Scroll, a zkEVM-based scaling solution for Ethereum, announced successful completion of their pre-alpha testnet, Scroll 5. This testnet focused on proving out the performance and stability of the network under a higher load of transactions, including complex DeFi interactions. They achieved significant performance improvements, demonstrating increased transaction throughput and decreased latency compared to previous testnets. The team is now working towards a permissioned alpha release, followed by a permissionless alpha later this year, with the ultimate goal of a mainnet launch on Ethereum.
Scientists have used advanced imaging techniques, including X-ray micro-CT scanning, to virtually unwrap and decipher text from a charred scroll discovered in Herculaneum, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. The scroll, too fragile to physically unroll, is believed to contain philosophical writings by Philodemus, an Epicurean philosopher. While the process is still in its early stages, researchers have successfully deciphered some Greek letters and words, offering hope for further deciphering the text and gaining valuable insights into ancient philosophy.
HN commenters discuss the challenges and potential rewards of virtually unwrapping the En-Gedi scroll. Several express excitement about the technology used and the historical significance of the text, hoping it reveals more of Leviticus. Some are skeptical about the readability given the scroll's condition, while others debate the ethics and practicality of physically unrolling such fragile artifacts. The potential for AI to assist in the process and reconstruct missing text fragments is also a topic of discussion, with some cautioning against overreliance on these methods. A few users share links to previous work on the scroll and other related projects.
Summary of Comments ( 3 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42955356
Hacker News users discuss Scroll's announcement about expanding their zkEVM rollup's compatibility with existing Ethereum infrastructure and tools. Several commenters express skepticism about the viability and necessity of zkEVMs in general, questioning their complexity and potential security risks compared to optimistic rollups. Some point to the lack of readily apparent demand for zkEVM technology outside of specific niche use cases. Others voice concerns about the closed-source nature of Scroll's implementation, hindering community review and potentially impacting trust. Conversely, some commenters express excitement about the progress, particularly regarding the compatibility with existing tooling, viewing it as a positive step towards wider adoption of zk-rollups. A few users ask about the pricing model, but no definitive answers are provided in the comments.
The Hacker News post "News from Scroll 5" (linking to a Scroll Prize update) has a moderate number of comments, most of which express skepticism or raise concerns about the project. No one outright champions the project, and the overall tone is cautious.
Several commenters question the value proposition of Scroll, particularly given the existing ecosystem of ad blockers and privacy-focused browsers like Brave. They argue that these existing solutions already address many of the issues Scroll claims to solve, like annoying ads and trackers. Some question whether the average user understands or cares enough about the nuances of web privacy to pay for a service like Scroll.
A few commenters express concern about the centralized nature of Scroll and its potential to become a single point of failure or censorship. They worry that routing all web traffic through a single entity could grant that entity excessive control over information access. One commenter specifically raises the question of whether Scroll will block access to sites critical of its own operations.
There's also skepticism about the technical feasibility and scalability of Scroll's approach. Some doubt that it can effectively handle the complexity and ever-evolving nature of the web without introducing performance issues or compatibility problems. One commenter points out the historical difficulties faced by similar projects attempting to filter or modify web traffic at a large scale.
Some of the more technical comments delve into the specifics of Scroll's proposed architecture and question its robustness and resilience. These commenters express concerns about potential vulnerabilities and the difficulty of maintaining a comprehensive and up-to-date filter list for ads and trackers.
Finally, a few comments simply express disinterest or apathy towards the project, indicating that they don't see a compelling reason to switch from their existing browsing setup.