Thoughts on OP_CAT and Script Updates in 2024

Anyone know gmaxwell's take on OP_CAT and the "Great script restoration" thing? Some Core devs say it's safe with checks, but I remember him saying there are risks even with limits. What changed?

We could just ask him directly... how else are we supposed to know what he thinks?

I feel like we should just bring back all the OP codes. Still skeptical about that message being from Satoshi... Seems like some folks know more about the OP removals than they let on.

Does it really matter though? Gmaxwell's not even working on Bitcoin anymore. Plus, it takes a consensus from multiple devs to make changes, not just one guy.

Hey OP, mind sharing who you are? Maybe a more recognized name?

Yeah, I’m curious too, just wondering.

That link is kinda misleading. I was responding to someone thinking limited ops counted as a real limit. It's not enough. Implementing a solid limit isn't hard, and it’s been done in other chains.

Back in 2014, we didn’t have Segwit or Taproot. It was complicated to upgrade without messing with the original Script. Now, with Taproot, we can add new scripts without interfering with the old ones. That's a big deal.

I honestly think OP_CAT is key for many reasons. Bringing it back could really make Bitcoin scripts more versatile. It’d let us concatenate data directly, simplifying things instead of using messy workarounds.

So, does gmaxwell's view mean Andrew Poelstra could be wrong? I heard OP_CAT is a narrower upgrade than Taproot. Makes sense, but I’m just a newbie here.

What? Are you really buying into that?

Anyone got an opinion on what Ja Rule thinks about all this?

Sorry if I jumped to conclusions about there being a debate here. Maybe we just lack a solid method for protocol upgrades or consensus changes in Bitcoin.