# Technical AMA w/ Zcash core devs Feb 24, 2017 noon PST **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [February 9, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203 "2017-02-09T20:01:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paige](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/paige/32/31152_2.png) [@paige](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/paige)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/1 "2017-02-09T20:01:16Z")
We’re hosting an AMA with the core developers Friday, February 24th at 12:00 PST/15:00 EST/20:00 UTC. Devs will be online taking questions for 2 hours. This will be the thread which the developers will be taking and responding to your questions - please keep questions focused on technical topics. We’re really excited about the recent release of our [near future priorities list](https://z.cash/blog/the-near-future-of-zcash.html), so we would particularly love to answer any questions you have about the plans in that announcement! We hope you can join us! **Edit: This AMA is now over. Thanks to all who participated! If you want to continue discussion on any of the questions raised by the community or answers given by the team, please use the discourse function to reply as a linked topic ← click on link icon in particular post and select “New Topic”.** You can also read our [AMA from Dec '16](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-dec-22nd-noon-pst/12950). ---
**Author:** ![paige](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/paige/32/31152_2.png) [@paige](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/paige)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/2 "2017-02-09T20:01:24Z")
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**Author:** ![paige](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/paige/32/31152_2.png) [@paige](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/paige)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/3 "2017-02-24T19:35:41Z")
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**Author:** ![paige](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/paige/32/31152_2.png) [@paige](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/paige)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/4 "2017-02-24T19:36:24Z")
I’ve opened this thread so folks can start posting questions now. We’ll start answering at the top of the hour. ---
**Author:** ![edstewbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@edstewbob](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/edstewbob)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/5 "2017-02-24T19:55:49Z")
Can you please describe the rollout process for a new release? For example when release 1.0.6 was recently deployed was it first put on some central infrastructure servers and then how is it rolled out to all of the network nodes? If there are any database changes required does the new release automatically update the old database to accommodate the changes? ---
**Author:** ![edstewbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@edstewbob](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/edstewbob)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/6 "2017-02-24T19:59:47Z")
I know that zcash4mac and zcash4win are out there now at 1.0.4. I’m using both of them. Do you provide 3rd parties with some technical guidance to make sure that their software is compatible and is there any problem if they don’t upgrade to the latest core release and here again I’m thinking of 1.0.6 as the latest example. ---
**Author:** ![daira](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/daira/32/43253_2.png) [@daira](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/daira)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/7 "2017-02-24T20:10:44Z")
After testing, mainnet.z.cash is manually updated with the new release. That’s the only node we run; other nodes have to update independently. To upgrade, just shut down the node, build the new version or upgrade it using your package manager (e.g. `sudo apt-get install --upgrade zcash`), and restart it. The wallet format normally does not change between releases. If there were an incompatible database format change, we’d communicate that in the release blog post. ---
**Author:** ![daira](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/daira/32/43253_2.png) [@daira](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/daira)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/8 "2017-02-24T20:15:33Z")
Different releases can normally interoperate just fine on the same network. The exception would be if there is a hard fork or a security issue requiring an upgrade, but in the case of a planned hard fork we’d always allow plenty of time for nodes to upgrade. We do communicate with @anon47418038 about any technical issues in updating their releases. ---
**Author:** ![ebfull](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/ebfull/32/34_2.png) [@ebfull](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/ebfull)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/9 "2017-02-24T20:16:41Z")
@edstewbob Currently, our team only supports 64-bit Linux, and so any questions about Windows/Mac compatibility and testing would be better answered by the developer(s) of zcash4win/zcash4mac. (ping @anon47418038?) I’m interested in collaborating closer with unofficial projects so that they receive more scrutiny, but that’s not a goal for our team at this time. Right now, you should use unofficial ports at your own risk! ---
**Author:** ![edstewbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@edstewbob](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/edstewbob)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/10 "2017-02-24T20:17:50Z")
Do you have a way to determine which nodes are at what release levels? ---
**Author:** ![paige](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/paige/32/31152_2.png) [@paige](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/paige)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/11 "2017-02-24T20:19:30Z")
Do the devs have any guidance on what sort of security practices users should look for in third-party apps leveraging Zcash? ---
**Author:** ![bitcartel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/bitcartel/32/8558_2.png) [@bitcartel](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/bitcartel)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/12 "2017-02-24T20:21:01Z")
We do need to provide more technical documentation to help third parties build their software. For example, developers familiar with Bitcoin may want to parse raw transactions and blocks and they need to know the exact differences as represented on the wire. ---
**Author:** ![zooko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/zooko/32/32232_2.png) [@zooko](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/zooko)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/13 "2017-02-24T20:21:22Z")
Well, I mean using the software that the Zcash company provides is also at your own risk. The company doesn’t offer any money-back guarantees or anything. One thing that I really love about the Zcash community is how many [independent Zcash wallets](https://zcashblog.wordpress.com/zcash-gui-wallets/) have already sprung up. Our little company doesn’t have the resources and personpower to do security audits of all of them, but we also don’t have the resources to write a GUI wallet of our own while simultaneously [maintaining and upgrading the core protocol](https://z.cash/blog/the-near-future-of-zcash.html), so I’m really glad that those third-party wallet makers are doing their work. ---
**Author:** ![fexploit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/97f17d/32.png) [@fexploit](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/fexploit)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/14 "2017-02-24T20:22:26Z")
you said that along with the zcash xcat integration there would be ethereum support at your near future list. so can we use the smart contracts with the zcash? do z adresses include this feature? could you give a date of proper working z adresses version update? ---
**Author:** ![zooko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/zooko/32/32232_2.png) [@zooko](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/zooko)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/15 "2017-02-24T20:26:13Z")
[“The Sapling Roadmap”](https://z.cash/blog/the-near-future-of-zcash.html) doesn’t include “Ethereum Support” per se. We’re prioritizing [Cross-Chain Atomic Transactions (XCAT)](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/cross-chain-atomic-transactions-project-alchemy-stellar/13524) first, instead of [other flavors of Ethereum integration](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/there-are-three-different-flavors-of-project-alchemy/13963), because XCAT can be implemented and deployed sooner (i.e. months instead of years), because it is simpler and easier for us to reason about the security properties, and because it will enable Zcash↔Bitcoin integration as well Zcash↔Ethereum integration. > [@fexploit](#): > > could you give a date of proper working z adresses version update? I’ll try to give a time estimate, but I need you to explain in more detail what kind of functionality you’re asking about, first. ---
**Author:** ![zooko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/zooko/32/32232_2.png) [@zooko](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/zooko)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/16 "2017-02-24T20:29:40Z")
> [@paige](#): > > Do the devs have any guidance on what sort of security practices users should look for in third-party apps leveraging Zcash? No, honestly, I don’t. It’s a difficult problem that people face: deciding what software and what services to trust. I don’t have any answers. ---
**Author:** ![bitcartel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/bitcartel/32/8558_2.png) [@bitcartel](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/bitcartel)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/17 "2017-02-24T20:30:09Z")
> could you give a date of proper working z adresses version update? Z addresses and shielded transactions have been working properly since launch. Or did I misunderstand your question and you mean shielded transactions working with ethereum? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![lustro](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/lustro/32/728_2.png) [@lustro](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/lustro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/18 "2017-02-24T20:31:54Z")
1. Zooko discusses a possible “accounting period” to verify monetary supply at [Technical AMA w/ Zcash core devs Dec 22nd noon PST - #50 by zooko](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-dec-22nd-noon-pst/12950/50). Is this (or something similar) still planned, and if so where does it fit into the development roadmap? 2. What kinds of techical & user-facing tooling / services do you see as most essential in the short-to-mid-term with regards to the high-level goal of making Zcash “the premier platform for commerce — secure, borderless, and available equally to every person on our planet” ( [The Near Future of Zcash - Electric Coin Company](https://z.cash/blog/the-near-future-of-zcash.html))? ---
**Author:** ![fexploit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/97f17d/32.png) [@fexploit](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/fexploit)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/19 "2017-02-24T20:34:52Z")
In fact, both of them. I understood that transactions working with ethereum, thanks. I have observed that it has not been used by the majority for the possibility of error when using address Z. The spread of Z address usage will increase the value of ZCASH. ---
**Author:** ![daira](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/daira/32/43253_2.png) [@daira](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/daira)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203/20 "2017-02-24T20:35:31Z")
On question 1, we haven’t decided to do this yet. The design space is quite large and we need to consider carefully potential disadvantages, such as the effect on cold storage of funds, and privacy implications. [Next page](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/technical-ama-w-zcash-core-devs-feb-24-2017-noon-pst/14203.md?page=2)