Shipping consensus code ahead of activation lets validators run and review it before it governs the network.
The same upgrade that makes Solana cheaper to use raises hardware and bandwidth demands on the operators who run it.
Whether heavier requirements shift validator distribution is empirical. It can only be judged from real validator counts after activation.
The live changes are slot times, rent and transaction size. Alpenglow is a separate, later event that deserves its own scrutiny.
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