Technology and Science10 August, 20263 min read
Bitcoin’s BIP-110 Fork Stalls After Breakaway Produces Two Blocks
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The BIP-110 fork produced only two blocks and has since stalled. Main chain sits about 326 blocks ahead of the fork.
BIP-110 Fork Stalls
Bitcoin’s BIP-110 fork broke away from the main network on Saturday and has produced only two blocks since, leaving the breakaway chain sitting on block 961,633 while Bitcoin climbed to block 961,959. CoinDesk says the split began when BIP-110 required computers running the proposal to reject blocks that did not carry its mark, and it notes that BIP-110 needed 55% of blocks over a two-week stretch but got about 2.6% at its peak. CoinDesk also reports that the forked chain inherited Bitcoin’s high mining difficulty while its coin has “no market, no exchange listing and no buyers,” and that it cannot lower its mining difficulty until it reaches 2,016 blocks.
“It is still sitting on block 961,633, its second.”
CoinDesk further reports that a live monitor estimates the next difficulty adjustment is 6.3 years away, up from 350 days on Sunday, with Bitcoin’s next adjustment due in 12 days. Not everyone reads the stall as final, and Himanshu Sahay, co-founder of Arch, told CoinDesk: "I would be cautious about describing it as a failure at this stage."
Miners Quit, Debate Grows
The Defiant reports that the Bitcoin chain enforcing BIP-110 has not produced a block since Saturday night and that the proposal’s supporters are discussing a change to Bitcoin’s proof-of-work algorithm.
The Defiant says BIP-110 locks in only at block 963,648 and activates at 965,664, and it describes the fork as having split at height 961,632 on Aug. 8 when the mandatory signaling window opened and nodes running the rules began rejecting blocks that did not signal bit 4.
Bitcoin Magazine adds that nodes running BIP-110 software began rejecting any block that failed to signal support through version bit 4, and it says a pseudonymous mining group called Roughnecks produced both BIP-110 blocks at heights 961,632 and 961,633 before stopping.
Bitcoin Magazine reports that the support was never there, with only 51 of the 2,016 blocks in the preceding difficulty period signaling for the proposal against the 55% threshold needed for voluntary lock-in.
In response to the stall, CryptoSlate quotes Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor saying: "Consensus is earned, not declared," arguing that miners, exchanges, custodians, wallets, holders and other economic infrastructure overwhelmingly remained with the dominant network.
What Happens Next
As the fork remains stuck, CoinDesk reports that the breakaway chain is 326 blocks behind the main network and that its difficulty adjustment is estimated at 6.3 years away, while the next adjustment on Bitcoin is due in 12 days. CryptoSlate says the fallout has moved beyond whether BIP-110 could activate to what should happen next, including a push by supporters for a proof-of-work change intended to force Bitcoin into a separate mining ecosystem. CryptoSlate also reports that BIP-110 collapse sparked backlash against Luke Dashjr, and it says BIP editor Mark “Murch” Erhardt proposed removing Dashjr from the BIP editorial team.
CryptoSlate describes a contingency where Roughnecks plans to resume mining the stalled branch while developers dispute whether Dashjr should remain a BIP editor, and it frames the dispute as a debate over how such a decision should be made. CoinDesk adds that changes to bitcoin’s rules depend on coordination across miners, developers and the wider ecosystem, and it quotes Himanshu Sahay warning: "I think it is still too early to draw any firm conclusions from the initial block production."