I am not a developer or a coder. So maybe I don't know... But by introducing new op_codes there are risks however small.
For what benefit? The largest driver of transaction fees is runes tokens which no soft-fork really addresses. And OK I've opened a lightning channel for less than a cup of coffee, from which I can make an infinite number of transactions... at almost no fee. Cheaper than a credit card and have reasonable settlement instantly...
Now what? The Uber driver or Lyft driver has never heard of a 'lightning wallet'. They just look confused when asked about it for a tip. And it is tough to find merchants and shops in person that take Bitcoin on-chain or lightning... so why do we need Op_codes and forks to "help people "use lightning" that they don't fucking use anyway.
Most people right now if they want to imo can open a channel, fill it up, and spend away on... Stacker News and Nostr. They've got that down and that's enough.
When that day comes when the average Uber driver is begging and pleading to open a channel YES we need more scaling solutions (forks) that balance risks and scaling.
But right now it is a Solution in search of a Problem. Not necessary without carefully evaluating risks and the tangible benefits now...
My 100 sats.
But by introducing new op_codes there are risks however small.
Yes introducing new op_codes is risky, hence the years and years and years of development on them.
For what benefit?
The 2 op_codes created that make LN possible for example were in development for years before going live, but without them we wouldn't have LN. CTV for example has been in review for 4+ years with a 5btc+ bug bounty on it that's never been claimed and without CTV or something like it we'll never have feature rich and efficient covenants without which would make scaling custody much more difficult.
The Uber driver or Lyft driver has never heard of a 'lightning wallet'
Lightning has been steadily growing by thousands of percent over the past 5 years and will continue to grow and get better and easier to use, however it's still very early days though and like you I wouldn't actually expect a regular person to understand channels in the slightest so there's still more work to do there.
Luckily there are a bunch of scaling solutions that bitcoin will use because like we've known for many centuries already a global money requires many more layers than 2 to function equally as well for everyone.
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Your points are 100% valid. I'll say this, a lot of people who use LN today do so without understanding the technical nuances. But to those who do, the challenges it presents can be smoothened today. We just need a ton of people who need to understand, to a degree, the depth of knowledge needed to appreciate the urgency of this upgrade. You don't want a problem to present itself, before debating a fix, as things move slow in bitcoin soft fork proposals. This enhances the protocol on a level that, it still makes it even more superior than other alternatives, and choosing to refuse any fork of LNhance, is a sensible opinion, but one that needs re-examining once one fully groks the concept of the need for the fork.
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