Great Consensus Clean up, MEVil and LN isn’t dead - Steve Lee and Matt Corallo SLP565
Apr 18, 2024
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Steve Lee and Matt Corallo of Spiral discuss the Great Consensus Clean Up in Bitcoin, MEVil, implications for miner centralisation, and address Lightning Network rumors. They highlight the importance of bug fixing, MEV concerns, and the continued relevance of Lightning Network in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
MEVel poses risks of miner centralization, emphasizing concerns over Minor Extractable Value dynamics.
Lightning Network offers faster and cheaper transactions, with Bolt 12 protocol aiming to enhance user experience.
Deep dives
The Great Consensus Cleanup Proposal
The podcast discusses the 'Great Consensus Cleanup' proposal by Matt Corallo from 2019, which aims to address significant bugs in Bitcoin. The proposal emphasizes the importance of fixing issues known for a long time but not previously prioritized. The discussion delves into the relevance of the proposal in the context of soft forks and potential improvements in Bitcoin's protocol.
Concerns about Mining Centralization
The episode outlines concerns about mining centralization due to complex and potentially problematic Minor Extractable Value (MEV) dynamics. The conversation highlights the risk of MEV leading to miner centralization, impacting Bitcoin's censorship resistance. The distinction between MEV and MEVel is emphasized to clarify the negative effects of MEVel on decentralization and security.
Rare Sets and Fungibility Issues
The podcast touches on 'rare sets,' a concept different from MEV, where specific value is assigned to individual satoshis. This practice raises concerns not only about MEVel but also about fungibility issues within Bitcoin transactions. The importance of preserving fungibility is underlined to ensure seamless acceptance and usability of Bitcoin in transactions.
The Impact of Rare Satoshis on Mining Rewards
Assigning higher rarity to certain satoshis, like the first satoshi in a block reward, presents challenges for miners. To maximize rewards, miners must navigate market dynamics by identifying, storing, and selling rare satoshis. This process introduces complexity, costs, and potential centralization issues in mining, especially affecting small miners.
Assessing the Evolution and Challenges of Lightning Network
Lightning Network, while not a silver bullet, offers significant benefits in terms of cheaper and faster transactions compared to on-chain payments. However, it faces challenges like liveness requirements and inbound liquidity problems. Bolt 12 protocol aims to enhance lightning payments by providing cash-like properties such as improved censorship resistance, privacy, and security, potentially revolutionizing bitcoin payments by offering a more efficient and secure transaction experience.
Steve Lee and Matt Corallo of Spiral rejoin me on the show to talk about a range of topics. Firstly we discuss the Great Consensus Clean Up which relates to fixing some long standing bugs in Bitcoin. Secondly we talk about MEV and why it’s the wrong term, instead we should be talking about MEVil and the implications for Bitcoin miner centralisation. Finally we address the rumours of Lightning Network being dead or not useful.