Ripple’s Smart Contract Plans Spark Controversy
Ripple’s recent announcement of plans to introduce native smart contracts to the XRP Ledger (XRPL) mainnet has caused a stir within the XRPL developer community.
A Surprising Shift in Stance
The decision to move forward with native smart contracts is seen as a surprising change of heart by some developers, especially given that Ripple’s CTO, David Schwartz, had previously stated that smart contracts were not part of the XRPL’s future.
A Lack of Communication
The Director of XRPL Labs, Wietse Wind, expressed disappointment over the lack of direct communication from Ripple regarding this significant shift. Wind claims that Ripple’s decision to pivot without open communication with the developer ecosystem has led to a sense of mistrust and disunity.
Hooks and XRPL
Wind, who championed the development of a layer-1 smart contract solution called Hooks for the XRPL mainnet, has expressed concern that Ripple’s plan to introduce its own smart contracts may alienate developers who have invested time and resources in Hooks.
Ripple’s Response
Schwartz has acknowledged the concerns raised by Wind and has clarified that Ripple is not abandoning Hooks. He explained that Ripple has supported the development of Hooks and plans to continue supporting it as an amendment on the mainnet.
Moving Forward
The ongoing debate surrounding Ripple’s smart contract plans highlights the importance of open communication and collaboration between cryptocurrency projects and their developer communities. It remains to be seen how Ripple will proceed with its plans to integrate smart contracts into the XRPL mainnet and how the developer ecosystem will respond.
