Liz Robuck, Dash Core Group Chief Product Owner and previous guest on the Three Amigos podcast, has posted in Dash Forum that they will be renaming Version 0.12.4 to 0.13.0 and 0.13.0 becomes 1.0 “due to the magnitude of this software update and in keeping with proper semantic versioning practices”

“With this update our development team will take us many steps closer to Evolution than we had previously anticipated back when we first called it release 0.12.4. For example, the Deterministic Masternode List system will essentially guarantee that all nodes in the network can agree on the masternode list via on-chain data, avoiding the risks associated with inability to reach consensus.”

Liz also added how the upgrade will help increase the scale of operations for InstantSend by making larger quorums possible. She also added how the previous version 0.13.0 with Blockchain Users, commonly referred to as the “first evolution release” will now be called version 1.0. She highlighted how this “will be the first of several releases that incrementally introduce the market-leading Evolution functionality never before attempted on the blockchain”. She added that version 0.13.0 (previously 0.12.4) will be “a major release with a mandatory update in order to remain on the network” and to “stay tuned for a product brief with a bit more detail on what’s included in release 0.13.0”.

Major structural changes in the Dash network

These updates stand to introduce major changes that will improve Dash beyond the degree of recent upgrades. Deterministic Masternode Lists stand to allow MNOs to delegate their roles between up to three parties. The owner maintains the ownership of the 1000 Dash, the right to change the rewards address, and the option to allocate the roles. The operator just has the ability to change the IP address and the operator reward address. The voter has the ability to vote on behalf of the masternode, but not the ability to change the masternode metadata. This will allow economic specialization within the Dash masternode network by delegating roles without having to share a singular private key and rely on a potentially flawed source of trust. Special transactions “introduces a solution to provide a reusable framework for such extensions” rather than “misusing the inputs/outputs of the transaction for every new feature or consensus mechanism”.

The version name revisions illustrates how significant these changes are by following proper version naming convention. Version schemes vary, but one is MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH and from Wikipedia, 0 is alpha, 1 is beta, 2 is release candidate, and 3 is release. As the 0.12.4 update became more extensive, it was realized that to properly reflect the improvements a change in the Minor digit was more warranted than the Patch digit. Then the update commonly referred to as Evolution became worthy of a change in the Major digit to become version 1.0. This reinforces the fact that Evolution is anticipated to be a series of major upgrades to the network to improve consumer and merchant experiences.

Dash continues persistent industry innovation

Dash has relentlessly introduced new market improvements that enhance the Dash network, its ability to be an everyday currency, and consumer experiences. Dash was the first network to introduce a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and Masternodes to better improve the economic incentives of the network to maintain long-term sustainability. One example is funding the Dash Core Group to be professionally paid to maintain and improve the network. Furthermore, Dash introduced the creation of a legal trust to then allow the Dash DAO network to legally own Dash Core Group to ensure Dash Core Group acts in the best interests of the Dash DAO network.

These industry innovations is what has allowed Dash to offer improved services such as InstantSend, PrivateSend, and overall inexpensive and fast transactions. This has allowed the Dash network to utilize its treasury to fund community outreach groups to educate consumers and merchants how to use Dash and how Dash can help improve their lives, which has lead to Dash being accepted at over 3,900 merchants worldwide.