Haters: You BLAKE2b110ers can't replicate Bitcoin's immaculate conception!
Real Bitcoiners: We don't have to... because Bitcoin's chain of monetary memory is resurrection. That's what people mean whe...
I both agree and disagree.
I wholeheartedly agree that memory is resurrection. Anyone at any time can build upon any prior block of work because the UTXO set, the chain history, and the difficulty record are preserved. Bitcoin is eternal memory and permanence is precisely what makes resurrection possible.
Where I disagree is changing proof of work itself. Part of Bitcoin’s immaculate inception was Satoshi defining the invariants, and SHA-256 is one of those core references. Bitcoin preserves a conserved history of work against a fixed standard of measurement. If you change the measure of work after Genesis, you have changed the ruler halfway through constructing the building. You still inherit the historical UTXO set, but you can no longer compare the work on both sides of that boundary through one invariant physical reference. The change is introduced by fiat in the literal sense of the word: by decree. Genesis is the only logical place for fiat.
Thermodynamically the problem becomes even clearer. A proof-of-work change alters the search function and its associated difficulty relationship, and potentially other bounds of the search domain depending on implementation. Changing the Boltzmann entropy of the proof-of-work process (thermologics - 32-bit difficulty gate) by decree midway through the chain severs the future from reference. The historical energy curve no longer follows one invariant measurement system from Genesis forward. You have inserted a discontinuity into the very quantity of money (work/energy) you are attempting to conserve.
Yes, Bitcoin’s protocol can be modified so that a new hash function accepts the existing UTXO set and continues producing blocks. But protocol permission is not the same thing as logical invariance. If the unit by which work is measured changes, what exactly anchors the new work to Satoshi’s Genesis? What exactly is a Satoshi conserving?
Memory permits resurrection. Invariance preserves identity.
You do not have to trust me. Preserve the chain, change the proof-of-work function, and observe the energy curve. If the ruler changes at the fork, the measurement tells you exactly what happened.
“Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.” - Tom Bombadil
I wholeheartedly agree that memory is resurrection. Anyone at any time can build upon any prior block of work because the UTXO set, the chain history, and the difficulty record are preserved. Bitcoin is eternal memory and permanence is precisely what makes resurrection possible.
Where I disagree is changing proof of work itself. Part of Bitcoin’s immaculate inception was Satoshi defining the invariants, and SHA-256 is one of those core references. Bitcoin preserves a conserved history of work against a fixed standard of measurement. If you change the measure of work after Genesis, you have changed the ruler halfway through constructing the building. You still inherit the historical UTXO set, but you can no longer compare the work on both sides of that boundary through one invariant physical reference. The change is introduced by fiat in the literal sense of the word: by decree. Genesis is the only logical place for fiat.
Thermodynamically the problem becomes even clearer. A proof-of-work change alters the search function and its associated difficulty relationship, and potentially other bounds of the search domain depending on implementation. Changing the Boltzmann entropy of the proof-of-work process (thermologics - 32-bit difficulty gate) by decree midway through the chain severs the future from reference. The historical energy curve no longer follows one invariant measurement system from Genesis forward. You have inserted a discontinuity into the very quantity of money (work/energy) you are attempting to conserve.
Yes, Bitcoin’s protocol can be modified so that a new hash function accepts the existing UTXO set and continues producing blocks. But protocol permission is not the same thing as logical invariance. If the unit by which work is measured changes, what exactly anchors the new work to Satoshi’s Genesis? What exactly is a Satoshi conserving?
Memory permits resurrection. Invariance preserves identity.
You do not have to trust me. Preserve the chain, change the proof-of-work function, and observe the energy curve. If the ruler changes at the fork, the measurement tells you exactly what happened.
“Eldest, that's what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.” - Tom Bombadil
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