licenses certified with the hash on Eth mainnet
- dydx’s BTC/USDC perpetual with 10x leverage is open to the public, and compares centralized and decentralized perpetual markets
Tokens/Business/Regulation
- ErisX launches ETH futures, physically delivered, monthly and quarterly contracts
- Now ~2300 WBTC on Eth versus 900 BTC on Lightning
- RAC’s $TAPE launched on Zora and went from $20 to $1000. $TAPE is a token redeemable for a special edition cassette of RAC’s latest album. Interesting new model for artists to capture value
General
- JPMorganChase decides to bank Coinbase and Gemini
- Wired’s story on MalwareTech/Marcus Hutchins, from stopping WannaCry to FBI arrest
- the main idea in HALO snark construction
- Open cryptography problems: improving stealth addresses and ideal vector commitment
Housekeeping
Follow me on Twitter @evan_van_ness to get the annotated edition of this newsletter, usually forthcoming in a day or so, as well as a real-time source of Eth news.
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Permalink: https://weekinethereumnews.com/week-in-ethereum-news-may-17-2020/
Dates of Note
Upcoming dates of note (new/changes in bold):
- May 18 – Book of Swarm launch
- May 22-31 – Ethereum Madrid public health virtual hackathon
- May 26 – last day to apply for Ethereum India fellowship
- May 29-June 16 – SOSHackathon
- June 17 – EthBarcelona R&D workshop