Subject: Re: [bitcoin-dev] Making AsicBoost irrelevant

From: Jannes Faber <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 16:30:04 +0200

On 11 May 2016 at 16:18, Sergio Demian Lerner via bitcoin-dev <
[email-masked]> wrote:

> Jorge Timón said..
> > What do you mean by "embrace" in the context of a patented optimization
> that one miner can prevent the rest from using?
>
> Everyone seems to assume that one ASIC manufacturer will get the advantage
> of AsicBoost while others won't. If a patent license is non-exclusive, then
> all can.
>
>

1. Whatever way you look at it, it will be an extra barrier of entry (cost,
legal hassle, more complex chip design) for any new ASIC manufacturer
trying to enter the market. That counters free competition and thus
decentralization.

2. Why would you want to put yourself in the central spot of the big
decider on who gets access to the technology (and therefore the whole
mining game) and who doesn't. You're not afraid of NSA knocking on your
door to politely hand you their blacklist? You don't think this counters
all the years of hard work that went into Bitcoin exactly to avoid any such
central points of authority?

P.S. I'm not decided yet on being for or against a HF to ban AsicBoost
myself, nor does my opinion count for much. But I think I do see real
problems, like the above.