SATAOSHI ASCII FDF%F%F%

[dr10101]

I'm delving into the historical aspects of Bitcoin's development, particularly the encoding methods used in the early .dat files created by Satoshi Nakamoto. My focus is on understanding the specific patterns and encoding schemes employed in these foundational stages, specifically the use of uppercase hex letters for blockchain data representation and two distinct patterns: "FD FE FF" and "F%F%F%".

"FD FE FF" Encoding: I understand that these sequences are related to varint encoding, with each prefix indicating the byte length of the subsequent integer ("FD" for 2-byte, "FE" for 4-byte, and "FF" for 8-byte integers). This compact representation method is fascinating, and I'm eager to learn more about its application and technical details within the Bitcoin blockchain data structure.

"F%F%F%" Pattern: This pattern is less clear to me. It does not seem to align with standard hexadecimal notation or Bitcoin's varint encoding principles. Could someone shed light on the use and translation of "F%" in the early Bitcoin code or data formatting? Is this a custom encoding method, or does it have a specific application that is not widely documented?

I'm looking for documents, discussions, or any form of literature that might explain the rationale, usage, and technical specifics of these patterns, especially the elusive "F%F%F%". Insights into Satoshi's encoding choices or references to discussions in early forums or code comments would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you for your time and expertise. I'm looking forward to deepening my understanding of Bitcoin's technical history with your help.

[1714751351]

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[pooya87]

There is https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Protocol_documentation#Variable_length_integer regarding documentation for compact size integers inside Bitcoin protocol. You may also find it interesting that in Bitcoin signatures we use DER encoding and if you read into the X.690 standard specifying ASN.1 encoding formats, you can see some similarities between the Tag Length Value (TLV) form and what we do in Bitcoin (the LV part) and the way Lengths are encoded in DER is a similar concept to compact ints in Bitcoin.

[dr10101]

l have to delve deeper into the Bitcoin protocol documentation and the X.690 standard to understand the intricacies of Bitcoin's encoding schemes further. I did know about DER encoding but even with this I haven't yet been able to understand the use of F% yet.

thx

Bitcoin Protocol Documentation:

In the context of the Bitcoin protocol, the hexadecimal notation is extensively used for representing binary data, particularly for transaction ids, block hashes, and script values. The symbol "%", however, does not have a standard or documented use within the Bitcoin protocol's official documentation. The protocol primarily focuses on binary data representation, cryptographic operations, and network message formats, where data is typically encoded in hexadecimal for readability and compactness. There's no inherent function or recognized encoding pattern that directly involves the "%" symbol as part of the core protocol documentation.
X.690 Standard (ASN.1 and DER Encoding):

The X.690 standard, which details the rules for DER (Distinguished Encoding Rules) as part of ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One), is concerned with the encoding of data structures for secure and efficient transmission. This standard specifies a binary format for encoding data structures that include various data types. While it uses a comprehensive approach to data representation, including the specification of types, lengths, and values (TLV), the "%" symbol does not play a role in the syntax or encoding schemes described by the X.690 standard. The standard focuses on binary and hexadecimal representations for encoding and does not utilize the "%" symbol as part of its specified encoding formats.
The "%" symbol is commonly used in programming and data formats for purposes such as URL encoding (percent-encoding) or as a placeholder in string formatting operations across various programming languages. However, it is not a standard symbol within the hexadecimal notation system nor is it a recognized part of the encoding schemes in the Bitcoin protocol or the DER encoding rules specified by the X.690 standard.


so basically "%" is not used in Bitcoin, but I know it once was, so the question remains open.

[DannyHamilton]

so basically "%" is not used in Bitcoin, but I know it once was, so the question remains open.

Can you provide an example? Perhaps link to the code in Github? I'm not sure what % use you're referring to.

[NotATether]

"F%F%F%" Pattern: This pattern is less clear to me. It does not seem to align with standard hexadecimal notation or Bitcoin's varint encoding principles. Could someone shed light on the use and translation of "F%" in the early Bitcoin code or data formatting? Is this a custom encoding method, or does it have a specific application that is not widely documented?

Are you referring to output formatting by any chance?

specifier   Output   Example
...
F   Decimal floating point, uppercase   392.65