Author: Peter Vessenes 2013-05-19 15:08:59
Published on: 2013-05-19T15:08:59+00:00
In a discussion on the Bitcoin-development mailing list in May 2013, Adam Back raised the question of whether there was a way to experiment with new features without involving an altcoin or posing a security and testing risk to Bitcoin main. He suggested a system called “bitcoin-staging” that would be merge-mined with Bitcoin, where coins on both chains are the same, but no native mining occurs. Users could exchange their Bitcoins for “beta BTC” on bitcoin-staging as a way to support development. This setup might be less risky to the main Bitcoin network and allow for faster progress on new features. Back also proposed that Bitcoin could cherry-pick interesting patches from this system after extensive real-world validation with real-money at stake by early adopters.
Updated on: 2023-06-06T17:13:42.842644+00:00