Timed Retarget

[Gamesfreak13563]

Why don't Altcoins have a timer that ticks down? If blocks aren't solved after 150-200% target time, it immediately lowers difficulty some arbitrary percentage.

It seems like a major weakness. Imagine a power grid failure and most miners in North America can't mine. Will the rest of the world have to just sit there while they cant have their speedy transactions?

[🏰 TradeFortress 🏰]

That's how it works on testnet. IIRC difficulty goes back to 1 after X hours.

[Gamesfreak13563]

That's how it works on testnet. IIRC difficulty goes back to 1 after X hours.

I think it should be more gradual, not an immediate drop to one.

[mr_right]

20 min

[oroqen]

Why don't Altcoins have a timer that ticks down? If blocks aren't solved after 150-200% target time, it immediately lowers difficulty some arbitrary percentage.

It seems like a major weakness. Imagine a power grid failure and most miners in North America can't mine. Will the rest of the world have to just sit there while they cant have their speedy transactions?

I'd be more worried about the nukes/*insert any apocalypse here* used to knock out that many power grids across NA

[DeathAndTaxes]

Who's time?  Time in a decentralized network isn't deterministic.

Say x minutes pass so some nodes lower difficulty and one finds a block however due to differences in clocks some nodes believe it has been < x minutes. 

HARD FORK TIME.  Some nodes believe the lower difficulty block is valid and some believe it isn't.  There is no resolution possible.

[🏰 TradeFortress 🏰]

Who's time?  Time in a decentralized network isn't deterministic.

Say x minutes pass so some nodes lower difficulty and one finds a block however due to differences in clocks some nodes believe it has been < x minutes. 

HARD FORK TIME.  Some nodes believe the lower difficulty block is valid and some believe it isn't.  There is no resolution possible.

Bitcoin already has the concept of time. I think there is a 1440 minute time acceptance window.

[VelvetLeaf]

Who's time?  Time in a decentralized network isn't deterministic.

Say x minutes pass so some nodes lower difficulty and one finds a block however due to differences in clocks some nodes believe it has been < x minutes. 

HARD FORK TIME.  Some nodes believe the lower difficulty block is valid and some believe it isn't.  There is no resolution possible.

Hard fork time ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem