Ethereum developers have announced their plans for 2024, focusing on upcoming updates to test networks and further development of the platform. The update of the Goerli test network is scheduled for January 17 at 06:32 UTC (epoch 231680), followed by the Sepolia update on January 30 at 22:51 UTC (epoch 132608), and Holesky on February 7 at 11:34 UTC (epoch 29696).

These dates, confirmed at the recent Execution Layer Meeting 178, reflect a collective effort to improve Ethereum's infrastructure. Initially, there were concerns about the 13-day interval between the Goerli and Sepolia updates, but most teams considered it feasible, despite the aggressive timeline.

These updates highlight Ethereum's adaptability and its ability to quickly respond to community needs and technical challenges, which is critically important for its long-term success in the blockchain field.

In the Ethereum community, there is active discussion about network development priorities, especially in the context of the upcoming Prague/Electra (Pectra) update. The main debates revolve around Verkle proofs, key data structures for organizing and simplifying large volumes of data. Opinions are divided: some suggest focusing exclusively on Verkle proofs, while others advocate for their parallel development with smaller functional forks.

Ethereum developer @potuz noted that the majority, except for a few people, support increasing work on Verkle proofs and releasing a smaller functional fork. This view is shared by many important community members.

Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, emphasized that such diversity of opinions demonstrates the dynamic and reliable nature of the network's development process. He noted that Ethereum developers are not dictators, but rather participate in a process based on debates and consensus-building, which reflects the maturity of the community.