Forkology: A Study of Forks for Newbies (bitcoin hard forks vs. soft forks)
Forkology: A Study of Forks for Newbies (bitcoin hard forks vs. soft forks) by Andreas M. Antonopoulos
In this talk, Andreas introduces newcomers to the emerging scientific speciality of "forkology" or the study of the ways in which network protocols can change in open, voluntary blockchain ecosystems, and the game theory of competing consensus models.
He covers not only the various types of forks but the agents involved in consensus evolution, grappling in this crazy new world where the traditional menus will no longer do.
TOPICS:
0:53 - The journey into open public blockchains
2:45 - Price increase brings newbies to the rabbit hole
4:00 - The confusing landscape of forks
4:42 - What is a fork? A divergence in perspective
6:23 - No central authority to determine everyone's perspective
7:55 - Growing the chain, block by block
9:00 - Accidental vs. deliberate forks, 51% attacks
9:50 - Hard forks vs. soft forks and changes to consensus rules
11:30 - Open blockchain ecosystems as restaurants
15:20 - No one's in charge, but everyone has to work together
15:57 - Miner-activated vs. user-activated forks
16:40 - User-activated soft fork (UASF) or BIP148
18:43 - Tensions around assertions of power
19:50 - Forking event: risks of double-spend, wipeout, two Bitcoins
24:30 - A game of chicken, throwing the steering wheel away
25:33 - This sounds crazy! Is it all worth it?
Support Andreas by becoming a patreon and get early access to his latest videos: https://www.patreon.com/aantonop
Follow Andreas on Twitter: @aantonop
Visit Andreas's website: https://antonopoulos.com/
Support Andreas: https://antonopoulos.com/donate/
Get Andreas's books: The Internet of Money:
A collection of talks by Andreas M. Antonopoulos: http://amzn.to/2rCGXT9
Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies: http://amzn.to/2tzu4FP
Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and Dapps: http://amzn.to/2smthIS
