A recording of the latest Neo Core Developer meeting held on November 6th is now available. In this session, contributors discussed the status of several Neo 4 proposals, upcoming features in Neo 3.9, and structural adjustments to repository workflows. Items covered include progress on preparing for dynamic block spacing, standardized token interfaces, and post-quantum cryptographic compatibility.
The meeting began with a detailed review of the proposal for Dynamic Block Spacing, a major upgrade planned for Neo 4. The developers considered how best to decouple gas reward calculations from block height and instead tie them to block timestamps, and discussed implementation strategies that balance protocol accuracy with real-time reward calculations. This conversation highlighted the need to maintain accurate reward data in tools like Explorer and Wallets while automatically adjusting block times based on network load. Although participants expressed different opinions on how dynamic intervals should behave for low and high transaction volumes, they agreed that the codebase should be prepared to support configurable behavior, even if that functionality is not immediately critical to current throughput.
Post-quantum cryptography was also discussed, with contributors outlining next steps for integrating hash-based and lattice-based algorithms such as SHA3-512 and BLAKE2b-512. The group agreed that while quantum threats are not imminent, infrastructure preparation is a priority in line with Neo’s long-term roadmap. Discussions included the possibility of a more generic account model that would allow users to choose from a variety of encryption schemes without compromising compatibility with existing addresses.
The team also touched on the proposed contract charging mechanism, noting that while implementation is pending, a formal Neo Enhancement Proposal Document (NEP) will be required before further work can proceed. This is consistent with recent efforts to better define the scope and intent of protocol changes prior to development.
Regarding the Neo 3.9 release, several features were confirmed to be included, including NEP-25 support for contract manifests and a whitelist contract system for free transactions. Adjustments to execution fee factors with decimal point support were also approved, but the developer acknowledged that there were some discrepancies in internal GAS accounting. The flattened GAS reward mechanism, which aims to equalize the rewards of voters regardless of which consensus node is selected, is still under discussion. It is scheduled to be introduced in Neo 3.10, but the developers are evaluating whether a partial implementation can be brought forward to 3.9.
A brief but important discussion covered repository management, with an agreement to consolidate development into the master branch and deprecate the separate master-n3 branch. Future releases such as Neo 3.9 will be tagged with the new branch upon release.
The team also discussed the proposal to add the GetRandom(MaxValue) method to the standard library contract. Although this feature was considered potentially useful, it was removed from the 3.9 release due to concerns about implementation risks and extended review schedules. Enhancements made will be included in future versions.
The full discussion can be viewed below.
