yes, setting 5 witnesses is for testnet ease of operation.
no, currently our testnet is ran inside founders team, on next iteration it will become public - but still it will be testnet. production-mode GLS net is anticipated nearly on 10 Oct, maybe 15 or 5
RE: cyber•Fund is to launch a Russian Steem-based social media platform: Golos. Under license from Steemit Inc.