Simon Ng Over the course of the past decade, Luke Dashjr has emerged as a significant figure in the realm of Bitcoin development and the ecosystem’s open-source software. Recently, his outspoken opposition to certain trends within the Bitcoin community has garnered increased attention. Dashjr has voiced concerns about Ordinal inscriptions and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Bitcoin platform, viewing them as detrimental to the protocol and akin to spam. He believes that such issues were effectively addressed back in 2014. Notably, Dashjr has also suggested the possibility of Antpool utilizing covert ASIC Boost techniques. Furthermore, he has raised the intriguing notion that the CryptokenTop.community possesses the ability to oust miners by implementing a different Proof-of-Work (PoW) algorithm.
Luke Dashjr’s Remarks on Miners’ Ousting and Covert ASIC Boost Usage
In recent weeks, Luke Dashjr, a prominent Bitcoin Core contributor and the mastermind behind Bitcoin Knots, has been notably vocal. His Ocean Mining pool recently made headlines for filtering specific transactions, including Ordinal inscriptions, BRC20 tokens, and coinjoin-related transfers. On December 17th, during a discussion regarding the utilization of .sats domains among Ordinal enthusiasts, Dashjr made a striking comment: “Hopefully enough of you scammers will be in jail by ’26 so we never have to worry about you again.”
This comment took an individual by surprise, who responded with, “Wow. Okay. I have never talked to you before nor done you any harm. What’s your problem?” Dashjr’s response was unequivocal: “Scamming in the name of Bitcoin literally harms everyone on the planet.” In another exchange, Dashjr engaged with Adam Back, who had asserted that attempting to halt Ordinals was futile, likening it to trying to stop JPEGs on Bitcoin. Dashjr elaborated on his position within Back’s discussion thread alongside other participants.
During a conversation with a user named Bobby.sats, Dashjr explained the concept of “firing a miner.” He clarified that while it is impossible to dismiss a single miner, if a majority of miners were to engage in malicious activities, the community could collectively dismiss them by transitioning to a different PoW algorithm, rendering their mining hardware obsolete.
Dashjr also offered a theory concerning Antpool’s unusually high rate of empty blocks. He hypothesized that these blocks might be produced using older ASICs that only supported covert ASIC Boost, which is incompatible with Segwit. This was a significant reason behind Bitmain’s efforts to oppose Segwit in 2017. However, in 2019, Bitcoin Core and Knots 0.18 removed support for creating non-Segwit block templates. Therefore, the only way to achieve this after Taproot’s implementation would be to create entirely empty blocks. Dashjr stressed that this theory is speculative and encouraged further contemplation of such scenarios.
Dashjr’s comments have provoked mockery on social media platform X, with Taproot Wizard founder Udi Wertheimer sharing screenshots of his statements. Wertheimer criticized Dashjr for believing that he could change the proof of work algorithm to dismiss miners if they didn’t censor inscriptions to his liking, deeming him “deranged.” Wertheimer also took aim at software developer Peter Todd for discussing alleged fraudulent use of coin names within the Rune assets protocol and suggesting that the Rune protocol is designed for fraud.
Wertheimer contrasted Dashjr’s concerns with Blockstream’s ‘Liquid,’ highlighting the presence of numerous assets on its mainnet with names similar to existing coins. He underscored the intensity of the debate surrounding Ordinals on Bitcoin, noting a growing divergence of opinions within the community. As the discussions continue, some participants have adopted increasingly confrontational stances, underscoring the stark contrasts in perspectives.
The controversy surrounding Ordinal inscriptions has reached a boiling point in recent months, prompting impassioned responses from community members on both sides of the debate. As these issues continue to unfold, the Bitcoin community remains divided, with passionate opinions prevailing. Share your thoughts and opinions on these developments in the comments section below.
Table Of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Bitcoin Controversy
What is the controversy surrounding Ordinal inscriptions in Bitcoin?
The controversy surrounding Ordinal inscriptions in Bitcoin centers on their perceived impact on the protocol. Luke Dashjr, a prominent Bitcoin Core developer, has expressed concerns that Ordinals and other elements, like NFTs, are detrimental and akin to spam.
How does Luke Dashjr propose dismissing miners?
Luke Dashjr suggests that the community can collectively dismiss miners by changing to a different Proof-of-Work (PoW) algorithm if a majority of miners engage in malicious activities. This would render their mining hardware obsolete.
What is covert ASIC Boost, and how does it relate to Antpool’s mining operation?
Covert ASIC Boost is an older technique that is incompatible with Segwit. Luke Dashjr theorizes that Antpool’s high rate of empty blocks may be due to the use of older ASICs that support covert ASIC Boost. However, this theory remains speculative.
How has the Bitcoin community reacted to Luke Dashjr’s comments?
Luke Dashjr’s comments have provoked mixed reactions within the Bitcoin community. Some, like Udi Wertheimer, have criticized his views, while others share his concerns about Ordinal inscriptions and related issues.
What is the significance of the growing divide in the Bitcoin community over Ordinal inscriptions?
The growing divide in the Bitcoin community over Ordinal inscriptions reflects differing perspectives on the direction of the cryptocurrency. Some see them as valuable additions, while others view them as potentially harmful to the protocol. This divide highlights ongoing debates within the community.
More about Bitcoin Controversy
- Luke Dashjr on Twitter
- Bitcoin Knots
- Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work (PoW) Algorithm
- Covert ASIC Boost
- Segwit (Segregated Witness)
- Udi Wertheimer on Twitter
- Blockstream’s Liquid
- Bitcoin’s Ordinal Inscriptions
5 comments
Segwit, NFTs, and now Ordinals? Bitcoin’s evolvin’, but some folks ain’t likin’ it. Dashjr’s got ideas, tho. Controversy reigns!
Covert ASIC Boost, Antpool, what goin’ on? Dashjr got theories. Bit of a ruckus on X ’bout it.
Dashjr’s got his say, but what’s next for Bitcoin? This debate, it’s a rollercoaster. Let’s see where it takes us.
Udi callin’ out Dashjr, sayin’ he’s a bit off. But this Ordinal debate, it’s gettin’ real heated. What’s the solution?
woah, Luke Dashjr, hes real vocal bout Ordinals n stuff. thinks they spammy. btcoin community dividin’