Author: Mike Hearn 2013-06-20 10:50:28
Published on: 2013-06-20T10:50:28+00:00
The Bitcoin protocol has always had a variable number of fields in its version messages, but there is debate over whether or not this should change. Some argue that it would be beneficial to have the version indicate which fields are present in order to simplify parsing. Others believe that keeping the number of fields flexible adds flexibility for future changes and costs nothing. However, some point out that relying on quirks and assumptions in the code is bad form and sloppy coding, and that optional fields should have their own mechanism to remain optional between protocol version upgrades. Additionally, there are concerns about truncated messages and the need to handle them, even if Bitcoin-Qt were to start sending the new field with a new version number. Despite this, many believe that changing the protocol version number from 70001 to 70002 is not a big deal and would not cause any problems, as there is no risk of running out of integers.
Updated on: 2023-06-06T19:11:17.810349+00:00