There has been a lot of discussion after the events of hardfork 20 about what we can do better in order to prevent another similar incident. One of the things that everybody seems to agree on is that we need more/better testing.
Testnet Infrastructure
In order to properly test things in the testnet, it is important that the testnet works as closely to the mainnet as possible. This means that users need to be able to do the same things in the testnet that they can do on the mainnet. It is impossible to do this without the right tools.
There is a lot of time between now and the go-live date for the SMT hardfork. I suggest that we use this time to build out the proper testnet infrastructure so that we can test the hell out of the SMT changes before applying them to production.
Steemit, Inc. has a large role to play in this in terms of updating all of their tools and libraries to work with the testnet. The community developers have a large role to play as well.
List of Tools Needed
In this post, I would like to start collecting a list of tools that we all need in order to use the testnet in the same way that we use the mainnet.
Here is the start of a list:
(Everyone please help add to the list in the comments below.)
Action Item for Community Developers:
If you created an application/tool for the Steem blockchain, please start thinking about how you can provide a "testnet" version of your application/tool, as well as instructions for your users on how to use your application/tool in the testnet environment.
If/when your application/tool is ready to be used in the testnet, please reply to this post with a link to information on how to use it in the testnet.
Action Item for Everyone:
Please reply in the comments below with a list of applications and tools that you use which would be helpful to have in the testnet.