Issue #494: A fat channel on the Lightning Network

In the midst of a crescendo of screeching about nebulous nonsense on Twitter yesterday, an incredible milestone was reached on the Lightning Network as ACINQ and Bitrefill opened a 1BTC channel with each other. Bypassing the 0.16777BTC limit set by the network with a customization of the current specification using Eclair. The reason for doing this was so that Bitrefill could bolster the liquidity on their platform so their users could make bigger purchases via the Lightning Network. A company dedicated to pushing the boundaries and creating a better experience for their users. A company ya boi can get behind.

As more companies like ACINQ and Bitrefill continue to pave the way, we shall see how formidable or weak the Lightning Network is when pushed to its limits. So far, everything seems to be working better than was to be expected at this point, but if you ask anyone building and using (myself included) the network there is far more to be done going forward than has been accomplished up to this point.

At this particular juncture, let's stop and marvel at the fact that two companies, one domiciled in France and the other in Sweden, were able to open a channel to provide liquidity with each other without any permission from no one but the two individuals who hit "Enter" on their keyboards when accepting the channel parameters.

No banks were involved, no background checks were run, no one was able to stop them from doing this. Pure, unadulterated financial freedom. It smells pretty fucking good. Onward!

Final thought...

Peeing in the hot sand was an incredible feeling as a child.