Mempool founder FUD splits Bitcoin: Fractal is just a shitfork

Previously, we introduced the Bitcoin scaling solution Fractal, which focuses on sharding Bitcoin to enhance transaction processing speed and throughput while maintaining compatibility with the Bitcoin mainnet through its unique mechanism. The scaling solution has recently launched on the mainnet, but it quickly faced some skepticism from the community. Mempool founder mononaut took to Twitter to express concerns, stating that the solution is essentially a copy of the Bitcoin Core v24.0.1 code with some consensus modifications and pointing out issues such as the initial 50% pre-mine.

Fractal Bitcoin? Legitimate Bitcoin Scaling Solution

Fractal is a Bitcoin scaling solution developed by the Bitcoin wallet Unisat, aiming to share security with the Bitcoin mainnet, where all transactions can be traced back to the Bitcoin mainnet. Unlike other Bitcoin scaling solutions, Fractal expands the Bitcoin system through recursion on the Bitcoin mainnet. On the other hand, Layer 2 scaling solutions like Merlin introduce the EVM system and are criticized for not being a true BTC Layer 2 as they do not share the security of the Bitcoin mainnet.

Fractal Bitcoin Mainnet Launches in September, 80% of Tokens Allocated to Community

Copy-pasting Code, Pre-mining Half of Tokens, Filled with Technical Jargon, Another Shitfork?

Returning to mononaut's post, he mentions that Fractal Bitcoin essentially copies Bitcoin Core v24.0.1, borrowing some code from namecoin and bcash and modifying some consensus rules. This includes halving after 2.1 million blocks, targeting 30-second block times, a total supply of 210 million $FB tokens, initial block reward of 25 tokens, and continuous difficulty adjustment taken from bcash.

He also notes that half of the Fractal FDV is pre-mined, meaning if everything goes as planned, miners will need a full two years (an entire halving cycle) to barely receive half of the team's first-day rewards for themselves.

He also points out that the simplified version of the technical document for Fractal includes meaningless technical jargon like "virtualization," "recursion," "layered scaling," which are irrelevant to the actual technical implementation. He states that this is just another shitfork.

However, some comments below suggest that according to insider information, the 50% pre-mining is mostly for airdrops. If this information is true, then perhaps participating in Fractal's airdrop could be worthwhile, similar to the $PIZZA airdrop received by Unisat wallet users previously, bringing significant benefits to users. Currently, Fractal uses PoW, so participation may involve setting up nodes or being an active Unisat user.