Pectra Pages | +40 upgrade perspectives from Ethereum core devs

Just published - Pectra Pages! +40 individual upgrade perspectives from Ethereum core devs

Read the full post here on Mirror - prompts and summary responses below!

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a. Pectra successes: What has the core development process handled well? Consider timelines, scoping, dividing the fork, testnet incidents, coordinating on ACD, etc.

The core development process was largely successful in the final mainnet launch. Many respondents highlighted the impressive collaboration and coordination between client teams, especially during the challenging testnet incidents like Holesky and Sepolia, and the swift responses to those issues were seen as positive.

b. Pectra improvements: What should the core protocol community have done better?

A significant point of consensus was that the scoping of Pectra was too ambitious, leading to complexity, delays, and increased engineering effort. Many suggested the community should focus on smaller, more targeted forks in the future and improve the process of estimating EIP implementation effort and impact.

c. Pectra contributions: Do you have any contributions that you (or your team) are particularly proud of?

Contributions varied, but notable mentions included work on Max Effective Balance (Max EB) for reducing network load, performance optimizations in clients, and the development of testing and analysis tools like Assertoor and Contributoor, which significantly aided the upgrade process.

d. Pectra challenges: If you worked on previous forks, how did this fork's testnet difficulties compare to previous fork testnet experiences? What were the most challenging bits of Pectra testnets? e.g. technical complexities, social coordination, unexpected timelines, difficult bugs

The Pectra testnets were widely considered more difficult than previous forks due to the sheer number of EIPs and unexpected bugs, particularly the non-finality issues on Holesky. The coordination overhead and the feeling of a lack of a central focus compared to previous upgrades were also noted as challenges.

e. Pectra kudos: Is there someone whose work you particularly appreciated, or you feel went above and beyond? What did you specifically appreciate about their contribution?

Many individuals and teams were recognized, with frequent shout-outs to the EthPandaOps team for their tireless testing and devnet support, and to the EF testing and security teams for their crucial bug finding and coordination efforts. Specific developers who went above and beyond on challenging EIPs or during testnet incidents were also appreciated.

f. Pectra 1-3 words: In three words or fewer, how do you feel about Pectra being so close to complete?

Common sentiments included "relieved," "challenging," "anxious," "excited," and a forward-looking desire for the next fork.

g. future priorities: Which protocol improvements should be prioritized in the near, medium, and/or long term? Why?

Scaling, both L1 and L2, was overwhelmingly identified as the top priority for the near, medium, and long term to ensure Ethereum's continued growth and usability. Improving user and developer experience (UX/DevEx), exploring in-protocol privacy, and enhancing censorship resistance were also frequently mentioned.

h. future improvements: What should the core protocol community do to improve our processes in bringing future upgrades to mainnet?

To improve future upgrades, respondents suggested earlier and more decisive scoping of forks, better estimation of EIP complexity, more efficient and inclusive ACD processes with clearer expectations and timelines, and increased testing and collaboration, including earlier devnets and more community involvement.

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See all 40 individual responses in detail in the full post >>> Read here