Bitcoin (BTC) developer and supporter Jimmy Song denounced the Bitcoin Core developer’s decision to remove the OP_RETURN limit for non-monetary data built into the Bitcoin blockchain for Bitcoin Core 30 upgrades, calling it the “FIAT” mentality.
Song accused users of deviating concerns about removing the Op_return limit, which is now 80 bytes in size, of distracting users’ concerns and ignoring significant pushbacks from the Bitcoin community and node runners. He said:
“Because of the idea that spam is difficult to define, and this ambiguity, we shouldn’t make a distinction in software at all, but wasting time from Fiat politics pretending you don’t know what’s obvious.
We can debate whether it is desirable or not, but saying that we cannot define it is a deadlocked tactic to avoid real discussions about the actual effects, especially the long-term effects of this change,” the song continued.
The Op_return debate has intensified for nearly six months, reminiscent of the Bitcoin block-sized wars that took place between 2015 and 2017, and ultimately led to a hard fork of the Bitcoin protocol that produced Bitcoin cash (BCH), leading to parts of the Bitcoin community speculating whether op_return Wars would lead to similar splits.
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Node Runners step into Bitcoin Knot in the Historic Exodus Book of Exodus and vote
With Bitcoin Core Devs’ decision to unilaterally blow the Op_return data limit, the Bitcoin community split the record numbers of the Bitcoin Node Runner and driven it to Bitcoin Knot, an alternative implementation of the Bitcoin Node software.
This surge in nodes running Bitcoin Knot, which accounts for around 20% of the network, represents an almost vertical leap in just nine months, compared to about 1% in 2024.
Knots allow node runners to enforce strict data size restrictions. This is a supporter who argues that it is necessary to maintain decentralization of the Bitcoin protocol.
Bitcoin Ledger has generated around 680 gigabytes of data since the launch of the decentralized protocol in 2009, thanks to Bitcoin’s simple architecture and strict data restrictions.
Bitcoin’s low data storage requirements allow nodes to run for $300 on retail computer hardware, democratizing access and ensuring maximum decentralization.
For comparison, high-throughput blockchain networks and smart contract platforms that generate far more data cost tens of thousands of dollars, can operate and require specialized commercial hardware.
Robust hardware requirements lead to increased centralization of blockchain protocols and increased risk that some nodes can change consensus rules or reverse transactions.
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