A recent analysis by researchers at Bitcoin Block Explorer (BTC) mempool.space, known in X as “Orange Surf”, revealed that 49% of the network’s UTXO set (unbreakable transaction output) consisted of less than 1,000 Satosh exits, while the “43%” for the last two weeks consisted of “43%.”
That data, They reflect the use of the network for non-financial purposesthey appear in the midst of technical and philosophical debates that shake up the Bitconnor ecosystem about the basic purpose of Bitcoin, as they wonder whether the network created by Nakamoto must act as money or allow alternative uses that can change the original design.
Furthermore, in this environment, Cryptootics has resulted in an infamous increase in Bitcoin Knots node operators. A slight drop in Bitcoin Core’s stuffthe latter continues to be the most used software.
Discussions that transcend technology
The data presented by “Orange Surf” is given in the context of a fierce debate between developers of Bitcoin Core, the software most used to interact with the Bitcoin network.
The discussion proposal led by Antoine Poinsotto and reinserted by Peter Todd is Eliminates 83-byte current limit Operations used by Op_return are a type of transaction that allows non-financial data to be embedded in Bitcoin files such as messages and metadata. On top of that, It is proposed to allow multiple OP_RETURN outputs by transactionsStandardizes use to reflect current practices and simplify software code.
Some of the main developers of the Bitcoin ecosystem support Peter Todd’s move. Among them are Gloria Zao (one of the maintainers of the Bitcoin Core Code), Jeremy Rubin, James O’Bail (Jamesbu), Michael Falkson (Michael 1011), and Jameson Rop.
However, the initiative has created divisions not only for its technical meaning, but also for its representativeness in the essence of Bitcoin.
More voices to add to the discussion
Samson Mou is a number known in the Bitcoin ecosystem to promote adoption, and has made an important position on the proposed change. To move forward with this change is to enter a slippery slope ».
Samson Mow deepened his question about the Bitcoin Core fix by analyzing the reasons he points out from those who defend them.
In this statement, Mow has advocates that relax the boundaries of op_return. They accept the non-financial use of the network as an inevitable factInstead of seeking a solution to store the main features of Bitcoin as a monetary system. This perspective, in your opinion, reinforces the warning about the risks of progress in change. It will move the network away from its original purpose And they integrate practices that many consider to be harmful to long-term functioning.
The response to the “Orange Surf” data reflects the tension in the debate. Jason Hughes, vice president of Ocean Mining Pool, raised concerns by pointing out these non-financial use shows “Users and developers were unable to respond appropriately to such attacks on the network.”exacerbated by fear and misinformation. According to Hughes, if it is not controlled, this can lead to a “centralized, useless ecosystem.”
Specifically, Hughes points out that it uses Bitcoin to store data that is not related to financial transactions, such as inscriptions (which allow files such as images and text to be directly embedded in networks that are prevalent with protocols such as ordinals and runes), and data packed with op_return.
These practices consume space within the block, Increases node storage and processing demandand will increase the trading rates for users who use Bitcoin financially.
For Hughes, this constitutes an “attack.” For Bitcoin’s vision as an efficient system for value transferconvert it into an alternative database. That should not have a priority, in their opinion.
Another user of X contributed to the vision of encapsulating the dilemma. «Obviously there is a major discrepancy between how Satoshi designed Bitcoin, what Tradfi is promoting, and how it is currently used in the chain. It’s Trillima ». The statement highlights tensions between the original Bitcoin design, traditional financial sector expectations, and new user practices.
Discussions in favour of Bitcoin Core Change
Meanwhile, Erik de Smedt, CTO (direct technology) of Bitcoin payment platform, supports the elimination of the Op_return limit, claiming that the current limit was introduced with noble intentions, but with noble intentions. It has been proven to be ineffective and harmful.
“I don’t approve of JPEGs in the chain, and I think it’s irresponsible to contaminate them,” Smedt said, stressing that the proposal refuses to encourage more unnecessary data and requires less damage already incurred.
De Smedt explained current limitations Press the user to hide data from other parts of the transactionlike witnesses, contaminate the UTXO set, force nodes, and use more memory and RAM.
Furthermore, he said that anyone who wants to include data such as JPEG will usually send transactions directly to a larger mining pool except for small pools. Contributes to centralization of Mining. “The change is not to pass JPEGs on the network, but to mitigate these issues,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the team behind OP_NET, a platform that directly promotes distributed finance capabilities (DEFI) at the Bitcoin-based layer, said, “The inscription shows that people want to do more with Bitcoin.” This perspective shows the preferred position for networks to evolve, and includes a broader use case, Supported situation Data shared by Orange Surf.
In this way, discussions regarding the use of Bitcoin as a database or financial system remain open, and decisions made by the core Bitcoin developers could have lasting impact on the future direction the network will make.
