MakerDAO co-founder Rune Christensen has proposed the launch of a native blockchain, named "NewChain," for the Maker (MKR) ecosystem. This blockchain aims to enhance security and efficiency and is part of the fifth phase of Maker's long-term roadmap, known as "Endgame." Originally, Endgame outlined the launch of NewChain as a separate chain with backend security interacting with Ethereum through a bridge. However, Christensen's recent blog post suggests that a Solana-based fork should be considered as the foundation for NewChain, citing specific reasons for this choice.
Solana Codebase Advantages
Christensen identifies three key reasons for considering Solana's codebase as the basis for NewChain:
Technical Quality: The Solana codebase is highly optimized for efficient blockchain operation, aligning well with NewChain's objectives. It benefits from being designed after blockchain bottlenecks and challenges were well understood, addressing Maker's technical debt. Solana already boasts two client implementations, crucial for resilience.
Ecosystem Resilience: Despite experiencing challenges, such as the FTX incident, the Solana ecosystem has demonstrated resilience with a thriving developer community. This resilience, coupled with a significant Lindy Effect, suggests long-term sustainability and cost-efficiency for Maker's development and maintenance.
Forking Success: Solana's codebase has successfully been forked and adapted for appchains, as evidenced by projects like Pyth. This adaptability indicates that it can serve as a reliable foundation for NewChain.
Conclusion
Rune Christensen's proposal to explore a Solana-based codebase for Maker's native blockchain, NewChain, represents a significant development in the #MakerDAO ecosystem. The potential benefits of Solana's technical quality, ecosystem resilience, and demonstrated forking success make it a compelling candidate. As MakerDAO progresses through the Endgame roadmap, this strategic choice could contribute to a more secure and efficient ecosystem. It remains to be seen how the Maker community and stakeholders will respond to this proposal and whether it will be integrated into the project's future developments.