The upcoming Bitcoin hard fork known as ECX will not launch all at once on Aug. 23. Instead, its creator says the rollout will happen in three separate stages stretched across more than two months.
Key Takeaways
Paul Sztorc split the ECX hard fork into three stages instead of one launch on Aug. 23.The permanent ECX release moves to Oct. 31, near Bitcoin’s white paper 18th anniversary.Replay protection stays opt-in, and Sztorc warns unprotected transactions will replay.Under the plan, an “alpha” version of ECX activates Aug. 23 at block 963648. A “beta” version follows Sept. 20 at block 967,680. The permanent, full release is set for Oct. 31 at block 973728.
“The Alpha and Beta launches will (ideally) resemble the full launch, in every way possible,” Sztorc wrote on Friday. Coins collected during the alpha and beta phases can later be burned and redeemed for real ECX once the permanent chain goes live on Oct. 31.
Why Wait? Sztorc Points to Software Risk and Price Discovery Replay Protection Stays Optional, and Sztorc Warns UsersSztorc was pretty direct about what happens to anyone who ignores that warning. “If you ignore us, we will replay your txns,” he wrote, meaning ECX will follow a user’s outgoing Bitcoin to its new owner unless the split is done intentionally.
Full Launch Lands on a Symbolic Date What Comes NextSztorc gave holders and exchanges a specific runway. “You have 12 weeks to practice,” he wrote, referring to the stretch between the Aug. 23 alpha and the Oct. 31 full release.
Between now and then, bitcoin holders and exchanges face a set of practical decisions: whether to run the official wallet software to separate their BTC and ECX holdings, how exchanges plan to credit customers with the new asset, and how the network’s mining difficulty behaves once the alpha and beta phases begin generating real activity. Each of the three block heights, 963648 in August, 967680 in September and 973728 in October, will mark the next checkpoints to watch.
