Sokipiriye Dokubo
Cardano’s development team has unveiled the latest version of its validator node software, known as “Node 9.0,” on July 8. This release, outlined on the Cardano node GitHub page, signifies a crucial milestone in preparing for the forthcoming Chang hard fork. Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, discussed the launch in a YouTube video on July 7, highlighting that this software update is the final step required for the Chang hard fork to take place.
Node 9.0, rolled out around 7 pm UTC, is recognized as the initial node capable of supporting the 9.0 hard fork (Chang) across the mainnet and extended testnets like PreProd. Hoskinson had hinted at the imminent release of this software in a prior YouTube video, suggesting it would be available “next week” and indicating that a mass upgrade signal might occur “probably Monday or Tuesday.” For the hard fork to progress, 70% of nodes must consent to upgrade to the new software, as per Hoskinson’s instructions.
The Chang hard fork is devised to kickstart fully decentralized governance on Cardano, signaling the onset of the “Age of Voltaire” on the Cardano roadmap. This phase intends to bring about notable alterations to the network’s political structure, as outlined in Cardano Improvement Proposal 1694 (CIP 1694). This proposal reveals that the Chang hard fork will pave the way for the introduction of Delegate Representatives (DReps), who will be elected by Cardano ADA token holders.
These DReps will be responsible for formulating a Cardano Constitution, acting as the primary governing law of the network. Subsequent to the drafting and endorsement of the Constitution, DReps will continually propose network changes in alignment with this document. Although Node 9.0 does not yet support DRep voting and all governance activities, the complete voting protocol will be accessible in version 10.0, while it currently facilitates the commencement of the bootstrap phase of CIP-1694 in operational environments.
At present, Cardanoscan block explorer indicates that exchanges and stake pools are not yet prepared for the impending hard fork. Hoskinson indicated in his YouTube video that the hard fork process is anticipated to kick off on “Monday or Tuesday,” hinting at a commencement date of July 8-9. Previously, Hoskinson had predicted the fork to occur in June, but it was delayed by approximately a week. On June 26, Cardano executed another node upgrade following an attempt by an attacker to disrupt the network through a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assault.