Bitcoin Satoshi’s Vision is a project that divides opinion, but the revelation that BSV nodes have been connecting to Bitcoin Cash nodes by accident for over a year has raised a smile from almost everyone in the community. The episode proves once again that for all the boasting from the likes of Calvin Ayre and Craig Wright, BSV is still just another shitcoin.
Train wreck: BSV nodes connect to BCH nodes. pic.twitter.com/N1bTVtpr3t
— Ben Verret⚡ (@verretor) February 8, 2020
Over a Year and No One Noticed
Amazingly, the issue has been present ever since the two chains split in November 2018. This means that the error has been occurring for over a year and yet nobody noticed until now. The only way to correct the problem, in the short term at least, seems to be for node operators to turn off ‘safe mode’.
In the discussion thread on Github there also seemed to be confusion between the operators over what the safe mode actually does and what would happen if it was turned off. The fact that those actually confirming the blockchain don’t know this says all you need to know about those doing the leg work behind BSV.
The scale of the problem was laid bare in another message, where one user called the situation “a total mess” due to the fact that there are at least two chains being actively present on the network when, obviously, there should only be one.
“There are still at least two chains actively mined in BSV, it’s a total mess.” pic.twitter.com/7EF2zBTpOi
— Ben Verret⚡ (@verretor) February 8, 2020
Bitcoin Cash Doesn’t Escape Unharmed
If the news is a reputational blow for Bitcoin SV, it doesn’t do wonders for Bitcoin Cash either. The fact that the chains are so similar that the nodes can hop from one chain to the other without anyone noticing shows just how tenuous the two projects are, despite their proclamations to be superior to Bitcoin. After all, when was the last time a Bitcoin node accidentally connected to one of its forks?
Community Responds in Telling Fashion
Responses to the news were, predictably, negative, with comments relating to everything from the viability of the temporary solution to the premise of the coin itself:
Just disable safe mode. What could go wrong?
— DJ Booth (@djbooth007) February 8, 2020
People don’t care. These two shitcoins are merely gambling products for the Asian markets.
Users don’t care for fundamentals or having a solid store of value, all they want is gambling pump and dump.
Which is fine if you’re into it, but not sustainable. ???
— Vandelay BTC Industries (@Karalhoin) February 8, 2020
While the situation will undoubtedly be ironed out in due course, it just makes you wonder what other gremlins are out there lurking under the hood of BSV. And to think that Craig Wright even had to gall to say that Bitcoin had a “fatal flaw” that no one knew about. Sheesh.
