Ethereum hard forked today. As per what seemed to be the popular demand, the protocol rules have been updated incompatibly with the existing Ethereum protocol. Users have essentially moved to a new blockchain and left the old one behind. At time of publication, well over 90 percent of hash power on the Ethereum network had moved to the new chain. This fork effectively reverts the existence of the DAO and will reclaim almost all funds taken by an attacker a month ago, to return them to the original investors.
But the hard fork also marks the launch of a spin-off project: Ethereum Classic. Ethereum Classic continues on the existing Ethereum blockchain and has not implemented the hard fork code to “undo” the DAO. According to the project's website, this is because “Ethereum Classic intends to keep the original censorship-resistant Ethereum going” and “provide an alternative for people who strongly disagree with DAO bailout
While Ethereum Classic to many seems to be a bit of a joke, intended to make a point, the project has been gaining some traction, with a small-but-growing user-base on Reddit and Slack, and with the decentralized exchange Bitsquare offering its token — classic ether — as a trading option.
Additionally, some 0.5 percent of hash power joined a special Ethereum Classic mining pool even before the split, and seems determined to mine on the Ethereum Classic chain, ensuring blocks are mined and the project is kept alive.