Author: Matt Corallo 2021-02-18 14:42:58
Published on: 2021-02-18T14:42:58+00:00
A recent discussion on the Bitcoin-dev mailing list has raised concerns about the possibility of chain splits in softforks, especially during activations. While some participants acknowledged the inherent risks, others argued that upgrades such as Taproot greatly benefit Bitcoin and that risk has been minimized for Taproot.The debate also touched on whether LOT should be set to true or false during the activation mechanism. Some argued that LOT=false offers more clarity and removes the need for coordinated or uncoordinated community UASF efforts, while others favored LOT=true. Discussions on the arguments for both options were held in a recent Taproot activation meeting, which was open to all. Although there was no overwhelming consensus, more opposition was expressed against LOT=true than for LOT=false.Michael Folkson believes that if parameters are proposed to the community, the only viable option is to propose LOT=false, but acknowledges that others may disagree. ZmnSCPxj suggested having a release that requires a `taprootlot=1` or `taprootlot=0` and refuses to start if the parameter is not set.However, there is a possibility that if LOT=true is released, only a few people may begin running it while everyone else delays their upgrade, resulting in a wasted year of waiting and potentially causing a network split down the middle. The speaker prefers not to activate anything at all than risk splitting the network.The activation mechanism is like any other consensus change and can be contentious. Discussions have occurred, and code reviews are scheduled for February 23rd on the IRC channel ##taproot-activation. The speaker recommends that LOT=false be set in protocol implementations such as Bitcoin Core, asserting that mining pools' support for Taproot is not enough because secure systems are built to minimize trust in any human actors.In an open consensus system, discussion is healthy, and it's essential to prepare for bad or worst-case scenarios in advance.
Updated on: 2023-05-21T00:54:24.939484+00:00