This series continues to translate the original white paper by Satoshi Nakamoto to plain language. The goal is to have easily shared content, and send new people directly to nostr to read it. The original content will be posted, with the plain language below.
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Node - A participating computer in the Bitcoin network that checks transactions and follows the rules of the network.
Soft Fork - Like changing some of the game rules so that everyone can keep playing together, and if most players agree to these new rules, they smoothly switch to them without causing a big problem.
5. Network Paragraph 2
Nodes always consider the longest chain to be the correct one and will keep working on extending it. If two nodes broadcast different versions of the next block simultaneously, some nodes may receive one or the other first. In that case, they work on the first one they received, but save the other branch in case it becomes longer. The tie will be broken when the next proof-of-work is found and one branch becomes longer; the nodes that were working on the other branch will then switch to the longer one.
Plain Language
Nodes in Bitcoin are like players in a game. Think of Bitcoin as a game where players (nodes) are constantly trying to solve puzzles to move forward. When they have different ideas about the next move (block), it's like two players suggesting different solutions to the same puzzle at the same time.
Some players might start working on one solution, but they also keep the other one in mind, just like working on multiple puzzle paths. The winner is the first to solve the puzzle, and everyone switches to that solution, breaking any ties to the others and making sure the game moves forward smoothly.
This can also be called a soft fork.
It resembles a situation where there could be a fork in the blockchain. This can happen due to disagreements in the network about which block to consider as the next valid one.
A soft fork is a specific type of change to the Bitcoin system where new rules are introduced, but it remains backward-compatible with the old rules. In the game analogy, a soft fork is like changing some rules of the puzzle-solving game, but players who are still following the old rules can continue playing without any major disruption.
If the majority of players (nodes) accept the new rules or the longer chain following the new rules, it becomes the accepted direction for the game. The nodes that were following the old rules might eventually switch to the new rules if the new chain becomes longer. This transition happens smoothly without creating a permanent split in the chain, which is why it's called a "soft" fork.
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