Bitcoin Cash Reveals Upcoming Fork Updates

3 min read
Anca Florentis
News
The team of developers behind Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin ABC has revealed the full update regarding the next Bitcoin Cash hard fork, which is scheduled to occur on 15th of November 2018. This very timely update was made so that the team can ensure that the technologies coin’s technologies remain unaffected by the fork and that its users are prepared for the rollout. The update is now available to download, but as previously mentioned, the update will not be live before November. The official announcement made by Bitcoin ABC read:  “We are pleased to announce that Bitcoin ABC 0.18.0 has been released. You can download it at: https://download.bitcoinabc.org/0.18.0/. The goal of Bitcoin ABC is to help create sound money that is usable by everyone in the world. We believe this is a civilization-changing technology which will dramatically increase human freedom and prosperity. Bitcoin ABC 0.18.0 represents the next step towards this goal. Bitcoin ABC 0.18.0 includes implementation and activation of the Bitcoin Cash network upgrade that will take effect on Nov 15, 2018. All users of Bitcoin ABC should upgrade to version 0.18.0 as soon as possible.” The updates include the following specifications: “The specific features included in the November 15th upgrade, and provided by Bitcoin ABC 0.18.0, are:  
  • A new opcode called OP_CHECKDATASIG that improves the BCH scripting language to permit the validation of messages from outside the blockchain.This will enable uses such as the use of oracles and cross-chain atomic contracts.
  • The introduction of canonical transaction ordering. This is a technical building block that lays the foundation for massive scaling improvements in the future.
  • Several minor technical fixes and improvements.”
These updates will be implemented to give access to all network users to a fairer and better version of the cryptocurrency, being developed to meet the needs of all involved parties- miners, investors, traders and users of Bitcoin Cash. This fork was also conceived taking into account adoption, thus Bitcoin ABC aims to improve Bitcoin Cash so it can be easier to use for the average users. The official announcement stated: “We aim to work in the best interests of miners, investors, and users of Bitcoin Cash, and to collaborate and coordinate with other teams and projects in the Bitcoin Cash ecosystem. Bitcoin ABC 0.18.0 grew out of this collaborative process. It implements network upgrade features developed with input and collaboration from many different groups. It is an important step in the process of careful and incremental technical progress to improve the utility of Bitcoin Cash and enable massive on-chain scaling. To become a solid base for application development and innovation, Bitcoin Cash needs to continuously improve and compete. At Bitcoin ABC, we are working diligently building a technical foundation to enable Bitcoin Cash to be the best money the world has ever seen.”