I just settled in and viewed this discussion between Jimmy Song and Jameson Lopp regarding Bitcoin ossification. I’m not even sure where to begin in terms of the ridiculousness and flawed “reasoning” behind every point Jimmy presented in this dialogue. Hence, I won’t attempt to cover all aspects; instead, I will concentrate on one particular line of reasoning he articulated.
“Money shouldn’t change, it should be foreseeable.”
He specifically elaborated along these lines concerning “allowing things to develop” in this arena from a technical perspective, implicitly stating that enhancements to Bitcoin “pull the rug out from beneath” current developers who are building projects.
Does Jimmy not comprehend how Bitcoin upgrades function? We have been utilizing soft forks for over a decade specifically to tackle the issue of backwards compatibility. That is, being able to declare with 100% assurance that everything constructed until now will continue to operate in precisely the same manner. All updates to Bitcoin are opt-in; everything that existed beforehand will work perfectly fine and nothing needs to be modified to accommodate new features if a developer or user opts not to.
There is zero technical foundation to Jimmy’s remarks or assertions along these lines whatsoever. New features that enable the creation of new protocols or tools do absolutely nothing to obstruct the ongoing operation of existing systems.
So what is he implying? To me, it essentially seems like an argument for economic protectionism. There is zero threat, risk, or issue posed to existing systems following an upgrade, apart from the possibility that more advanced systems could be developed post-upgrade, and users might opt to utilize those instead. That is the only rational conclusion to be drawn from those statements.
Are we genuinely at the stage where “pro-ossificationists” are advocating for protectionist decision-making regarding current investments in established layers and systems?
Watch for yourself and make your own judgement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUO10-HcdvY
This article is a Take. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
