比特币区块链可能正在改变其作为主要支持数字黄金的网络的声誉

通过对代码进行软件升级来为比特币区块链添加新功能的努力正在获得越来越多的关注。升级争论中的领先者是一个名为 OP_CAT 的程序

Bitcoin blockchain’s reputation as a network that primarily supports digital gold may be changing as efforts gain traction to add new features via a software upgrade to its code.

比特币区块链作为主要支持数字黄金的网络的声誉可能正在改变，因为通过软件升级其代码来添加新功能的努力越来越受到关注。

The front-runner in the upgrade debate is a program called OP_CAT — a small software tweak that would add about 10 lines to the code that enables linking of two elements together, so-called concatenation. If adopted it would open the door to a host of enhancements for bitcoin users from better coin custody to decentralised finance apps of the type that are already common on rival blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana.

升级争论中的领跑者是一个名为 OP_CAT 的程序，这是一个小型软件调整，它将在代码中添加大约 10 行，从而将两个元素链接在一起，即所谓的串联。如果采用，它将为比特币用户打开一系列增强功能的大门，从更好的代币托管到去中心化金融应用程序，这些应用程序在以太坊和 Solana 等竞争对手的区块链上已经很常见。

“You could actually do smart contracts very similar to what you’d see on other chains,” Udi Wertheimer, chief executive officer of OP_CAT supporter Taproot Wizards, said in an interview. “Bitcoin could be a lot more than it is,” he adds. “It’s time to talk about an actual technical upgrade.”

OP_CAT 支持者 Taproot Wizards 的首席执行官 Udi Wertheimer 在接受采访时表示：“实际上，你可以制定与在其他链上看到的非常相似的智能合约。” “比特币的用途可能远不止于此，”他补充道。 “是时候讨论实际的技术升级了。”

But implementing OP_CAT means upgrading the bitcoin network and that’s a big deal, requiring the community and core developers to sign on to the revamp. While rivals like Ethereum complete dramatic upgrades at least once a year, the network for the world’s largest cryptocurrency hasn’t added new functionality since 2021.

但实施 OP_CAT 意味着升级比特币网络，这是一件大事，需要社区和核心开发人员签署改造协议。尽管以太坊等竞争对手每年至少完成一次重大升级，但自 2021 年以来，全球最大加密货币的网络尚未添加新功能。

In fact, it’s been left unchanged on purpose, as the fewer the changes, the more likely it is to remain stable and secure, the logic goes. Some believe OP-CAT could be the first step toward challenging that notion, and heavyweights in the crypto space are starting to sign onto the idea.

事实上，它是故意保持不变的，因为按照逻辑，变化越少，就越有可能保持稳定和安全。一些人认为 OP-CAT 可能是挑战这一概念的第一步，加密货币领域的重量级人物也开始认可这一想法。

Introduced in October by Ethan Heilman and Armin Sabouri, the OP_CAT feature recently launched on bitcoin’s test network called Signet and was assigned a BIP-420 number, indicating it’s under serious consideration for an upgrade. A slew of well-known people in crypto including Solana Labs co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko have added “BIP-420” to their names on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. Taproot Wizards in February launched Quantum Cats Ordinals collection, promoting OP-CAT. In April, it published a white paper, outlining a framework for building apps using OP-CAT.

OP_CAT 功能由 Ethan Heilman 和 Armin Sabouri 于 10 月推出，最近在名为 Signet 的比特币测试网络上推出，并被分配了 BIP-420 编号，表明正在认真考虑升级。包括 Solana Labs 联合创始人 Anatoly Yakovenko 在内的众多加密领域知名人士在社交媒体网站 X（以前称为 Twitter）上的名字中添加了“BIP-420”。 Taproot Wizards 在二月份推出了 Quantum Cats Ordinals 系列，推广 OP-CAT。 4 月份，它发布了一份白皮书，概述了使用 OP-CAT 构建应用程序的框架。

“If this innovation gets pushed through, it opens up the potential for every use case on every chain to come back to bitcoin,” Henry Elder, a principal at UTXO Management, which is an investor in Taproot Wizards, said in an interview.

Taproot Wizards 的投资者、UTXO Management 的负责人亨利·埃尔德 (Henry Elder) 在接受采访时表示：“如果这项创新得到推动，它将为每条链上的每个用例都开启回归比特币的潜力。”

For example, OP_CAT could enable so-called non-equivocation contracts — bitcoin contracts that penalise someone for trying to spend the same coin twice. Or, if a person’s wallet gets hacked, the owner may have some time to reverse the hacked transactions.

例如，OP_CAT 可以启用所谓的非歧义合约——比特币合约，对试图两次使用同一个币的人进行惩罚。或者，如果一个人的钱包被黑客入侵，钱包所有者可能有一些时间来撤销被黑客入侵的交易。

“It’s a good idea because bitcoin custody benefits from some extra programmability,” said Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, focused on bitcoin technology. “And extra programmability enables more layer-2 capabilities.”

“这是一个好主意，因为比特币托管受益于一些额外的可编程性，”专注于比特币技术的 Blockstream 首席执行官 Adam Back 说道。 “额外的可编程性可实现更多第 2 层功能。”

Those capabilities, for example, create better bridges with second-tier blockchains, making it more secure and easier to do transactions.

例如，这些功能可以与第二层区块链建立更好的桥梁，使交易更安全、更容易。

For Heilman who introduced OP-CAT, the features may help bitcoin users keep their digital gold more secure, building so-called vaults for better storage. “Securing ‘digital gold’ is a difficult task for custodians, having OP-CAT provides more powerful tools,” he said in an e-mail. “This is especially important for bitcoiners doing self-custody.”

对于推出 OP-CAT 的 Heilman 来说，这些功能可以帮助比特币用户保持数字黄金的安全，建立所谓的金库以实现更好的存储。 “保护‘数字黄金’对于托管人来说是一项艰巨的任务，OP-CAT 提供了更强大的工具，”他在一封电子邮件中表示。 “这对于进行自我托管的比特币持有者来说尤其重要。”

Also being considered is an OP_CAT alternative, known as OP_CTV — a more extensive update that accomplishes a similar feat. Proposed by Jeremy Rubin, a bitcoin core developer and CEO of bitcoin researcher Judica, it would let a user automatically send one bitcoin to an address each month; but if the user’s address is hacked, all bitcoins could be sent to cold storage, for example. The feature would also let people create options over derivatives, he said.

还正在考虑的是 OP_CAT 替代方案，称为 OP_CTV，这是一个更广泛的更新，可以实现类似的功能。由比特币核心开发人员、比特币研究机构 Judica 首席执行官杰里米·鲁宾 (Jeremy Rubin) 提出，它将允许用户每月自动向某个地址发送一枚比特币；但如果用户的地址被黑客入侵，所有比特币都可能被发送到冷库。他说，该功能还可以让人们创建衍生品期权。

“I don’t care what technology primitive bitcoin gets under the hood,” Rubin said. “If we got OP_CAT, that will be fantastic. If we get OP_CTV, that will be fantastic.”

“我不在乎比特币的底层技术是什么，”鲁宾说。 “如果我们获得 OP_CAT，那就太棒了。如果我们获得 OP_CTV，那就太棒了。”

Just when and if an upgrade will be implemented is still up in the air, especially with die-hard bitcoin maxis, which include MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor — believing it’s the best cryptocurrency around just as it is.

何时以及是否会实施升级仍然悬而未决，特别是对于顽固的比特币 maxis，其中包括 MicroStrategy 的 Michael Saylor，他们相信它是最好的加密货币。

Jeff Garzik, a former bitcoin core developer, said he’s pessimistic that bitcoin will receive even small upgrades such as OP_CAT. “At a high level, this is why some describe bitcoin as ossified: strong and secure yet rarely changed or upgraded,” said Garzik, who co-founded crypto infrastructure and apps company Bloq.

前比特币核心开发人员 Jeff Garzik 表示，他对比特币是否会获得诸如 OP_CAT 之类的小升级感到悲观。加密基础设施和应用程序公司 Bloq 的联合创始人加齐克 (Garzik) 表示：“从高层次上来说，这就是为什么有些人将比特币描述为僵化的：强大且安全，但很少改变或升级。”

Heilman behind the OP-CAT upgrade concedes there’s no clear timeline. “It could be that we get community consensus in the next four months or maybe it takes years.”

OP-CAT 升级背后的海尔曼承认没有明确的时间表。 “我们可能会在接下来的四个月内达成社区共识，也可能需要数年时间。”