TLDR
BIP-110 supporters launched a breakaway Bitcoin chain on Saturday at block 961,632.
The fork mined only two blocks in about eight hours before it stalled.
Just 2.53% of mining power backed the fork, far below the 55% threshold needed to activate the change.
The breakaway chain inherited Bitcoin’s difficulty setting and would need roughly 350 days to reach its next adjustment.
Michael Saylor and Jameson Lopp both publicly criticized the fork and its supporters.
A group of Bitcoin supporters launched a breakaway chain over the weekend. The split centered on a proposal known as BIP-110.
The fork began Saturday at block 961,632. Nodes running BIP-110 software started rejecting any block that failed to signal support for the change.
The new chain struggled from the start. It mined only two blocks in about eight hours before it stopped producing blocks at a normal pace.
Meanwhile, the main Bitcoin network kept working as usual. It continued adding a new block roughly every ten minutes.
What Is BIP-110?
BIP-110 is a proposal to change how Bitcoin handles certain types of data. It would temporarily block ways of embedding images, text, and other non-financial data into transactions.
Supporters say this data, often tied to Ordinals inscriptions, clogs the network. They argue it raises fees for people making normal payments.
Critics see it differently. They argue that anyone who pays for block space has earned the right to use it however they choose.
Opponents also worry about the precedent. They say letting miners and node operators filter transactions could weaken Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship.
The numbers show how small support for the fork really was. Only 2.53% of recent blocks signaled backing for BIP-110.
That is far below the 55% needed for the change to activate without splitting the network. Because of this, the breakaway chain kept Bitcoin’s current difficulty setting despite having very little mining power behind it.
Bitcoin adjusts its difficulty every 2,016 blocks. The main chain reaches that mark roughly every two weeks.
The breakaway chain would need close to 350 days to hit the same milestone. This left its blocks arriving hours apart instead of minutes.
Reactions From the Bitcoin Community
Strategy’s Michael Saylor commented on the outcome early Sunday. He said the network worked as designed and that about 99.85% of hash power stayed with the main Bitcoin chain.
Bitcoin security expert Jameson Lopp also weighed in. He said he would not support unblocking or welcoming back anyone who backed BIP-110.
Lopp added that some supporters spread false claims and targeted people who have worked on improving Bitcoin for years. His comments reflected the tension the debate caused within the community.
There is also a risk for anyone holding coins from the new chain. Because both chains accept the same kind of transactions, a coin sold on the minority chain could be copied over to the main Bitcoin network.
This means a buyer could end up receiving real Bitcoin from the same seller twice. The signaling window for BIP-110 closes at block 963,647.
The fork has fallen so far behind that it has no real chance of reaching that mark before support runs out. For now, the main Bitcoin network remains the dominant chain by a wide margin.
