Add CHANGELOG introduction sections

packages/block/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,32 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 ## 5.0.0-rc.1 - 2023-07-18
 
+This is the release candidate (RC1) for the upcoming breaking releases on the various EthereumJS libraries. The associated release notes below are the main source of information on the changeset, also for the upcoming final releases, where we'll just provide change addition summaries + references to these RC1 notes.
+
+At time of the RC1 releases there is/was no plan for a second RC round and breaking releases following relatively shorty (2-3 weeks) after the RC1 round. Things may change though depending on the feedback we'll receive.
+
+### Introduction
+
+This round of breaking releases brings the EthereumJS libraries to the browser. Finally! 🤩
+
+While you could use our libraries in the browser libraries before, there had been caveats.
+
+WE HAVE ELIMINATED ALL OF THEM.
+
+The largest two undertakings: First: we have rewritten all (half) of our API and elimited the usage of Node.js specific `Buffer` all over the place and have rewritten with using `Uint8Array` byte objects. Second: we went throuh our whole stack, rewrote imports and exports, replaced and updated dependencies all over and are now able to provide a hybrid CommonJS/ESM build, for all libraries. Both of these things are huge.
+
+Together with some few other modifications this now allows to run each (maybe adding an asterisk \* for client and devp2p) of our libraries directly in the browser - more or less without any modifications - see the `examples/browser.html` file in each package folder for an easy to set up example.
+
+This is generally a big thing for Ethereum cause this brings the full Ethereum Execution Layer (EL) protocol stack to the browser in an easy accessible way for developers, for the first time ever! 🎉
+
+This will allow for easy-to-setup browser applications both around the existing as well as the upcoming Ethereum EL protocol stack in the future. 🏄🏾‍♂️ We are beyond excitement to see what you guys will be building with this for "Browser-Ethereum". 🤓
+
+Browser is not the only thing though why this release round is exciting: default Shanghai hardfork, full Cancun support, significantly smaller bundle sizes for various libraries, new database abstractions, a simpler to use EVM, API clean-ups throughout the whole stack. These are just the most prominent additional things here to mention which will make the developer heart beat a bit faster hopefully when you are scanning to the vast release notes for every of the 15 (!) releases! 🧑🏽‍💻
+
+So: jump right in and enjoy. We can't wait to hear your feedback and see if you agree that these releases are as good as we think they are. 🙂 ❤️
+
+The EthereumJS Team
+
 ### Default Shanghai HF / Merge -> Paris Renaming / Cancun Hardfork
 
 The Shanghai hardfork is now the default HF in `@ethereumjs/common` and therefore for all libraries who use a Common-based HF setting internally (e.g. Tx, Block or EVM), see PR [#2655](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2655).

packages/blockchain/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,32 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 ## 7.0.0-rc.1 - 2023-07-18
 
+This is the release candidate (RC1) for the upcoming breaking releases on the various EthereumJS libraries. The associated release notes below are the main source of information on the changeset, also for the upcoming final releases, where we'll just provide change addition summaries + references to these RC1 notes.
+
+At time of the RC1 releases there is/was no plan for a second RC round and breaking releases following relatively shorty (2-3 weeks) after the RC1 round. Things may change though depending on the feedback we'll receive.
+
+### Introduction
+
+This round of breaking releases brings the EthereumJS libraries to the browser. Finally! 🤩
+
+While you could use our libraries in the browser libraries before, there had been caveats.
+
+WE HAVE ELIMINATED ALL OF THEM.
+
+The largest two undertakings: First: we have rewritten all (half) of our API and elimited the usage of Node.js specific `Buffer` all over the place and have rewritten with using `Uint8Array` byte objects. Second: we went throuh our whole stack, rewrote imports and exports, replaced and updated dependencies all over and are now able to provide a hybrid CommonJS/ESM build, for all libraries. Both of these things are huge.
+
+Together with some few other modifications this now allows to run each (maybe adding an asterisk \* for client and devp2p) of our libraries directly in the browser - more or less without any modifications - see the `examples/browser.html` file in each package folder for an easy to set up example.
+
+This is generally a big thing for Ethereum cause this brings the full Ethereum Execution Layer (EL) protocol stack to the browser in an easy accessible way for developers, for the first time ever! 🎉
+
+This will allow for easy-to-setup browser applications both around the existing as well as the upcoming Ethereum EL protocol stack in the future. 🏄🏾‍♂️ We are beyond excitement to see what you guys will be building with this for "Browser-Ethereum". 🤓
+
+Browser is not the only thing though why this release round is exciting: default Shanghai hardfork, full Cancun support, significantly smaller bundle sizes for various libraries, new database abstractions, a simpler to use EVM, API clean-ups throughout the whole stack. These are just the most prominent additional things here to mention which will make the developer heart beat a bit faster hopefully when you are scanning to the vast release notes for every of the 15 (!) releases! 🧑🏽‍💻
+
+So: jump right in and enjoy. We can't wait to hear your feedback and see if you agree that these releases are as good as we think they are. 🙂 ❤️
+
+The EthereumJS Team
+
 ### Default Shanghai HF / Merge -> Paris Renaming / Cancun Hardfork
 
 The Shanghai hardfork is now the default HF in `@ethereumjs/common` and therefore for all libraries who use a Common-based HF setting internally (e.g. Tx, Block or EVM), see PR [#2655](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2655).

packages/common/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,32 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 ## 4.0.0-rc.1 - 2023-07-18
 
+This is the release candidate (RC1) for the upcoming breaking releases on the various EthereumJS libraries. The associated release notes below are the main source of information on the changeset, also for the upcoming final releases, where we'll just provide change addition summaries + references to these RC1 notes.
+
+At time of the RC1 releases there is/was no plan for a second RC round and breaking releases following relatively shorty (2-3 weeks) after the RC1 round. Things may change though depending on the feedback we'll receive.
+
+### Introduction
+
+This round of breaking releases brings the EthereumJS libraries to the browser. Finally! 🤩
+
+While you could use our libraries in the browser libraries before, there had been caveats.
+
+WE HAVE ELIMINATED ALL OF THEM.
+
+The largest two undertakings: First: we have rewritten all (half) of our API and elimited the usage of Node.js specific `Buffer` all over the place and have rewritten with using `Uint8Array` byte objects. Second: we went throuh our whole stack, rewrote imports and exports, replaced and updated dependencies all over and are now able to provide a hybrid CommonJS/ESM build, for all libraries. Both of these things are huge.
+
+Together with some few other modifications this now allows to run each (maybe adding an asterisk \* for client and devp2p) of our libraries directly in the browser - more or less without any modifications - see the `examples/browser.html` file in each package folder for an easy to set up example.
+
+This is generally a big thing for Ethereum cause this brings the full Ethereum Execution Layer (EL) protocol stack to the browser in an easy accessible way for developers, for the first time ever! 🎉
+
+This will allow for easy-to-setup browser applications both around the existing as well as the upcoming Ethereum EL protocol stack in the future. 🏄🏾‍♂️ We are beyond excitement to see what you guys will be building with this for "Browser-Ethereum". 🤓
+
+Browser is not the only thing though why this release round is exciting: default Shanghai hardfork, full Cancun support, significantly smaller bundle sizes for various libraries, new database abstractions, a simpler to use EVM, API clean-ups throughout the whole stack. These are just the most prominent additional things here to mention which will make the developer heart beat a bit faster hopefully when you are scanning to the vast release notes for every of the 15 (!) releases! 🧑🏽‍💻
+
+So: jump right in and enjoy. We can't wait to hear your feedback and see if you agree that these releases are as good as we think they are. 🙂 ❤️
+
+The EthereumJS Team
+
 ### Default Shanghai HF / Merge -> Paris Renaming / Cancun Hardfork
 
 The Shanghai hardfork is now the default HF in `@ethereumjs/common` and therefore for all libraries who use a Common-based HF setting internally (e.g. Tx, Block or EVM), see PR [#2655](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2655).

packages/devp2p/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,32 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 ## 6.0.0 - 2023-07-11
 
+This is the release candidate (RC1) for the upcoming breaking releases on the various EthereumJS libraries. The associated release notes below are the main source of information on the changeset, also for the upcoming final releases, where we'll just provide change addition summaries + references to these RC1 notes.
+
+At time of the RC1 releases there is/was no plan for a second RC round and breaking releases following relatively shorty (2-3 weeks) after the RC1 round. Things may change though depending on the feedback we'll receive.
+
+### Introduction
+
+This round of breaking releases brings the EthereumJS libraries to the browser. Finally! 🤩
+
+While you could use our libraries in the browser libraries before, there had been caveats.
+
+WE HAVE ELIMINATED ALL OF THEM.
+
+The largest two undertakings: First: we have rewritten all (half) of our API and elimited the usage of Node.js specific `Buffer` all over the place and have rewritten with using `Uint8Array` byte objects. Second: we went throuh our whole stack, rewrote imports and exports, replaced and updated dependencies all over and are now able to provide a hybrid CommonJS/ESM build, for all libraries. Both of these things are huge.
+
+Together with some few other modifications this now allows to run each (maybe adding an asterisk \* for client and devp2p) of our libraries directly in the browser - more or less without any modifications - see the `examples/browser.html` file in each package folder for an easy to set up example.
+
+This is generally a big thing for Ethereum cause this brings the full Ethereum Execution Layer (EL) protocol stack to the browser in an easy accessible way for developers, for the first time ever! 🎉
+
+This will allow for easy-to-setup browser applications both around the existing as well as the upcoming Ethereum EL protocol stack in the future. 🏄🏾‍♂️ We are beyond excitement to see what you guys will be building with this for "Browser-Ethereum". 🤓
+
+Browser is not the only thing though why this release round is exciting: default Shanghai hardfork, full Cancun support, significantly smaller bundle sizes for various libraries, new database abstractions, a simpler to use EVM, API clean-ups throughout the whole stack. These are just the most prominent additional things here to mention which will make the developer heart beat a bit faster hopefully when you are scanning to the vast release notes for every of the 15 (!) releases! 🧑🏽‍💻
+
+So: jump right in and enjoy. We can't wait to hear your feedback and see if you agree that these releases are as good as we think they are. 🙂 ❤️
+
+The EthereumJS Team
+
 ### Default Shanghai HF / Merge -> Paris Renaming / Cancun Hardfork
 
 The Shanghai hardfork is now the default HF in `@ethereumjs/common` and therefore for all libraries who use a Common-based HF setting internally (e.g. Tx, Block or EVM), see PR [#2655](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2655).

packages/ethash/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,32 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 ## 3.0.0-rc.1 - 2023-07-18
 
+This is the release candidate (RC1) for the upcoming breaking releases on the various EthereumJS libraries. The associated release notes below are the main source of information on the changeset, also for the upcoming final releases, where we'll just provide change addition summaries + references to these RC1 notes.
+
+At time of the RC1 releases there is/was no plan for a second RC round and breaking releases following relatively shorty (2-3 weeks) after the RC1 round. Things may change though depending on the feedback we'll receive.
+
+### Introduction
+
+This round of breaking releases brings the EthereumJS libraries to the browser. Finally! 🤩
+
+While you could use our libraries in the browser libraries before, there had been caveats.
+
+WE HAVE ELIMINATED ALL OF THEM.
+
+The largest two undertakings: First: we have rewritten all (half) of our API and elimited the usage of Node.js specific `Buffer` all over the place and have rewritten with using `Uint8Array` byte objects. Second: we went throuh our whole stack, rewrote imports and exports, replaced and updated dependencies all over and are now able to provide a hybrid CommonJS/ESM build, for all libraries. Both of these things are huge.
+
+Together with some few other modifications this now allows to run each (maybe adding an asterisk \* for client and devp2p) of our libraries directly in the browser - more or less without any modifications - see the `examples/browser.html` file in each package folder for an easy to set up example.
+
+This is generally a big thing for Ethereum cause this brings the full Ethereum Execution Layer (EL) protocol stack to the browser in an easy accessible way for developers, for the first time ever! 🎉
+
+This will allow for easy-to-setup browser applications both around the existing as well as the upcoming Ethereum EL protocol stack in the future. 🏄🏾‍♂️ We are beyond excitement to see what you guys will be building with this for "Browser-Ethereum". 🤓
+
+Browser is not the only thing though why this release round is exciting: default Shanghai hardfork, full Cancun support, significantly smaller bundle sizes for various libraries, new database abstractions, a simpler to use EVM, API clean-ups throughout the whole stack. These are just the most prominent additional things here to mention which will make the developer heart beat a bit faster hopefully when you are scanning to the vast release notes for every of the 15 (!) releases! 🧑🏽‍💻
+
+So: jump right in and enjoy. We can't wait to hear your feedback and see if you agree that these releases are as good as we think they are. 🙂 ❤️
+
+The EthereumJS Team
+
 ### Hybrid CJS/ESM Build
 
 We now provide both a CommonJS and an ESM build for all our libraries. 🥳 This transition was a huge undertaking and should make the usage of our libraries in the browser a lot more straight-forward, see PR [#2685](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2685), [#2783](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2783), [#2786](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2786), [#2764](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2764), [#2804](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2804) and [#2809](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2809) (and others). We rewrote the whole set of imports and exports within the libraries, updated or completely removed a lot of dependencies along the way and removed the usage of all native Node.js primitives (like `https` or `util`).

packages/evm/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,32 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 ## 2.0.0-rc.1 - 2023-07-18
 
+This is the release candidate (RC1) for the upcoming breaking releases on the various EthereumJS libraries. The associated release notes below are the main source of information on the changeset, also for the upcoming final releases, where we'll just provide change addition summaries + references to these RC1 notes.
+
+At time of the RC1 releases there is/was no plan for a second RC round and breaking releases following relatively shorty (2-3 weeks) after the RC1 round. Things may change though depending on the feedback we'll receive.
+
+### Introduction
+
+This round of breaking releases brings the EthereumJS libraries to the browser. Finally! 🤩
+
+While you could use our libraries in the browser libraries before, there had been caveats.
+
+WE HAVE ELIMINATED ALL OF THEM.
+
+The largest two undertakings: First: we have rewritten all (half) of our API and elimited the usage of Node.js specific `Buffer` all over the place and have rewritten with using `Uint8Array` byte objects. Second: we went throuh our whole stack, rewrote imports and exports, replaced and updated dependencies all over and are now able to provide a hybrid CommonJS/ESM build, for all libraries. Both of these things are huge.
+
+Together with some few other modifications this now allows to run each (maybe adding an asterisk \* for client and devp2p) of our libraries directly in the browser - more or less without any modifications - see the `examples/browser.html` file in each package folder for an easy to set up example.
+
+This is generally a big thing for Ethereum cause this brings the full Ethereum Execution Layer (EL) protocol stack to the browser in an easy accessible way for developers, for the first time ever! 🎉
+
+This will allow for easy-to-setup browser applications both around the existing as well as the upcoming Ethereum EL protocol stack in the future. 🏄🏾‍♂️ We are beyond excitement to see what you guys will be building with this for "Browser-Ethereum". 🤓
+
+Browser is not the only thing though why this release round is exciting: default Shanghai hardfork, full Cancun support, significantly smaller bundle sizes for various libraries, new database abstractions, a simpler to use EVM, API clean-ups throughout the whole stack. These are just the most prominent additional things here to mention which will make the developer heart beat a bit faster hopefully when you are scanning to the vast release notes for every of the 15 (!) releases! 🧑🏽‍💻
+
+So: jump right in and enjoy. We can't wait to hear your feedback and see if you agree that these releases are as good as we think they are. 🙂 ❤️
+
+The EthereumJS Team
+
 ### Default Shanghai HF / Merge -> Paris Renaming / Cancun Hardfork
 
 The Shanghai hardfork is now the default HF in `@ethereumjs/common` and therefore for all libraries who use a Common-based HF setting internally (e.g. Tx, Block or EVM), see PR [#2655](https://github.com/ethereumjs/ethereumjs-monorepo/pull/2655).