Simply Bitcoin Why Bitcoin Developers Are at War! (Core vs. Knots Explained) | Beyond Bitcoin
Oct 5, 2025
Dive into the fiery debate of Bitcoin Core versus Knots! Discover how upcoming changes to Bitcoin Core could affect transaction spam and the network’s integrity. Explore the rise of NFTs and the Knots camp’s push for financial transaction limits. Hear contrasting views on the removal of OP_RETURN limits and the implications for purists. Community reactions are heating up, with memes and influencers taking sides. Plus, find out if fear and distrust are driving this rift in the Bitcoin community!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bitcoin Became A Data Carrier Too
- Bitcoin now supports attaching arbitrary data to sats, enabling JPEGs, GIFs, and notes to be tied to single satoshis via ordinals.
- This capability reframes Bitcoin as both money and an uncensorable medium of information exchange.
Inscriptions Are Off-Chain To Viewers
- Ordinal inscriptions don't live directly in human-readable form on-chain and require third-party explorers to view the content.
- That separation fuels debate because some see these inscriptions as unwanted graffiti attached to everyday sats.
Spam Debate Is Philosophical And Economic
- Some Core supporters argue 'no such thing as spam' because spammers pay fees, while opponents say paid data can still be unwanted pollution.
- That disagreement underpins the knots versus Core split about what Bitcoin's primary purpose should be.