Author: Ross Nicoll 2015-01-19 20:59:16
Published on: 2015-01-19T20:59:16+00:00
The author explains that during the process of modifying BIP70 to function with an altcoin, there was consideration of replacing protocol buffers. However, the conclusion was that while JSON or XML could have been used if they were starting from scratch, there is no clear choice that is better than protocol buffers. Protocol buffers result in a compact data format which is supported by most major languages and has no major drawbacks. The cost to replace the deployed infrastructure for payment protocol at this point is higher than not doing so. If there is ever a major reworking of the standard, it may be worth considering a replacement, but for now, protocol buffers are still the best option. The author also notes that size is a concern when dealing with Bluetooth or NFC, making protocol buffers a more suitable choice. Finally, the author explains that the reason BIP 70 uses protocol buffers is because the original prototype was designed and implemented by someone who used to work at Google and was very familiar with them.
Updated on: 2023-06-09T15:29:08.529839+00:00