Bitcoin fork faces first cheap-node problem after 45-day rule

Luke Dashjr declared a new soft fork active on a breakaway Bitcoin chain. His pull request on Bitcoin Knots locks newly mined coins for about 45 days instead of the usual 100 blocks. The rule forced a user's Raspberry Pi node to perform an initial block download and resync the chain. The user said the 45-day window would close before the Raspberry Pi caught up. Dashjr told the user to get a real computer. Dashjr said the rule aims to punish pool operators that mine without checking transactions. Dashjr said miners that fail to check transactions should not get paid. The fork left the main network in August. It switched its mining algorithm to BLAKE2b on September 1. The fork has drawn almost no hashrate. The fork has no major exchange listing. BIP-110 sought to cap arbitrary data such as inscriptions on Bitcoin. Supporters of BIP-110 said that this spam makes running a node too costly. One Bitcoin educator said the fork's camp had shifted from defending home nodes to demanding new hardware. Another user asked where the acceptable hardware floor sits. Dashjr replied that the answer depends on patience. Dashjr blamed Bitcoin Core for raising node costs before BIP-110. Dashjr still calls the main chain Spamcoin. He previously accused exchanges of selling fake Bitcoins. He now calls the main chain a centralized fiat airdrop. He said a small cartel running the chain could seize users' coins. The plan has two remaining parts that may determine whether miners return.