Ethereum Developers Deliberate on Pectra Devnet 4 and EIP Proposals

In a recent virtual meeting, Ethereum developers convened for the 198th All Core Developers Execution (ACDE) Call, chaired by Ethereum Foundation's Tim Beiko. The bi-weekly gathering aimed to address ongoing developments in Ethereum's execution layer, focusing on the anticipated launch of Pectra Devnet 4 and evaluating several Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs).

Pectra Devnet 4 Preparations

During the call, developers discussed the progress and challenges associated with Pectra Devnet 4, with Ethereum Foundation Developer Operations Engineer Barnabas Busa providing updates. A key issue highlighted was a problem with the Geth client, which had halted the finalization of Pectra Devnet 3. The team is actively working on deploying a new Geth version to stabilize the network.

Tim Beiko reminded participants that proposals for auditing Pectra system contracts are due by October 11, 2024. The team aims to launch Pectra Devnet 4 prior to the next All Core Developers Consensus (ACDC) call on October 17, with a breakout meeting scheduled to discuss BLS precompile repricing.

Public Pectra Testnet for Devcon

The developers are also planning to unveil a public Pectra testnet in time for Devcon, the annual Ethereum developer conference. Community members have proposed various names for the testnet, with discussions ongoing in a dedicated forum. Beiko emphasized the importance of having a stable Pectra Devnet 4 before focusing on BLS signature testing in the public testnet.

EIP Discussions

EF Researcher Toni Wahrstätter updated the team on EIP 7623, which suggests increasing the cost of calldata. The proposal's inclusion in Pectra is under consideration, with Geth developer Marius van der Wijden yet to implement the changes. Erigon developer Giulio Rebuffo introduced EIP 7783, which proposes a mechanism for gradually increasing the gas target without requiring a hard fork. This proposal is seen as a potential follow-up to Pectra's activation.

EIP 7782, proposed by Nethermind developer Ben Adams, was also discussed. It aims to reduce Ethereum's slot times from 12 to 8 seconds to enhance transaction throughput. However, concerns about state growth and potential impacts on smart contracts were raised, prompting further discussion on the asynchronous development of these EIPs.

Miscellaneous Discussions

Alex Stokes from the Ethereum Foundation sought feedback on structuring execution layer triggerable requests within the Builder API. Furthermore, Beiko highlighted community efforts to refine solo staking bandwidth requirements. Client teams shared updates on EIP 4444, focusing on history expiry implementations, with Nethermind making notable progress.

For more detailed insights, visit the original writeup on [galaxy.com](https://www.galaxy.com/insights/research/ethereum-all-core-developers-execution-call-198/).