https://github.com/bitcoinclassic/documentation/blob/master/roadmap/roadmap2016.md#bitcoin-classic-2016-roadmapNote: This is our initial roadmap proposal. We will run this by miners, companies and users for feedback, before it is finalized.
Bitcoin Classic 2016 Roadmap
The Bitcoin Classic team will help realize Satoshi’s vision of making Bitcoin scale into a global peer to peer cash system, and not just a settlement network. We believe on-chain scaling is crucial for the long term health of Bitcoin. On-chain scaling maximizes transaction volume, whose fees are needed to replace miner rewards on the medium to long term scale.
Our preferred strategy for on-chain scaling, is to eliminate the need for blocks to be synced within seconds. We will implement solutions that make continuous block syncing possible. Instead of transmitting the data for a new block all at once when it is found, we can significantly optimize current bandwidth by sending data during the full ten-minute interval between blocks. This will enable the Bitcoin network to scale to significant new levels, without endangering decentralization. We will scale using a 3-pronged approach:
Phase 1 (Q1-Q2)
Urgently resolve issue of blocks being almost full
Implement BIP 109: Raise block size limit from 1MB to 2MB.
Hard fork with 75% activation threshold (750 of 1000 blocks), 28 day activation grace period.
Software based on Bitcoin Core implementation 0.11.2 and 0.12.0.
Note: 0.11.2 is already finished and available for download here.
Phase 2 (Q2-Q3)
Eliminate the need for blocks to be sent within seconds
Reduce the effect of block propagation times on orphan rates (lost miner income)
De-emphasize block size as an obstacle for scaling and open up potential for on-chain transaction throughput gains using several improvements (listed below).
Optimizations for bandwidth constrained nodes via improvements to the P2P layer
Note: We intend to discuss various solutions such as the ones listed below and pick the best ones.
Parallel validation of blocks (theoretically reduces the profitability of excessive-sized block attacks).
Headers-first mining (largely nullifies excessive-sized block attacks).
Thin blocks: Blocks refer to transactions that have been well propagated rather than including them, allowing for minimization of bandwidth use.
Weak blocks: allow miners to pre-announce the blocks they are working on, to minimize the data sent once a block is found.
Validate Once: Transactions that have been validated when entering a node’s memory pool do not need to be revalidated when included in a block (speeds up block validation).
Phase 3 (Q3-Q4)
Make the block size limit dynamic
Note: This phase will only happen when miners & companies confirm Phase 2 successfully addressed their blocksize concerns.
Use a variation of Steven Pair’s/BitPay proposal. Validation cost of a block must be less than a small multiple of the average cost over the last difficulty adjustment period
Simplified version of Segregated Witness from Core, when it is available
Technical details
A more technical version of the roadmap can be found here
Conference
We plan to hold an on-chain scaling conference soon, where these and future scaling solutions & concerns can be discussed among the community.
