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Bitcoin Blockchain Forked By Backward-Compatibility Issue

Posted by Unknown on from the blame-california dept.

New submitter jhantin writes "The Bitcoin blockchain has forked due to a lurking backward-compatibility issue: versions older than 0.8 do not properly handle blocks larger than about 500k, and Slush's pool mined a 974k block today. The problem is that not all mining operations are on 0.8; blocks are being generated by a mix of several different versions of the daemon, each making its own decision as to which of the two forks is preferable to extend, and older versions refuse to honor or extend from a block of this size. The consensus on #bitcoin-dev is damage control: miners need to mine on pre-0.8 code so the backward-compatible fork will outgrow and thus dominate the compatibility-breaking one; merchants need to stop accepting transactions until the network re-converges on the backward-compatible fork of the chain; and average users can ignore the warning that they are out of sync and need to upgrade." Turns out there's an approximately 512K limit to atomic updates in Berkeley DB which were used by versions prior to 0.8. 0.8 uses a new database, allowing blockchains that old versions won't accept to be created.

9 of 351 comments (clear)

  1. Old news. by NettiWelho · · Score: 5, Funny

    640K would have been enough for everyone.

  2. Ooh, exciting! by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why achieve 'consensus' when we could let the fork fester, and have two virtual currencies floating wildly against one another as well as USD?

    In fact, why not introduce Bitcoin-0 through Bitcoint-Aleph and let them fight it out? I'll bring popcorn!

    1. Re:Ooh, exciting! by DrXym · · Score: 5, Funny
      Just to get the ball rolling...

      Post 0.8 users - if you fuck over the people on the earlier bitcoin format, the value of your bitcoins effectively DOUBLES!

      0.8 and prior users - if you fuck over the people on the later bitcoin format, the value of your bitcoins effectively DOUBLES!

      Just ask yourself what Ayn Rand would do in the same situation.

  3. It's a Wonderful BitCoin! by eldavojohn · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why achieve 'consensus' when we could let the fork fester, and have two virtual currencies floating wildly against one another as well as USD?

    In fact, why not introduce Bitcoin-0 through Bitcoint-Aleph and let them fight it out? I'll bring popcorn!

    BitCoin Bailey: No, no, no, everybody remain calm. We'll get through this together. You're thinking of this virtual currency all wrong. As if I had the BitCoins back in a safe. The money's not here. Your money's on Bill's computer, and Fred's computer ...
    Angry BitCoin User: Hey Fred, what the hell you doin' with my BitCoins?!
    *a run on MtGox ensues*

    --
    My work here is dung.
  4. Re:Gobble bobble wobblywob? by fatphil · · Score: 5, Funny

    > most major exchanges have already reverted to 0.7

    Yet 0.7 is the version with the database bug.

    These bitcoins certainly aren't a replacement for gold - they're far too irony.

    --
    Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
  5. Stonehenge by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Bitcoin blockchain has forked due to a lurking backward-compatibility issue: versions older than 0.8 do not properly handle blocks larger than about 500k, and Slush's pool mined a 974k block today.

    Someday, someone in some future generation will read that sentence and think, "No wonder they almost caused the extinction of the species".

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  6. Re:consensus should be put into specification by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Me: Sadly, you don't understand anarchism. There's no hierarchy, no "official", no gods or kings, only men.

    You: Don't tell me what anarchism means!

    Me: That's my boy.

  7. BDB by Richy_T · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh Berkley DB, is there any application you can't screw up?

  8. Re:Oh, brilliant by Richy_T · · Score: 1, Funny

    Jeez, Notepad would be better than BDB.