Ethereum developer Danny Ryan published a paper reflecting his views on why it would be wrong to make a difference between Ethereum 1.0 and Ethereum 2.0.

According to him, no Both networks should be talked about as if they were different things, because Ethereum 1.0 is going to merge with Ethereum 2.0, which in practice means an extension of the blockchain. Ryan points out that, for this reason, both phases of Ethereum should be spoken of as a single network.

In the text published on January 20, 2021, Ryan explains that the transition to a new Ethereum chain, which is expected, among other things, to process a greater number of transactions per second.

This developer reiterates that it is wrong to differentiate to Ethereum 1.0 and Ethereum 2.0 as it implies a false sequentiality. This would lead to presume that version 1.0 will remain deprecated when what it really represents are different layers of the same development.

Ryan mentions that the current developments of Ethereum 1.0 refer mainly to the operation and update of the network user layer ( status, transactions and accounts), that is, all the things that the end user considers when interacting with this network. Whereas, in Ethereum 2.0, these developments consist of updates that will lead to the transition from the current proof of work (PoW) to the proof of stake (PoS).

Ethereum 2.0 focuses on consensus and version current in user

Ryan delves into Ethereum 1.0 and Ethereum 2.0 and what are the characteristics that differentiate each one. It refers first of all to version 2.0, more specifically to the software and protocol updates with which this blockchain works.

Fundamentally, as has been said, Ethereum 2.0 is the consensus transition Ethereum from proof of work to proof of stake and adding a chunky data layer for increased scalability.

If the proof of work is the rocket ship launching Ethereum from Earth’s atmosphere, then Ethereum 2.0’s proof-of-stake beacon chain is the permanent space habitat where the rocket will eventually dock for a spacious and sustainable home.

Danny Ryan, Ethereum developer.

On the other hand, Ryan says that when talking about Ethereum 1.0 he refers to the proof of work and all existing applications and tools implemented on the network.

According to this developer, the updates made here are related to the “user layer”, such as, for example, contracts and transactions. “If the consensus is the brain, the user layer is the body; Almost all Ethereum enhancements since its inception have targeted the (relatively small) body and brain of the proof of work has remained stable. ”

Additionally, Ryan mentions in his article the steps to reach consensus. It maintains that, first, consensus must be reached in a decentralized and secure way, which has already been achieved. What is still in progress are updates to the current network (Ethereum 1.0)

Planned Enhancements for Ethereum

There is still a long way to go before the final merger between both chains. Meanwhile, the development of the current version of Ethereum continues. CriptoNoticias published an article on January 23 about the Ethereum improvement proposals (EIP, for its acronym in English) that will be seen during this year.

One of these updates is EIP 1559 , which aims to improve the user experience in relation to the payment of commissions in Ethereum. Basically, this proposal adjusts the base commission according to the demand of the network. The commissions will be divided into two parts, one of which (to be called a “tip”) will go to the miner and the other will be burned.

EIP 2929 is also included that increases the cost of gas for some operational codes in order to provide greater security. The idea is that the commission limit corresponds to a necessary limit in the time to process a block.

This EIP increases by 3 times the cost of gas for access to the state of the network . Since the cost of gas for storage codes has historically been undervalued, this has led to malicious transactions that take between 20-80 seconds to execute.