Bitcoin Core developers have rolled out the second test version of the much-debated Bitcoin Core v30 update, which is expected to officially launch in October with major changes to wallet handling and data use.
The Bitcoin Core Project announced on Sunday that the latest release candidate, v30.0rc2, is now available for testing, calling it a “new major release.”
This version retires older wallet infrastructure in favor of a new streamlined command system. However, the most contentious changes center on the OP_RETURN opcode, a feature that lets users embed arbitrary data in transactions. The update removes the long-standing 80-byte cap, opening the door to much larger data inputs potentially stretching close to 4 megabytes per transaction output.
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A Divided Debate Over Bitcoin’s Purpose
Bitcoin traditionalists insist the network should serve strictly as a medium for financial transactions, not as a storage system for arbitrary data. They warn that heavy use of OP_RETURN could permanently inflate the blockchain, since every node must preserve this data, leading to higher costs. Critics also caution that the change could open the door to spam or even malicious code being embedded on the network.
On the other hand, Bitcoin maximalists counter that block space should be open to any use as long as users pay transaction fees. In their view, market forces will naturally discourage harmful activity by making large-scale misuse too expensive.
Despite the sharp divide, Bitcoin Core developers are moving ahead with the update, expected to roll out in late October. The timeline, however, may shift as testing continues and debates among developers intensify.
Szabo Weighs In on the Debate
Bitcoin pioneer Nick Szabo resurfaced on X after nearly five years of silence, jumping straight into the ongoing discussion on Sunday. He argued that while transaction fees, described by developer “calle” as a kind of “spam filter”, offer protection for miners, they fall short of discouraging abuse that burdens full nodes.
“This has always been a problem, of course. But increasing the OP_RETURN allowance will likely make this problem worse. It will also increase legal risks.This suggests that allowing more data on OP_RETURN conceivably may reduce legal risks.”
Nick Szabo
Szabo also pointed to a court case shared by crypto attorney Joe Carlasare, which clarified that node operators cannot be held legally responsible for data stored on the blockchain if they have neither knowledge of it nor control over it.
