One of the fundamental points of tilt inward the politicization of Bitcoin protocol evolution over the past times span of years has been the concept of miner signaling. While non intended to survive a vote amid miners to produce upwards one's hear the futurity of the Bitcoin network, Ciphrex CEO too Bitcoin Core contributor Eric Lombrozo pointed out that miners are directly using the signaling procedure equally leverage inward the give-and-take over Bitcoin scaling.
Lombrozo made the comments during a give-and-take amongst host Thomas Hunt too Bitcoin developer Jimmy Song on Hunt’s Mad Bitcoins YouTube channel.
“This whole signaling matter is a huge work that I cry back created a real terrible narrative,” said Lombrozo.
What Is BIP 9?
BIP 9 is a method of rolling out soft-fork upgrades to Bitcoin. The brusque description of this procedure is that soft-forked changes volition survive enabled 1 time 95 per centum of miners own got signaled to the network that they are ready for activation, using a fox called “version bits.”
“It was an arbitrary organisation created past times developers inward lodge to coordinate shine soft-fork transitions,” said Lombrozo. “It was non designed to survive a political organisation for voting on controversial issues always — that was never the intention.”
Lombrozo also noted that, inward the past, soft forks own got been deployed on Bitcoin without whatsoever exceptional handling for miners, too BIP ix was supposed to solve some of the issues miners could confront during the deployment of a soft fork.
“It was introduced for the courtesy of miners to survive able to cut their orphan rates too cut the probability that they’re going to destination upwards mining blocks that are truly invalid — that was the existent motivation behind it,” said Lombrozo.
According to Lombrozo, the goal is all the same to teach nodes upgraded too enforce the rules of the soft fork; BIP ix was precisely a technique to coordinate amongst miners.
The Ciphrex CEO added that at that topographic point was goose egg similar miner signaling inward the master copy version of Bitcoin, too Satoshi Nakamoto never used miner signaling for the soft forks that he deployed on the network.
“It was a machinery that was created agency later,” said Lombrozo. “And 1 time this machinery was created, it was abused too turned against the developers to endeavor to extort stuff. And directly it’s beingness used against businesses to extort materials from them.”
BIP ix Does Not Work With Uncooperative Miners
According to Lombrozo, BIP ix would non own got been used for Segregated Witness (SegWit) if the contributors to Bitcoin Core knew too hence what they know now.
“If nosotros considered that at that topographic point had been this form of, like, contentious or adversarial situation, too hence BIP ix would non own got been used,” said Lombrozo. “We would non own got used the signaling machinery because it manifestly does non move nether those kinds of circumstances.”
In Lombrozo’s view, miners are directly using the effective veto mightiness that comes amongst the miner signaling procedure outlined inward BIP ix equally leverage inward the discussions some scaling Bitcoin. He also believes Bitcoin Core developers may deserve some of the blame for using BIP ix inward the showtime place.
“But at the same time, nosotros alone had the best of intentions at the moment,” added Lombrozo. “We idea we’d gotten through all these disagreements too it seemed similar the miners were for it too going to back upwards it … Obviously, the adversarial example needs to survive considered because it’s precisely the nature of this network too the agency that it works.”
Lombrozo suggested that miners also used miner signaling equally a sort of “propaganda” tool amongst Bitcoin Unlimited, fifty-fifty though at that topographic point was no activation machinery included inward the code.
Never Use BIP ix Again?
According to Lombrozo, miners directly cry back they own got some command over the protocol due to the purpose of the miner signaling procedure outlined inward BIP 9.
“Miners started thinking, ‘Hey, perhaps nosotros own got command over the protocol because of this whole signaling thing,’” said Lombrozo during his give-and-take amongst Hunt too Song.
Lombrozo claimed that “we’re never going to purpose BIP ix to deploy anything close for sure” if SegWit is non activated via the electrical flow BIP ix deployment.
As an alternative, Bitcoin Core could plow to BIP 8, which is a variation of BIP ix from pseudonymous developer Shaolin Fry that eventually activates a soft-forking modify whether miners own got signaled for it or not. Miners tin hand the sack all the same activate the modify earlier it is automatically locked-in on the network, but blessing from miners is non required earlier that lock-in takes place.
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