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Developer Proposes Hybrid SegWit Solution to Bitcoin's Block Size Debate

A new proposal seeks to combine two solutions to bitcoin's block size debate into one compromise to move the network forward.

By Garrett Keirns
AccessTimeIconApr 3, 2017 at 5:40 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 11, 2021 at 1:12 p.m. UTC
paint, mix

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A new proposal submitted to the Bitcoin Core developer list this weekend has proposed an alternative solution to bitcoin's long-simmering scaling debate.

Proposed by developer Sergio Lerner, "Segwit2MB" seeks to combine Segregated Witness, the proposal put forward by Bitcoin Core, the network's volunteer developer team, and an increase of the block size to 2 MB, first outlined in BIP 102.

The proposal would still require 95% miner support to enact SegWit, though the proposal would begin a countdown to a network-wide backwards incompatible block size change on 14th December, 2017. (The block size hard fork would only occur if SegWit were to reach the consensus threshold and be activated).

Following a brief comment period, Lerner plans to formally add the Segwit2mb to the Bitcoin Core Github page as a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP).

The patch currently being proposed would modify the existing 120 lines of code comprising Bitcoin Core and add an additional 220 lines of testing code. However, this is subject to change following the comment period.

Lerner’s hypothesis is that by appeasing both sides of the scaling debate that consensus will be reached more quickly, ultimately settling a conflict that has drawn on for years.

He wrote:

"Segwit2Mb is the project to merge into Bitcoin a minimal patch that aims to, untangle the current conflict between different political positions regarding segwit activation vs. an increase of the on-chain blockchain space through a standard block size increase. It is not a new solution, but it should be seen more as a least common denominator."

 Paint mixing image via Shutterstock

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