Pages:
Author

Topic: Why not fix Bitcoin directly? - page 2. (Read 300 times)

legendary
Activity: 3038
Merit: 4418
Crypto Swap Exchange
July 19, 2021, 02:30:31 AM
#5
You mean fixing on-chain scalability? Increasing the size of the blocks was also proposed before by Roger and CSW group but it was rejected. Instead, Segwit was implemented to help improve network scalability and reducing fees.
Segwit is in effect a block size increase in a manner that ensures older clients are still functional.
I'm not a developer (not even close) but I understand that improving scalability of a blockchain without compromising its security and decentralization will be difficult.
Block size is a tradeoff between security and scalability, with the security factor decreasing as time goes by due to the far more efficient network. It is incorrect to say that we will be far worse off in terms of security and decentralization given a block size increase.

If you want Bitcoin to scale, you need a block size increase in conjunction with a 2nd layer payment network. You have to initiate the channels, in LN with an on-chain transaction and an on-chain transaction to close the channel as well. You cannot accommodate for those without having to increase the block size or make transactions more efficient.

The problem with solely increasing block size alone is that it is not a panacea for the scalability problem. You cannot increase the block size to compete with the next best payment processor. There is a limit till block size becomes excessively large and it won't be feasible to do so then. ECDSA signatures has to occupy that much space in a transaction while data compression is possible, I doubt it would be able to truncate the data to that extent.
legendary
Activity: 1512
Merit: 7340
Farewell, Leo
July 19, 2021, 02:24:58 AM
#4
Why not fix Bitcoin directly?
You mean in the first layer?

The whole scalability problem has been discussed a million times in this forum. If you increase the block size, you'll make people pay less in fees, but hard to retain the decentralization. It turns out that the lightning network is, indeed, the greatest and most practical solution. Instead of fulling all those computers' hard drive with unnecessary transactions, you're just broadcasting the final balance.

Advantages:
  • Better privacy. A blockchain analyzer can't track down your routed transactions.
  • Instant confirmation. (no need to wait for transaction inclusion into a block)
  • Nearly zero fees.
member
Activity: 135
Merit: 16
July 19, 2021, 01:59:31 AM
#3
not that simple. Bitcoin is not just a payment network, nor is it about creating a fast payment channel.
legendary
Activity: 2114
Merit: 1150
https://bitcoincleanup.com/
July 19, 2021, 01:25:00 AM
#2
~ Why not fix Bitcoin directly?
You mean fixing on-chain scalability? Increasing the size of the blocks was also proposed before by Roger and CSW group but it was rejected. Instead, Segwit was implemented to help improve network scalability and reducing fees.

I'm not a developer (not even close) but I understand that improving scalability of a blockchain without compromising its security and decentralization will be difficult.
jr. member
Activity: 59
Merit: 1
July 19, 2021, 12:50:31 AM
#1
When Satoshi Nakamoto first proposed Bitcoin, the first public criticism it received was around its scalability potential. Fast forward to 2021, and according to many supporters and doubters, scalability is still Bitcoin's biggest problem.

However, with the rise of institutional interest and technology, a solution to the above-mentioned problems was proposed, called the Lightning Network.
The Lightning Network solves the scalability of Bitcoin as a secure off-chain settlement. Why not fix Bitcoin directly?
Pages:
Jump to: