Subject: Re: [bitcoin-dev] fork types (Re: An implementation of BIP102 as a softfork.)

From: Bryan Bishop <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2015 17:10:05 -0600

On Wed, Dec 30, 2015 at 5:05 PM, Adam Back via bitcoin-dev <
[email-masked]> wrote:

> There is also another type of fork a firm hard fork that can do the
> same but for format changes that are not possible with a soft-fork.
>

I was drafting an email for a new thread with some links about this topic,
instead I'll just send this as a reply now that we are writing down fork
types...

auxiliary blocks and evil soft-forks or forced soft-forks:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=283746.0
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=874313.0

soft-fork block size increase using extension blocks:
http://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2015-May/008356.html

generalized soft-forks:
http://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2015-December/012073.html

bip102 forced soft-fork:
http://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2015-December/012153.html

extension blocks were also discussed in this interview:
http://diyhpl.us/wiki/transcripts/bitcoin-sidechains-unchained-epicenter-adam3us-gmaxwell/
.... also there was something about a "soft-hard fork".

some discussion from today re: origin of the term evil fork, evil
soft-fork, forced soft-fork:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/3yrsxt/bitcoindev_an_implementation_of_bip102_as_a/cyg2g7q

some much older discussion about extension blocks and sidechains:
http://gnusha.org/bitcoin-wizards/2015-01-01.log

some discussion about "generalized soft-forks" and extension blocks and
evil soft-forks:
http://gnusha.org/bitcoin-wizards/2015-12-20.log

some discussion about evil forks and evil soft-forks and extension blocks:
http://gnusha.org/bitcoin-wizards/2015-12-30.log

segwit soft-fork makes use of a similar idea:
https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2015-December/011865.html
https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-core/capacity-increases-faq
http://diyhpl.us/wiki/transcripts/scalingbitcoin/hong-kong/segregated-witness-and-its-impact-on-scalability/

Note: I am taking the term "forced soft-fork" from petertodd; it's pretty
much the same thing as "evil fork" in every way but intent.

This is an x-post from
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1296628.msg13400092#msg13400092

- Bryan
http://heybryan.org/
1 512 203 0507