# Argument-0005: Retention at Rank II

|                  |                      |
| ---------------- | ---------------------|
| **Report Date**  | 2025/05/26           |
| **Submitted by** | Davide Galassi       |


## Member details

- Matrix username: @davxy:matrix.org
- Polkadot address: 16Q4qkRcWd4r8196dVGNLYVfy7H86MJYJBMockPaMigFXCyv
- Current rank: 2
- Date of initial induction: 2024/01/08
- Date of last report: 2025/02/23
- Area(s) of Expertise/Interest: JAM Protocol, Applied Cryptography, Consensus Protocols

## Reporting period

- Start date: 2025/03/01
- End date: 2025/06/01


## Argument

### JAM Implementation

During this period, my main focus has been on building *PolkaJam*, Parity's
prototype implementation of JAM.

Although the PolkaJam codebase is not yet publicly accessible,
Parity fellows can review my contributions in the
[project repository](https://github.com/paritytech/polkajam/pulls?q=is%3Apr+author%3Adavxy).

### JAM Test Vectors

PR [#28](https://github.com/w3f/jamtestvectors/pull/28), which introduces what
is now widely recognized as the **de facto** reference test vectors for JAM STF,
has been officially merged. This milestone has played a key role in accelerating
on-chain code interoperability. Most teams can now process these vectors, and
the community is largely aligned.

The next major effort ([#45](https://github.com/davxy/jam-test-vectors/pull/45))
focuses on test vectors for full block processing, shifting from isolated STF
components to a more comprehensive execution. This acts as an integration test,
validating the interoperability of previously tested STF subsystems.
Several teams are already successfully processing these vectors, which have
proven effective in uncovering and resolving implementation bugs on a daily
basis. This PR also formalizes the emerging standard for block-level vector
processing and establishes the format adopted by the conformance testing tool.

### JAM M1 Conformance Testing

The work is currently private for obvious reasons, but the project
is moving forward, with several key design decisions underway.
Some design notes have been shared for public discussion on HackMD:
[https://hackmd.io/@davxy/HJndf\_gTkl](https://hackmd.io/@davxy/HJndf_gTkl)

### Bandersnatch VRFs

Although [ark-vrf](https://github.com/davxy/ark-vrf) is currently the only
implementation available to the community, a new Python
[implementation](https://github.com/PolkadotOpenSourceGrants/apply/pull/14) is in
development based on the [spec](https://github.com/davxy/bandersnatch-vrf-spec)
I maintain. This will play a key role in encouraging additional third-party
implementations of the scheme.

### Support and Collaboration

Provided occasional support to JAM implementers in the JAM public channels,
primarily addressing topics within my areas of expertise.


## Voting record
*Provide your voting record in relation to required thresholds for your rank.* 

| Ranks | Activity thresholds | Agreement thresholds | Member's voting activities | Comments                      |
| ----- | ------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
|I  |90%   |N/A   | None | There was nothing to vote on |
|II |80%   |N/A   | None | There was nothing to vote on |
|III|70%   |100%  |   |  |
|IV |60%   |90%   |   |  |
|V  |50%   |80%   |   |  |
|VI |40%   |70%   |   |  |


## Misc

- [ ] Question(s): 

- [ ] Concern(s): 

- [ ] Comment(s):