Author: Dr Adam Back 2015-06-19 09:22:35
Published on: 2015-06-19T09:22:35+00:00
In a discussion about potential ways to improve Bitcoin, Adam Back suggests that sidechains could be used as a means to test beta features and novel ideas on the network with economic incentives. He notes that while consensus-critical coding security is complex and high-risk, sidechains would allow for cautious and incremental deployment of changes. Back emphasizes that sidechains are non-coercive and do not directly change Bitcoin, but rather allow people to use whichever chain suits their needs best. This approach would also avoid the "one-size-fits-all" problem. Eric Lombrozo adds that maintenance of source code repositories is not the real issue, but rather the forking of a cryptoledger. He notes that while open-source repositories are meant to be forked, there are currently no mechanisms in place to support merging of forked cryptoledgers. Lombrozo argues that trying to unilaterally impose a change of consensus rules for an existing cryptoledger sets a horrendous precedent, as it would undermine the entire value of decentralized cryptoledgers.
Updated on: 2023-06-09T23:37:38.307688+00:00