Ethereum's Most Heated Tech Debate Is Proving It's Far From Over

Ethereum's most polarizing debate is back - and, arguably, as complex as ever.

Sparked in the days prior to a meeting in Berlin meant to address decision-making challenges on the decentralized network, the issue revolves around a code proposal called ethereum improvement proposal 999 and the specific way in which it has been reviewed.

At issue is not just how ethereum developers will handle this contentious code change, but those that may arise in the future as the platform grows and expands.

Still, this week's events began on a smaller scale, with the planned meeting of the Council of Ethereum Magicians, a developer group launched in early 2018 as a forum for discussion on how ethereum should handle technical updates and code disputes.

As the rationale goes, if ethereum users and developers are able to act like market managers, how are they different from today's central monetary authorities?

More broadly the issue appears to have exacerbated the very problems that many ethereum developers have acknowledged for some time - despite attempts to coordinate in person, digital communications hold the potential to vastly polarize users.

In an effort to ease the impact this could have on core developers tasked with accepting code changes, the controversy has forced developers to consider how to clarity the EIP process, the formal way by which code changes are organized in the ethereum repository.

In order to simplify the review process for core developers - the body of developers that are tasked with maintaining the ethereum core base - fund recovery proposals would require a process like ethereum improvement proposal EIP 867, that offers a generic framework for recovery proposals.

According to attendees at the meeting, no matter which direction is taken, the decision would need to come with a strict social contract that defines ethereum's attitude to fund recovery far into the future - such that the debate doesn't impinge on ethereum indefinitely.

As a result of the stasis, some ethereum developers even urged the Ethereum Foundation to take a stronger leadership position when it comes to the debate.