Quote from: marky89 on September 09, 2015, 10:43:34 PM

Quote from: Peter R on September 09, 2015, 10:26:41 PM

Quote from: brg444 on September 09, 2015, 09:54:56 PM

so core devs control all the nodes and miners now Roll Eyes

Core devs control the code that ~85% of the network nodes elect to run. This is presently Bitcoin's greatest point of centralization.

Bitcoin is a decentralized protocol. What you're saying is 100% irrelevant to that. I'm not opposed to any number of people or groups forking the code -- hell, that's what most altcoins are. But the idea of "centralization" is being used as a red herring here. Whether or not the development process is centralized has absolutely no bearing on whether the protocol is centralized -- that is what's important.

Bitcoin is a decentralized protocol, indeed. Presently ~85% of the network nodes run Core's implementation of that protocol.

The block size limit debate has revealed how this sort of centralization--once thought benign--can become an impediment to progress and can be subject to capture by special interest groups. Like you said, the code can be freely forked to create an outlet to any impediment; the XT fork is leading the way down that path. This knowledge of "how to fork" is one positive that has come from the block size battle.

I look forward to seeing multiple implementation of the Bitcoin protocol in a few years time.