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Without OP_CAT, Bruce Liu says Bitcoin is arsenic "useful arsenic a jumbo pitchy without wings" susceptible of overmuch much than it’s allowed to do, but stuck connected the crushed portion Ethereum and Solana soar.
Liu, the laminitis of OPCAT_Labs, says a azygous opcode, OP_CAT, could alteration Bitcoin from static integer golden into programmable wealth that rivals different Layer-1 chains.
OP_CAT is simply a long-disabled opcode successful Bitcoin’s codification that, if re-enabled, would let developers to concatenate information successful scripts and unlock a scope of caller possibilities, from vaults and covenants to decentralized exchanges and zero-knowledge proofs.
The Bitcoin blockchain, if OP_CAT was re-enabled, would beryllium arsenic programmable arsenic Ethereum oregon Solana, said Liu.
"OP_CAT is not caller code. It was ne'er deleted, conscionable commented retired and disabled. We are not adding my opcode oregon idiosyncratic else’s. It’s Satoshi’s,” Liu told CoinDesk during an interrogation connected the sidelines of BTC Asia successful Hong Kong.
But the propulsion for OP_CAT doesn’t travel without friction.
Satoshi disabled it successful 2010 implicit concerns it could alteration denial-of-service attacks. Opponents reason that immoderate caller opcode introduces “unknown unknowns,” threatening Bitcoin’s hard-won stability. Others instrumentality a philosophical stance: Bitcoin should stay integer gold, alternatively than chasing Ethereum’s programmability.
Liu pushes backmost by appealing to Satoshi Nakamoto’s design.
“If Bitcoin was lone for payments, wherefore did Satoshi see Script astatine all?” helium asked. “OP_CAT isn’t my invention, it’s Satoshi’s code. It was ne'er deleted, lone disabled.”
Liu says OP_CAT would bring Script to beingness – the basal programming connection built into the Bitcoin blockchain – allowing Bitcoin to bash much than conscionable payments and enabling features similar vaults oregon adjacent basal DeFi.
OP_CAT, helium said, would unlock much of that potential, letting developers physique things similar vaults, covenants, oregon adjacent elemental DeFi apps connected Bitcoin.
To reenforce the point, helium points backmost to Nakamoto’s ain mentation of wherefore Script existed successful the archetypal place.
In a 2010 Bitcointalk post, Nakamoto wrote that Bitcoin’s plan was efficaciously “set successful stone” from its archetypal release, truthful helium wanted it to accommodate each benignant of transaction helium could imagine.
Hard-coding each 1 would person created endless peculiar cases, Satoshi explained, truthful alternatively the Bitcoin creator introduced Script arsenic a wide solution that fto users specify their ain conditions portion nodes lone needed to cheque if those conditions were met.
Already, the institution launched a fork of Bitcoin successful a virtual instrumentality with OP_CAT enabled to show its potential, implicit with SDKs, APIs and a JavaScript-like programming connection designed to marque gathering connected Bitcoin accessible to Web2 developers.
The OP_CAT Lobby
The different fractional of Liu’s program is political. Alongside Mate Tokay, an aboriginal Bitcoin entrepreneur, who co-founded Bitcoin.com with Roger Ver, OPCAT_Labs is spearheading what they picture arsenic an “Alliance” of OP_CAT supporters.
The extremity is to coordinate different scattered efforts from groups similar Taproot Wizards, StarkWare, and autarkic developers.
“Previously, OP_CAT advocacy was leaderless,” Liu said. “Ninety percent of radical we talk with are successful favor, but the loudest voices are the ones against. We privation to signifier enactment into thing visible, semi-official, and coordinated.”
Tokay frames it arsenic an acquisition run for influential stakeholders, money managers, institutions, and adjacent lawmakers, who helium says are excessively focused connected BTC treasuries to announcement the programmability debate.
“If they knew what OP_CAT unlocks, they’d beryllium adjacent much excited astir Bitcoin’s future,” helium said.
By adjacent year’s Bitcoin Asia conference, Liu hopes to amusement moving DeFi apps connected Bitcoin and advancement toward an organized lobbying front.
He frames it arsenic unlocking imaginable that’s been determination each along. “We’re not changing Bitcoin,” helium said. “We’re unfolding its wings.”
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