Ordinaries place digital graffiti on Bitcoin’s blockchain.
The ordinary protocol on the Bitcoin network has sparked widespread debate among enthusiasts and skeptics. In essence, the integration of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into Bitcoin – which the protocol facilitates – is inconsistent with Bitcoin's original design and ethos. It represents a disturbing and unwanted direction.
Bitcoin (BTC) was conceived as a decentralized digital currency, primarily focused on facilitating financial transactions. The design and architecture were carefully crafted to serve this purpose, ensuring safety, efficiency and accessibility. The introduction of NFTs through ordinals represents a significant departure from this basic objective.
The implementation has raised concerns among some developers and users, who describe it as exploiting a vulnerability in the Bitcoin protocol. This perspective suggests that the integration of ordinals is not a planned or natural evolution of Bitcoin's potential, but rather an exploitation of the existing framework. Such a view casts doubt on the legitimacy and long-term viability of the bitcoin ecosystem, diluting its core vision and confusing its user base about its core function.
Related: Bitcoin Fragments May Be More Valuable Than Whole Bitcoins
More importantly, the integration of Ordinals into Bitcoin's ecosystem has introduced more than just digital collectors; Akin to spam, it has brought a wave of digital clutter that defies the original efficiency and purpose of the network. This is not just an unnecessary flow of information. It leads to real issues, such as network congestion and exorbitant transaction fees, far from Bitcoin's vision of a streamlined, financial blockchain.
PSA: “Texts” are spamming the blockchain using a vulnerability in #Bitcoin Core. Since 2013, Bitcoin Core has allowed users to set a limit on the amount of additional data they can transmit or mine (`-datacarriersize`) in their transactions. By disguising their data as program code,…
— Luke Dashjr (@LukeDashjr) December 6, 2023
Faced with these challenges, the community will inevitably develop methods to filter and remove these originals from wallets and full nodes. Therefore, the assumption that ordinals are invariant is wrong. As participants in the network take proactive steps to remove these digital artifacts, the notion that ordinals will live forever in the Bitcoin blockchain is becoming increasingly untenable. This dynamic highlights a fundamental disagreement between the nature of Ordinals and the core principles of Bitcoin's design, hinting at their eventual obsolescence in a system that was never meant to accommodate them.
Ordinary mountains plant their roots firmly in the NFT space, which is often criticized for its uniqueness and solitary nature. This is in stark contrast to Bitcoin's democratic and inclusive ethos. The emergence of Bitcoin was a response to the centralized control of traditional financial systems, offering an egalitarian alternative. Embracing a competitive platform known for its neutrality and speculative tendencies could alienate a significant portion of the Bitcoin community that values transparency and egalitarian principles.
Turns are wrong. The fix is coming. https://t.co/dZeDCiKrPQ
— Max Keiser (@maxkeiser) December 9, 2023
Integrating ordinals into Bitcoin can be likened to the act of spraying neon graffiti on venerable ancient monuments like the Colosseum or the Pyramids. These structures are a testimony of architectural wonder and historical importance. Imagine you're suddenly covered in bright modern neon spray paint.
Related: SEC faces another setback in recycling lawsuit against Kraken
That action is undoubtedly modern and eye-catching, but it is at odds with the historical context of the monument. Respect for culture and history transforms places into an antiquated lens, affecting their dignity and distorting their original purpose. This type of graffiti was not respected. The integrity of these timeless structures is considered a disaster, a disaster.
Likewise, introducing Ordinals to Bitcoin feels like a huge misstep. It disrespects and distorts Bitcoin's fundamental principles, turning financial innovation into a chaotic display of digital profit. This change not only undermines Bitcoin's original vision, but also challenges the essence of what made it such a success in the digital world.
The Ordinals protocol has created several critical problems for Bitcoin: deviating from the main financial focus, questions about the sustainability of digital assets, conflicts with its democratic ethics, and concerns over protocol exploitation. As we navigate these complex waters, it's important to carefully consider these issues while ensuring that Bitcoin stays true to its core vision and works for its intended purpose.
Daniele Servadei is the founder and CEO of Sellix, an Italian e-commerce platform with more than 2.3 million customers who have processed more than $75 million in transactions worldwide. He is studying Computer Science at the University of Parma.
This article is not intended for general information purposes and should not be construed as legal or investment advice. The views, ideas and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
