Overview:

Here I will be discussing the newbie stake loss bug. To summarize the bug, whenever a user stakes their first block they are always rewarded 1 Gridcoin, regardless of how much research GRC they have accumulated. The bug was discovered via issue #507. From that point forward discussion took place about how to address the issue as well as find out how far back this bug went. From my own lengthy investigation, the solid starting point is in the 690,000 block range forward. As you’ve noticed this turned out to be a more sizable length of time than originally anticipated and has taken me weeks of work to gather details. Over the past few months compensation came up on the topic regarding this bug. We have come to a solid agreement that we shall compensate the community for the loss. This is one of the issues the CORE Developers want to rectify with the community.

The researchers most affected by this bug were high magnitude users before the newbie boost was removed or everyone after the newbie boost was removed. I have been slowly scanning the block chain looking for newbie blocks and then scanning for the associated user’s beacon contract to determine the Research Age (time from newbie stake – beacon advertised). With these important details I was able to collect data about how much a researcher should have been paid versus how much they were actually paid. With that data, I stored the researcher’s CPID, GRC Address and amount still owed. This bug goes back to 2016 but due to the fact that there was a newbie boost it was hard to recognize the bug existed until the newbie stake boost was removed.

This is a mandatory fix which is why the fix has not been yet put into production. This fix will be in 3.7.0.0 slated to be released. The fix will come into effect at the start of the v9 kernel which will begin around 2 weeks after the mandatory is released to give network clients the time to upgrade their wallets. With that being said I’ll be scanning the chain up to the point of when v9 kernel takes effect. So never fear new users you will get what you are owed.

This task will happen in phases due to the volume of coins owed and the process for the payouts. The payouts will come from my personal wallet and a foundation expense will be made after the conclusion of each phase. The goal is to have this done in two phases but in the event the amounts owed are higher than expected it could take a third phase to complete. With that being said phase one is from the block range of 690,000 -> 1,000,000. With each phase posted there will be a week before payout for users to bring questions or concerns to me via slack or email.

Going forward:

Due to the fact that this started in 2016 some wallets may not be active anymore and no one is in a position to say yes to them and no to others. All newbie losses will be paid out regardless. I understand there may be a few users concerned as they no longer have said wallet GRC Address anymore or said CPID. There is only so much that can be done with regards to this. I’ve compiled some scenarios below with answers that may assist you with some concerns or questions.

Q) Do I have to do anything?

A) No, if you find your CPID in the list and still maintain the GRC Address associated to the CPID then there is nothing for you to do.

Q) I have a different CPID now but still have my old GRC Address in my wallet.

A) Excellent, there is nothing for you to do. Based on the fact that you no longer have the CPID anymore but still maintain ownership of the GRC Address involved, you will be paid out to the (old) associated GRC Address.

Q) I have the same CPID but don’t have my old GRC Address anymore.

A) The fact you own the same CPID still keeps your foot in the door with the compensation if you still have an active beacon contract. Simply contact me and mention your CPID and I will pull the GRC Address from the network that is tied to the CPID in question.

Q) I have the CPID in question on an old account I don’t use anymore.

A) Unfortunately, not much that can be done here unless your CPID has an active beacon in the neural network.

Q) I don’t have the same CPID nor do I have my old GRC Address anymore.

A) Unfortunately, there is no way to prove ownership of the GRC Address or CPID and the compensation will be paid out to GRC Address that was used for the newbie stake. Essentially the coins are burned and non-recoverable.

Questions & Answers:

Q) Will you post the data of the losses?

A) Yes. Much like the Pentathlon rain you will expect to see the results posted with TXIDs associated to the payouts. This is hopefully only a 2-phase process for me so the first set of data will be posted first.

Q) I see a duplicate CPID. How can someone have more than one newbie block?

A) This is possible; however very rare. I have taken a look at these and determined that even after my calculations the amount owed is still correct and this has no effect on what is owed.

Q) How will I know if an unknown transaction that I received is in fact the newbie compensation?

A) You can view the released newbie stake loss data. Look up your CPID/GRC Address and see the amount.

Q) My question is not answered here or I don’t understand the answer.

A) Feel free to contact me on Slack or via the email address below.

Q) What is the foundation/foundation expense?

A) The foundation is a wallet that holds around 32 million Gridcoins. It is used for various purposes such as developer payments and expenses. The foundation does not pay out before work is completed. A foundation expense must be put forth once a task is done or complete to receive the amount used for the expense back. Much like advertising campaigns for Gridcoin where the users pay out of there own wallet and put up an expense to be compensated by that said amount.

Q) When will the next phase of compensation take place?

A) Phase 2 will be prepped and posted after Phase 1 is complete and the foundation expense has been completed and the funds are returned to my wallet. Once phase 2 is posted there will be another 1 week period for users of that data to come forth with questions or concerns.

Phase 1 data

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions relating to the data.

Concerns or questions?

Don’t worry I’m available on slack and via email eastendmumbles at gmail.com

Document edited by @barton26