Kusama CC-2 v0.6.3

This is a service release for Kusama CC-2 chain, preparing for the move to PoS. Main highlights:

• Optimisations, fixes and improvements regarding syncing and consensus - sync speed is significantly improved.
• Additional host function for compressed public key recovery for SECP256k1.

Also features a new runtime, (version 1005):

• Switch to MultiSigner account crypto, which adds an extra byte to transaction signatures and supports SECP256k1 signatures.
• Switch council elections to Phragmen algorithm and enable them.
• Enable the technical committee and its membership module.

NOTE: Due to the additional host function and the fact that the 1005 runtime requires it, when the 1005 runtime is deployed, previous releases will no longer be able to sync new blocks.

Kusama CC-2 v0.6.2

Service patch for the Kusama network.

• Moves to the latest Substrate library.
• Small fix for stalling finality, caused by the introduction of a cache for answering block ancestry queries.

Kusama CC-2 v0.6.1

Service patch for the Kusama network.

• Moves to the latest Substrate library.
• Introduces additional features to the syncing logic relevant for proper integration of Grandpa finality algorithm.
• Add BABE epoch pruning to improve sync performance and reduce CPU load.

Kusama CC-2 v0.6.0

Service patch for the Kusama network. This introduces a breaking change the to the Babe consensus algorithm, and thus implies a new genesis block and chain.

Kusama CC-1 v0.5.1

Service patch for the Kusama network.

• Includes all fixes and features in the latest Substrate master branch (including a fix for Grandpa session keys and balances::force_transfer).
• One or two other minor cleanups.

Kusama CC-1 v0.5.0

Initial release of the Polkadot Kusama protocol, node and tools. This includes natively-built Kusama genesis (PoA period) governance.

Polkadot Kusama is an experimental, pre-production and unaudited, "canary network". It comprises several bleeding-edge features:

• Hybrid Grandpa/Babe consensus giving fast block production and finality even in highly adverse network conditions with thousands of validators.
• WebAssembly-based runtime allowing arbitrary upgrades to all on-chain logic.
• Nominated proof-of-stake validator selection using a stake-weighted proportional representation with economic incentives and punishments designed to ensure secure public network operations.
• A tricameral governance and treasury mechanism.
• Initial parachain (sharding) implementation.

Polkadot Proof-of-Concept 3

This release introduces the latest governance and consensus technologies. It will run the third testnet, Alexander, which is due to be deployed in the following days.