Author: Gregory Maxwell 2019-03-13 00:54:23
Published on: 2019-03-13T00:54:23+00:00
A recent discussion on bitcoin-dev mailing list centered around the purpose of making a tx type like OP_CODESEPARATOR non-standard. The argument was that making it infeasible to abuse without miner assistance greatly reduces the risk they create. However, some questioned the need for indefinite support of such oddball features if they are hard to use/mine.The discussion then turned towards the question of whether existing transactions rely on OP_CODESEPARATOR and what harms continued support could bring. While it is possible that some transactions do depend on it, taking a principled position that strongly avoids confiscating user funds is essential. This will prevent a situation where people demand human intervention to restore improperly lost funds.It was noted that most other cryptocurrencies proceed without such caution or care, but Bitcoin should not be held to their standard. While extensive research has unearthed zero users relying on Codeseperator, the arguments for and against its continued support have enough merit to warrant further discussion. All things considered, Codeseperator and its related costs are not an especially severe problem.
Updated on: 2023-05-20T19:56:24.790657+00:00