EB94 – Gavin Andresen: On The Blocksize And Bitcoin's Governance

[Denker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8l11q9hsJM

As the debate about the blocksize continues to roar through the Bitcoin community, Gavin Andresen joins us to take a step back and ask the big questions: How should these decisions be made in the first place? What does the governance of Bitcoin look like now and what do we want it to look like in the future?

In a challenging time for Bitcoin, it's a critical discussion to have with the Chief Scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation and successor of Satoshi. We cover everything from the current blocksize debate to the nature of forks to how decisions will be made in Bitcoin XT.

Topics covered included:
- MIT Digital Currency Initiative
- The way Gavin thinks about Bitcoin
- How were decisions made throughout Bitcoin's history
- What the Nakamoto/market consensus is
- Forking the software vs a fork of the blockchain
- Who should make decisions in Bitcoin and how the interest of different stakeholders should be reconciled
- Why the desirable state is to move towards many different implementations
- How decisions will be made for the Bitcoin XT code base

[Meuh6879]

Remark : they don't know peripheric microphone .... ?  

[hdbuck]

Bitcoin doesn't need governance: Bitcoin is governance.

PS: Ph0rk you Gavin!

[brg444]

Bitcoin doesn't need governance: Bitcoin is governance.

PS: Ph0rk you Gavin!

Lessons in propaganda: teaching the controversy.

"This is not about the block size but really about Bitcoin governance. It doesn't suit populist interests and we should change it!"

[Mickeyb]

Bitcoin doesn't need governance: Bitcoin is governance.

PS: Ph0rk you Gavin!

Lessons in propaganda: teaching the controversy.

"This is not about the block size but really about Bitcoin governance. It doesn't suit populist interests and we should change it!"

Hmmm, interesting how people must politicize everything, to satisfy their egos and make themselves feel good and important, even though the things they are trying to politicize weren't meant to get politicized and we're invented exactly to fight against this politicization.

[Iman E. Vilsok]

I'll tell you one thing:  That French guy in the advertisement needs to be popping that zit.  The thing is trophy class!

If he put the event on youtube he could probably make more in views than he could from running that wallet service thing he's got going.

[knight22]

That was a great interview. A lot of good point have been made. Worth watching.

[Peter R]

That was a great interview. A lot of good point have been made. Worth watching.

I was happy to hear Gavin say that he wants to "get to the point where there will be multiple robust implementations of the core protocol."  Based on the opposition I've received here to similar ideas I've proposed, I thought that perhaps I was missing something.  I'm more confident now that I'm not.  We need to decentralize development.  

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

More info on the idea: http://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2015-September/010802.html

[mercistheman]

Can we just ask the simple question of how does BIP or XT effect the average holder?... we can't all afford to spend the time analyzing alternatives.

[knight22]

Can we just ask the simple question of how does BIP or XT effect the average holder?... we can't all afford to spend the time analyzing alternatives.

It doesn't. The average users really don't have to matter.

[dopecoindude]

Can we just ask the simple question of how does BIP or XT effect the average holder?... we can't all afford to spend the time analyzing alternatives.

It doesn't. The average users really don't have to matter.

I agree with what you just said there. Very true.

[Envrin]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

[knight22]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

Alt-clients =! alt-coins

There is a distinction.

[brg444]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

Alt-clients =! alt-coins

There is a distinction.

Alt-client =! Bitcoin XT

There is a distinction.

[knight22]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

Alt-clients =! alt-coins

There is a distinction.

Alt-client =! Bitcoin XT

There is a distinction.

Nope, my bitcoin XT is compatible with your bitcoin Core. We can send bitcoins to each others.

Otherwise in which category you would put XT?

[brg444]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

Alt-clients =! alt-coins

There is a distinction.

Alt-client =! Bitcoin XT

There is a distinction.

Nope, my bitcoin XT is compatible with your bitcoin Core. We can send bitcoins to each others.

Otherwise in which category you would put XT?

XT is attempting to fork the network and change the consensus rules. It is no longer simply "just another implementation".

[knight22]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

Alt-clients =! alt-coins

There is a distinction.

Alt-client =! Bitcoin XT

There is a distinction.

Nope, my bitcoin XT is compatible with your bitcoin Core. We can send bitcoins to each others.

Otherwise in which category you would put XT?

XT is attempting to fork the network and change the consensus rules. It is no longer simply "just another implementation".

Which won't before getting consensus. Meanwhile it's just an alt-client.

[brg444]

This gave me a new talking point: "Let's kill Bitcoin Core and allow the green shoots of a garden of new implementations to grow from its fertile ashes"

We have those.  They're called alt-coins, and they all suck.

Not to mention, they're all based off Bitcoin Core code.

Alt-clients =! alt-coins

There is a distinction.

Alt-client =! Bitcoin XT

There is a distinction.

Nope, my bitcoin XT is compatible with your bitcoin Core. We can send bitcoins to each others.

Otherwise in which category you would put XT?

XT is attempting to fork the network and change the consensus rules. It is no longer simply "just another implementation".

Which won't before getting consensus. Meanwhile it's just an alt-client.

Shall we pretend that anyone pushing for the adoption of Bitcoin XT is not diverging from consensus? That their support of this implementation could not lead to the creation of an alt coin and that therefore they already support an altcoin, and not Bitcoin, by association?

[Envrin]

Which won't before getting consensus. Meanwhile it's just an alt-client.

No, it's not an alt-client.  Electrum, or Multibit or MyCelium or Synala or BitWasp are alt-clients.  They all still follow the Bitcoin protocol.

XT on the other hand is creating their own blockchain, hence it's an alt-coin.

[tadakaluri]

Bitcoin, however, is a peer-to-peer IT community, so the process of problem-solving involves a lot more email shouting, forum harrumphing, social media trolling, barista bating and generally singeing each other’s ironic Edwardian beards.