Every quarter, the Dash Core team releases a quarterly conference call to inform the community and masternodes of progress and field a few questions. These calls are often hours long, however, and not everyone has the time or attention span to glean all relevant information from the call. In the interest of helping the community get the relevant information, I have listened to the call and included the most important developments/announcements that I noticed.
The call is linked below, along with my four key takewaways:
1: New Intermediary Version 0.14 Introduced, Added to Roadmap
Probably the biggest, and least touted, announcement from the call is the introduction of a new Dash version between version 0.13 and 1.0’s main Evolution release: 0.14. This intermediary version will mainly include the introduction of long-living masternode quorums (LLMQs). This addition was originally intended for the 0.13 release, however due to the complexity and significance of this improvement it could not be included without delaying the rest of the release a whole additional month. As such, 0.13 is now released for testnet, while, 0.14 will likely follow next month.
In addition to the addition of the new version, Core released a roadmap of sorts for versions up to 1.0, outlining the parallel developments of three key elements: DashPay, Platform, and Core. The Core element includes the base protocol for Dash, while Platform includes background and supporting structure, and DashPay encompasses the most consumer-facing elements for the most publicly visible parts of Evolution. Of these three, only Core includes releases before version 1.0, at which point all three sync up.
Based on the aforementioned release details, it may be reasonable to assume that version 1.0 will not see public release in 2018.
2: Name Registration, New Details on Evolution/Other Development Progress
The Core team is still finalizing username registration process, including whether or not (or how) users may be required to pay to register their usernames. A rating system, used for flagging harmful content in Evolution, is still being worked on, and will likely not be included in the initial 1.0 release. What will likely be included is a new MemoDash DApp, which will be similar to the MyDashWallet chat function or Bitcoin Cash’s Memo.Cash by allowing messages such as tweets to be posted permanently to the blockchain.
In future releases, Evolution’s features will also be added to old Dash wallets such as the current mobile wallets, while DashPay will naturally include these features but remain extremely streamlined and simple. The thought process is, DashPay should be as simple and “idiot-proof” as possible for new users, while those already familiar with cryptocurrency may want the greater flexibility and “old school” capabilities of the other wallets.
There are several Evolution whitepapers in existence, though all are outdated and no longer accurate towards the goals and scope of the platform. However, Bob Carroll sees them as historically significant and may publicly release them soon.
Finally, clarification on Dash CoPay, which was completed to public beta but likely will not be worked on further, unless the community wants to take it up. Demand hasn’t been high enough to warrant consideration from the Core team to dedicate resources any further.
3: Core’s New Update Format and Financial Situation
In addition to the regular quarterly calls, the Core team mentioned further updates on operations to the community to fill the void left after the discontinuation of the “What’s Going On At Dash” posts. To this goal, with the release of the quarterly call presentation slides, the attached appendices included several additional slides of information about Dash Core operations and metrics.
During this period of a protracted bear market, many employees have been working for reduced or no salary. Dash Core Group has succeeded in significantly reducing budget expenditures. As a result, however, assets are up to $1.79 million, up from $1.31 at the end of Q2. Core remains committed to staying under 60% of the budget barring further catastrophic occurrences.
4: Priorities, Integrations, SEC, etc.
Dash Ventures’s legal entity structure to be published this week, with a month or two more until it’s ready for use in order to provide the Dash network with equity in exchange for investing in certain projects. There is ongoing engagement and communication with the Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC) regarding the pursuit of a no-action letter, however no news on this front has yet been made public.
The redesign of the overhauled Dash.org website is expected for late November/early December.
Dash-based cannabis-focused business solution Alt36, long-anticipated but seemingly well behind schedule for public launch, will reportedly demonstrate live transactions at MJBizCon later this week.
Finally, Core reiterated its focus on five key areas for optimal growth: Venezuela, cannabis, US-Mexico remittances, online gaming, and crypto traders.
