6c70ef1 
andrepatta
Andre Patta
Parallax v1.1.0
This release finalizes the migration from the legacy Bitcoin-style DAA to ASERT (Absolutely Scheduled Exponentially Rising Targets).
ASERT will activate at block height 17,560, a consensus-breaking change that provides smoother, more predictable difficulty adjustment and significantly improves network stability.
🔧 What This Upgrade Does
- Introduces the aserti3-2d difficulty algorithm used by Bitcoin Cash.
- Ensures difficulty converges consistently toward the 10-minute target, even under extreme hashrate volatility.
- Eliminates oscillations and stampede effects inherent to the old 2016-block DAA window.
- Improves miner incentives, chain reliability, and long-term economic security.
📌 Activation Details
- Activation height:
17,560 - Activation type: Hard fork (all nodes must upgrade)
- Anchor selection: Deterministic anchor derived from the ASERT activation block
- Backward compatibility: Blocks before 17,560 remain fully valid under legacy rules
🛠 Node Operators: Action Required
All miners, pools, exchanges, and full node operators must upgrade before block 17,560 to stay on the canonical chain.
Failure to upgrade will result in consensus divergence.
🌐 Community
This upgrade has been openly designed, debated, and refined through the Parallax Improvement Proposal process (PIP-0002) and represents a major milestone in aligning Parallax with Bitcoin-like monetary discipline while improving difficulty reactivity.
🕒 What Happens at Activation Height
At block 17,560, the network transitions from the Bitcoin-style DAA to the ASERT algorithm.
From the very first block after activation, difficulty moves continuously toward the 600-second target, regardless of the previous 2016-block window.
Current Situation
Parallax is currently averaging ~21,876 seconds per block (~6 hours), which indicates the difficulty is far too high relative to current hashrate.
How ASERT Responds
ASERT reacts exponentially, guided by a 2-day half-life (172,800 seconds).
This means:
- Every 2 days of real time, the imbalance between ideal block time (600s) and actual block time is cut in half.
- Difficulty decreases smoothly and continuously on every block, rather than in large discrete steps.
Expected Recovery Path
Given a current average of 21,876s, the chain is ~36.5× slower than the target.
ASERT will:
- Immediately begin reducing difficulty at block 17,560.
- Cut the required adjustment in half every 172,800 seconds of real time.
- Pull block times increasingly downward toward the 600-second target.
A simplified approximation of the convergence timeline:
- Day 0 (activation): ~21,876s average
- Day 2: ~10,900s average
- Day 4: ~5,400s
- Day 6: ~2,700s
- Day 8: ~1,350s
- Day 10: ~675s
- Shortly after → stabilizes around the 600s target
This behaviour is by design: ASERT ensures stability even in extreme conditions without sharp or oscillating adjustments.
ASERT marks a foundational step toward long-term stability and decentralization of the Parallax network.
Thank you to everyone contributing code, research, testing, and community review.
Onward.