Author: Frank F 2013-08-19 20:09:41
Published on: 2013-08-19T20:09:41+00:00
The removal of "getwork" RPC from bitcoind has been proposed, which would remove the mechanism that allows anyone to say that Bitcoin is peer-to-peer (p2p) in the truest sense. This move may favor only pool operators and private mining interests, leading to a monopoly/cartel model for Bitcoin. The denial of individual novices' ability to mine at a small scale, even if it is currently inefficient, is not a good path to start down. Instead of outright abandoning getwork, technical problems should be addressed and fixed. Almost everybody on mainnet uses a pool and not getwork directly to bitcoind, and those who solo mine use a pool server to talk to bitcoind via "getblocktemplate" or other means. This is because attempts to solo mine on mainnet via getwork lead to delays and problems. However, at one time, getwork to bitcoind was widely used. On testnet, getwork has a better chance of continuing to work, but open source pool servers or p2pool are available for testnet, obviating the continued need to support getwork.Jeff Garzik, the proposer of the removal of getwork, wanted to gauge responses and ensure that there was no driving use case remaining of which they were unaware. He is a senior software engineer and open source evangelist at BitPay, Inc. In conclusion, removing getwork from bitcoind could lead Bitcoin towards a monopoly/cartel model by favoring only pool operators and private mining interests. While getwork may not be efficient now, denying the individual novice's ability to mine at a small scale is not a good path to start down. Technical problems with getwork should be addressed and fixed instead of abandoned.
Updated on: 2023-06-07T16:14:56.375208+00:00