Zerocoin announced on Sunday that their new Zcash ‘Sapling’ hard fork update is now officially implemented and hopes to improve not only network speed but also stability and security.
The Sapling hard fork has been planned for a while and was finally activated at block 419,200. Although it is currently having a few teething problems, it signals a much-needed evolution for the privately-focused cryptocurrency.
Activation of Zcash Hard Fork
The Zcash network hard fork is called ‘Sapling’, aiming to make the system faster, sleeker, lighter and more secure. Elise Hadmon from the Zerocoin Electric Coin Company issued a statement on Sunday explaining that:
“Sapling activation, occurring on the momentous occasion of the currency's second birthday, brings us one step closer to widespread adoption of an open, permissionless and private payment system.”
The company has said that it expects transactions to take up to 90% less time while at the same time requiring 3% of the memory it needed before the hard fork.
Ironing out Teething Problems
As with any new system, not everything is perfect with the new hard fork Sapling update. At the time of writing, the system is still undergoing a few teething problems that need ironing out.
Hadmon pointed out that users at this moment are not yet able to transfer their funds from an old shielded address to the newer version without the need to show the amounts involved. When addressing the issue, Harmon talked about a new tool they are currrently creating:
“This allows us to audit the monetary base of ZEC held in shielded addresses. We are developing a tool to automate the migration of funds in a way that allows users to minimize the impact on their privacy. We recommend that users wait for the release of this tool, if feasible.”
Hadmon didn’t mention in the statement how and when the tool will be released, but users were told to hold tight.
