Whilst Symbol has been in development for nearly 2 years, the NEM Group as an entity is nowa couple of months old. I set out three priorities for NGL - 1. To get the organisation set up 2. To start re-energising the Community and 3. To publish a clear roadmap for Symbol Launch.
I am satisfied with the progress we are making on priorities 1 & 2, I still feel that we are somewhat short in terms of delivering against priority 3. I pushed the team hard to put a plan together that was both coherent and transparent but what I didnāt have was a full appreciation of the capability of the project and ecosystem. What is abundantly clear is that whilst we have really talented devs and a hugely exciting platform, we are a long way from where we need to be on Release Management.
As we announced a few days ago, the 0.9.6.2 release hit a minor issue. As a result, Testnet is still to be built and shared this is now progressing well and we will have a further update in the next 24-48 hours.
Whilst working on 0.9.6.2 and the release/testing process we have also made the decision that it is necessary to increase the level of testing to support a successful Opt-in. The outcome and timing of this testing will inform a key decision on whether to wait for 0.9.7 release for Opt-in to start or alternatively push Opt-in out sooner on 0.9.6.2 release. The specific items that will impact that choice is the likelihood of further data model changes needed for finality and proximity to the 0.9.7 release date. There are benefits and risks to both options for starting Opt-in, although neither decision will affect Symbol launch date. We will provide as much information on that once testing results are known.
This does mean that we are not announcing a date for Opt-in today as planned and it is likely the Opt-in will not start until a few weeks time.
The NEM community should expect the following communications/announcements in the short-medium termfrom here:
- Regular updates as we progress through the 0.9.6.2 issue as we have been doing since the issue was found, on this forum thread
- Opt-in update within the next 2 weeks with progress toward when the date will be known
We recognise the frustration in the community at a lack of a date for Opt-in and that the date has moved in response to some unexpected changes and we share this frustration. At this time the Opt-in process is likely to be ready by late July or early August (0.9.6 v 0.9.7). It is important to ensure it is not only well planned but well tested given it is the route by which everyone receives their XYM, it is a difficult decision but one we believe is right to ensure a reliable and safe opt-in process for Symbol Launch.
Improving Release Management
I take my accountability for delivering Symbol on behalf of the Community very seriously and we are investing in improving Release Management specifically. To this end we have appointed Steve Powell to the role of Symbol Programme Director. Steve brings a track record of major programme delivery and his Number 1 priority will be on improving release management and providing certainty around opt-in scheduling.
We are also aware that the project plan and roadmap image on this thread need updating and will do so once the information from the steps above becomes known.
