Luke Dashjr, a prominent Bitcoin Core developer and critic of Bitcoin Ordinals, has seen his mining pool, Ocean, change its stance on these NFT-like assets. This move is a nod to the growing popularity and influence of Ordinals in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Ocean Mining Pool’s New Policy on Ordinals
Ocean, a mining pool with ties to Jack Dorsey, recently announced that miners could decide whether to process Bitcoin blocks containing non-financial transactions. This decision marks a departure from its previous policy, opening the door to Ordinal inscriptions.
Options for Miners
Ocean’s update offers miners three block template policy choices: Ocean Recommended, Bitcoin Core with the “Ordisrespector” spam filter, and unmodified Bitcoin Core. This change allows miners more control over the blocks they mine, including those with Ordinal and BRC-20 token transactions.
Ordinals, introduced by Casey Rodarmor, are digital assets inscribed on a satoshi, Bitcoin’s smallest unit. Despite criticism from some Bitcoiners, they have gained immense popularity and have generated significant fees for miners.
Debate Over Inscriptions
The surge in Ordinals has sparked debates within the Bitcoin community. While some view them as spam clogging the network, others see their value and potential. Over 50 million inscriptions, including those tied to the BRC-20 standard, have been made since January.
Dashjr, known for his opposition to Ordinals, has labeled them as “spam” and advocated for spam filtering to block their transactions. His stance emphasized the need for decentralized mining and independent decision-making by miners.
Community’s Response to the Shift
The Bitcoin community has mixed reactions to Ocean’s policy shift. While some see it as a victory for Ordinals, others interpret Dashjr’s response as a reluctant acceptance of the trend. The move has reignited discussions about the role and impact of digital assets like Ordinals in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Ocean Mining Pool’s policy change reflects the evolving landscape of Bitcoin and the growing influence of Ordinals. As the debate over their role continues, this development highlights the dynamic nature of the Bitcoin community and the challenges of balancing innovation with traditional values.
