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Bitcoin Core 26.0

github.com

21–30 of 55 posts

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#21

I see a lot of resentment here for this software. But it’s perfectly possible to make your own implementation of the bitcoin protocol. Like Luke, who made Knots. And other versions exist too. The real pain comes from the choices in the past to keep bitcoin inclusive. Smaller blocks mean the ability to download and verify on simple cheap hardware. Have a look at ETH, SOL or EOS. What kind of server park do you need to…

It’s actually pretty easy to run Ethereum nodes. Also, statelessness and verkle trees will enable Ethereum to be validated on cell phones eventually. That’s not going to happen with Bitcoin.

Also, funny to see Bitcoiners talk about running censoring client implementations for Ordinals.

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#22
post #17
post #13

I have read the whitepaper and followed discussions about the protocol for quite some time, but never looked into the actual software landscape. Bitcoin Core is a "Node", right? A software you run if you want to have the whole history of all Bitcoin transactions of your own hard drive? Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts?

It's run by anyone who wants to support the consensus mechanism with more decentralization. I run it on my laptop.

I have read that before, that nodes are a force in keeping the Bitcoin ecosystem stick to the rules. But I never understood it.

What does running a node on your laptop achieve? If two parties out there agree to call some roll of toilet paper a "Bitcoin", how will your laptop stop them from doing so? One of the two will hand the other one the roll, the other one will say "Thanks for the Bitcoin" and thats it, right? Why would they send TCP/IP packets to your laptop and ask for permission?

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#23
post #13

I have read the whitepaper and followed discussions about the protocol for quite some time, but never looked into the actual software landscape. Bitcoin Core is a "Node", right? A software you run if you want to have the whole history of all Bitcoin transactions of your own hard drive? Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts?

>Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts?

The idea is that every single user, even Grandma buying groceries, has a full copy of the Blockchain to buy her groceries. So no, it is supposed to be used by everyone. This is the reason why the block size is kept small. If it grows too big it is no longer decentralised.

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#24
post #22
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's run by anyone who wants to support the consensus mechanism with more decentralization. I run it on my laptop.

I have read that before, that nodes are a force in keeping the Bitcoin ecosystem stick to the rules. But I never understood it. What does running a node on your laptop achieve? If two parties out there agree to call some roll of toilet paper a "Bitcoin", how will your laptop stop them from doing so? One of the two will hand the other one the roll, the other one will say "Thanks for the Bitcoin" and thats it, right? W…

You can call an avocado a Dollar, and someone might accept exchanging it for an actual dollar, but try to walk into a shop and pay for your beer with that. That’s what consensus is for.

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#26
post #13

I have read the whitepaper and followed discussions about the protocol for quite some time, but never looked into the actual software landscape. Bitcoin Core is a "Node", right? A software you run if you want to have the whole history of all Bitcoin transactions of your own hard drive? Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts?

>Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts? The idea is that every single user, even Grandma buying groceries, has a full copy of the Blockchain to buy her groceries. So no, it is supposed to be used by everyone. This is the reason why the block size is kept small. If it grows too big it is no longer decentralised.

How is the block size relevant for that? Grandma won't carry around half a terabyte of block chain, and it doesn't help that the blocks are tiny at all.

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#27
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts? The idea is that every single user, even Grandma buying groceries, has a full copy of the Blockchain to buy her groceries. So no, it is supposed to be used by everyone. This is the reason why the block size is kept small. If it grows too big it is no longer decentralised.

How is the block size relevant for that? Grandma won't carry around half a terabyte of block chain, and it doesn't help that the blocks are tiny at all.

Once you've verified the half TB tx history, you can stop carrying it around and just keep the much smaller and fully verified UTXO set of spendable coins, which is all you need to verify future blocks.

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#28

I see a lot of resentment here for this software. But it’s perfectly possible to make your own implementation of the bitcoin protocol. Like Luke, who made Knots. And other versions exist too. The real pain comes from the choices in the past to keep bitcoin inclusive. Smaller blocks mean the ability to download and verify on simple cheap hardware. Have a look at ETH, SOL or EOS. What kind of server park do you need to…

Ethereum's clients (execution and consensus) are only really concerned about a sufficiently fast SSD, more specifically in terms of random IO. Any mid-tier SSD should work though: stick it to a Raspberry Pi (or a Rock 5B) and you'll be validating on a low-power arm board. Or grab a used micro-PC/NUC, as most people running home nodes do.

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#29
post #22
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's run by anyone who wants to support the consensus mechanism with more decentralization. I run it on my laptop.

I have read that before, that nodes are a force in keeping the Bitcoin ecosystem stick to the rules. But I never understood it. What does running a node on your laptop achieve? If two parties out there agree to call some roll of toilet paper a "Bitcoin", how will your laptop stop them from doing so? One of the two will hand the other one the roll, the other one will say "Thanks for the Bitcoin" and thats it, right? W…

[deleted]

Re: Bitcoin Core 26.0

#30
post #13

I have read the whitepaper and followed discussions about the protocol for quite some time, but never looked into the actual software landscape. Bitcoin Core is a "Node", right? A software you run if you want to have the whole history of all Bitcoin transactions of your own hard drive? Therefore I would think it is only used by researchers and analysts?

Your node (or the node you choose to connect to) defines what is bitcoin, according to you.

Everyone gets a vote on what bitcoin is, but the definition of bitcoin that you vote for is that defined by the code running on the node you choose to connect to the network through.

Running your own node let's you speak for yourself. If you connect to someone else's node you're effectively saying "I vote for whatever they're voting for".

The two parties calling toilet roll "bitcoin", are not actually using the bitcoin network. They're using the "toilet roll" network and simply calling it bitcoin. Their transaction would not appear on my node, or the vast majority of any other bitcoin nodes and therefore it's not bitcoin by consensus.

If you don't run your own node, you're trusting that the node you're connecting to isn't actually running the "toilet roll" network and you didn't just sell your car for a 6 pack of Andrex. With Bitcoin you never have to trust - you are always able to (and encouraged to) verify, and this is what running your own node allows: verification, with no trust required.

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