The individual behind the Ore project, known as Hardhat Chad, has put forth an idea aimed at addressing the congestion challenges experienced on the Solana network recently. This issue saw a spike in transaction failure rates, reaching as high as 75% within a week.
Hardhat Chad, writing on the X social platform, recommended that the Solana Foundation consider offering incentives to encourage participation in testnet activities. These activities involve testing new features or protocols before their deployment to the mainnet. He specifically suggested providing rewards in SOL tokens as a motivator for users to actively engage in such testing processes, which could ultimately lead to performance improvements and the identification of potential issues beforehand.
Imho if solana wants to incentivize testnet spam, foundation should offer a SOL incentive
— Hardhat Chad (@HardhatChad) April 17, 2024
The response from the community regarding Hardhat Chad’s proposal was mixed. While some were supportive, others, like TheSoftwareJedi, disagreed. The latter suggested that Chad focus on developing his project first and seek funding through grants from the foundation instead of incentives.
Nooooo this is not the way. Build your project; do the testnet bridge. They can possibly prop up ORE price – but build it first, show them your good will. They will appreciate.
If you want some funding, get a grant from them. It’s WAY better if it’s a standalone project and not…
— Dana (@TheSoftwareJedi) April 17, 2024
However, Hardhat Chad clarified that his aim with Ore is to establish a currency rather than build testnet tools, and he is reevaluating incentives to counter spam activities.
This proposal from Hardhat Chad comes in the context of his recent announcement on social media, where he emphasized the necessity of halting mining operations for the well-being of both the Solana network and Ore’s stakeholders. He stressed the importance of revamping the smart contract framework to address recent network challenges, aligning with Ore’s roadmap for developing its second version (v2) and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Ore, a blockchain project on Solana, is exploring innovative approaches to distribution by integrating a proof-of-work (PoW) token distribution mechanism. This experiment aims to combine PoW’s security features with Solana’s rapid transaction capabilities. However, Ore’s activity has contributed to Solana’s network congestion, leading to issues with transaction scheduling and a significant number of failed transactions, particularly during the memecoin frenzy.
On a positive note, Solana developers have released a mainnet beta update (v1.17.31) to tackle ongoing network congestion. This update includes enhancements aimed at addressing congestion issues, with further improvements planned for v1.18.
