Bitcoin’s Core developers stay steadfastly opposed to the SegWit2x plan, despite the recent lock-in of their preferred scaling solution, Segregated Witness.
SegWit2x was the compromise resulting from the New York Agreement. It called for the immediate implementation of SegWit, followed past times a doubling of the blocksize past times November.
According to the Digital Currency Group, SegWit2x is supported by:
58 companies located inwards 22 countries
83.28% of hashing power
5.1 billion USD monthly on chain transaction volume
20.5 1 one one thousand thousand bitcoin wallets
Bitcoin’s Core developers are non acquiescing to this consensus, however. They stay determined that whatever blocksize increment volition hold upwards a de facto difficult fork away from the “real Bitcoin.”
SegWit’s lock-in before this calendar week mightiness lead hold been expected to repose tensions. Core was getting what they wanted. SegWit would give them a foundation upon which to gear upwards the ultimate scaling solution: the lightning network. In companionship to maintain the peace, Core exactly had to acquiesce to a nominal blocksize increase.
Core, however, refused to compromise. Two days ago, Bitcoin’s Core developers made an ominous announcement. The Bitcoin Core customer would no longer connect to nodes running SegWit2x. This could lead hold serious repercussions.
Though miners are the ones who truly write blocks to the blockchain, user-run nodes are besides of import for maintaining an up-to-date ledger across the entire network. When miners exercise novel blocks, the nodes on Bitcoin’s network propagate those blocks to all clients.
With Core’s recent announcement, at that topographic point volition hold upwards a modest but of import modify to how the network operates. Miners volition soundless broadcast their blocks to the network, but nodes running the Bitcoin Core customer volition alone relay blocks to other nodes running the same client. Bitcoin Core nodes volition no longer beak to nodes that run the SegWit2x code. This creates slows the network as well as decreases its degree of decentralization.
November could larn ugly
As long every bit all nodes lead hold the blocks produced past times miners, the network volition expire on along every bit always.
Likewise, every bit long every bit the claimed 83.28% of hashing ability remains committed to the SegWit2x plan, the difficult fork inwards Nov should hold upwards successful on a technical level.
The existent challenge is alongside branding. The “Bitcoin” that the vast bulk of people are used to is the “Bitcoin Core” implementation. This software implementation is the 1 originally created past times Satoshi, handed downwards to Gavin Andresen, as well as forthwith beingness maintained past times Wladimir Van Der Laan.
Confusion would dominion the day
There is a existent endangerment that around users as well as businesses mightiness aspect at the “Bitcoin Core” customer every bit the existent Bitcoin, despite overwhelming back upwards of SegWit2x from miners. If this happens, await a corking bargain of confusion inwards the marketplace.
There’s soundless a skilful adventure that the blocksize increment won’t happen, inwards whatever event. Before the SegWit2x compromise, virtually 40% of miners supported a blocksize increment as well as roughly 40% supported SegWit-only scaling. Now that the SegWit-supporting miners lead hold locked-in their preferred scaling solution, the alone affair keeping them from reneging on the New York Agreement is their word.
In such a heated political climate, alongside billions of dollars at stake, promises made inwards the past times tin forcefulness out hold upwards apace forgotten.
