From a post on Cd.com
Ethereum Users Are Losing Money and Devs Don't Quite Know What to Do
As the price of its cryptocurrency ether has soared (and then corrected) in 2018, one thing has remained constant – users continue to lose money due to hacks, faulty code and human error. It's an issue that in the past has split the platform into rivaling forces and left lingering debates – and, as recent activity on GitHub shows, tensions are escalating again.
It's the second major action the team have taken, after first helping arrive at possible methods to return the lost Parity funds, a proposal that was hotly rejected.
Led by developer Dan Phifer from Musiconomi (an ICO issuer that saw 16,475 ether lost in the Parity freeze) and two developers from a startup called Tap Trust, the document offers a way to make it easier for ethereum clients to implement so-called state changes, or system-wide upgrades that would require all users to upgrade their software to versions reflecting redistributed fund balances.
Already, it has been rejected by ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, prominent developer Yoichi Hirai and communications manager Hudson Jameson – three of the six that manage the ethereum repository and thereby have the power of green-lighting changes to the platform.
Revealing old scars
All of this controversy harks back to the 2016 DAO hack that saw 3.6 million ether – worth $2.6 billion at today's prices – taken from users' wallets by a person exploiting a loophole in the code.
In response, developers implemented an update that reversed the DAO theft, even though a significant group of community members were against the idea. Because of the heated debate around the philosophy, a group of enthusiasts even hard forked off ethereum to create a competing cryptocurrency, ethereum classic, now valued at $1.7 billion.
Simply, not so simple
Still, some think there's merit to considering all options, and the new proposal does promise fund returns could be achieved in a simpler manner, one that would involve both affected organizations and known and trusted influencers.
The later comments, however, have proved a lightning rod, as they are perceived as encouraging a centralized method of management.
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