The Code has been dropped for HF21
https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemitblog/steemit-update-hf21-testnet-sps-eip-rewards-api-smts
If you haven't been here for a hardfork or you were still new for the last one... the way it works is that once the code is released it is up to the top 20 witnesses mostly decide what to do with it.
They should test it, consider the impacts, prepare the community and make their views on the changes clear.
My opinion is it is too much for one HardFork and doesn't solve the root problems which are visibility and lack of any marketing, so I am not a huge fan. Each change has it's own risks and potential rewards so while I can certainly understand being for or against any of the changes, justifying doing them all at once is a hard pill for me to swallow. No one knows how it will turn out and I hope a lot of thought is put into how to support the community through any changes that are made.
Meanwhile, we still have PALNET which also has several of these features.
The announcement post is missing a lot of information. What percentages were used, where they decided to get the funding for SPS, what date they plan to drop, etc. stay tuned for more information.
So, if you have any questions or concerns let your witnesses know. As of today here is a list of those who will be making the decision.
01 yabapmatt
02 curie
03 blocktrades
04 gtg
05 roelandp
06 someguy123
07 good-karma
08 themarkymark
09 therealwolf
10 aggroed
11 cervantes
12 thecryptodrive
13 ocd-witness
14 timcliff
15 anyx
16 ausbitbank
17 smooth.witness
18 followbtcnews
19 lukestokes.mhth
20 clayop
This list of the top 20 is current as of this post, but they often juggle around some as the debates about the HF and what is included carry on.
On the day of the HF the way it works is once 17 of the top witnesses begin to run the new code it is considered an accepted HF.
There is no question this will be a major hardfork with major impacts to Steem. It is also contentious and controversial. I expect there will be some very interesting debates.
