What is going on with the bitcoin mailing list?
We've been covering the development of bip-taproot in this rag for the better part of a year now. Most recently, we made you freaks aware of the proposal getting separated into three separate BIPs, BIP 340, BIP 341, and BIP342 after a months-long review process. Throughout our coverage of Taproot, Uncle Marty highly encouraged peer review from people much smarter than he is. You know, the people who learned to code and actually understand the granular details of the cryptography involved.
Links here: https://t.co/43b5i9AH5c https://t.co/vmvqIkaY40
— Marty Bent (@MartyBent) February 9, 2020
Even if the criticisms turn out to be unfounded, which is a definite possibility.
— Marty Bent (@MartyBent) February 9, 2020
Well yesterday afternoon, a "group" of anon devs relayed a message to the Bitcoin mailing list with some critiques of the Taproot proposal and its activation. In an effort to keep you freaks abreast of the developments I am sharing this here with you today.
Again, I am too dumb to completely understand the granular details of the cryptography being discussed. With that being said, these developers seem to think that Taproot in its current form needs some tweaks. And it appears they may have a bias for MAST (Merkelized Abstract Syntax Tree), which I believe is an alternative to Taproot.
I'm looking forward to reading and listening to the responses to the critiques moving forward. Off the bat, it seems that at least a couple of bitcoin devs are unconvinced by the emails.
Regardless, it is very encouraging to see these upgrades getting at least a bit of pushback. Even if it turns out to be weak, it is good to see more discussion around these proposals. It provides more clarity for all.
Paying a @fold_app LN invoice instantly from our bank account, for no fee. Note that we show the bank balance decrement, as well as the LN invoice paid. This is a real transaction 💵 pic.twitter.com/vQdcaUyhl7
— ⚡️Escher⚡️from Iterative Capital (@EscherApp) February 10, 2020
Last night, Iterative Capital teased the beta release of their Escher App, which is a new on/off ramp to Bitcoin and the Lightning Network for those who are determined to use bitcoin. What's so dope about this app is that it also allows one to pay a LN invoice with fiat directly from their bank account.
Another app that is helping to create a seamless bitcoin experience. Pushing the new rail to the background for users who may not want to hold the asset but want to interact with merchants and services that demand it. Apps like Escher and LN Strike are pushing the ball forward for all of us.
Slowly but surely...
Final thought...
Had a dream that Trump worked at Walmart last night.
