Blockchain Basics: Forks & Governance
Required Readings:
‘Blockchain Forks Explained’ Blockgenic, Medium (March 3, 2019)
‘The Ultimate List of Bitcoin and Alt-Cryptocurrency Forks’ Unhashed (referenced August 2019)
‘Notes on Blockchain Governance’ Vitalik Buterin (December 17, 2017)
‘What is Blockchain Governance? Complete Beginner’s Guide’ Brian Curran, Blockonomi (September
21, 2018)
‘The Meaning of Decentralization’ Vitalik Buterin, Medium (February 6, 2017)
Optional Readings:
‘Who Controls Bitcoin Core?’ Cypherpunks Cogitations (December 15, 2018)
‘Blockchain Technology Overview’ National Institute of Standards and Technology (October 2018)
(pages 29 – 31, section 5)
Study Questions/Issues to Prepare:
1) What are hard and soft forks in the context of blockchains?
2) What are the governance models for decision making and control of blockchain applications?
How does it vary by function? Where would you place various models on spectrum of
decentralization?
3) Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? (Only kidding a bit.)