Elastos ELA: Hard Fork
Since adding a new layer of consensus is an enormous task in and of itself, the implementation will progress in a series of phases. At the moment, there are no specific dates for each phase, but the eventual goal is to have all 6 phases implemented by the end of the second quarter of 2019.
What is a hardfork?
The cryptocurrency mainnet operates according to certain rules. To improve network performance or correct errors, changes are periodically introduced into it. A hard fork represents changes that are not compatible with previous versions of software supporting the cryptocurrency network. In order to continue to mine the cryptocurrency, miners need to update the software.
In some cases, as a result of a hard fork, a completely new cryptocurrency may appear, as happened with Bitcoin Cash and EthereumPoW.