delvingbitcoin

[Meta] On consensus changes in bitcoin 2024

[Meta] On consensus changes in bitcoin 2024

Original Postby ursuscamp

Posted on: January 1, 2024 22:15 UTC

The discourse in the programming community has highlighted a notable concern regarding the absence of clarity in the decision-making process, particularly relating to Bitcoin and its development.

The decentralized nature of Bitcoin, while being one of its strengths, has led to a situation where there is no single leader to guide its evolution. This has resulted in the community seeking a structured process for implementing consensus changes within Bitcoin Core. The current state of debate, often taking place on platforms like Twitter, is not seen as an effective method for reaching decisions or moving forward.

There is a curiosity among members of the community about the stance of Bitcoin Core maintainers concerning the criteria used for integrating changes that require consensus. Specifically, questions have arisen surrounding rumors that developers, such as Jeremy Rubin, have been advised to activate new consensus features outside of the Core before they can be considered for inclusion. Clarity on this issue is sought, as it directly impacts the development workflow and the future trajectory of Bitcoin's codebase. Furthermore, inquiries have been made about whether there have been any official statements or public positions declared by the Core maintainers regarding this rumored policy.

It is evident that the community is calling for transparency and a defined protocol for how changes are proposed, tested, and ultimately merged into Bitcoin Core, especially when those changes pertain to the consensus-critical parts of the software.