Block Size Debate Analogy / Workaround: Bitcoin is Like Windows 3.11

Block Size Debate Analogy / Workaround: Bitcoin is Like Windows 3.11
2015-06-27 17:36 ` Bernd Jendrissek
  
From: will binns @ 2015-06-27 15:09 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: bitcoin-dev


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Hello all, I wanted to add another analogy here to this block size
debate, in case helpful. I understand some may not see it this way, so
apologies in advance if it ruffles anyone's feathers. In some ways,
however, to me at least - Bitcoin is like Windows 3.11. Before Bitcoin
everything was DOS - something completely disruptive and good for
society has come into the computing space that exponentially improves
upon almost everything in the space that existed before it. Now there is
a huge debate about if there should ever be a Windows 95, XP, Pro, etc.,
that scales better and makes advances over time, but doesn’t support
facets of older versions as it gets updated.  What will happen to 3.11
users/developers/etc. who don't upgrade that have money and/or important
tech tied into the 3.11 platform? Should it just be Windows 3.11 forever
except with better programs that continue to be built to run on it? Or,
should we agree to only change it if 100% of Windows users or Windows
developers agree on upgrading?

Regardless of what side we all stand on, I just want to point out that
this mailing list is full of incredibly brilliant minds leading the
charge into perhaps one of the greatest technical achievements in recent
decades. Maybe it would be a good idea for each side of the issue here
to democratically appoint a developer representative, and then allow the
representatives to achieve a framework and hammer out the details of the
solution together?

Hope you all have nice weekends,
Will

-- 
// will binns
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2015-06-27 15:09 [bitcoin-dev] Block Size Debate Analogy / Workaround: Bitcoin is Like Windows 3.11 will binns

  
From: Bernd Jendrissek @ 2015-06-27 17:36 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: will binns;  bitcoin-dev

> In some ways, however, to me at
> least - Bitcoin is like Windows 3.11.
[...]
> Now there is a huge debate about if there
> should ever be a Windows 95, XP, Pro, etc., that scales better and makes
> advances over time, but doesn’t support facets of older versions as it gets
> updated.

I like your analogy for how it frames blockchain compatibility in
terms of the backward compatibility that hopefully most
computer-literate people already understand, but there's a key
ingredient missing.

It's as if, if everyone in the world did somehow upgrade to Windows
95, it would become forever impossible to take a program written *on*
Windows 95 but *for* Windows 3.11, and successfully run it on a
Windows 3.11 computer. It would be as if cross-compilers from Windows
95 to Windows 3.11 didn't, and couldn't, exist. Any coins that have
post-hardfork coinbase outputs anywhere in their tree of inputs (a
Windows 3.11 program, that's written on a computer that has ever run a
Windows 95 program) can never be spent on the no-change side of the
fork.


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