+1 my client is stuck "Connecting to peers...", I've tried copying over blocks from before the fork but I couldn't get that to work. To those that have modified the "configuration file" which file are you talking about exactly and what did you do?

Thank you for the informative replies. I think that the consensus rules changing so frequently and that hard forks are possible isn't good for Bitcoin.

If Bitcoin Cash now gains momentum, gains more CPU power, it will undermine Bitcoin. Then Bitcoin Cash won't get respect because the whole thing can repeat again and again and again...

Are there any cryptocurrencies where the consensus rules are fixed from the start and can never be changed?

Very informative, so,

If multiple node/mining types can support Bitcoin how do these same types then also support different currencies, e.g. Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Unlimited, along with Bitcoin?

If Bitcoin isn't a democracy then is it exposed if one entity controls >50% of node/mining CPU power + the developers of the leading node/software type e.g. Bitcoin Core. Maybe the entity could implement whatever protocol changes/consensus rules it wants?

It seems after all coins are mined then transaction fees will be the only motivational force for mining.

Hello, I'm a novice but the upcoming fork has made me curious about bitcoin.

Why isn't bitcoin called bitcoin core? Or maybe another way of asking this is, if another type of node becomes the supermajority does that node type become "bitcoin"?

After all bitcoins are mined who will the power lie with (for voting on protocol changes)? I can potentially see how nodes will vote for increasing the no. of bitcoins and keeping higher fees while users would want fixed no. of bitcoins and lower fees. If >50% of nodes are one "entity" and the nodes have the power then that is far from decentralised.

At the moment anyone can pick their type of node/mining, but what about after all the bitcoins are mined?

I hope these questions make sense, it's quite likely I'm looking at it all in the wrong way, so I'm open to having my perspective shifted (radically).

Thanks, tarr