Homework on Soft and Hard Forks - Questions

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#2932
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    A soft fork is the result of an update that causes previously valid transactions to become invalid, for example on that reduces the maximum size of a block. This can result in a temporary split in the blockchain if certain nodes fail to update.

A hard fork is the result of an update that causes previously invalid transactions to become valid, i.e increasing the maximum size of the block. This can result in a permanent split in the block chain.

  1. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    To change the way in which the chain may be operated or work, for example in the creation of a new coin or token. It is also a more clearly democratic means to update the operation of the block chain as people who update in this way will not add blocks to the blockchain of the previous modus operandi abd undermine the update.

  2. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    Decrease in the hash power of the network, and also problems with validating newer blocks the miner might not be able to fully understand, leading to security issues within the blockchain.

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#2933
  1. a hardfork is an expansion of rules that must be accepted by 100% of nodes. Soft Forks are a contraction of rules requiring only a simple majority > 50%
  2. change of rules agreed upon by everyone, clarification of rules
  3. Risks include split of hash power and, therefore, less security. Split of the chain and community.
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#2934

1: A soft fork makes previously valid blocks invalid, and a hard fork makes previously invalid blocks valid. Hard fork = Now we do this / Soft fork = we dont do this anymore.

2: A hardfork is a democratic way to split the blockchain, as miners basically have a choice which blockchain to continue with.

3: The loss in hash power and the splitting of the community are drawback of a hard fork.

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#2935 
What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?

A soft fork is a contraction of the rule set and hard forks are an expansion of this rule set in the network.

What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?

Creating a new currency with new functions and more efficiency for example.

What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?

You split the chain, the community and the hash power.

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#2936
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?

A hardfork makes previously invalid blocks valid, a softfork makes previously valid blocks invalid.

  1. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?

To increase the block size or to erase a segment of the blockchain (as when Ethereum broke into ETH and ETC)

  1. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?

If not all nodes update to the new chain, you will end up with divergent currencies and blockchains going forward, also reducing your hash rate.

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#2937
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    The hard fork is created by an expansion of the rules while the soft fork by a contraction of the rules
  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    An updated of the consensus rules. Different path of a cryptocurrency.
  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    Blockchain split. Community disagree
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#2938

  1. A hard fork is an expansion, while a soft fork is a contraction. Hard fork makes previously invalid blocks valid and a soft fork makes previously valid forks invalid.

  2. If you want to increase block capacity (fit more transactions into a block to speed up transaction time).

  3. A risk could be that not all dones update and you have 2 different coins when the network never discards the longest chain.

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#2939
  1. soft tightens rules while hard expands.
  2. clear and democratic
  3. split chain and lower hash power.
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#2940

  1. In case of softfork, the whole network keeps existing on ā€œthe mainā€ blockchain with a different rule set, as opposed to the hardfork, which creates a new currency (continuation of the fork) on the same blockchain so both rule sets can exist.

  2. The process of the hardfork is more democratic in the way that in case of lack of consensus, it is possible to keep using the same blockchain with another currency and an other rule set.

  3. The risk is to divide the community and make both currencies weaker than they would be together.

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#2941

  1. Hard forks are generated by updates that make previously invalid blocks valid, while soft forks are generated by updates that make previously valid blocks invalid.

  2. If the consensus rules need to be changed.

  3. Hashpower split.

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#2942
  1. Soft Forks will make valid block invalid and Hard Forks will make valid blocks invalid.
  2. its democratic and clear
  3. Communities will split, hash power split and it will make the network less secure.
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#2943

  1. Hard fork is the result of expansion. It causes there two become two communities, but the results are very clear. Soft forks are the result of contraction. It causes there to be unity in a community, but there are ambiguity going on. Soft forks can resolve themselves, but hard forks cannot.

  2. Hard fork will happen when things that were no allowed in the past and now going to be allowed. This may happen when requirements have changed and maybe we need to have bigger blocks to solve.

  3. Risks of performing a hardfork may result in a forking that cannot be resolved. This would result in two versions of the truth that cannot reconcile. Nodes that have not updated their rules in time will not be part of the new fork and will adhere to an older reality.

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#2944

  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
    Hf make invalid blocks valid and fork it the opposite

  2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
    when changing Consensus rules

  3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
    it will split community and chain

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#2945

The chain splits in two and miners move to either of these chains thus reducing the hashrate on both which lowers security :slight_smile:

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#2946

  1. The difference is that by a hard fork a rule so for example the size per block is changed to a lager size and therefore all valid transactions are now invalid where with a soft fork update it the other way around

  2. To change the rules, to create a new chain, to conduct new ideas in to the protocol.

  3. Could lose a part of the community and therefore a lot of hash power.

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#2947

1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?
Both a softfork and a hardfork have commonality by the fact both require an update to the consensus agreement about what validates a block.

The difference between the two, however, is that a hardfork can be seen as an expansion to the blockchain network requiring blocks that were previously invalid to now be considered valid. A hardfork leads to a split community and even a new currency which follows a new set of consensus rules.
A softfork on the other hand can be seen as a contraction where we now see previous blocks being that were valid now become invalid. This process eventually leads to there being no fork as long as more than 50% of the network is updated. It can be seen as refining the consensus rule and does not create a split in the community or a new currency.

2. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?
A hardfork signals that there is a clear decision within the network to make a change, those that agree with said change can take the update and follow in the new blockchain path. Additionally it can be viewed as creating a better version of the blockchain with its own consensus agreement.

3. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?
Hardforks can be seen to split a community as well as splitting the hash power of a blockchain possibly leaving it open to security vulnerabilities.

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#2948

1- Hard fork is when you have an upgrade to the chain that increases the size of the blocks, making previously invalid blocks valid. Soft fork is when the update on the chain decreases the size of the blocks and makes previously valid blocks invalid. You only need more than 50% hashpower for a fork.

2- A reason for the hard fork can be if the network thinks that an update will perform better than the traditional, based on a new currency.

3- Decrease in the Hashpower and splitting the community.

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#2949
  1. Softforks and hardforks happen for example when there are changes in consensus protocol. In hardfork case the new rules ā€œincludeā€ the previous rules and in addition make previously invalid blocks valid. In hardforks case miners may continue mining within old rules or move to the new rules, since new rules include the old ones. In hardfork case the chain is always split.

In softfork case the rules tighten in a way that previously valid blocks become invalid. In this case a blochain split occurs only in a case that under 50% of miners/blocks update to the new rules.

  1. Hard fork could be performed for example if a radical change to protocol is needed to correct a security risk or to add a new functionality to the network.

  2. One of the risks of performing a hard fork is that the community may be split. Other one could be that same currency could be spent first in new blockchain (within new rules) and then in old blockchain. The nodes that work within old rules canā€™t figure out spending in new chain because new chainā€™s blocks are invalid to nodes within old rules.

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#2950
  1. What is the difference between a softfork and a hardfork?

A Softfork is a restriction of the rules, while a hardfork is an enhancement. A hard fork leads to a split of the blockchain into a new coin and an old one. A soft fork needs to convince a majority to avoid a fork of the blockchain.

  1. What are some of the reasons why you would do a hardfork?

I suppose that an improvement to the blockchain means normally an enhancement of the rules so that I donā€™t have the choice of a soft fork or a hard fork. If I had a choice, I would make a hardfork then when the opinions of the community is split and I would not want to urge miners to take my opinion.

  1. What are some of the risks with performing a hardfork?

The community and the hash power become split.

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#2951

  1. soft fork makes previously valid blocks invalid, hard fork makes previously invalid forks valid.

  2. to make a new currency, to make a clear update/new blockchain.

  3. the chain gets split, that usualy follows splitting the community and miners have an option to chose another chain hash power decreses.

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