Author: Thy Shizzle 2015-03-12 12:59:11
Published on: 2015-03-12T12:59:11+00:00
In a discussion about BIP39, it is clarified that changing the word list does not affect previously generated mnemonics unless rebuilding from entropy. As long as 12 or more words are given to a BIP39 implementation, it will always derive the same seed bytes, independent of any word list.However, the test vectors would need to be regenerated with each word list change. Thomas V suggests adding an integer at the end of a mnemonic for versioning purposes. Neill points out that while word lists do not have to be fixed, arbitrary words are not allowed in implementations. Both agree that a static word list is necessary once people start using BIP39 for real-world applications.They also discuss the pros and cons of bidirectional mapping between words and numbers versus using a hash of the seed phrase to derive the master key. Thomas V criticizes BIP39 for not including a version number in the seed phrase and requiring a fixed word list, which prohibits innovation in the word list itself. He believes BIP39 could have been written without including the word list in the standard.On the other hand, Electrum, a Bitcoin wallet, has launched its version 2.0 which includes a new seed derivation method that is not compatible with BIP39. This means that a 12-word wallet created by Electrum will not work if imported into another wallet that supports BIP39 and vice versa.However, the new method allows for wordlists to be added and modified in the future without breaking existing seed phrases. Additionally, other wallets can support Electrum seedphrases with about 20 lines of code and no wordlist required.In order to support old Electrum v1 seeds, all future versions of Electrum will have to include the old wordlist and avoid collisions with old seed phrases that did not have a version number. Thomas Voegtlin is the creator of Electrum and has expressed his intention to avoid repeating past errors.
Updated on: 2023-06-09T18:15:15.833491+00:00