A recent update to Bitcoin Core aims to address a specific issue on testnet4 by disabling the minimum difficulty rule after block 150,000, an initiative expected to increase block interval times due to a significant reduction in effective hashrate. The community is exploring the potential impacts of this change, with discussions considering further modifications based on feedback, highlighting the collaborative nature of open-source development in the cryptocurrency sphere. Bitcoin Core update
In parallel, a new concept within the Quantum‑Resistant Address Migration Protocol (QRAMP) suggests putting legacy Unspent Transaction Outputs (UTXOs) into a quarantine mode with a two-phase commit and spend flow to secure transactions against quantum attacks. This innovative mechanism, aimed at ensuring post-quantum security without excluding pruned nodes, involves technical challenges, notably in consensus enforcement and user experience, particularly regarding fee sponsorship and the avoidance of historical transaction lookups. The communication includes references to design notes and diagrams to elucidate the proposed solution. QRAMP discussion
Furthermore, the adoption of Nostr for notifying recipients about incoming Silent Payments transactions introduces a privacy-conscious method of informing receivers (Bob) of payments sent by senders (Alice). This approach, leveraging stealth addresses and Nostr, focuses on minimizing the receiver's scanning time while maintaining transaction privacy and security. The discussion emphasizes the development of a notification system that could streamline the payment verification process for Silent Payments, addressing potential challenges such as spam and the accurate provision of tweaks to ensure privacy and ease of use. Silent Payments and Nostr
