The outcome of this debate could reshape Bitcoin's protocol policy on non-financial on-chain data, affecting node operators, miner behavior, and long-term decentralization and upgrade governance. Decisions around Core v30 will influence developer consensus, ecosystem tooling, and the boundaries between consensus rules and policy.
At the Bitcoin Halving Party 2024 in El Salvador, the host convened a live discussion with Bitcoin developers and thinkers—including Adam Back and Jimmy Song—to debate the controversy over Bitcoin Core version 30. The conversation traced the dispute to long-running tensions over on-chain data (spam) and the evolution of op_return, highlighting differences between policy and consensus rules, miner incentives, and three emerging camps: developers, miners/spammers, and node operators. Speakers reviewed historical precedents from 2010–2014 and outlined technical and social risks, including potential centralization and tactical missteps reminiscent of past fork disputes. The session is the first of several planned panels to present pro-Core and pro-
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