Is it time to increase the blocksize cap?

The discussion revolves around the constraints imposed by the 1MB non-witness block size limit on Bitcoin's expansion. The emphasis is placed on the importance of enabling small merchants to independently run their nodes, which is currently hindered by this limitation. This capability is crucial for maintaining a balance of power, specifically as a countermeasure against the dominance of mining pools, thus preserving the decentralized ethos of Bitcoin. The critique extends to the developers' decision-making processes regarding Bitcoin's design and evolution. It questions the assumption that developers inherently know what is best for Bitcoin, suggesting instead that the free market should be the ultimate arbiter in determining the most effective and efficient solutions for the ecosystem. This perspective champions the idea that the dynamics of the free market are better suited at guiding the development and adoption of technologies within Bitcoin, advocating for a more open-ended approach to its scalability and functionality challenges.