How long for lightning-network?

[winchancer]

Ive read the great article about its implementation for Bitcoin:
https://bitcoinist.com/bitcoin-lightning-network-is-coming-test-a-transaction-now/

but does someone know when it will be operative?
The amount of unconfirmed transactions are currently klling us...

[Xavofat]

Working wallet implementations - I suspect around 6 months to a year.  You should be able to decide to use the Lightning Network at this point if you choose the right wallet, but there's no guarantee that the wallet you're already using will have implemented it or that the majority of users will be using it.

Working wallet implementations in most major wallets - I suspect around a year to two years.

However, anyone who claims to be able to give you a timeline or be certain about this is incorrect.

[chuckblocker]

pipe dreams

[itsmeram]

It will take a lot of time, and if i am not wrong, a few developers from the lightning network have stopped working on the project, it seems that we are going to need to wait a lot of time until it gets released.
I have been waiting for it for a lot of time. It really needs to be implemented asap.

[paolo099]

ye, sadly it's gonna take a while but this issue should be addressed asap because as now, this is really detrimental for the investors (not the whales because it always rains in the wet), at the moment i have a very old wallet which contain less than the cost of the transaction and there is nothing i can do to move out my dust to another wallet.
Would be a shame to see a project like this dying because of that, people will keep supporting it but small investors will move to a different coin if this will not change soon.

[secondgarlic]

I still haven't found any hard evidence or articles on when lightning network is supposed to be implemented. But this problem has to be addressed relatively quickly because the problems with the transactions are slowly getting out of hand.

[CryptosapienZA]

I doubt we will see anything in the next 12 months. I would expect implementation from 2019, if we are lucky. Remember how long it took to get segwit. And segwit has become a major disappointment. I am pretty sure the same will be for the lightning network. Chances are businesses will not implement it, therefore adoption will take years. Bitcoin is screwed right now but hey lets hang in there. Maybe a miracle will happen.

[aleksej996]

I think that it will take few months at most, as it is very needed and there is a room for profit for whoever makes a LN node.

I doubt we will see anything in the next 12 months. I would expect implementation from 2019, if we are lucky. Remember how long it took to get segwit. And segwit has become a major disappointment. I am pretty sure the same will be for the lightning network. Chances are businesses will not implement it, therefore adoption will take years. Bitcoin is screwed right now but hey lets hang in there. Maybe a miracle will happen.

LN doesn't need a fork like Segwit, protocol is already ready for it. It is only implementation that we are waiting on.
As for segwit, Electrum and some other wallets and exchanges have already implemented it, it is just that many exchanges and Bitcoin Core wallet hasn't yet. I hope they will soon.

[bitart]

I think that it will take few months at most, as it is very needed and there is a room for profit for whoever makes a LN node.

I doubt we will see anything in the next 12 months. I would expect implementation from 2019, if we are lucky. Remember how long it took to get segwit. And segwit has become a major disappointment. I am pretty sure the same will be for the lightning network. Chances are businesses will not implement it, therefore adoption will take years. Bitcoin is screwed right now but hey lets hang in there. Maybe a miracle will happen.

LN doesn't need a fork like Segwit, protocol is already ready for it. It is only implementation that we are waiting on.
As for segwit, Electrum and some other wallets and exchanges have already implemented it, it is just that many exchanges and Bitcoin Core wallet hasn't yet. I hope they will soon.

It's already on testnet, I have tried it yesterday, to buy a blockaccino at Starblocks and paying via the LN...
You can also give it a try, it's really interesting to see this happening. Yalls.org is fine now, but Starblocks has some network error, so if you want success you should avoid the coffe now and head for the articles
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2621873.0