Jimmy Song, a prominent Bitcoin developer and advocate, has strongly criticized Bitcoin Core developers for their decision to remove the OP_Return limit in the upcoming Bitcoin Core 30 upgrade. Song argues that this move reflects a "fiat" mentality and disregards significant concerns within the Bitcoin community regarding non-monetary data on the blockchain.
The OP_Return function allows users to embed non-monetary data within Bitcoin transactions. Currently, this data is limited to 80 bytes. The proposal to eliminate this limit has sparked considerable controversy, reminiscent of the block size debates that led to the creation of Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Some community members fear that the OP_Return disagreement could result in a similar split.
Song accuses the Core developers of dismissing user concerns and ignoring substantial opposition from the Bitcoin community and node operators. He believes the developers are using the ambiguity surrounding the definition of spam as a stalling tactic to avoid addressing the real impact of the change, particularly its long-term consequences. In his view, the non-monetary uses of Bitcoin are spam, and the debate should focus on the desirability and impact of allowing such uses.
The removal of the OP_Return limit was reportedly unpopular within the Bitcoin community but was pushed through regardless. This unilateral decision has led a significant number of Bitcoin node operators to migrate to Bitcoin Knots, an alternative node software that allows operators to enforce strict data size limits. The number of Bitcoin Knots nodes has dramatically increased from approximately 1% in 2024 to about 20% of the network. Supporters of Bitcoin Knots argue that these limits are crucial for maintaining the decentralization of the Bitcoin protocol.
Bitcoin's simple architecture and strict data limits have allowed its ledger to accumulate approximately 680 gigabytes of data since its inception in 2009. This low data storage requirement enables individuals to run a node on standard computer hardware for around $300, promoting democratized access and ensuring decentralization. In contrast, higher-throughput blockchain networks and smart contract platforms generate significantly more data, necessitating expensive, specialized hardware to operate nodes, which can lead to increased centralization. This is because only wealthy investors and large corporations can afford to run nodes and enforce consensus rules, raising the risk of collusion to alter consensus or reverse transactions.
