In Might, Zooko introduced that ECC had restructured to higher serve the pursuits of Zcash whereas decreasing prices and rising sustainability of the group. In that put up, he summarized two classes of our efforts transferring ahead: additional rising Zcash decentralization and focusing ECC. This put up is meant to offer extra element and an replace on our present plans. We welcome the neighborhood’s suggestions. 

Growing Zcash decentralization

Our goal within the additional decentralization of Zcash is to meaningfully enhance Zcash’s resilience with out unduly rising centralization danger. An instance of a change that may not enhance resilience could be transferring accountability to the Zcash Basis (ZF). As a result of ZF manages the Zcash trademark, its Zcash Neighborhood Advisory Panel, and the Zcash Neighborhood Discussion board, and since they now supply their very own consensus node (Zebra), including extra reliance on ZF wouldn’t make Zcash extra resilient towards single factors of failure. 

Transitioning a few of the work ECC owns, or has owned prior to now, to others in the neighborhood will:

• Improve Zcash sustainability and resilience, by a larger distribution of accountability
• Improve goodwill and accountability with the neighborhood
• Improve alternatives for others who’ve demonstrated dependable participation within the ecosystem
• Free ECC to give attention to enhancements to the venture that we’re uniquely certified to ship

This course of will take time, as ECC develops and rolls out mechanisms to make sure capabilities transition easily and safely to trusted members in the neighborhood. 

Transitioning some obligations could appear counterintuitive, as ECC’s existence is determined by Zcash neighborhood funding. Nevertheless, it’s exactly as a result of our funding comes from the neighborhood that we’re certain to honor the most effective pursuits of ZEC holders with good stewardship and management.

Focusing ECC

Our mission is to empower all individuals with financial freedom, and our “North Star” is delivering a world class UX for ZEC. Within the close to to mid time period, as introduced, we’re centered on empowering ZEC holders and giving them a voice.

This particularly contains the next targets:

• Create a wonderful consumer expertise for proof-of-stake ZEC
• Construct and help a business pockets — constructed by and for Zcashers — that’s simple to make use of and accessible for anybody
• Construct and help a mobile-wallet SDK that’s helpful to different Zcash builders
• Guarantee ZEC, self-custody, and staking stay viable within the USA by centered coverage work

Timeline and specifics

ECC makes use of an OKR course of for prioritizing and delivering measurable work on four-month cycles. Usually, our phrases are: February – Might (Time period 1), June – September (Time period 2), and October – January (Time period 3). Because of ECC’s restructuring and our give attention to exiting emergency mode, we moved the kickoff date of Time period 2 to July 10. Time period 3 will kick off, as regular, in October.

Time period 2, 2023

The priorities set for the rest of Time period 2 are:

Earlier than the top of July

1. Exit emergency mode
2. Launch the Z.money web site, model 3.0 (accomplished)
3. Launch the brand new ECC SDKs (iOS and Android), model 1.0
4. Launch the brand new ECC business pockets, model 1.0
5. Launch model 0.1 of our proof-of-stake design suggestions

The lionshare of our quick focus stays on exiting “emergency mode,” which we anticipate will likely be attainable this month, relying on how rapidly wallets are in a position to combine with our new SDK.

The brand new ECC SDKs will help pre-sync fund availability.

ECC’s pockets will likely be introduced and made accessible for early testing. This launch will likely be knowledgeable, however no-frills, primary pockets that may function the muse on which to satisfy the precise wants and desires of Zcashers. We’ll drive function growth based mostly on ZEC consumer suggestions. Future pockets options would possibly embrace things like ZEC holder polling and staking capabilities, for instance.

Our analysis staff will publish a top-level roadmap and proposed timeline to maneuver Zcash from proof of labor to a hybrid answer, after which probably pure proof of stake. We’ll publish this data this month after which host a workshop at Zcon4 to proceed the dialogue. This model 0.1 proposal is an early step within the design course of, printed particularly to garner suggestions and collaboration throughout the Zcash ecosystem, and to make sure this vital transition proposal is nicely understood and addresses neighborhood wants.

August – September (The rest of Time period 2)

We intend to pause new growth efforts on PoS analysis and business pockets and SDK growth to be able to give attention to decentralization actions. Our OKR planning for the rest of Time period 2 will likely be centered on:

• Clearly defining the precise use instances the place ECC will focus
• Figuring out use instances nicely suited to decentralization, to enhance resilience and sustainability
• Mapping out the transition between ECC help and end-of-support for particular use instances (i.e., Will we cease engaged on this stuff fully, wrap them up, and/or transition them to others?)
• Meta transition planning the place acceptable, together with tips on how to establish and safely transition obligations to different Zcash contributors
• Starting the transitions

Some efforts will likely be comparatively swift, as is the case with ending ECC help for world regulatory relations. Others will take extra time, together with the transition of some capabilities presently supported by ECC in Zcashd (pending last willpower of which use instances ECC will proceed to help). Others might take vital planning and time, as a result of complexities and to be able to reduce any disruption. 

One such complicated decentralization effort referenced within the restructuring announcement is the administration of digital properties. This contains the z.money web site, the Zcash Twitter account, Zcash.readthedocs.io, and the Cypherpunk Zero belongings. Our goal is to empower the neighborhood to contribute to, assist steward, and higher make the most of these belongings over time. 

The stewardship of those digital properties, platforms, and belongings are extremely essential and complicated, so transition efforts will take appreciable time and diligence to execute safely and in a means that may foster the very best outcomes. In these instances, we consider “meta transition planning” is most acceptable. We now have been learning this for a lot of months and can present a beneficial method to the neighborhood in a weblog put up subsequent week. We now have requested that the Zcash Basis present ECC with time and house for neighborhood engagement on this matter at Zcon4, with an intent to start method and planning efforts in August. We sit up for working with certified members of the neighborhood on this effort and can present extra element quickly.

October – January (Time period 3, 2023/24)

A lot of the decentralization efforts, formalized in Time period 2, will happen throughout these months. As we’re in a position to wind down and transition work, we’ll flip our consideration again to new analysis and growth on the ECC outlined focus areas. As beforehand acknowledged, some transitions could also be fast, and a few might require months to years.

February and past (Time period 1, 2024 – )

Whereas we focus our analysis and growth efforts as acknowledged above, we’ll roll out up to date roadmaps and plans based mostly on the funding accessible to ECC below the present growth fund, which ends in November 2024. 

The neighborhood is presently discussing the opportunity of a brand new growth fund and attainable constructions. Once we acquire readability on the time and effort wanted to decentralize core capabilities, we intend to offer a proposal to the neighborhood on what we plan to perform and at what stage of funding over one other time period. 

Additional decentralizing Zcash by focusing ECC’s efforts on fewer issues is a significant contribution to the venture and ZEC holders in help of our mission. It is going to lead to a extra numerous group of contributors and arrange ECC to iterate on new innovation, extra rapidly and fewer expensively, by specializing in these areas we’re uniquely certified to ship.

I sit up for seeing you at Zcon4! Please seize me for a while there when you’d wish to discover any of this in additional element.