[Bitcoin-ml] The User-Activated-Hardfork (UAHF)

[sickpig at gmail.com]

Hi Tom

great summary.

Just want to add a few data points

On Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 12:15 PM, Tom Zander via bitcoin-ml
<bitcoin-ml at lists.linuxfoundation.org> wrote:

[cut]

> Based on this, the most interesting solution we observed is the UAHF. Which
> is short for User-Activated Hardfork.
> I want to share my findings on how this one works here;
>

UAHF specification could be found here:

https://github.com/Bitcoin-UAHF/spec/blob/master/uahf-technical-spec.md

> The chain-fork activates on a specified date. Set to 2017-08-01 12:20:00 GMT
>
> Miners that switched to mining this will follow the current chain up until
> that point, but diverge after this time.
>
> Major features are;
>
> * First block (one block) has to be larger than 1 MB.
> This definitively marks the chain-split and old clients won't follow it so we
> cause minimal disruption. Similarly, we avoid many problems with regards to
> attacks by other hashpower. Once this block is mined, we are following the
> updated rules, nothing can be done to change that.
>

a.k.a. chain wipe out protection.

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> * Transactions can opt-in to use a more secure way to sign transactions.
> Without making transactions larger, more information is being used in the
> creation of the signature which will allow a number of new features
> immediately. These include malleability fixes, hardware wallet security and
> replay-protection.

and quadratic hashing.

> Bitcoin Classic will support the UAHF chain with a special release soon.

Same for Bitcoin Unlimited. On that matter people are welcome to review
the code that implement the spec. PRs are available on GH

https://github.com/BitcoinUnlimited/BitcoinUnlimited/pull/697
https://github.com/BitcoinUnlimited/BitcoinUnlimited/pull/698
https://github.com/BitcoinUnlimited/BitcoinUnlimited/pull/703

Andrea