Release v1.6 Cheatsheet

release-v1.6.md

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+# Decred v1.6 Release Cheatsheet
+
+v1.6 will be one of the biggest and ground breaking releases Decred ever made.
+
+We need any help we can get to get our message out.
+
+Here Decred advocates can learn about v1.6 features, copy reusable text bits and find links to design assets (images, videos, memes etc).
+
+## Feature Overview
+
+{ focus on user-facing changes first }
+
+### Privacy shield for your coins
+
+{ non-custodial mixing, simple architecture, reliable, but needs to be used with care }
+
+### Exchange where you hold the keys
+
+_Intro_: New decentralized exchange by Decred is live. It allows to trade between DCR, BTC and LTC without depositing your funds anywhere. You control the keys at all stages of the exchange, while the server only matches traders together.
+
+Facts:
+
+- initial release is targeted at more technical people. You'll need to run full nodes for both Decred and Bitcoin
+- there's a one-time signup fee of 1 DCR to prevent spam
+- with all the barriers, it has already served more than 25 BTC of trading volume since launch on Oct 21 { date correct? }
+- for the general market, this is the first-of-its-kind source of _verifiable volume_ data
+- technically it is not part of the v1.6 release but it makes sense to include it in the outreach push
+
+Links:
+
+- [Quick start guide](https://medium.com/decred/how-to-get-on-dcrdex-mvp-816d713ec5c0)
+- Launch [press release](https://www.prweb.com/releases/decred_announces_launch_of_dcrdex_first_exchange_with_no_trading_fees_seeks_to_disrupt_billion_dollar_crypto_exchange_market/prweb17487844.htm)
+- { Decred in Depth episode on the DEX: YouTube link }
+
+### New voting architecture
+
+_Intro_: Voting service providers (VSP) vote on network upgrades on your behalf so that you don't need to run a server 24/7. They cannot spend your coins, only vote. Roughly 50% of voters use VSPs while the other half is "solo voters" who run their own voting wallets.
+
+_Existing_ VSP system has worked for years but it suffers from privacy and UX issues. You have to create an account, share an email address and reuse addresses on the blockchain.
+
+_New_ VSP architecture will resolve all these issues. No accounts, no email, no address reuse.
+
+It doesn't stop there - new approach can be combined with the privacy mixer to enable _private staking_.
+
+### Decentralized Treasury control
+
+_Intro_: Decred [Treasury](https://explorer.dcrdata.org/address/Dcur2mcGjmENx4DhNqDctW5wJCVyT3Qeqkx?n=20&start=0&txntype=merged_debit) is holding more than $7M worth of DCR. The funds are allocated to projects approved by the stakeholders via Decred's [Politeia](https://proposals.decred.org/) proposal system.
+
+In v1.6 we will vote whether to enable decentralized control of Treasury funds.
+
+In the proposed system, stakeholders ("ticket holders") will vote whether to approve or reject a transaction that spends funds from the Treasury to pay for work done by contractors over the previous month.
+
+### More Lightning Network stuff
+
+{ find out what exactly is added in Decrediton v1.6. Watchtowers? }
+
+## Links
+
+- release page at decred.org https://decred.org/release/
+- press release https://decred.org/press/2021-01-25_three_new_features/
+- [v1.6 RC1](https://github.com/decred/decred-binaries/releases/tag/v1.6.0-rc1) release notes
+- v1.6 video overview by @Checkmate "Decred Deep Dive: Hidden hydra release is incoming!" ([youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AxBa-EE8RM), [discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/decred/comments/klz8ue/decred_deep_dive_hidden_hydra/))
+- video and text coverage in Coinscrum interview with @jy-p ([coinscrum.com](https://www.coinscrum.com/decred-with-jake-yocom-piatt/))
+
+### Upgrading
+
+{ all the gotchas the least technical users need to know: upgrade warnings, migration to vspd, initial coin mixing, setting treasury vote prefs, when v1.5 will stop working }
+
+## Assets
+
+{ add links to design assets that advocates can grab and use on the web }
+
+Feature screencuts:
+
+- {}
+
+Graphics/art:
+
+- public [Lottie](https://lottiefiles.com/user/5870) animations
+
+Motion:
+
+- {}
+
+Memes:
+
+- {}
+
+Branding package (logos, fonts, colors etc):
+
+- https://decred.org/brand/
+- https://github.com/decred/dcrdesign/releases/tag/v004
+  - { is this relevant for this doc? }
+
+Tweets to support and share:
+
+- dcrdex [launch tweet](https://twitter.com/decredproject/status/1318998573975994373)
+- dcrdex [quick start](https://twitter.com/RichardRed0x/status/1321274987341369346) by @richardred
+- dcrdex [DEX Flow](https://twitter.com/decredproject/status/1319720945972633600) tune by @GhostWridah