Skip to main content

Bitcoin Fork Watch: News & Guides for the Coming Bitcoin Cash Split

An unknown number of bitcoin users and miners have split off from the main network and are now attempting to start a new blockchain called Bitcoin Cash.
At press time, it seems the effort may be struggling to attract miners, as the bitcoin blockchain is now five blocks ahead of the Bitcoin Cash blockchain, which has yet to produce a block and create a new cryptocurrency. The development has set off a wave of new commentary.
“It's likely going to take at least several hours,” tweeted BitGo engineer Jameson Lopp.
Bloq CEO Jeff Garzik, who's backing a rival scaling proposal mentioned that since Bitcoin Cash has about 1% of the computing power that the main bitcoin network has, it might even take 24 hours to mine a new block.
The comments add notable context to the current conversation on whether the effort to fork the bitcoin blockchain should be considered a success – or if it will even occur at all.
The bitcoin protocol could see its first major fork on August 1.
That's when, if miners stand by their word, the network will see the creation of Bitcoin Cash – a new cryptocurrency backed by a version of the blockchain that boasts a unique technical roadmap.
Not only will Bitcoin Cash tweak the protocol to increase the block size, but it will reject code proposed by bitcoin's developers that would seek to improve scalability and reduce the necessity of this metric in achieving capacity in the future.
But while at odds with the businesses and developers that have largely embraced the Segwit2x proposal (or SegWit itself), supporters have high expectations for the project, which they've largely cloaked in terminology that suggests it will mark a return to the project's roots.
"Ninety years ago, the same day, there was a revolution in China. Now today we have another revolution," said one excited supporter in a project WeChat group.
Said another:
"The dream of a peer-to-peer digital cash for all the people restarts in a few hours."
Lofty ambitions aside, the bitcoin fork could end up impacting users and businessesincreasing market volatilityand leading to consumer and media confusion.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bitcoin in Africa: Insights from the Continent’s Biggest Bitcoin Exchange

Isn’t it absurd that nearly 326 million people representing 80% of the adult population in Africa do not have access to bank accounts? This wretched situation denies countless of people financial freedom in the so-called dark continent. Bureaucratic tenors and economic exclusion inter alia have paved the way for the current phenomenon. Last year a study of 10 African nations with unusual inflationary ratio had South Sudan registering an unimaginable inflation rate of 295 percent. Egypt had the slightest with 12.30 percent. African governments continue to plunder the riches of the African people through Inflation. This makes it considerably insurmountable for individuals to conserve their resources. Moreover, public sector borrowing has crowded out the efficient private sector that can put credit to good use. The IMF estimates that averagely credit to the private sector is estimated at 30 percent of GDP in Sub-Sahara Africa. CCN spoke to Werner van Rooyen, Head of Business Develo...

WANT TO BUY BITCOIN IN SOUTH AFRICA , KENYA, UGANDA, NIGERIA, GHANA OR OTHER COUNTRIES IN AFRICA? SIMPLE.

With the growing awareness around Africa of bitcoin as a crypto-currency, a means of remittance and a creator of  wealth, more and more people in more and more countries are looking to buy it, and asking how and where they can buy it. Purchasing bitcoin is simple. Simply go online and do a search for “Buying and selling bitcoin in South Africa ““Buying and selling bitcoin in Kenya “Buying and selling bitcoin in Uganda ““Buying and selling bitcoin in Nigeria “ or  “Buying and selling bitcoin in Ghana“ – you get the idea.   To help you though:   In South Africa, three of the most common (and trusted) platforms are: www.localbitcoins.com www.luno.com www.bitx.co In Kenya, the most common (and trusted) platforms) are: www.localbitcoins.com www.bitpesa.co whilst other platforms include: www.altcoins.io www.99bitcoins.com In Uganda, the most common (and trusted) platforms) are: www.localbitcoins.com www.bitpesa.co whilst other platforms incl...

Why Bitcoin Costs Nearly Twice as Much in Zimbabwe as the Rest of the World Right Now

In Zimbabwe, a country where hyperinflation led to $1 being worth 35 quadrillion Zimbabwean dollars , the relative security of cryptocurrency already came at a premium. The recent military takeover of the capital – which generals insist is not a coup – has made made the problem even worse. Bitcoin prices have risen 10% to $13,499 on Golix, the troubled nation’s only cryptocurrency exchange. That figure is nearly twice the $7,000 Bitcoin price on U.S.-based exchanges such as Bitfinex. The surge has been fueled by Zimbabwean investors seeking a safe haven from domestic banks amid the country’s ongoing political, financial and monetary woes. While Zimbabwe once had its own currency, it began using a mix of currencies from stable economies including the U.S. dollar in 2009 after hyperinflation made its own note nearly worthless .   But, as the country’s political situation has worsened, Zimbabweans have continued to hoard money and park it in assets such as Bitcoin — a move t...