bitcoin cash is the upgrade project of the original
Bitcoin project. A number of developers took part in the project from the start
including Wladimir Van der Sandhuks, Laura hugged, and many more. Recently
there have been speculations that the original project may merge with other
projects, this was discussed at length at the International Finance Association
conference in Las Vegas. Wladmir said at the meeting that "No, I am not
leaving," and instead he is looking forward to continue working on the
software that underlies the bitcoin network. He continued,
When discussing the future of the project at the International
Finance Association meeting one of the topics of conversation was whether or
not there will be a follow up BCH fork from what was done with the bitcoin
cache. Wladmir indicated that they are in talks with various industry groups to
handle the transition from the existing virtual currency to the new BCH digital
currency. "We will have to figure out a way to make this transition
without a large impact to the users of the bitcoins," he said. Therefore
they will be focusing on the transition and then they will figure out how to
secure and integrate the transition.
There are still other currencies that will join the Bitcoin Cash Reference club, and Wladmir isn't ruling out the idea of having a BCH side chain.
He indicated that they are in talks with the Digital Currency Association,
which is an industry group that represents and develops companies working in
the field of digital currency. Wladmir also mentioned the idea of having an
exchange-traded product, or ETF, out in the marketplace alongside the current
bitcoin. He indicated that it may not be so easy to do, but that the DTC may be
able to help facilitate the process.
When asked if there is a hard fork being planned, the
Lead Developer, Luke-SN gave a response that is not much different than what we
have heard from other industry insiders. He confirmed that the developers are
working on the reference client and will continue to do so as long as the team
has not come up with a solution for the multiple full nodes that they need for
the network. One thing that is unique about the bitcoin community is that
everyone has access to the source code, which is basically where the future of
bitcoin is being created. The infrastructure funding plan that is being
discussed now is still in the very early stages, and no one is yet quite sure
what they are looking for. One thing that is clear is that the infrastructure
will have to be in place in order to conduct the trade between the multiple
virtual machines.
When asked if there is an agreement on what will happen
with the reference client and the hard work, the Lead Developer did not answer
definitively. However, he did provide some insight into how the process will
work and the decisions that will be made regarding which virtual machine (or
machines) will participate in the network. One thing that is becoming
increasingly clear is that the governance system for the entire network is far
from set in stone. While there are certain ideas that the developers have put
together, it is anyone's guess what this group of people will come up with at
the end of the road. It appears that the potential for a contentious outcome is
present.
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