Author: Jeff Garzik 2014-02-24 17:10:26
Published on: 2014-02-24T17:10:26+00:00
Jeff Garzik, a Bitcoin core developer, posted an update on the forthcoming 0.9 release that includes a change to make OP_RETURN standard, which permits a small amount of metadata to be attached to a transaction. This change has caused controversy as some issues, perceptions, and questions have arisen. One commonly asked question is why 80 bytes of data are required, and the answer is due to 2x SHA256 or 1x SHA512, plus some tiny bit of metadata. Jeff believes that regular transactions should have the ability to include some metadata. Another issue discussed was the endorsement of chain data storage. Jeff clarified that this is not an endorsement of data storage in the chain but a way to make data less damaging. Jeff suggested having a release note to this effect in the 0.9 release announcement. Finally, Jeff invited feedback regarding this change and encouraged people to keep sending their feedback. The pull request reduces the size to 40 bytes, and the discussion is ongoing.
Updated on: 2023-06-08T03:20:07.642561+00:00