Shard Chains

The Ethereum Foundation has removed all references to Eth1 and Eth2 in favor of calling the original blockchain the “execution layer” and the upgraded Proof of Stake chain the “consensus layer.” Ethereum’s long-awaited transition from a Proof-of-work mining model to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism is expected to go live around in the second or third quarter of this year. Announcing the change the foundation cited a number of rationales including a “broken mental model for new users,” scam prevention, inclusivity and staking clarity. In a Jan.24 blog post, the Ethereum Foundation noted that the branding of Eth2 failed to concisely capture what was happening to the network via its series of upgrades: “One major problem with the Eth2 branding is that it creates a broken mental mode...