ECX hard fork to launch in three phases, with the permanent version scheduled for release on October 31

Odaily News, ECX developer Paul Sztorc has announced that the ECX hard fork will be rolled out in three phases, rather than the originally planned single release on August 23. ECX is a new blockchain that replicates the complete transaction history of Bitcoin at specified block heights. Nearly all Bitcoin holders, except for those holding a portion of Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoins, will receive an equivalent amount of ECX, while the Bitcoin network itself remains unchanged.



The first Alpha version will be activated on August 23 at block height 963,648, the Beta version will go live on September 20 at block height 967,680, and the permanent full version is scheduled for release on October 31 at block height 973,728. Tokens collected during the Alpha and Beta phases can be burned and exchanged for official ECX once the permanent chain goes live.



ECX's replay protection remains an optional mechanism. The official wallet will enable this protection and remind users before executing transactions. Paul Sztorc stated that if users ignore the reminders, ECX will replay their Bitcoin transactions, causing the associated Bitcoins to be transferred out along with the user's actions and moved to new holders. October 31 also marks the 18th anniversary of Satoshi Nakamoto publishing the Bitcoin whitepaper.